{"id":16995,"date":"2014-11-10T11:51:59","date_gmt":"2014-11-10T18:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodembrace.com\/?p=16995"},"modified":"2014-11-10T11:51:59","modified_gmt":"2014-11-10T18:51:59","slug":"our-thanksgiving-menu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/2014\/11\/our-thanksgiving-menu\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Thanksgiving Menu"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are just a little over two weeks out from Thanksgiving and it’s time to start considering a menu plan! \u00a0When I first started making Thanksgiving dinner for Scott and I, it was this huge affair filled with all the typical dishes. \u00a0It was way too much food for two people to eat yet I felt like I needed to make sure we had all the classics or else it wouldn’t be a real Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I have learned\u00a0that Thanksgiving dinner can be whatever you want it to be! \u00a0Now I keep things really simple with a turkey and a few side dishes that we really love.<\/p>\n

\"Turkey<\/a><\/p>\n

Turkey will always be on the table for us. \u00a0This year I’m not buying a whole turkey but instead will be buying a breast with some additional legs. \u00a0My refrigerator is small and can’t accommodate a whole turkey in a brine. \u00a0However,\u00a0I do have a Bourbon Brined Turkey<\/a>\u00a0recipe that is fantastic! If you have the space, I highly recommend you brine that bird!<\/p>\n

\"Collards\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Collard greens are one of our favorite side dishes and I have been incorporating them in to our Thanksgiving feast the past few years. \u00a0They can be made in the slow cooker<\/a>\u00a0which makes things so much easier.\u00a0This frees up space on the stove for other things like making gravy and mashed potatoes. Plus they can even be made the day before or cooked in the slow cooker over night so the only thing you have to do on the big day is reheat them (or keep them warm).<\/p>\n

Collards provide plenty of leftovers and heck, you can even eat them for breakfast!<\/p>\n

\"Spicy<\/a><\/p>\n

Cranberry sauce will also make an appearance! \u00a0I prefer to have it as a breakfast item but Scott really enjoys having it has a side dish with the big dinner. \u00a0We usually have Cranberry Apple Sauce<\/a> which is super simple and full of flavor. \u00a0This can also be made a day ahead and gently warmed right before serving.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for something totally different, Spicy Cranberry Chutney<\/a> would be a great addition!<\/p>\n

\"Gravy,<\/a><\/p>\n

Mashed potatoes and gravy is a must. \u00a0I like to prep the potatoes ahead of time<\/a> so that all the starch is removed and they become fluffy and creamy. \u00a0I also prefer to use yukon gold potatoes because they create a nice buttery color when all mashed up. \u00a0I admit that I have been leaving out the stuffing so that I have room for more greens!<\/p>\n

Gravy doesn’t need to be time consuming, I’ve recently started making blender gravy<\/a> which eliminates the need for a roux! \u00a0Using homemade stock and pan drippings, this technique\u00a0guarantees a smooth and flavorful gravy every time!<\/p>\n

If you are going to stick with making a roux for the gravy, the roux can be made up to two days ahead! \u00a0Just make sure to store the roux in an airtight container. \u00a0It will be ready to go when it’s time to make the gravy. \u00a0Just gently reheat the roux in a pan and then add the liquid.<\/p>\n

We might be skipping the stuffing this year but you don’t have to! Here is a recipe for a Savory Apple Stuffing<\/a> that is perfect for Thanksgiving Day.<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/a><\/p>\n

Since sweet potatoes are such a staple at Thanksgiving, I tend to use them in a pie instead of making them as a side dish. \u00a0This year I’m working on a pumpkin cream cheese pie (recipe soon!) but this Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie<\/a> is what we had last year.<\/p>\n

Our Thanksgiving is super simple, full of flavor, and has plenty of leftovers. \u00a0If you are making Thanksgiving dinner for the first time or will be creating a meal for a small number of people, this menu is perfect for you! \u00a0Most things can be made a head of time leaving you with more time to relax and enjoy the moment of the big day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are just a little over two weeks out from Thanksgiving and it’s time to start considering a menu plan! \u00a0When I first started making Thanksgiving dinner for Scott and I, it was this huge affair filled with all the typical dishes. \u00a0It was way too much food for two people to eat yet I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"status","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[48,87,47,16],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4KYWa-4q7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16995\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}