Larry, his dad and Jay were here for Thanksgiving dinner. I skipped out on the herbed dinner rolls that I made last year, because I wasn’t up to making them (although they’re very easy).
I decided to make this soup after Amy told me she was making it. I was more convinced that I should make it after she tried it and said it was fantastic. I was worried that it would taste too much like pumpkin, but it didn’t. It was really excellent. I loved the croutons.
I made the same turkey I’ve made for the past few years now. I love the way this turkey turns out. It was an 18-lb turkey from Costco, nothing special. I usually brine the turkey the night before, but I didn’t this time. It really makes a difference in the flavor.
I usually make a crouton-based dressing, using Mrs. Cubbison’s stuffing mix and cornbread dressing mix as a base. Since we are virtually trans-fat free now, I had to find an alternative since Mrs. Cubbison’s has trans fats. I used Fair Scones, Inc. brand Rosemary-Sage Cornbread dressing and Rosemary-Sage stuffing, evenly mixed (purchased at Whole Foods). It’s more crouton-y than Mrs. Cubbisons but they have a nice flavor. I added celery, onion, parsley, chicken broth, melted butter, beaten eggs, salt and pepper and baked it. I didn’t add enough salt. It’s not as good as my usual dressing, but a good compromise.
I skipped the pumpkin pie because I don’t like it. I made apple pie instead, which Larry loves.
- Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
- Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons (Bon Apétit, December 1996)
- Butter-Rubbed, Cider-Glazed Roast Turkey (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 46)
- Poultry Dressing (Sheri’s Recipe Box)
- Oven-Roasted Beets
- Puree of Yukon Gold Potatoes with Parmesan (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 48)
- Glazed Carrots (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001 p.24)
- Apple Pie Covered with Leaves (Fine Cooking #54, Winter 2003 Holiday Baking Issue, p. 43)
Wine: 2001 Amphora Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, California). Yummy. Very deep dark ruby. I expected a full-bodied wine but it was pretty light. Nicely balanced.
I had leftover gruyere croutons, so I ate them with my bedtime wine :-)
Your dressing sounds like my mother’s, if I understand your description correctly. She makes a pan of cornbread, crumbles it, and then adds packaged croutons, sauteed onion & celery, and seasonings.
You made a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. You’re so hard on yourself!
I ate one of the leftover croutons too! They’re so yummy.
It wasn’t my best cooking day, but it wasn’t bad.