Thanksgiving is next week. I'll be hosting my first one in my own home for my parents, siblings and, oh yeah, the husband this year. Since I am a food hippie, I have to do things the hard way.
Our turkey has been pre-ordered via Moore's Farm & Friends. I usually cannot justify to myself paying that kind of price for meat, even if I try. However, it's a special occasion. Our turkey is coming from Westwind Farms, about 90 miles outside of Knoxville, TN. It'll be freshly processed (meaning, just killed) and certified organic. We'll be picking it up at the Peachtree Road Farmer's market this Saturday.
Speaking of Peachtree Road, I've made an effort to select recipes that reflect what's seasonal in Georgia this time of year. Luckily, we've got a long growing season down here, so gives us a wide variety. I'm hoping to find most of the fresh ingredients I'll need at the farmer's market this week, and keep Thanksgiving local. We haven't been to a farmer's market since the ones up here closed and I think we're a little over excited by it.
There's been a flurry of emails back and forth from my mother and I this week. As is our wont, my sisters are contributing a few things to the meal. Allison does desserts particularly well. I'm not sure if she's settled on exactly what she's bringing yet, but it'll be some sort of pie. Kim does appetizers and drinks. Mom and I both nixed "Pumpkintinis". Instead, I suggested either Cape Cods or Pomegranate Martinis. While not really local (Where do cranberries come from anyways? Since I hate them, I'm going to say "Straight from hell"), both flavors are seasonal. Mom is handling wine. It's impossible to find a single wine to go with Thanksgiving, so I suggested a pinot noir. I've recently become a fan of pinots. They've got a subtle sophistication to them, but also a nice, robust flavor that can stand up to any meal. Kim is also planning a traditional antipasto tray, which is something I will probably blog about later.
Wednesday is going to be my big baking day since I have the day off from school. I'm off pie duty this year, thanks to my sister, so I'm going to prep the corn bread stuffing, and get the biscuits ready. My husband has requested that I make a batch of White Lily biscuits (Just follow the recipe on the back of the bag. It never fails). I'll make that dough ahead of time too. Any other prep work I can do a day ahead I'll do then too, like fry bacon and hard boil eggs to top the spinach salad with. I can also make the cranberry-orange relish the night before as well. Thanksgiving is a big meal, and I've no doubt that SOMEONE will get under my feet before the end of the day.
I'll try to remember to take pictures this time.
2 comments:
Cranberries are awesomness! They're generally grown in the Northeast. There are cranberry bogs in South Jersey where I used to live (in fact there are a bunch in a cleverly named town of...ready for it? Cranberry, New Jersey). And there are toooons of cranberry bogs in MA. Ocean Spray has their headquarters there :-)
~Shannon
Beaujolais is a fantastic wine to accompany Thanksgiving dinner. It's also made in November, and a young Beaujolais is the best (get the newest vintage you can find, if it lists a vintage), so it is exceedingly seasonal. For a white wine, Reisling is actually a decent paring, too. Preferably one not too sweet. I've served both, and Beaujolais really brings out the best in the meal.
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