Thanksgiving! Feeeed me.

My Life List

This post is sponsored by Safeway stores-Safeway, Dominicks, Tom Thumb, Vons, Randalls. Tastier for the holidays!

I need recipe advice, Internet.

I love the idea of having a set of traditional recipes I make every year for Thanksgiving — the quintessential stuffing, the heart-attack mashed potatoes, the restful pie. I want a cute apron and a calm demeanor borne of certitude (and the glass of red wine I’m drinking while I cook). Unfortunately, I don’t have many recipes passed down the family tree.

But you there. In the apron, with the red-wine mustache. What do you make every year? Anything that’s…

• Super quick and still delicious? I am willing to add bacon to anything to make this happen.
• So perfect you don’t care how long it takes because in the end your guests want to dump the leftovers on the floor and roll around in them?
• Easy to make ahead so all your prep doesn’t land on the same day? I prefer to enjoy the party rather than play caterer.

I have collected a few irreproachable recipes for my arsenal. Let’s have an old-fashioned recipe swap. Was that ever a thing? Let’s say yes.

Here are mine:

Winter Vegetable Soup
You can make it up to a week ahead, and freeze it. The sweetness of the squash and apple are offset by the cayenne. The mild kick in the aftertaste is a nice surprise.

Bourbon Brined Turkey
OK, so the most intense part of the meal I have down. I cannot recommend this recipe enough. Simple, and a result that will have guests calling for years after to ask for the recipe every time they’re in the presence of a raw bird.

Cranberry Relish
So good, and ludicrously fast — the caveat being that you’ll need a food processor. Very fresh, but definitely not a cranberry sauce. Great accent for the rest of a holiday meal.

All right, your turn. Here’s what I still need:

• Stuffing
• Mashed potatoes
• Yam or sweet potatoes
• Gravy
• Something green – Brussels sprouts or green beans maybe
• An alternative main dish for vegetarians preferably vegans. (I’m not being twee here. This comes up almost every year.)
• Pies. For the love of all that is holy. Pies.

Open your recipe box unto me, that all of us may partake in your Thanksgiving bounty.

She said. Wholesomely.

Published

106 thoughts on “Thanksgiving! Feeeed me.”

  1. i always make my SIL’s broccoli and spincah side: a several large heads of broccoli, a fairly large bag of fresh spinach, brick o’ cream cheese, stick o’ butter, 1/2 bag of dry prepared stuffing. cut up and then steam broccoli, dump in casserole. steam spinach, put in casserole with broccoli. cut up cream cheese and butter and add to dish with warm/hot veggies and use two forks or knives to mix it all up and get that butter and cream cheese all melty and delicious. melt some more butter in a small pan and use it to moisten the stuffing mix a bit, then sprinkle that on top. put the dish in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes, until the stuffing mix is browned a wee bit. share with hungry masses.

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  3. i feel a little weird linking to my own posts, but the things we look forward to most include a boozy chocolate pecan pie, broccoli casserole with sharp cheddar and fresh broccoli, and honey/brown butter/bourbon-glazed carrots with crispy sage. they’re all easy, too!
    aaand, i just realized that two out of three feature bourbon. so i’m not sure what that says about me.
    http://livingawesomely.blogspot.com/2011/07/mikes-famous-pecanchocolatebourbon-pie.html
    http://livingawesomely.blogspot.com/2011/11/broccoli-casserole.html
    http://livingawesomely.blogspot.com/2011/11/honeybrown-butterbourbon-glazed-carrots.html

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  4. Cranberry Relish sounds good, but my family ops for Cranberry Salsa. I found this recipe buried in blog years ago. I highly recommend if you like things a little spicy!

    Cranberry Salsa
    3 cups (approx. 12 oz) fresh cranberries
    1/4 cup minced green onions
    1 (or 2) jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and minced
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
    2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced
    Juice of one fresh lime

    Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries, (discard if soft or bruised). Using food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not mushy.

