giving of thanks

t minus ONE WEEK until my most favorite holiday in the whole wide worrrrrrrrrlllllddd!

i am lucky because i get to celebrate it TWICE in the same year.  two beautiful meals with wonderful people i am glad to have near to me.  perfect.

aaand this year is the first time that i get to host a thanksgiving at my own house!  thanksgivings past have been always with my mom and dad and nuclear family, either at my grandmother's house, my childhood home, or with friends out of state.  i would enjoy the few days off from school, catch my breath and catch up with my family and friends who were in town for the holiday as well. 

however, this year is the first thanksgiving that i have not been a student, and in job world, having "time off for the holidays" means "you get one day off for thanksgiving".  one day??!  one measly day to drive home, eat my meal at an uncomfortably rapid speed, then turn around and drive back to be at work at 7:30 the next morning?  ehh, i'm not exactly a fan of this idea.

solution?  make family come to me.  mom and dad, who all have wonderful school administrator and retired person schedules, suggested the idea, and i was more than happy to acquiesce.  my brain kicked in to high alert menu-planning mode, and this is what i came up with, for a small, quiet, almost-but-not-quite traditional thanksgiving meal.

romertopf chicken

a thanksgiving consisting of four people, two of whom aren't exactly enthusiastic carnivores, on top of a very small kitchen, might consider a 37 pound turkey overkill.  solution?  the romertopf clay pot, a wonderful culinary invention that has been a favorite in my family for years, yields the most incredible roasted chicken you've ever known.  and it's stupid-easy to use, which means less time worrying about multi-step cooking, and more

time for playing parcheesi and watching the macy's parade.  

mashed potatoes and stuffing

no brainers, really.  one year my family was so overwhelmed and actually FORGOT about making mashed potatoes altogether.  needless to say it was, like, the worst thanksgiving EVER.

cranberry chutney

a hearty alternative to canned cranberry sauce.  the recipe makes a ton, has such a unique flavor, and goes on everything, from bagels with cream cheese to pork roasts to apple slices.

roasted shallots

roasting them makes them sweet, and, my, don't they look so pretty and purple nestled in a white ramekin!

carrot souffle

this was an addition to the thanksgiving table last year, replacing the beloved sweet- potato casserole so near and dear to us.  but after the infamous blazing marshmallow topping mishap of a few years ago, the souffle is a decidedly safer alternative. 

brussels sprouts

method is still TBD... the oven is going to be getting a great workout, so the kitchen might be overheated with any more roasting.  hmmm...

apple custard tart

pumpkin pie is great and all, but sometimes a little change is nice.  my mom suggested this new recipe... and if it turns out to be anything less than delicious i will be completely shocked.