Monday Night, spatchcocked and dry-brined the turkey, so it would have three days in the fridge. 13.5 pounds, local bird.
The day before Thanksgiving I needed to pick someone up at a train station three hours away. So, the day before prep was in the hands of the two college aged kids at home.
- Made cornbread for the stuffing using the NYT browned butter recipe.
- Made traditional raspberry jello with sour cream.
- Much housecleaning to prep for holiday.
Thanksgiving day:
- Made a meat gravy to go with it for the first time, using the neck and backbone. all Kenzo Lopez recipe, Serious Eats.
- Roasted and peeled Poblano Peppers for Vegetarian Main.
- youngest made pie crusts.
- Yams cut and boiled for marshmallow yams.
- youngest made Molasses wheat rolls, recipe from Budget Bytes. Nice for a change, but let's do more plain/traditional next year.
- cooked sausage (both kinds) and sauteed onions, peppers, and celery for dressing.
Turkey went into oven at 11:15am. While the Turkey roasted, we made:
- Vegetarian Main: Stuffed poblanos with quinoa, vegetarian sausage, salsa, beans, and kalamata olives. Topped with homemade enchilada sauce and cheese, baked while turkey rested.
- Mashed potatoes
- Cornbread dressings mixed: sausage, sweet purple pepper, celery, onion, sage, broth. Two versions: pork sausage vs. vegetarian sausage.
- Cranberry sauce: 12 oz cranberries, 1 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar.
- This year we added orange zest to the finished sauce.
- Next year, divide the sauce in half, and so there's a bowl of plain and a bowl of orange-flavored.
- Family member with own place brought baked Brussel Spouts dish and roasted Delicata Squash dish. yum!
- youngest made 3 recipes worth of vegetarian gravy.
Turkey finished at 12:25 (Meal was planned for 1pm, so this was a little late). One of us delayed arrival, so turkey rested until after 2pm. I put a dishcloth over it and then several layers of aluminum foil sealed. Turkey temp at carving was 135F.
We all sat at the new table for feast!
After dinner, went for a walk.
Leftover Turkey: ~6 cups. Made 10 cups broth in pressure cooker.
Youngest made pie filling and baked pies, which we ate around 8pm.
Day after Thanksgiving. Spatchcocked and roasted second turkey! Organic Butterball, also about 13.5 lbs. Family members working Black Friday workers finished work in time for dinner, and could enjoy hot Turkey, with leftover sides. ~16 cups of meat from second Turkey. 13 cups broth made from this carcass.