    Place cranberries in a bowl; mix together with onions, jalapeno peppers, sugar, cilantro leaves, ginger, and lime juice. Cover and place refrigerate ~4 hours to mascerate.

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  6. Two things re: Cranberry Salsa:
    – can be made the day ahead
    – if anyone knows the original source, I’d love to give them credit

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  8. Hi. I host Thanksgiving for 25+ each year so I am all about making things run smoother..however I also have OCD when it comes to making sure everything tastes GREAT!! So I found recipe for crock pot mashed potatoes which is amazing and by them being in the crock pot there is a little less hustle and bustle when its time to get food on the table. I also make this green bean recipe that is to die for. I got so sick of green bean casserole that I was determined to find something..ANYTHING different. So I tried these and will never make them another way again. I’ll post the recipes below…enjoy! 🙂

    Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
    Ingredients:
    5 pounds potatoes (I use white), cut into chunks
    1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
    3 cubes chicken bouillon
    1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

    1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
    softened
    1/2 cup butter
    salt and pepper to taste
    Directions:
    1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.
    2. Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Country Style Green Beans

    Ingredients:
    1 bag frozen cut green beans
    1/4 cup chopped onion
    1/4 cup chopped bacon (you can also use precooked if your in a hurry)
    1/4 cup butter or margarine

    1/4 cup water
    1 tbsp minced garlic (or to your taste)
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    Directions:
    1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beans are tender.

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  9. I have discovered a product that will make your brussels sprouts sing–Bacon Jam. My local grocery store makes their own, but I suspect you can find it online. My recipe calls for coating the brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt & pepper, onion, and garlic, then roasting them for 35 minutes or so at 375 degrees. After you pull them out of the oven, toss them in a couple of tablespoons (or more! Who’s counting?!) of Bacon Jam. So very good, and I normally don’t like brussels sprouts.

    I tried to write out the recipe for my Nana’s dressing (that’s Southern for stuffing) but directions like “add chicken broth until it looks wet enough” aren’t very specific. I will tell you that her secret is to saute the onion and celery in bacon grease. Bacon–it makes Thanksgiving special!

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  10. Green beans with bacon and shallots are a holiday staple at my house.

    Ingredients:

    green beans, stem ends trimmed or snapped off, 1 pound
    bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, 3-4 slices
    Shallots, minced, 3-4 medium size

    Method:

    Boil yourself a couple of quarts of water, and add beans and a teaspoon or so of salt. Boil for five minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.

    Let the beans sit for a few hours, on the counter or in the fridge. Don’t worry about them; they don’t need anything from you. They just want you to enjoy yourself.

    Oh, is it almost dinner time? Shit. Ok, fry that bacon up crisp in a large skillet, fish it out with a slotted spoon and drain. YOU CAN DO THIS PART AHEAD OF TIME TOO OMG. Try not to accidentally eat it all while you’re finishing up here.

    Pour out most of the bacon grease, reserving a couple of tablespoons in the pan (save the grease if you’re doing the bacon ahead of time, then just warm it up in a big skillet for this step). Throw in the shallots and cook until they’re soft and taking on a little color.

    It smells amazing, right?

    Throw in your green beans and toss until the beans are heated through. This will take 2-5 minutes, depending on whether they were in the fridge. Grind some black pepper on, because yum.

    Have some wine while you toss. Hell yes.

    Serve hot!

    The boil ahead method is the way to go with green beans. You can add parsley to this recipe, if you swing that way, or skip the bacon and shallots entirely and reheat your green beans in two tablespoons of butter and finish with half a lemon’s worth of juice and some toasted sliced almonds. YES.

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  11. Mushroom and Nut Wellington is the very best vegetarian/vegan holiday main course I’ve found:

    http://www.co-operative.coop/magazine/foodanddrink/allrecipes/perfect-mushroom-and-nut-wellington/

    (To make it vegan, omit the egg, add a bit more veggie stock to the filling, and brush the pastry with plain soy milk before baking.)

