This year cooking for Thanksgiving only took 8+ hours. We [my sister and I] started the night before and ended up with this spread:
Pictured: Asparagus, Sweet Potato Medley, Parsnip Gratin, Beets with Goat Cheese, Turkey, Gravy, Squash Rings, and Quinoa Stuffing
Turkey Roast with an Orange Spice Rub
Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy [via Martha Stewart]
Stuffings:
Quinoa with Apple, Cheddar Cheese and Sage [Adapted from a Stuffed Squash Recipe via Pinterest]
Rosemary Bread with Prosciutto and Mushroom Stuffing
Spicy Chicken Sausage and Celery Cornbread Stuffing
Veggies:
Parsnip Gratin [via Foodgawker]
Savory Cranberry Chutney [via Epicurious]
Sweet Potato Medley with Lime Glaze
Buttered Asparagus
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Beets with Mint and Goat Cheese
Roasted Squash Rings
Sweets:
Homemade Cardamon Pumpkin Pie [all from scratch]
Cherry Cobbler [via Clinton Kelley]
Highlights:
The quinoa stuffing was my favorite. It was sweet and cheesy and mostly healthy. Along with the parsnip gratin – which filled the kitchen with it’s lovely cinnamon flavor when cooking. I really liked the prosciutto and mushroom stuffing as well, even though I’m not a huge fan of bread stuffings.
I was also very happy with Martha Stewart’s mushroom gravy recipe. It’s vegan [I made it vegan] which is nice and came together quickly. And great because I had never made gravy before. Last year we had lobster so there was no need.
We made a lot of dairy free and vegetable dishes this year because that’s how we like it. And I think we’ll take some of this as inspiration for our next Thanksgiving.
I can’t wait until next year. There’s no other time during the year where it’s acceptable to cook this much food and not seem ridiculous.
