Thanksgiving menu

Luckily, Mr. Food Musings' sister is cooking our Thanksgiving meal (not that I won't happily offer to help...). But if I were going to put on something at home, here's a few spontaneous thoughts on what I might serve.

> Nigella's coca-cola ham I hate ham but I love this. (Part of what I love is that it's so damn tacky. Plus, adding Coca-Cola to anything, especially Jello salad, is very Southern.) But mostly it's just soft, tender, and full of flavor without all that salt.

> A brined turkey You must must must brine turkey! It's definitely a you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it kinda thing, but we did it for the first time two years ago and it was by far the moistest and most flavorful bird ever to come out of the kitchen at 1717 Whiteside Lane.

> Smashed potatoes I get pretty traditional here, though I prefer red potatoes. Peeling them is optional. Once they're boiled and mashed, all you need is some warmed cream or milk, plenty of butter and salt to taste. Mmmm...

> Macaroni and cheese I prefer my Great Aunt Margaret's recipe. Basically you throw cooked jumbo elbow macaroni into a buttered 13x9 baking dish. Crush up a handful of Saltine crackers and sprinkle over top. (Yes, Saltines.) Dot prodigiously with butter and about 1/2 lb. of grated cheese. (Tradition dictates cheddar, but I'd be apt to play with that. Smoked cheddar, gruyere, maybe even some cream or blue cheese all sound like good mixings.) Pour in just enough milk to come up the sides, season with salt and pepper, and then stick it into a 350º oven for 45 minutes.

> Green bean casserole Another oldie but goodie. I made it for Christmas a few years ago -- it was the first time Mr. FM had ever had it. (Oh, the horror!) Steam a good potful of green beans until just tender but not soft. Mix together a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of milk. (Yes, cream of mushroom soup.) Toss the green beans and the soupy stuff into a small casserole dish and top with copious amounts of Durkee french fried onions. (Eat whatever's left in the can before someone else does.) Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

> Sweet potato something This is the wild card. Thoughts include my mom's traditional sweet potatoes with marshmallows and nuts, sweet potatoes whipped with maple syrup, spiced sweet potato fries, or the sweet potato/apple/cranberry casserole Mr. FM's sister made last year.

> Sausage stuffing I don't care what else is in it -- wild rice, bread or cornbread; celery or fennel; raisins or apples; onions or shallots. I just want me some sausage! I never bake it in the bird since I heard that it can absorb bacteria from the uncooked turkey and make everybody sick. Besides, you always need more than will fit inside the turkey cavity, so just smush it into whatever reject casserole dishes are left in the cabinets and have at it.

> A green vegetable By now I'm feeling guilty about all the carbs, so I'd probably roast some asparagus, or saute some spinach or Brussels sprouts. (With bacon and garlic, natch.)

> Acme Bread rolls I had one the other day at Boulette's Larder (crammed full of pulled pork, mmm) and it was soft, warm and as comforting as your grandmother's arms.

> Chocolate cake That's right, screw pumpkin pie. I only eat it to be polite. I tried pumpkin cheesecake one year and pumpkin pecan pie another, but neither blew me away. At my Thanksgiving, I'm making a damn three-layer chocolate cake with gobs of chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream. Admit it...you want some.

Comments

[cookiecrumb]

I was going to say something totally rude here, but I fell under the spell of your mac'n'cheese. And your green bean casserole tacky cliche irresistible cliche cliche. (I've got a green bean casserole spinoff coming up on my blog, but -- oof, I almost gave it away! Soon. Later.)
OK. But. However. Anyway.
Asparagus is out of season in this hemisphere.
(Ew. That's it.)
Sorry for the locavorean yammer.

[Mom]

This sounds like a winning menu to me. Maybe someday we'll make it together!

[tracy]

I do want the chocolate cake! Can't stand most of the traditional Thanksgiving meal and despise pecan and pumpkin pie. I'm adding chocolate cake to the menu and I bet a good portion of it will quickly disappear. Thanks for the suggestion!

[sam]

I heard a piece on NPR this week - it was a turkey taste test of different ways of turkey cooking, and the brined cooking actually came second to the Judy Rogers version where apparently you just salt it for three days instead of brining it. Apparently it gives a firmer less mushy meat.

Personally, when I cook turkey, I slather at least half a pound of butter under the skin!

[Finnegans Wake]

Brussels with bits of blue cheese and walnuts is excellent. I usually dress my Brussels with a 50/50 butter/EVOO, and I always like a tiny shake of red pepper flakes. Fresh marjoram with the above makes the dish. Try it, you'll like it. But please, don't overcook your sprouts, there's nothing worse than eating one with the texture of a boiled Kleenex.

Oh, and I like pumpkin pie. So there. A little bourbon whipped cream, and a little bourbon for Poppy, maybe a little pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream, another bourbon for your humble narrator. By the time I'm done with dessert, I'm ready to sing songs and show off my double-jointedness.