    It’s substantial, delicious, and beautiful on the table. The flavors go well with other traditional Thanksgiving dishes, and in my experience, omnivores as well as vegetarians and vegans love it. You can put it together ahead of time, refrigerate or freeze until T-day, and bake on Thanksgiving Day.

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  12. Can I share three recipes with you? Because I have three that fit your criteria with great aplomb:

    For the vegetarians and vegans–Roasted portobello mushroom caps with apple pecan stuffing and caramelized onion & mushroom gravy (it only sounds like it will take you nine years to make it–in reality, you can totally knock this out in a leisurely hour or so): http://savorysaltysweet.com/2011/12/02/roasted-portobello-mushroom-caps-with-apple-pecan-stuffing-and-caramelized-onion-mushroom-gravy/

    Stuffing–Roasted cauliflower and black bread gratin (not really stuffing per se, but still good and crisp and soft and bready): http://savorysaltysweet.com/2012/11/01/roasted-cauliflower-and-black-bread-gratin/

    Pies–Sky-high apple pie (it contains six pounds of apples–SIX POUNDS): http://savorysaltysweet.com/2012/10/11/sky-high-apple-pie/

    My god, I love sharing recipes.

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  13. Sweet potato recipes are usually incredibly sweet, but this one balances the sugar with goat cheese. And roasted grapes, which are maybe the best thing in the world that you’re not eating.

    The recipe calls for stuffing the mashed sweet potato back into the skins (like twice baked potatoes) but I just put it all in a shallow dish and it was wonderful!

    http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/01/roasted-grape-goat-cheese-honey-stuffed-sweet-potatoes/

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  14. Skip the pie. Do pumpkin bread pudding. Another shout to Smitten Kitchen here. Use her recipe, double the custard, top with bourbon whipped cream and offer toasted pecans (because not everyone likes nuts) as a garnish. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/10/pumpkin-bread-pudding/

    A little nibble before dinner: hazelnut shortbreads with dried cherries (just use any old shortbread recipe, replace 1/4 of the flour with hazelnut flour, add 1/4 cup to half cup finely diced dried sour cherries, top each cracker with one roasted hazelnut. Also, cheese straws.

    Roasted Sweet potatoes (and these meet the vegan requirement). Cut into 1/2 inch dice, bake at 400 until they are fully soft, and very dark on the edges – they might look almost burnt, but they will not be. Takes about 40 minutes.

    Make green bean casserole, but with homemade bechamel and sauted mixed wild mushrooms – takes it to a whole other place.

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  15. Okay. The mashed potatoes. You have GOT to use Pioneer Woman’s recipe…with or without the roasted garlic (I love it with it but I love garlic)…there’s a secret to her recipe. Well there are a few:
    1. Actual honest to god roasted fresh garlic in the oven is AMAZING.
    2. after draining potatoes, put them back in the pot and mash them with a POTATO MASHER ONLY while the heat is on low. Potato masher because it doesn’t harm the potatoes like a beater does, and over heat because the additional water trapped in the potatoes is what can make them mealy and/or watery. Do this until there is very little to no more visible steam emanating from the potatoes.
    3. UNGODLY amounts of butter. The more the better. Salt in between and taste each time you salt because the salt is trickier–there is a “perfect” point which is followed very quickly by a “too salty!” point.
    4. I actually don’t use cream cheese which PW recommends…mostly because I never have it in my fridge when I want mashed potatoes. But she’s never been wrong before. I can vouch that they are the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had even without the cream cheese, so there is that.

    I use Yukon Gold cause they taste better.

    These are the best potatoes in the world. Promise. Cross my heart. You won’t be disappointed.

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  18. I used to make this really complicated wild mushroom stuffing. I’m a vegetarian, so stuffing’s the main draw as far as I’m concerned, but still: taking all day to cook? Not cool.

