5 Recipes for Thanksgiving I Keep in my Back Pocket
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the keeper of the keys for my family’s Thanksgiving meal, for two reasons: #1 I always cared way more than anyone else about the end result, and #2 Because I actually enjoyed the cooking process. Some years things would fluctuate: someone else would bring the turkey, my sister maybe made a few things (her specialty was a green bean casserole and arroz con gandules—rice with pigeon peas). There were years when we’d cater in some things, but if the house didn’t smell like roasted everything the day before and of Thanksgiving, it just didn’t feel right to me.
This will be our fourth Thanksgiving away from Florida. A year before we moved to California, we spent it in Washington, D.C. with Charles’ dad’s side of the family, and these past three years, we’ve been here in LA. Every year, I get the usual pleas from my sister to pass along recipes for her with a plethora of questions about the processes and ingredients because well…she’s not a very confident cook. When I’m not being asked for advice or directions on how to cut a sweet potato, my mom is on the other side of the phone asking me over and over again why I’m not there and how different it is without me and how I *should* be there (yes mommy, I know).
While it would have been lovely to figure out how to head home for Thanksgiving this year, it just didn’t make sense for how far along I am and some other life circumstances happening at the moment, so instead, we’ll be spending it with friends in a cozy cabin nearby. Standing for too long has become a bit of a chore for my body, so I had to have a hard, long internal monologue with myself about what I’m willing to give up in the name of sitting comfortably and putting my feet up. My friend and I settled on a list and there are just a few things I am going to contribute to the meal…my “must haves” that I make nearly every year. Most people usually also have their go-tos, but I thought I’d share five recipes for a variety of things I’ve either been making for well over a decade or found in the recent years I’ve added into the rotation. Mostly sides and one appetizer.
Let’s take a look:
We are a sweet potato casserole family. And yes, it always involves marshmallows. I rarely follow a recipe as I could make this thing with my eyes closed, truly, but this is a very close version of what I do. About 15 years ago, I stumbled onto a recipe from Cooking Light that was way lighter and easier than all the ones with tons of sugar and eggs and cream. At that point, it’s just pie without the crust, and I prefer this for its sweet potato-y integrity. This recipe calls for 3/4 cup brown sugar for 2 1/2 pounds of sweet potato, which I find to be far too much being that it’s topped with, well…mostly all sugar. I go with about 1/4 cup, and then make a streusel with the pecans before adding mini marshmallows. Yes, it’s basically dessert, but it has my heart.
Spiced Cranberry, Pear & Ginger Sauce
Every time I make this, people comment on how different it is. This is another thing I kind of wing day-of after a dozen years of making it (originally from a Good Housekeeping recipe print out my mom’s friend gave her). The pears cut way down on the sugar usually needed for cranberry sauce, the cinnamon stick and cardamom add some beautiful seasonal warmth, and the ginger cuts through it all for some punch. Sometimes, I’ll swap out the water for juice squeezed straight from an orange or two. Sometimes I’ll grate some orange zest or lemon zest into it. Sometimes I’ll do the cinnamon stick and sprinkle additional cinnamon into it. Whatever feels right at the time. It’s my family’s tradition to eat any leftovers atop pancakes the next morning, and it’s wonderful.
Kale Salad with Dates, Parmesan & Almonds
There has to be a sharp, vinaigrette-topped salad with my Thanksgiving meal. I need it to cut through all the carbs, and this one is so good. I always massage my kale with a little olive oil and kosher or sea salt (ALWAYS!!!). I find that 8 dates are too many here; 4 is a much better number. And I usually use a whole lemon instead of half because I like my salads very tangy. The combination of the nutty cheese with the sweet and sticky dates, the hearty kale and the crunchy almonds is the perfect holiday meal salad. Plus, kale keeps beautifully even fully dressed for at least a day or two, so it’s great for leftovers, unlike romaine or basically any other softer green that turns to mush.
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
I haven’t broken it to Charles that I will not be making these this year. He LOVES them. I do, too, but they are quite labor-intensive and it’s where I had to draw the line. But I wanted to share them because they are so fantastic. Soft, pillowy, a little doughy but in a good way, slathered with salted honey butter…OMG yum. Make them in honor of me, and then send me a photo of yourself enjoying them. 🙂
Cranberry Brie Cinnamon Puff Pastry Swirls
A little sweet, very buttery, perfectly cheesy. So delicious. I made one batch of these last year and between Charles and me, we ate the whole lot in nearly one sitting. That said, if you’re feeding a crowd, make two or three batches because they will disappear the second you set them out. The brie definitely oozes out all over the pan, so don’t freak out. It’s totally fine and they are still delicious.
And yeah…that’s it. Most years when I’m cooking, I’ll drum up a handful of new recipes for brussels sprouts or appetizers or other veggies or stuffing. I’ve never found “the” recipe for any of that stuff. Same goes with turkey. For a while, I used Alton Brown’s brining recipe which produces a rather juicy turkey, but it’s a bit of work. Turkey is a funny thing…it’s such a staple of the holiday but it requires so much fuss just to be enjoyable. Plenty of people I know don’t even bother, because they don’t like it and I get it. My brother-in-law has been frying turkeys the past few years and the one time I had some, it was delicious, but you need the space and courage for it. This year, I’m doing a simple turkey breast rolled up with stuffing and cranberries. Easy, peasy (I hope).
Any go-to recipes to share that you pull out every year? Would love to hear them!
See you all tomorrow, FOAS.