Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday. Untethered by heavy commercial demands, and centered around family and gratitude—what fugalista wouldn’t appreciate such a holiday?
But—too often these days, the commercial pull of the big winter extravaganza eats into even this one simple day. From its inception, Thanksgiving was celebrated first, and the Christmas season commenced thereafter. But not any more. Now some stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day!
It is up to us to stop this craziness. My first tip for a Thanksgiving to remember is to make a deal with you family not to shop until Friday morning if shop you must.
Then—plan on making the day special. Gather your people—whether a blood family or a group of friends. Divvy up the work. These days most of us don’t have an Aunt that always does it all. Much less a Grandma. So we need to make a newer, fairer tradition of at least some element of potluck.
If you are the hostess (and I love it when I am) be prepared to provide a main dish, and to provide two if you have a confirmed vegetarian at your table. If so, ask them what they like as a main dish and make it. Other than that, there is the turkey. There are many ways to properly prepare a turkey. Here is my suggestion. Figure out the right size. The rule is 1.5 pounds per person. And, since so many prefer the white meat—you may want to cook an extra breast. You will want leftovers anyhow believe me.
Buy the best quality you can. This is a special day and it is the most food-oriented holiday all year. The turkey is a big deal.
If the bird is frozen you will need to begin to defrost it three days ahead. Clear a space in your refrigerator and tuck the bird in. To not thaw at room temperature. That can be dangerous because the outside will sit at above 40 degrees for too long before the inside thaws. Slow and steady and below 40 degrees is best. If the bird is fresh—skip right to the next step.
Next, bring in a cooler that is big enough to hold the turkey without crowding. Make a brine of the following ingredients:
2 gallons water
3 cups apple cider
¾ cup kosher salt—it MUST be kosher the regular will not work
1-teaspoon peppercorns
5 bay leaves
1-cup brown sugar
1 head garlic separated into cloves
1-cup green chili—optional
Put all of the ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and let cool to room temp. Take the cooled brine and put into the cooler. Now put in the turkey and add water and plenty of ice to cover. Close the cooler and let sit overnight.
A Thanksgiving
Dinner to Remember—
With the Frugal Goddess