Let me just say, I hope you’ve committed to a menu by now. Â This is no time to be deciding between the Harvest Chopped Salad or the Butternut Squash Salad! They’re both great and there’s no wrong choice. Â Pick one and make the other one for Christmas. Â The only thing you may not have settled on is whether or not you should do a cocktail. I am here to convince you that yes, you should do a fun drink because we are fun people you and I, and we can’t let this Thanksgiving business make us too stressed out. Â So, let’s have a drink!
I always put out a few light bites with cocktails on Thanksgiving one hour before we sit down to the big meal. The challenge is finding things that won’t make people full, but are just enough to tide us over to dinner time, especially if we skipped lunch. Plus, if you’re having an alcoholic drink, it’s a good idea to consumer some food at the same time.
This post has been edited from the original which was published on November 17, 2011.
It’s always hard to accomplish your Thanksgiving tasks when you don’t know how many people you’re having over!  I think I have the final count and we’re only going to be 22 people this year, including my two daughters who will be home from college. I am so excited to have all my kids in the kitchen this year prepping and cooking with me. I had a stroke of genius six years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks. Even my husband helps out!
My last class is today, but I have a few fun things to keep my busy until Thanksgiving.  Today at 2:30 pm PST/5:30 pm EST, I will be making a green bean casserole on Town & Country’s Facebook Live.  Please join me!  Friday, my friend John from the Preppy Kitchen and I will do a Facebook Live together around 10:00 am PST.  Then I am working on a special project with a great company and shooting some videos for them, so lots to do!  I’ll be getting busy on Sunday when I start making applesauce and cranberry sauce. I always plan Thanksgiving day down to the last detail because I don’t like forgetting things and a schedule makes me feel more relaxed, which equals more fun for me! But just because Thanksgiving is the star of the show this week doesn’t mean that I can forget about normal life on very other day. So I think about regular meals and activities, too. Here’s what my schedule will look like from Sunday until we eat on Thursday at 4:00 pm (-ish). This shouldn’t make you feel exhausted, but merely show you what you can do ahead for your own Thanksgiving! The Chalkboard Mag published a really great blogpost last year with tons of tips from lots of food experts (including me!) I highly recommend giving it a quick read.
My Thanksgiving ebook is now available! Â This PDF contains all my Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks, in one document! Â You will have everything you need to plan and execute your best Thanksgiving ever. Â Click here to access the Thanksgiving ebook.
Someone asked me in my class today what is my favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving. Â Honestly, I teach so many Thanksgiving classes in the month before the holiday that I am a little over all the food! Â I usually crave salad and roasted Brussels sprouts and a bite of pumpkin pie with a scoop of homemade ice cream. Â But I know that everyone else is so excited about the one-hit wonders of Thanksgiving like sweet potato casserole, turkey with cranberry sauce and cornbread stuffing. Â I truly only make stuffing only once a year and all my guests love it – so much so that I usually make two different types.
This post was originally published on November 10, 2011.
Life is unpredictable, but Thanksgiving is not and it is 2 weeks away!  Is the exclamation point there to emphasize panic or joy?  I’m excited!  I’ve been teaching quite a few Thanksgiving-themed classes as of late and I’m feeling spirited.  Don’t let these Thursday posts stress you out.  The whole point is to show you what you can do in advance, not what you must do in advance.  All these tips and strategies are most relevant to the hosts and hostesses who are preparing most or all of the meal themselves and who have a busy schedule leading up to the holiday.  If I didn’t get a lot of these tasks completed early, I don’t see how I could pull off this meal without tons of stress.
I taught this broccoli puree in a Thanksgiving cooking class in November 2008 and then again last year. Â It is my middle daughter’s favorite side dish and I served it at many a Thanksgiving dinner. Â In the last few years I moved it over to our Christmas Day menu because I needed to stir things up a bit for Thanksgiving and my daughter wouldn’t let it go completely. Â Broccoli puree is like broccoli mashed potatoes — so creamy and satisfying, and it goes with everything.
Just kidding. Â Not about being obsessed with the salad, just about leaving you hanging. Â I taught this last year in my Thanksgiving classes and I couldn’t wait for class to be over so I could eat this which I did for three weeks straight. Â The combo of the sweet beets and squash and the creamy goat cheese (sub avocado if you don’t do cheese) and the crunchy QUINOA BRITTLE. Â Oh my stars, the quinoa brittle is everything. Â I actually made it for many a cheeseboard after I taught this recipe. Â Picture a crunchy, nubby, salty-sweet cracker and that’s what this quinoa brittle is. Â And it’s packed with protein. Â Spread a little goat cheese on a piece and you have the perfect snack.
I was talking to a friend of mine today who is from the South and she said, “it would never occur to me to make a salad for Thanksgiving.”
Me: “It’s not like a salad is the meal. Â It just provides a nice balance to everything else that’s cooked, rich, and beige.”
Friend: “But that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. Â Excess, richness and beige food.”
Sorry, I think that is so boring. Salads save the day! Â They don’t rely on your hard-working oven. Â Salads are colorful. Â They are light and fresh. Â And they provide acidity to balance the richness. Â Most of the time, salad components can be prepped in advance. Â Plus, they are flexible. Â Don’t like butternut squash? Â Sub roasted carrots. Â Dairy-free? Â Swap the cheese for avocado.
Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away, so it’s time to get that menu tightened up! Question — do you make non-starchy vegetables and/or salad on Thanksgiving?
Fall Salad with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette and Quinoa Brittle Recipe
2Tablespoonsfig preservespreferably a no sugar-added variety
2cupspeeled butternut squashcut into 1-inch cubes
2Tablespoonsunrefined olive oil or coconut oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
3heads mini Romaine lettuceor 1 large head, small leaves left whole and large leaves chopped (or use arugula)
2medium or 1 large beetroasted, peeled and cubed
12dried figsany variety, diced
4ouncescrumbled honey goat cheese or 1 large avocadosliced
Quinoa brittle:
½cupuncooked quinoapreferably sprouted
2Tablespoonsraw pumpkin seeds
2Tablespoonsraw sunflower seeds
2Tablespoonsraw sesame seeds
2Tablespoonsraw chopped pecans
1teaspoonfresh thyme leaves
½teaspoonsea salt
¼cupbrown rice syrup
1Tablespoonunrefined virgin coconut oilmelted*
Instructions
To make the dressing, place all dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until combined. Set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees and arrange the squash on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss to coat with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
Arrange the romaine on a large platter or bowl and toss with enough dressing to lightly coat. Arrange the beets, figs, cheese or avocado on top of the greens and drizzle with more dressing. Top with quinoa brittle or serve on the side.
For the Quinoa brittle: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except syrup and oil.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown rice syrup and coconut oil until well combined. Pour over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine.
Pour mixture onto baking sheet and spread into one even ¼-inch layer using a dampened spatula if necessary. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool, break into pieces.
Notes
*I melt the coconut oil and the brown rice syrup together in a butter warmer. You can prep all the components of this salad a day in advance and refrigerate them separately. Bring them to room temp the next day and assemble before serving. The quinoa brittle can be made 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temp.
This post has been edited from the one originally published on Thursday, November 3, 2011.
If you followed the advice in my post last Thursday, perhaps you now have a general idea of how many guests you will be hosting on Thanksgiving. If not, it’s time to get on the phone and do some inviting! Do you have a good, balanced menu and have you taken guests up on their offers to bring something? This week we have a few more tasks that we can check off the list.
