You see it all started a few weeks ago. We began to change from grain heavy meals during the week, to more limited, then to barely any. The meal portions got a little smaller, or were filled by more nutrient dense items. While we couldn't finish our plates - what we did have was amazing!
Menu for a Feast of Thanksgiving went like this:
Appetizer course
Chilled Prawns
Cheese bites
Hard Salami
Pickled Asparagus***
Homegrown cucumber pickles***
Cold imitation crab dip
Buttery crackers
Whole grain crackers
Main course
Apple wood smoked Turkey
Golden mashed potatoes
Gluten-free smokey Gravy**
Roasted Homegrown Carrots and Beets***
Green Bean Mushroom bake with onions and bacon**
Coconut cream Ambrosia salad**
Cranberries
Dinner rolls
Dessert Course
Pumpkin cheesecake*
Pumpkin Pie*
Pumpkin Pecan tarts with almond meal crusts*,**
Smoked Pumpkin Cheesecake **
Pumpkin pecan Pie/Tart**
Whipped cream
Whipped coconut cream**
Beverage course
Sauk Farm's Grape Cider
Legend
*Personal sized **Experimental or new dish. ***Includes good items grown here
Now you might feel this menu was not that daunting. We had a few hiccups along the way, one being that I bought too big of a bird and B did his best to accommodate my purchase. We joked that the best way we learn is trial and error. But at the end of the day, even in light of the issues we faced and lessons learned, we had a beautiful spread and ended in laughter!
Smoked Turkey
Brined with half of a bag of leftover Spice Islands brine, plus some salt, dried cranberries, few juniper berries, extra peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Brined for 1.5 days (went into the brine Tuesday evening). To prep for the smoker, we covered the bird in an olive oil herb blend (rosemary, sage, thyme - from home, plus pink sea salt), then stuffed the cavity with 2 granny smith, 2 Sauk farm organic Winesaps, 1 onion, and more thyme and rosemary. B set the smoker up at 4am, and the bird from hell (as his family calls turkey) went into the smoker at 5am. B wet smoked it, basting with an apple juice/cider blend.
Our dog, being his first thanksgiving and all - found out that every time B went for the door, he cold go and smell the aromas that were coming from the smoker box. He would come back inside and look at me like "Do you smell that??" It permeated B's clothes. We all drooled that day!
Our dog, being his first thanksgiving and all - found out that every time B went for the door, he cold go and smell the aromas that were coming from the smoker box. He would come back inside and look at me like "Do you smell that??" It permeated B's clothes. We all drooled that day!
Despite our best efforts, 15.5 lbs of turkey in the smoker at a low setting takes a long time. But there at the end, it was so good!!! The best flavored turkey ever is our smoked turkey. B holds me to it when I told him that it was better than I could ever do in the oven.
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| Turkey in the brine |
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| Ready for the smoker |
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| Smoked turkey |
The sides
If I have to give a recipe on how to make mashed potatoes, I'd stop blogging. There are things you learn when you are young and part of a large family. I learned how to make mashed potatoes when I was about 5. I have been cooking beside the women in my moms family from an early age. So if a 5 year old can make mashed potatoes, so can you. If you buy pre-cooked potatoes or instant for thanksgiving, and you don't have an ailment - shame on you. I understand timely matters - I bought rolls this year - but if you are having mashed potatoes - sweet or regular, for the love of all things, make them from scratch. If you don't know how or if you are nightshade free, find an Irish granny and ask for help. Potatoes are simple, and the best ingredients make the best mashed potatoes. Enough said on that topic, moving right along.
Roasted beets and carrots
Roasted beets and carrots
We grow our own beets and carrots every year. Harvested the weekend before Thanksgiving, they are dug up and given a good washing. Once the turkey is in for a bit peel and quarter the beets, chop the carrots. Drizzle with rosemary infused olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and add a few sprigs of rosemary into the baking dish. Set out on the counter until its time to cook. These are baked in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until easily pierced.
