We’re always thankful this time of year for so many things: our healthy families, our dear friends and our blessed day-to-day lives. We two Madames are especially grateful for the wonderful people in our gallery life who make every day interesting, lively, inspired and downright fun: Thank you, Linda, Sarah and Sam. You make us smile each and every day.
And, we’re always giving thanks for our artists. What on earth would we do without them? They thrill us, challenge us in the most creative ways and make our hearts sing on a daily basis.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the feast. Here are some tried and true Huffington Turkey Day specials:
Ann
A couple of years ago, my good friend Cynthia gave me what has become my bible of all cookbooks: Ruth Reichl’s Gourmet cookbook. For me, this volume has replaced the Joy of Cooking, as my go-to book for my entire life and has even eclipsed Craig Claiborne, who had kind of reinvented the Joy of Cooking many years ago. So when I’m doing the turkey for Thanksgiving, I always take the Gourmet Cookbook to bed with me the night before, and study it carefully so that I know what to do, when, in the morning. After all, on Thanksgiving day, it’s all about timing …
And this is what I’ve learned:
Cook the darn turkey upside down! You don’t have to baste it, because gravity works its magic and all the fat goes in to the white meat making it ever so juicy. All you do is turn it over ½ hour before it’s finished to get the desired crispiness on top. Is it as beautiful as the traditional breast up turkey? Maybe not. But does it taste better? You betcha! If you’re married to a guy who thinks that turkey is the next best thing to dark chocolate ganache, you’ll score big points for Thanksgiving day feast and leftovers. Unfortunately, the chocolate will have to wait …
For more about Ruth Reichl’s way of cooking turkey, check out The Gourmet Cookbook, page 377.
Meg
Yankees Meet the Mason Dixon Line
This is what happens when a (former) Yankee girl falls in love with and marries a Texan: it’s the war of the North/South Thanksgiving table. Happily, we all adore one another and I was never happier than the day I surrendered the business of thanksgiving dressing to my adorable mother-in-law, Thelma. She whips up a serious concoction of cornbread, spices, broth and cooks it until it’s perfectly crispy on the top and luscious inside. Yum. Her recipe isn’t even written down – it has been perfected in her mind over the years.
This year, we’ve got a change of plans and I’m responsible for the dressing to accompany Ann’s Upside Down Turkey (which I’m absolutely going to try) I’m a huge fan of Epicurious and found this recipe for Farmhouse Herbed Stuffing that sounds pretty good (I’m dressing, not stuffing.) I’d also like to whip up our other Huffington recipes, which follow. I’ll have the Macy Day Parade on the kitchen tv, a glass of Veuve Cliquot in hand and I’ll be happily cooking away….
Linda
A Family Favorite
Sweet Potato Soufflé with Grand Marnier
Feel free to substitute your own homemade mashed sweet potatoes for the canned ones. I use 2-3 large sweet potatoes baked in the oven at about 400 to get that roasted flavor!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided use
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter, divided use
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (may substitute ground cloves)
- 1 (14-1/2 ounces) can mashed sweet potatoes- I recommend you use 2-3 large FRESH mashed sweet potatoes!
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (rind)
- 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier or fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a standard size soufflé dish with vegetable oil.
In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of the flour, pecans, and brown sugar. Stir in 1/4 cup of the butter with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup of the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add remaining 1/4 cup of the butter, sweet potatoes, milk, orange zest, Grand Marnier or orange juice, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until combined.
Pour sweet potato mixture into the prepared soufflé dish and sprinkle evenly with the pecan mixture. Bake about 40 minutes.
Add a touch of Crème Fraiche to the final product, and a shaving of dark chocolate and a splash of Grand Marnier for an exquisite finish to your Thanksgiving meal!
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Sam
Spinach Casserole
Ingredients:
- 2 - 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 - 1 1/2 oz. envelope dehydrated onion soup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preparation:
Cook spinach according to package directions and drain well. Mix spinach, sour cream, onion soup mix, salt and pepper.
Place uncovered in a 350 degree oven and bake for twenty minutes.
Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and bake 15 more minutes.
This is great for stuffing in mushroom caps also.
Enjoy!!
Sarah
A Taste of the Homeland
While I love turkey, stuffing, gravy, and sweet potato casserole as much as the next Southern girl worth her salt, my favorite Thanksgiving dish is somewhat unconventional ‘round these parts. Agurk slat, or Danish cucumber salad, is what I look forward to the most! My mom’s family is Danish, and it just wouldn’t be a holiday in my book without this little side dish.
I’m a huge fan of anything sweet’n’salty (think Honey Chex Mix, Kettle Corn, chocolate covered pretzels…now I’m hungry), and this recipe combines apple cider vinegar with sugar to make a sweet, pickled cucumber dish of sorts. Click here for an easy Agurk slat recipe. I promise you’ll love it!
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We’d love to hear about some of your family’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes! There’s nothing better than a tried-and-true recipe that you know will be delicious.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tata!
HH
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