Well yay! I'd love to help.
So Thanksgiving is nothing but easy. It's all about simple food and simple flavors - the trick is knowing what to mix together...
I always like starting with something to whet the pallet like bruschetta - dice tomato, onion, basil and parsley, add salt, pepper, olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar and toast some bread - done.
Then a soup. My favorites are carrot, squash, and pumpkin. You can get purees for the latter two and carrot you simply roast and then puree yourself. Basically, any soup begins with a mirx poix (french holy trinity of diced onions carrots and celery) which you sauté in butter with diced garlic on medium low heat until they're softened, then you add the puree and cover with a liquid (vegetable stock or chicken stock) and let it simmer for about an hour. Add salt, puree the whole thing, return to the stove and add some cream and additional flavor - this should be done in advance and you can leave it alone until turkey day.
The main course should probably always include the turkey (duh) which I do with herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, and a spice rub of turmeric, paprika, salt, and pepper, and roast it at 400 for 40 minutes then reduce to 350 and continue baking for 20 minutes per pound (not including the lbs and time already elapsed).
Then bacon smashed potatoes - red potatoes which you cut coarsely leaving the red skin on, throw peeled garlic in and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are pierced all the way through. Then smash adding butter, salt, pepper, and a touch of milk or cream or stock. Add cooked bacon if you like (I do)
Candied yams - remove skin, roast in a baking dish with maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and herbs and salt. (salt brings out flavors) Roast on high until tender. Should be done in advance.
I like brussels sprouts on Thanksgiving - they should be small and you should remove the outer leaves and then cut them lengthwise and roast them with salt pepper olive oil and anise seeds and paprika for only about 15 minutes. They should be tender but not mushy. Add almond slices when they're done for a nice crunch.
If not, than make green beans in a pan on the stove, add some chopped tomato and garlic and you're done.
Succotash - mix corn, diced red peppers, and any other combination you're like. A lot of people add lima beans but I actually prefer edamame which you can get in the frozen food isle. You can nuke this or boil it and then add butter and salt and a touch of paprika - done.
Stuffing - first off, don't put this in the turkey. There's no need. My favorite stuffing includes sautéing sausage (removed from its skin) until browned, remove the sausage and reserve on a plate on the side. add 1/2 c of white wine and use the steam to scrap up all the pieces of sausage, then add chopped onions and garlic and simmer until softened. Add apples, raisins, chopped chestnuts, spices and herbs, Add all to a baking sheet and reintroduce the sausage. Mix in day old chopped bread - I like corn bread or country white. Add chicken stock until moist but not soaked. Bake alongside the turkey.
Desserts - Pecan chocolate pie, apple, and pumpkin are traditional. Either buy pre made crust and make simple fillings - they're all really easy or just buy them outright. You don't need that stress. (note to friend: I would like to make you a pie so please tell me which one you want and I'll bring it to you).
If you feel more comfortable using recipes, go to www.epicurious.com. Type in an ingredient and find what you want. Make sure to read the reviews before making anything though - they'll be really helpful and you don't need to wonder why even though you did everything correctly, it didn't work.
Really looking forward to seeing you. I hope that helped.
XO
I left out cranberry sauce. Get one bag (8 oz) of cranberries and mix them with water in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of sugar (this helps to make a jelly). I like adding orange zest and maybe a splash of orange liqueur. You leave it alone until it's thickened over low heat. You can mix in raisins or nuts - look around at recipes and see what you like - you can also leave it alone.
P.S. Personally, I'm a bit of a food snob. I can't help it - my mother is a pastry chef and I've always seen her make everything from scratch so I know how easy it can be once you know what you're doing.
If you have a food processor, 1. I hope it's your best friend and 2. It can make crust for you in 5 minutes.
Crust is flour, cold butter, salt, and water, usually. Some dough have eggs, some have lard, some use milk, but they're all a combination of mixing only a few ingredients together and putting it in the fridge. Yes, there's the rolling it out part, but it's not that hard and I kinda enjoy knowing that I can take credit for everything my guests enjoy.
Another example of craziness is roasting your own pumpkin for the pie. I love doing this. My pies are lighter and taste more natural. I can't stand that nasty canned stuff so I add another step to my holiday. The super up side is you have a ton of pumpkin seeds which you can roast with any combination of spices in your arsenal. I like paprika, turmeric, oregano, and sea salt.
A quart of vanilla ice cream in your freezer is lovely for all of this and if you'd like, whip heavy cream in a cold bowl with an electric mixer - stand or handheld. The key is to incorporate air which you can do with an up down motion on high speed on the hand mixer - POW! You have whipped cream that didn't come out of an aerosol can.
So please, consider trying to make at least one pie entirely from scratch this year. You'll feel really proud the first time you do it.
Happy cooking.
