This Thanksgiving I think I sent my mom 10 texts along the lines of “what am I cooking again?” or “how do you make stuffing?” The best was when she was at my house one day right before our supper club, Friendsgiving version. I was telling her I needed to go buy turkey breasts to roast. This was 2 days before. She gently, but urgently told me that they normally come frozen and it takes days to thaw them in the refrigerator. Clearly, with as many meals as I have cooked, I had (and have) some learning to do in the Thanksgiving department. And she called Harris Teeter asap to find a fresh, not frozen turkey breast for me. The good news is that she wrote down our family stuffing recipe, made gluten free. I made stuffing 3 times, brined and roasted 2 giant turkey breasts, and made some sides and appetizers and a cocktail. We had 3 different Thanksgiving meals, so I wanted to keep track of the recipes I made and pleased the crowds. I also had to share some photos of the week for memory’s sake. We were with so much family, and it was just the best.
Cheese Tray
I have a post about how to assemble a cheese tray here. It also has sources for wooden trays like this one! I use mine every time we entertain.
Gluten Free Stuffing (with a Dairy Free Version as well)
I made this stuffing gluten free, and also gluten and dairy free. It is semi-homemade. It starts with my Granny’s cornbread, but it also uses a gluten free stuffing mix from Trader Joe’s (also found at Sprouts).
Green Beans with Bacon, Candied Pecans, and a Dijon Maple Sauce
This is a recipe from Carlsbad Cravings I’ve made for several family functions over the years. It calls for some feta and butter, but I edited it to make it dairy free. Ridge and I aren’t eating dairy, and a couple of my cousins are allergic. So, for this recipe, where it called for butter I subbed olive oil. For the nuts I used coconut oil. I also left out the feta, but these were still really yummy. I love this green bean recipe! I blanched the beans the night before and then cooled them in a quick ice bath. Then I tossed them with the dijon maple sauce and kept them in the fridge overnight. I also cooked the bacon and made the nuts the night before. Then the day of, I placed them on a platter and warmed them in the oven before serving.
Pomegranate Kale Wild Rice Salad with Walnuts and Feta
This is a salad by Pinch of Yum I’ve made several times for family occasions as well. Most of it can be prepped ahead of time. It would be a really great weeknight dinner, too!
Turkey Breast Brine and Herb Rub + Roasting Instructions
I used a brine recipe from Food Network, then an herb rub and roasting instructions from Ina Garten. It was a really great combo, and the leftover turkey was even better than fresh out of the oven. Be warned – if you have larger turkey breasts, and try to cook more than one at a time, this will take much longer than the recipe says. I think I overcrowded my oven.
Spiced Cranberry Rosé Spritzers
Half Baked Harvest is a beautiful resource for great recipes! I made this cocktail for our supper club, and it was a hit! I made the jam part of it and the sugared rosemary the day before.
Bacon Apple Jam Over Goat Cheese with GF Everything Crackers
This was a last-minute addition to our supper club menu. I followed the directions, except I doubled the apples. This ended up jammy, but not too sticky. I poured it over a log of goat cheese while it was barely warm and we served it with some gluten free crackers. This was a hit! I would definitely make this again!
Pictures from the Week
We spent Thanksgiving day at my grandparents’ day with aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was so fun to see (almost) everyone!
Saturday was spent at my parents’ house. My brother was able to come home, and it was nice to just hang out and relax. We also celebrated Davis’ birthday a little early with my family.
Sunday was spent at my brother- and sister-in-law’s house with Todd’s family. We can rarely all be in the same place at the same time, so it was nice. Davis had another mini birthday celebration.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Leave a Reply