Green bean Mushroom bake - dairy, corn, wheat, soy free
The last few weeks I have been trying to avoid my trigger foods - corn, soy, wheat, dairy, sugar, and artificial preservatives. For the most part I have been successful. Thanksgiving did have dairy, some wheat, and limited sugar. We used honey, coconut sugar, coconut cream where possible, and just used full fat versions when not. When it came time to discuss green bean casserole - B mentioned he didn't really like the standard version. Thus we tried something new.
The last few weeks I have been trying to avoid my trigger foods - corn, soy, wheat, dairy, sugar, and artificial preservatives. For the most part I have been successful. Thanksgiving did have dairy, some wheat, and limited sugar. We used honey, coconut sugar, coconut cream where possible, and just used full fat versions when not. When it came time to discuss green bean casserole - B mentioned he didn't really like the standard version. Thus we tried something new.
8x8 baking dish
Fresh or frozen green beans
Washed and quartered mushrooms
1 white onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic chopped
8 strips of thick cut bacon, cooked, cooled and crumble into bits
olive oil
salt
pepper
Directions: cook bacon to crispy, making sure to render all the fat (baking in oven helps do this pretty good). let cool, then crumble.
assemble dish while turkey is cooking, as you wont put this into the oven until the turkey is just about done.
Toss together beans, onions & mushrooms with olive oil to coat, place into dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the cooled bacon and set on counter at room temp.
Note - when this dish cooks it will generate some liquid so don't overflow your dish too much.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the top of the dish shows some crispy bits.
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| Green bean mushroom bake |
Gluten-Free smokey gravy
Last year we did more of an AIP dinner and learned some hard lessons. Gravy should be made with flour and butter. Not nuts, not roots, real grain flour and good quality butter. I was reading on the Lexi's clean kitchen blog about gluten free gravy. She mentioned that most gluten free gravies use cornstarch. Well we wanted to avoid corn this year, so that option was out. Next she advised that King Arthur flour had a good all purpose gluten free flour that would do the trick. At 6.00 a lb it better! The only difference we noted was that the gravy didnt have the sheen to it that all my other gravy usually does. And if we didn't tell you it was gluten free, you would never have known!
Ingredients
King Arthur gluten free all purpose flour, about 1/2 cup
1 stick challenge unsalted butter
Salt
Pepper
Homemade chicken bone broth
turkey simmer broth *
Turkey pan drippings
* turkey simmer broth is the neck which soaked in the brine, simmered in water and stock with onion slice plus half an apple with a sprig of thyme. simmerabout ed all day on the stove gives great turkey flavor. strain and use in place of water in your gravy mix.
First make a roux. Melt butter to hot bubbles, add flour and cook, stirring constantly until light brown and slightly nutty. Whisking at a consistent pace, add the drippings, then the bone borth, then the simmer sauce. whisk until smooth and allow the gravy to heat throughout. Taste test, season and add more stock to your liking. Maintain a low /simmer until ready to serve. Serve warm in a gravy boat.
Imitation crab dip
Ingredients
flaked style imitation crab
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
chopped green onion
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
pepper
In a food processor, combine crab and cream cheese, pulse a few times.
Add sour cream, pulse
Add mayonnaise, pulse
Add green onion,onion, garlic powders, salt & pepper and pulse until well combined.
Taste test!! Adjust to add more whatever as needed to your liking.
place into shallow dish, cover and chill for 2 hours.
Serve with crackers.
So there are some of our recipes this year. This was our dogs first thanksgiving and our first without our Missy Kitty. Grateful for our home, life, surroundings, friends, and family.
Hoping you and yours made it memorable too!!
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| Appetizers |
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| Desserts, personal sized |
So there are some of our recipes this year. This was our dogs first thanksgiving and our first without our Missy Kitty. Grateful for our home, life, surroundings, friends, and family.
Hoping you and yours made it memorable too!!
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