Marcella Cooking Stuff • Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving Recipes!
It has been a WILD week! My way of coping with stress is to get in the kitchen and cook. All week I cooked my ass off, busting through all of my 18 Thanksgiving recipes. Cooking, styling, photographing, and typing them up for you guys. It got me through the week and I can't wait to share them.
Thanksgiving is the most overlooked holiday of the year. When I see people jump right from spooky season to Christmas trees it makes my blood boil. Thanksgiving is the one day we get to gather with the people we love, cook an absurd amount of food, and is acceptable to eat TWO massive dinners in one day. What could be better?
In 2012 I took over Thanksgiving for my family. It is my holiday. I do all the prep and cooking, with some help from Marco, and I love every moment of it. I love it so much that the few years I didn't cook Thanksgiving, I threw a Friendsgiving to get my fix. This is the time of year where I truly thrive.
Most years I cook for a pretty large group, between 12-25 people. This year looks a little different. I'll be cooking for 7 and instead of everyone gathering for the meal, my family will be picking up their food to go.
For me, the best part about Thanksgiving is once all the cooking is done. There is a brief period after I announce that dinner is ready where I slide off to the side and watch an excited group of people head into the kitchen to fill their plates. I take a deep breath and sip my wine, for the first time of the evening, making sure everyone else gets a plate before serving myself. As they head back to the table and start eating, I gaze at them as they happily shove their faces with food that I made. Looking around the room full of happy people I say to myself "I did this." Thanksgiving is the day where I get to make people happy with my cooking. Well, I have other days throughout the year where my cooking brings people joy but this is my Superbowl. I'll miss having a house full of people but I'm still excited to cook!
This week, I'm sharing my ride or die recipes. Most I have made year after year and a few have been added recently. Next week we will talk about preparing for Thanksgiving, so everyone has a smooth and enjoyable experience. I'll share my timeline and a grocery list to help you guys build yours.
The Bird, The Gravy, & The Broth
Flavor Bomb Broth
I make broth all year round with vegetable scraps and leftover bones but this is the one time I buy protein specifically for broth. You can buy premade broth to cook with but broth is the foundation for a lot of meals and homemade makes a difference. The more flavor your broth has the more flavor your dishes will have. It's like buying $500 Frette sheets and putting them on a cardboard box. If you put them on a Sleep Number mattress then you would have the best sleep experience ever! The broth is your Sleep Number mattress. We are investing a little money and time into an outstanding meal.
You can make this broth a few weeks in advance and freeze it. This will free up time in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. When I do that I usually use chicken wings. If I can find loose turkey wings in advance that's a great option. If I get my turkey a few days before Thanksgiving and haven't made my broth yet, I'll use the turkey wings plus some chicken wings to make the broth.
When chilled this broth should look like jello. Don't freak out, that's an awesome thing!! It's loaded with collagen and is super nutritious. Plus it looks really cool when you watch it melt in a hot pan. Any leftover broth that you don't end up using pop in the freezer and enjoy another time!
Find my broth recipe, here.
Roasted Turkey
People freak out when I tell them to roast turkey parts instead of a whole turkey. I learned this 10 years ago from one of my chefs in culinary school. This is why you should try it:
White meat and dark meat have different cooking times. When they are cut into pieces you can pull each piece as they finish cooking and never have overcooked turkey again.
A whole turkey is bulky, turkey pieces free up space in your fridge.
They also free up space in your oven.
If you are cooking for 15+ you may need more than one turkey. You can add extra pieces to serve your crowd.
This also applies to a small crowd. Don't like dark meat? Only 2 of you for dinner? Roast a single breast!
They cook faster. This means your oven will be free to cook other items throughout the day.
The best thing about this is you don't have to break down a raw turkey yourself. When you go to your local grocery store, grab a whole turkey, take it to the butcher counter, and ask them to break it down for you. They will! I have done this at three different stores and have never had a problem. They will cut it up, wrap it, hand you the pieces, and the tag. All you have to do is pay for it and bring it home! Easy peasy guys!
Find my Roast Turkey recipe, here.
Gravy
This gravy takes time, let's be clear, but it is so flavorful. The recipe is adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe. I left out the garlic, added some other alliums, made it GF, and simplified the process a bit. I make my gravy the day before. I let it cool completely and then store it in the fridge. Day of I'll warm it up in a saucepan over low heat and serve. Just like the broth, you can use turkey wings or chicken wings. Extra gravy can be cooled and popped in the freezer to enjoy another time.
Find my Gravy recipe, here.
Thanksgiving Chicken + Easy Gravy
If you have a small crowd this year and you can't give up that beautiful whole bird, or you just don't like turkey, here is a Thanksgiving chicken. It is made with the same rub and aromatics and the turkey, dry brinded a day in advance, and roasted whole. Once cooked you can make a simple gravy using the pan drippings, onion, wine, broth, and a beurre manié. A quick and easy option that won't disappoint.
Find my Thanksgiving Chicken + Easy Gravy recipe, here.
