I began the morning in the early hours, by prepping my cranberry sauce. Once it was cooked, and flavored the way I liked it, I left it to cool to room temperature, and allowed it to sit and steep until dinner time. The longer spices sit and marinate in a mixture, the more depth they give the dish, so when I stirred the sauce right before serving, the spices distributed and made for a really nice flavor profile. It's a really bright, tangy version, brought to us courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli. A few changes I made: I doubled the recipe, but used a quarter of the sugar...so about 1 cup, for 2 lbs of cranberries. I also used tangerines, instead of regular oranges, for a more interesting, citrus-y taste.
Once the cranberry sauce was done, I started on the list of hors d'ouvres that needed to be made in time for our guests' arrivals! I made some guacamole, using some avocados, garlic, tomatoes, lime juice, salt, pepper, and my secret ingredient: shallots. I use shallots instead of onion, because I find that it makes for a smoother flavor throughout the dish, rather than a large bite of sharp, raw onion. Minced shallot, even raw, is a much sweeter form of onion, but still gives a nice bite of flavor!
On to the hummus, which I made from a recipe I found in Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Cocktail Parties
for a Fiery Hummus with Baked Pita Chips. I left out the cayenne pepper, making the dip appropriate for all of my guests. When entertaining, it's best to air on the side of caution when it comes to the spicy factor, since you can't anticipate each person's preferred palate. It was a bright and refreshing hummus with a heavy handed amount of lemon juice. Sprinkled with a little parsley, it makes for a very pretty plate too! I baked some pita chips very easily. Just cut up a bunch of pitas (I used wheat) and then bake them in the oven for 10 minutes, in single layers. They get crispy and crunchy, just like the storebought ones...but homemade is always better!
for a Fiery Hummus with Baked Pita Chips. I left out the cayenne pepper, making the dip appropriate for all of my guests. When entertaining, it's best to air on the side of caution when it comes to the spicy factor, since you can't anticipate each person's preferred palate. It was a bright and refreshing hummus with a heavy handed amount of lemon juice. Sprinkled with a little parsley, it makes for a very pretty plate too! I baked some pita chips very easily. Just cut up a bunch of pitas (I used wheat) and then bake them in the oven for 10 minutes, in single layers. They get crispy and crunchy, just like the storebought ones...but homemade is always better! 
It was time to make the antipasto platter at this point, since there was less than an hour before people showed up. I wanted to make sure the cheese was out long enough to take the chill off (never serve cheese straight out of the fridge, because when it's cold, you lose alot of the flavors that make each cheese unique). I started by rolling my proscuitto, soppressata and salami into attractive, cigar-type shapes, leaving room down the center of the plate for the three cheeses I had chosen. I placed the Parmigiano-Reggiano, St. Albay (a camembert/brie type cheese with a bit more punch) and Morbier (a semi-hard cheese with a stripe of blue down the center) on the platter and left it out with the other appetizers. I also plated a few bowls of assorted olives to pair with the platter.
Once my parents arrived, the turkey had been trussed, and the cavity had been stuffed with some onions, marjoram, sage, thyme and rosemary. It had been rubbed with safflower oil (because of the higher heat usability of this oil) and salt and pepper. It was ready to go in the oven! We started it at 400 degrees, and a half an hour later, we turned it down to 350 for the rest of cooking time. However, we did something a bit different. We cooked it breast-side down, so that all of the juices run into the breast during cooking, and make for a VERY juicy bird!
With the turkey, I of course, served LOTS of side dishes. My mom made the sweet potatoes, which we serve with marshmallows on top, which harden and crust over the top of pan, and stay gooey and melt-y underneath the hard shell. This is a tradition that I've known since the day I was born, and that my mom had growing up as well, and I swear to continue it as long as I live, because really, it's the best way to eat sweet potatoes!
Another tradition in my family is my dad's homemade stuffing! I can't tell you what's in it, because that tends to change a little bit each year, but it's bread (of course) and chunks of veggies and ham, along with herbs, spices, and a lot of love! It's delicious, and I swear it gets better every year...and I honestly can't imagine Thanksgiving without it! I'm SO glad we have leftovers!
And now you're wondering what I made for the event, right!? Well, hold on tight, because here we go. Aside from the cranberry sauce, I made three vegetable side dishes. First of all, I opted to make Brussels Sprouts Two Ways. Chefs do that on TV all the time, so I decided to give it a go. I chose a raw presentation, as well as a cooked one. The raw brussels sprouts salad was more of a very light slaw, with finely shaved sprouts, along with some red onion, and a honey mustard dressing. It was supposed to have Pecorino-Romano in it as well, but I forgot to put it in at the last moment. However, I don't think it needed it. It was refreshing, and delicious! You can find the recipe here. The other way, of course, was cooked, and pan-roasted, at that. I didn't want to tie up the oven with anything that didn't have to go in there, so I decided to make all of my dishes on the stove. I prefer to cook that way anyway - I like to be hands on! I blanched my sprouts earlier in the day, to save time when cooking, so it was easy to throw the par-cooked veggies into a cast iron pan with some olive oil and a clove of garlic. I tried really hard not to stir too often, since I really wanted to get the browning down perfectly. Right before serving, I seasoned with some salt and pepper, and a nice squeeze of lemon juice. You can find that recipe here.
Finally, I made a green bean dish to round out the table. I used haricots vert (a thin, string bean) and sauteed them in some garlic oil and cider vinegar, allowing the vinegar to form a glaze. The dish was garnished with some mint leaves, and garlic chips that had been fried in the oil before the beans were added! I chose quick, and easy, side dishes that could be prepared as the turkey was being carved in order to ensure that everything was warm and fresh when we all sat down to eat!
As for dessert, there was a pecan pie from the bakery, as well as a strawberry pie, and an apple pie from my in-laws! I had purchased some ice cream from a local place, called Batch, and included flavors such as Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Cinnamon Bits, and Vanilla Bean. By the time dessert came around, I was so exhausted and full, I totally forgot to take pictures of the pies! I will tell you, though, they were delicious! All in all, I'd say that my first Thanksgiving as host was a huge success, and I'm looking forward to fine-tuning my skills in the future!
Stay tuned over the next week for all sorts of ideas for using those leftovers! I know I have plenty of them!