    Then one year I had a major planning fail, and at the last minute made the stuffing recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (variation #7, with the mushrooms). And it was amazing. Like, my cousin emailed the next year from Germany for the recipe because her husband was still talking about it amazing. And now I feel like I’m in a yogurt commercial, but whatever.

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  20. Oh, and the gravy. I make my gravy the weekend before Thanksgiving. You need a big-ass roasting pan and a big-ass stock pot. Roast 3 or 4 each of salted/peppered turkey legs and wings at 500 degrees, flipping once, until really deep brown all around. Remove wings and legs and set aside. Roughly chop 3 each of carrots, onions, and celery, and place them in the grease left on the roasting pan by the wings and legs. Throw them in the oven until they’re browned as well. Once that is done, deglaze the roasting pan on your stovetop, making sure to get all the browned bits of fat and meat and whatnot. Dump everything (the deglazing liquid, the wings and legs, and the veggies) into your stock pot along with a few bay leaves, several full sprigs of parsley, some thyme, and some black pepper. Boil about 4 hours, then strain and store for use (you can refrigerate or freeze). You’ll have a couple gallons of gravy (or you know, soup starter).

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  21. My mom has the BEST sausage stuffing ever and you can make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge and really let the flavors all just soak in there. I do Thanksgiving with my husband’s family but we always make it over to my sister’s house in time for me to claim some leftovers.
    Here’s the gist of it. We triple it since we have a big family.

    1 loaf of white bread
    1 package (tube?) pork sausage
    Celery
    Onions
    Carrots
    Green pepper

    Toast the entire loaf of bread then rip it into chunks. Not too small, you don’t want them to dissappear.

    While you are doing this lovely task start softening your onions, carrots, green pepper and celery. We do lots of pre-softening in the microwave.

    Cook the sausage in a frying pan. Take sausage out of the pan and finish veggies in porkie fatty goodness.

    Mix everything together, put in casserole dish and stick in the fridge overnight. The bread will get mushy but not dissolve! Bonus!

    Bake until cooked through.

    Enjoy…but save me some leftovers!

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  26. I’m a vegetarian 363 days per year, and what I like most for thanksgiving is an impressively large squash stuffed with… Something seasonal and squash-related. Wild rice pilaf? Curried roasted root veg and squash? Roasted cherry tomatoes, squash and halloumi with za’atar? You get the idea.

    Prepare the stuffing, hollow the gourd, rub its insides with oil and spices, fill with (hot!) stuffing, roast for 45 minutes or so, depending on your oven temperature.

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  27. This is officially my favorite set of comments EVER. So many good ideas! And also huge thanks to Leigh, for the suggestion of adding BACON JAM to brussels sprouts. I’ve seen bacon jam in the store before but could somehow never think of anything to do with it. “ADD TO VEGETABLES” is definitely the right answer!!

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  28. Okay the link in the second comment, for the Ruth’s Chris Yams is so very close to mine so I suppose I will just second it. It basically tastes like Pecan Pie and French Vanilla ice cream, yet it is yams!! It’s the best thing ever and everyone I’ve shared the recipe with loves me. I think the most crucial part is the full tablespoon of vanilla in the yams. And I use madagascar bourbon vanilla bean paste (found at Williams Sonoma) instead of extract so you can see the bean flecks. Please give it a try. You will not be sorry.

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  29. Sob. I’ll never be able to fit all these into my Thanksgiving menu week…but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.

    Nthing all the suggestions for anything Deb whips up over at Smitten Kitchen. Cooks Illustrated’s cornbread dressing is the closest I’ve found to my Southern grandmother’s (which is, to me, the Platonic ideal of dressing) — but with clearer instructions: http://myweb.cableone.net/howle/page/cornbread_stuffing.htm

    I actually just blogged today about two of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes — both super-easy, make-ahead, knockout dishes. Also, one is a cocktail. Hooray! http://slowmama.com/fooddrink/my-secret-weapon-spice/

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  31. Girl, you need to make this pie right here:
    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-10000001056972/

    It is pie for people who think they do not want any pie. For people who think they do not like pecan pie. For all the people at your house who are about to hug you and moan with food-happiness and then talk about your awesome skillz all year long after eating this pie.

