Thanksgiving: An American Tradition

A history buff I am not. I don't really pay particular attention to the ancestry behind American Thanksgiving. I mean, I learned all that Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria leading up to celebration of the harvest stuff in grade school. But what do I remember most about Thanksgiving? Well the food of course. And trust me, I get more and more thankful every year for such a day of feasting.
This year, I think I outdid myself. I've cooked Thanksgiving dinner in the past, maybe my first year after getting married. It was good. But every year I like to really improve the quality of my baking skillz, and really make some dishes I know I'll enjoy. Often times I end up making the things I know I'll want plenty of leftovers of. Because what's Thanksgiving without leftovers? Like Chanukah without a dreidel, that's what. Big pile of steaming poo.
Anyway, I started off last night by getting my bake on. For dessert this year I went with a homemade pumpkin pie and apple turnovers. I didn't go the extra Stephanie step and make my own pumpkin puree, but I did buy an organic can from Trader Joes and mixed up my own recipe of spices, cream, and milk. And I got crazy with my pie crust.

Making pumpkin pie

Apple turnovers (plus bonus crisp)

Another change I made to Thanksgiving this year was to brine my bird. I got the idea from a co-worker who swears by it (Thanks Laurel!) and it turned out much better than I expected. I dissolved about 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt and 1/2 cup of brown sugar into a few cups of water to start the brine. Then I poured that in a large clean painters bucket with some whole black peppercorns, herbs de provence, minced onion and garlic powders. You add the bird to the bucket, fill up with more water until the bird is mostly submerged, then leave it in the garage overnight.

Briney do, Brine, Briney do

When you brine a bird, make sure the next day to rinse and dry it pretty well before cooking. When you're ready though, stuff that bird full of aromatics (cut up celery, onions, and carrots with fresh thyme in my case). Cook her low and slow, with some melted butter brushed over the skin.

Bird's ready for the oven

I didn't chronicle the entire menu I made, especially since it's next to impossible to do when timing everything correctly for dinner. Here's some pics though of my Thanksgiving table and spread of goodies.

Giving Thanks

One final note about my cooking experiences for Thanksgiving. Making gravy is much easier than anticipated! It was my first year for making gravy by hand, and I was pretty happy with how it turned out and how easy it was. Mostly you just deglaze the roasting pan with some low sodium chicken stock, strain those juices through a sieve into a pot, then add a bit more chicken stock, and stir in some Wondra (once again low and slow) until it thickens up. I was really surprised how much flavor homemade gravy has (and salt), but I'm also wondering if that has to do with the fact that the juices from my turkey would have been much more intense due to the brine. Either way, it was tasty, and I'd do it that way again in a heartbeat.
And with that, you can bet your sweet potatoes that as soon as the dishes were put away tonight, I busted out the Christmas decorations. I fricken love Christmas. December here I come!