a few tweaks...

After all my talk of Thanksgiving consisting of this very traditional meal from my childhood, I am actually making a few tweaks to it this year. The main reason for this is that...well...I'm just plain tired! It's been a tough season. With the flood, the first anniversary of Mom and Dad both being gone, the first year there is no Thanksgiving gathering taking place at the pond, Tim & Abbie being in Wisconsin now, Hunter's surgery, and it seems like many, many other pressures, I want to keep it low-key, easy, and using the foods that we really want to eat, while dispensing with a couple that we like but can do without.

I have always made fresh rolls but I have a memory of this exquisite brown bread sliding in moist steamy rolls out of old coffee cans. I can almost smell the molasses-y rye smell as I describe it. So this year I'm going to indulge in authentic Boston Brown Bread. Hmmm. I can't wait. Hope it turns out.

We got our turkey delivered from Sam last night, all dressed and ready to go in the brine tomorrow. I am using a different brine recipe this year than I have used for several years. Also, one of the sites I check in with had an article about how a heritage, pasture raised turkey needs to be cooked differently than the modern overfed, fat birds from the supermarket. It needs to be slow-cooked for a long cooking time at a much lower temperature to obtain a wonderful moist turkey. It will be brined in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, peppercorns, allspice, and ginger, then stuffed with apples, onions, cinnamon stick, rosemary, and sage. The under skin surface will be rubbed with an herb butter of thyme and sage.

The rest of the meal: Mashed Potatoes w/Turkey Gravy, Herbed Dressing, Sweet Potatoes, Baby Peas, Winter Squash, Olives & Pickles, Cranberry Relish (ground yesterday), Steamed Brown Bread, and Pumpkin Pie. Can't wait to get started on the real meal prep tomorrow! First I'll get the turkey in the brine, then make pie crust and pie, make the brown bread, cook the squash to be warmed up on Thursday, set the table, then peel potatoes, cut veggies for dressing, and so on and so on.

Then Thursday?...a quiet dinner with my best love and maybe some TV and relaxation. Good times...