    Don’t be fooled into a different version. This is the one. I use Maker’s Mark in it. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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  32. My go-to side dish for the holidays. SOOOO yummy! The only down side is that there are usually none left over:

    Sourmash Whiskey Sweet Potatoes

    Serves 8

    5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices

    1 cup light brown sugar, packed

    3/4 cup unsalted butter

    1/3 cup orange juice

    1 teaspoon salt

    1/2 cup sourmash whiskey

    *

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Steam sweet potatoes until just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cover and cool. Simmer sugar, butter, juice and salt, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add whiskey.

    Layer sweet potatoes attractively, overlapping slightly, in buttered 9-by- 13-inch baking dish. Drizzle syrup evenly over sweet potatoes. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove cover and baste sweet potatoes with syrup. Replace cover and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Remove cover and baste again. Cook uncovered until sweet potatoes are completely soft and golden, 15 to 30 more minutes.

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  33. Bake/Steam/Boil/Microwave 5lb sweet potatoes.
    Mash.
    Add 1/2 stick butter.
    1/2 cup cream or 1/2&1/2
    2tsb real maple syrup (or brown sugar if you don’t have maple)
    Salt
    Pepper

    *taste*

    Add more of any of those things you want/need.

    Stir in 1tsb Sriracha chili sauce.

    *taste*

    Adjust more.

    Place in baking dish/es

    Stud with clumps of soft goat cheese.

    Brush the rest with melted butter.

    Bake at [whatever temp you have other things on in the oven] until goat cheese is browning.

    You can make ahead of time, freeze, and reheat on 350-ish, too.

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  34. Forget all the other brussels sprout recipes up there, this is the only one you’ll ever need. Nobody can ever believe I made b.sprouts for dinner, and then they try these and THEN they can’t believe how confoundingly GOOD they are. It’s a bit bizarro, to be sure, with cream and pecans and basil and lemon, but Holy Hannah, you owe it to yourself to try it. Then you’ll know. Then you’ll KNOW.

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-with-Garlic-Pecans-and-Basil-15651

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  36. Get yourself some russet potatoes, sharp cheese, fresh sage, milk/cream, and butter. While potatoes are boiling, melt butter in saucepan and steep chopped sage. Drain and mash potatoes; add butter and milk/cream. Add potato mixture to a large, deep baking dish; fold in shredded cheese, and more fresh sage if desired. Top with more cheese. Bake at 350 until top just begins to brown. Garnish with a few whole sage leaves.

    You will need to set aside a little for the next day, as there will be NO leftovers.

    The drink of the day is the cranberry sparkler: cranberry vodka, seltzer, lime juice, garnish with fresh cranberries.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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  37. 1. pie: Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s maple cream pie. Crack in a pan. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/11/nutmeg-maple-cream-pie/

    2. stuffing: Crazy huge recipe for stuffing made with cornbread, italian sausage (yes) maple syrup and rosemary. bizarre and amazing flavor combo. Everyone LOVES this. Bonus: it’s a bread stuffing that you can serve to the gluten-intolerant (just make your cornbread w/o wheat flour).
    http://www.gardenguides.com/148372-cranberry-cornbread-sausage-stuffing-recipe.html
    (the recipe makes TEN LITERS of stuffing, good for probably 25 people to stuff their faces, so I usually cut it to 1/4 at least)

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  38. Love this post!

