Is a Sides Only Thanksgiving Allowed?

Sure! In fact, you can do whatever you want and this year. If we’re going to take a positive slant, view 2020 as the year for novelty and experimentation. Most of us will be following guidelines and not traveling or spending Thanksgiving with extended family or friends this year. Let’s just pause for a second to acknowledge what a total bummer that is. A lot of us were looking forward to small and safe socially distanced gatherings but even that’s not going to happen so we grieve and we move on because we have menus to plan.

I will be prepping a Thanksgiving meal for two adults and two children this year so the amount of food and the selections I make will cater to our small group. We have always gone to someone else’s house for a large Thanksgiving gathering bringing with us an assortment of sides. Never have I been tasked with cooking the turkey itself.

I contemplated the idea of a sides-only meal or replacing a whole turkey with ham, a roast chicken or beef tenderloin but I talked myself out of those alternatives because our favorite sides just work best with turkey. I’m thinking specifically about the cranberry compote which I’m not willing to sacrifice.

I went to the store to size up turkeys and decided that I don’t want to roast a whole bird. It would be way too much turkey. After some investigating and decided that buying a bone-in turkey breast is the way to go. Yes, we’ll be sacrificing the dark meat but on the plus side we won’t be eating and having to get creative with leftovers for a week or more and I wont have to deal with gizzards. I’m happy to pass on those.

I know there are many Thanksgiving recipes out there and everyone has their classic few. I could spend many hours searching for new and interesting twists on classic sides but I have other things to do. The house isn’t going to decorate itself. I, for one, have neither made nor enjoyed green bean casserole or mushed sweet potato with that marshmallow crap all over the top. I know people love those dishes but I’m not one of them. One of my daughter’s did really enjoy a sweet potato and marshmallow creation that someone brought to Thanksgiving last year so I may make a version of that for her. In fact, this recipe from Delish is totally doable and looks cute.

Allow me to share what I’ll be cooking this year plus recipes for drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Cranberry compote. I’m keeping it simple this year by boiling then simmering a bag of fresh cranberries in a 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice with maple syrup to sweeten and a pinch of salt. I’ll also throw in a few peels of orange rind because it looks pretty. This is a very similar recipe from Love and Lemons.

The stuffing I’ve made for the past several years is alway a crowd pleaser. I would love to try something different like a mushroom and leek stuffing but I’ll save that for next year. I’m going to stick with my sausage, apple and sage stuffing because not only is it delicious the day of, but warm it up and throw a fried egg on top and you’ve got yourself a nice day-after Thanksgiving breakfast. I cut up day-old bread in lieu of pre-packaged cubes. I’ve made this recipe with a variety of breads, including gluten-free, and it always turns out great. Below is my thrown together recipe but you can find something similar at Simply Recipes

• Set oven to 325
• Grease 9 x 12 dish with butter or olive oil
• Place day old cubed bread to fill the bottom of the dish.
• Cook and crumble 1/4 lb. sausage (removed from casing if links). I use sage breakfast sausage from the butcher at Wholefoods.
• Once cooked, add sausage to the bread cubes
• Saute 2 small chopped apples with 2 chopped celery ribs and 1 diced medium onions in sausage pan for 5-7 minutes.
• Add 3 cups of vegetable/chicken or bone broth and bring to boil
• Add veggies to sausage and bread mix then toss until the bread is evenly moist
• Add two beaten eggs and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (nuts are optional) toss again
• Cook uncovered for 40 minutes or until the top is to desired crispiness.

The other must have side for us is Brussel sprouts. It just isn’t Thanksgiving without ’em! Simply roast in the oven at 425 for 20-25 mins with garlic, kosher salt, pepper and olive oil. After that, you can add just about anything to taste. I usually crumble crispy bacon over the top but other ideas are to add parmesan cheese, or to drizzle wth balsamic vinegar. You can also throw a few nuts in before you roast, walnuts and chestnuts work well.

True confessions, I am not a big mashed potatoes and gravy person. Call me crazy but I pass on both. However, my mom used to make ‘neeps and tatties‘ on Thanksgiving, which is Scottish for turnips and potatoes. It was always one of my favorites. Basically, its potatoes and turnips mashed together with butter, a splash of cream, salt and pepper. The turnips give otherwise boring potatoes a really nice flavor. I don’t mash them into a whipped puree but rather leave a few chunky pieces for texture. Here’s Jamie Oliver’s recipe (pictured at the top) if you want instructions to follow. I will be kicked to the curb if I don’t make some type of gravy so I’ll have to pull something together. This will be my first year making it so wish me luck.

Another thing my mom always made on Thanksgiving was broccoli bake. I found this recipe from Olive Magazine which is similar to mom’s minus the blue cheese. Everyone loves a cheesy dish and since this contains broccoli, it’s healthy…

For dessert, I am getting a Pecan Pie from a local bakery called a Baker’s Wife because I know it will be scrumptious and there is no shame in outsourcing. However, I will make a home made pumpkin pudding because I grew up having a little pumpkin and a little pecan. Try this recipe from Food 52

If you are a fruity pie person I have to recommend the seasonal Scarlett Pie from Wholefoods. It is delicious! It’s filled with apples, pears, figs and cranberries and topped with a walnut streusel. If you’re not making a fruit pie from scratch give this one a try.

Now, let’s not forget about cocktails! I found two from Town and Country that seem simple enough and delicious for enjoying while you cook or perhaps sipping on while noshing on appetizers like rosemary roasted nuts or bacon wrapped dates. It’s likely that we will default to drinking old fashioneds but these do sound intriguing.

Ingredients

.5 oz Cointreau
1 oz vodka
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cranberry sauce
Sparkling wine to finish

Instructions

Add all ingredients except sparkling wine into shaker. Add ice and shake. Fine strain into coupe glass. Finish with sparkling wine and garnish with sage leaf and orange wheel, if desired.

Ingredients

1.75 oz Carriage House Apple Brandy
1 oz apple cider
1 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz egg whites
.5 oz honey
1 whole nutmeg

Instructions

Combine apple brandy, fresh lemon juice, egg whites, honey and apple cider in a shaker tin. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds to froth the egg whites. Add ice and shake vigorously for another 20 seconds. Double-strain into a coupe glass. Make sure you have at least a quarter inch of froth on top. Microplane fresh nutmeg on half of foam.

Both roasted nuts and bacon wrapped dates are super easy and delicious appetizers. Speaking of bacon, my mom always served our turkey with bacon wrapped lil’ smokie sausages surrounding it. I don’t think that’s a traditional American thing to do but we loved them! Bacon-wrapped dates would be a nice alternative it you wanted to decorate the turkey plate.

OK, It’s the Monday before Thanksgiving so I need to get shopping and cracking on preparations. Have a safe and delicious holiday and let’s not forget to think about what we are grateful for in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty surrounding us. I am thankful for family, friends, food, shelter, good health, love and safety. That’s a lot to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.