Weekend Cooking: Thanksgiving at My House

Happy holiday weekend for those in the United States. This week is all about traditional foods, family, and friends. Thanksgiving dinner can be tricky to time right, and there sure are a ton of dishes to wash, but there's nothing difficult about any of the dishes.

This post includes a photo of my pies and the cranberry sauce, which you may have already seen on Instagram. I didn't take a picture of the turkey, the finished dish I'm sharing, or of the table brimming with food. As usual, I forgot until dinner was almost over. Ooops.

I made my usual pumpkin pies, and I always make the whole berry cranberry sauce from the back of the Ocean Spray package. I make dinner rolls with honey in them, which we really use mostly for sandwiches over the weekend. Of course, there's also mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.

I have been using Julia Child's method of roasting turkey from her The Way to Cook, since the book was published in 1989. This year, I decided to try Michael Ruhlman's method in his book How to Roast. This was one of the best (and easiest) turkeys we've had. I'm not going to share the recipe, because you can find it over at Publisher's Weekly, though you can't see the photos. (I used an orange instead of the lemon.)

What attracted me to this recipe was that it was for an unstuffed bird (the way I always make my turkey) and the size range was similar to ours. Plus I totally trust Ruhlman when it comes to kitchen advice.

I didn't do the braising part at the end. Instead, we cut off the legs and thighs and put them in pan with a little stock and slipped them in a low oven along with the mashed potatoes (covered). We loosely tented the turkey carcass (no one eats the skin, so we weren't worried about it losing crispness) and let it sit while I finished the gravy. This was so, so delicious. (photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman)


We tried a cider bourbon drink to start off the afternoon/evening. We used cider we bought from a local fruit farm, which we warmed in the microwave and then added bourbon, Cointreau, thyme, and a lemon wedge. It was good, but not good enough to share the recipe.

One new dish that I'll definitely make again, especially in the summer, came from the Good Housekeeping site and is by Katie Lee (you may remember her from my review of her cookbook Easy Breezy Eats). I liked the idea that I could serve this at room temperature, so I could make it a couple of hours ahead, which freed up stove space.

I followed the recipe exactly but after I tossed the beans with the tapenade, I thought the dish needed a spark. I added a good squeeze of lemon, which really completed the flavors. These beans were also good the next day cold as a kind of salad. I think this dish would be fantastic in the summer with garden-fresh beans and served at a cookout or picnic.

Green Beans with Olive-Almond Tapenade
Serves 4

• 1/4 cup whole almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup large pitted green olives
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons packed parsley leaves plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely chopped. Add olives, zest, and parsley. Pulse until finely ground. Add oil and pulse until well blended. Season with salt and pepper.

Steam or boil the green beans until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and run under cool water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and place in a serving bowl.

Add the tapenade to the beans and toss until evenly coated. Garnish with parsley. (photo from the Good Housekeeping site)

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