    Here are the best and most delicious brussel sprouts (fish sauce is great, but totally optional if you are dubious)
    http://spoonful.com/recipes/carmelized-brussels-sprouts

    Also, for anything else (potatoes, rolls, pies), the absolutely best set of recipes for all and more is in the America’s Test Kitchen FAmily Cookbook. Awesome techniques that have taken my cooking to a much more reliable level (simple tested tips like mashing butter first into cooked potatoes before adding milk or any other ingredients). The ultimate foolproof recipes that everyone raves about. This and their healthy cookbook is a present I always give to new couples.

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  41. I can’t have a holiday without roasting some Brussels sprouts. Diane Worthington’s recipe from Seriously Simple Holidays is my favorite; at the very end you scatter them with pomegranate seeds, whose jewel-like hue makes the dish feel absolutely festive.

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  43. Ok, this guy is a lot of work, but it is worth every. single. second.

    Spiced pumpkin pear tart. Yeah, it’s as good as it sounds. My ex-boyfriend’s mother gave me this recipe, and even though I’m no longer with him, I still make it every year. It has chunks of crystallized ginger in the crust. Yeah.

    Crust ingredients
    1-3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
    1/4 cup sugar
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
    2 egg yolks, beaten to blend
    1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    5 tablespoons (about) cold water

    Pumpkin Filling ingredients
    2 large eggs
    1 cup sugar
    1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
    1/4 cup whipping cream
    3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
    3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
    1 lemon, halved
    2 pears, peeled, halved, cored
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/4 cup apricot jam
    2 tablespoons brandy

    For crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with fingers or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in egg yolks, ginger and vanilla. Stir in enough water to bind dough. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap disk in plastic. Refrigerate 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead, which I always do. Let dough soften slightly before continuing.) Lightly butter 10-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom and 2-inch high sides. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 14-inch round. Roll dough up on rolling pin and transfer to prepared tart pan. Trim and finish edges. Refrigerate pastry 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. Line pastry with foil or parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove beans and foil and continue baking until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust completely.

    For filling: Beat eggs and 1 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk in pumpkin, cream, ginger, coriander, nutmeg and salt. Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir butter until light brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk into pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into prepared crust. Slice pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Squeeze lemon over pears to prevent discoloration (um, I usually skip this step). Place pear slices on top of filling in spoke-shape design. Sprinkle pears with 2 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon. Bake tart until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Combine jam and brandy in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until jam is melted and smooth. Brush pears gently with glaze. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead – I make this the day before Thanksgiving and have to slap myself on the wrist so that I don’t eat it all before the big day.)

    Bon Appetit December 1990, Page 84, “New Desserts From Seasons Past,” by Lori McKean.

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  46. I recommend this nut loaf dish to anyone who is looking for a vegetarian dish to make for a group!

    http://www.acouplecooks.com/2010/12/vegetarian-nut-loaf/

    I am not a fan of mushrooms, so I’ve been making it without them and it’s delicious. I can’t speak to how it is with them in, but I’m assuming that if you like mushrooms, it would still be good. This freezes really well, so you can make it as far ahead of time as you need.

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  47. Thank you for the bourbon brine inspiration!

    For mashed potatoes, I recommend following the recipe with sour cream and cream cheese; that’s very similar to mine.

    To the gravy recipe posted above, I would recommend adding some wine and a little brandy to the stock.

    For sweet potatoes, if you like a little heat instead of sweet, peel and chunk up a few large sweet potatoes. Steam for about 25 minutes until soft. Mash with 1 minced chipotle in adobo, a large hunk of butter, and salt. Very easy and can be made in advance and reheated.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  48. Here’s a stuffing recipe that I tried a couple of years ago and has become my yearly contribution to the Thanksgiving meal. It’s a great recipe and you can do a lot of the chop-chop a day or two before. There is a little bit of planning needed to dry out the challah (which you can also do in the oven for 30 min on 350F if you forget), but is totally worth it.

    http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Multicultural-Stuffing-

    Also, the bourbon brined turkey looks awesome!

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