Hosting My First Thanksgiving

This was such a different Thanksgiving from last year! Being on our own at home was restful, sure, but this year, I hosted 4 of my siblings and their families. It was so wonderful to be together under one roof, around one table!

I had never roasted a turkey before and I’m so glad I decided to take the plunge. I followed America’s Test Kitchen of course, to make classic Easier Roast Turkey.

It was quite a project. I appreciated doing the salting step well in advance, since I was trying to not spend all day in the kitchen since my out-of-town guests were there and I wanted to spend time with them. The parts I found most challenging were figuring out where to insert the thermometer to temp the turkey thighs, and also making the gravy because after the turkey came out of the oven the race was on to get all the food on the table and the meal started. I should have delegated table and food setup better. Everyone helped but I think the gravy could have benefitted from more focused attention. But, the meat was moist and all was flavorful. Here’s the spread, with side dishes brought by my sister and sister-in-law, and minus the cranberry sauce that I forgot to pull out of the fridge until after we started serving up. Yummm!

• Roast Turkey and Gravy
• Basic mashed potatoes
• Not shown: Cranberry Sauce
• Roasted vegetables
• Spinach salad with grapes and pecans
• Quinoa-herb Salad

This year I am thankful for quality time spent with extended family, catching up from the previous year of lockdown, most notably my youngest sister’s wedding earlier this month. And new family members – new brother-in-law SL and new baby nephew HDW. (It was actually his very first Thanksgiving this year! Maybe next year he can try the turkey.)