Thanksgiving 2015

Hello friends and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Preparations this year began on Sunday with a day of grocery shopping (after a day of work!).  Monday and Tuesday were for smaller projects like flavor bases (stock, pumpkin puree, caramelized shallots, cocktail syrup), appetizers (mixed nuts, chutney, soup), and some desserts (pie crust, granita).  Today is dedicated to bigger projects like sides and pies.  This format allows me to have a relatively stress-free Thanksgiving Day with a task list of just three things best prepared last minute: sweet potatoes, deviled eggs and sautéed mushrooms.  I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for many, many years now, so I’ve really got the method down.  If you’re cooking Thanksgiving for the first or second time, it may seem stressful, but just stick with it, and you’ll get better each year.

My first Thanksgiving was a DISASTER!!!  I remember the moment when all the guests started arriving.  My dinner was half-prepared, and I was in the middle of an incredibly tedious task: browning pear slices in butter.  Both sides.  In an even layer.  In batches.  The worst.  The soup that they eventually got blended up in was fantastic, but I remember being so frustrated with the task, because I had 10 other things to tend to.  I finished everything up, leaving the kitchen looking like a tornado had just ripped through.  Piles and piles and piles of dirty pots, pans and dishes lined the countertops.  With the exception of the bone-dry turkey, the dinner turned out all right.  In the end, Thanksgiving is about coming together with loved ones to enjoy a good meal together in the spirit of appreciation and thankfulness.  Just keep that in mind as you’re preparing your dinner, and improve a little bit each year.

Similar to previous years, I’ve been compiling all of my Thanksgiving updates using the #KKTDay2015 hashtag (KKTDay is short for Kitchen Konfidence Thanksgiving). You can follow along on Instagram or check out live hashtag updates below (plus my full Thanksgiving menu!).

Here’s my Thanksgiving 2015 menu:

Appetizers

Meat & Cheese Board

Pear, Quince and Cranberry Chutney

Falafel-Spiced Deviled Eggs

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema

Signature Cocktail

Maple Bourbon Soda

Buffet

Smoked Turkey

Gravy

Italian Sausage and Tuscan Kale Stuffing

Zinfandel Cranberries

Brussels Sprouts and Caramelized Shallot Gratin

Mushroom Barley Salad

Sweet Potato Crunch

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Rice Krispie Topping

Palate Cleanser

Cara Cara Orange and Aperol Granita

Dessert

Coconut Custard Pie

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crumble

Gooey Butter Cake

That’s it for this year!  Happy Thanksgiving from Brandon, Jorge, TiVo and Boris.  We hope you have a safe and delicious celebration this year.

Brandon

I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!