All The Sides
Rye Stuffing
This is the only stuffing I have ever made and it is my family's favorite dish year after year. There are only eight ingredients: rye bread, butter, onion, celery, eggs, broth, fresh sage, and dried cranberries. It is SUPER important that you use the best loaf of rye bread you can find. Support your local bakery! In the past, I have used a marble rye loaf and an everything rye loaf. The everything rye brings extra flavors from all the seedy goodness on the outside. Good quality butter is also important here, hello Trader Joe's, and flavorful broth will amp up the flavors in the stuffing.
Find my Rye Stuffing recipe, here.
Mashed Potatoes
Nothing fancy, just mashed potatoes! I steep shallots, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, and lemon peel in milk for this recipe. Those flavors infuse the milk and add depth to your potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes give the best texture and don't be afraid of butter!
Find my Mashed Potato recipe, here.
Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes
with Candied Pecans & Marshmallows
This week I played around with this recipe. I had an idea to make individual "twice baked potato" sweet potatoes with little marshmallow poofs on top. I made my own marshmallow poofs and it worked wonderfully. As cute as they were, it was slightly more time consuming and I may make them like I normally do as a casserole. The recipe includes both options for you to choose from.
Find my Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans & Marshmallows recipe, here.
If you want to make homemade marshmallows, this is the recipe I use. Make them in advance!!!
Crockpot Cranberry Sauce
Easy set it and forget it recipe. I usually start this first thing in the morning to get them out of the way. You can also make them the day before and keep them in the fridge overnight.
Find my Crockpot Cranberry Recipe, here.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
This is a side dish we eat all the time. Salty, sweet, slightly acidic Brussels sprouts and bacon. Everything goes on one pan and gets roasted right before dinner. They are best served straight from the oven HOT.
Find my Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon recipe, here.
Butternut Squash Soup
I don't do soup on Thanksgiving. One more dish you have to deal with and you have to pull out the spoons. No thanks. We make this dish a ton during fall and winter and you could serve it at Thanksgiving if you wanted. It's seasoned with a bit of curry, I use hot curry powder for a kick, and my favorite way to eat it is with chives, goat cheese, and bacon. Get creative with the toppings.
Find my Butternut Squash Soup recipe, here.
Sneak In Some Salads
Pear + Spinach Salad
The only thing about this salad that is semi time consuming is cooking the pears. The thing that takes this salad up a notch, is the pears. Don't skip cooking the pears! It requires all your attention to make sure they don't burn but once they are done, you just toss everything together. You can make the pears in advance, let them cool completely, assemble the salad (minus the dressing), and have this ready to go in the fridge.
Find my Pear + Spinach Salad recipe, here.
The Kale Salad
This staple kale salad can 100% be served at Thanksgiving!!
Find The Kale Salad recipe, here.
Brussels Sprout Salad
A Brussels sprout salad is also very appropriate for Thanksgiving.
Find my Brussels Sprout Salad recipe, here.
Desserts For Days
Pumpkin Pie
+ Ginger Snap Crust
Don't feel like making pie crust? Make a gingersnap crust! Store bought cookies are absolutely okay in this recipe and there is no dough rolling required. They add a spicy bite to a creamy pumpkin pie.
Find my Pumpkin Pie + Ginger Snap Crust recipe, here.
Pecan Pie
+ Gluten-Free Crust
My family fights over this pie. My uncle used to pay me to bake him an extra one to take home. Marco's sister loves it so much that I make sure we have two when she's coming. It's a damn good pie. If you are not gluten-free, make a normal crust!
I baked it in a tart pan because I only had one pie pan (it was used for pumpkin) and it was exactly the same! Get creative and use whatever you've got.
Find my Pecan Pie + Gluten-Free Crust recipe, here.
Honey + Pear Tart
This is your minimal prep and comes together in no time dessert recipe. Store bought puff pastry is layered with goat cheese, honey, almonds, and pears. Bake it off in the oven and serve hot.
This tart can be fully assembled the day before. Wrap it in plastic wrap on the try it will bake on and keep it in the fridge. When you are sitting down for dinner, pull it out, and pop it in the oven. It will bake while you eat dinner and will be hot and ready in time for dessert. Don't forget to set a timer!
P.S. This is also a great breakfast pastry!
Find my Honey + Pear Tart recipe, here.
And For All Those Leftovers
Thanksgiving Leftover Hand Pies
This picture does not do these hand pies justice. Flakey, golden, puff pastry loaded with all your favorite leftovers. I loved mashed potatoes, turkey, and gravy in mine. Get creative and fill them however you want!
Find my Thanksgiving Leftover Hand Pies, here.
The Thanksgiving Leftover Salad
A delicious layered salad with common ingredients you might have sitting around after Thanksgiving.
Find the recipe, here.
Pet photo of the week:
Halloween Josie!
Thing everybody needs:
Turkey shaped butter...need I say more?
Now that we have our menu, we need to plan our day! Next week we will talk about all things timelines, grocery lists, and a few things I do in advance to make my day run smoothly.
All the recipes in this newsletter are saved in my highlights on Instagram for you guys to have.
See you next week,
Marcella