Hi friends!
Take a sigh of relief with me. We made it. It’s Thanksgiving. Or for me, the most wonderful time of year. Sorry Christmas.
Despite this year being filled with plenty of things I am definitely not thankful for, we are almost to the finish line. In just a few weeks, we’ll close our eyes and wake up in a new year. Can I get an amen?
Until that glorious night, we have a few more days that’ll hopefully make the end of year better than the middle, starting with Thanksgiving.
Now I know everyone’s Thanksgiving is going to look differently this year. I’m not going to sit here and pretend it’s all fine and dandy out there. The reality is Thursday will just be another reminder that this year is anything but ordinary.
For me, instead of gathering with my entire extended family— something I feel like I need more than ever— it’s just going to be an intimate group of us at home. It’s also the first holiday without my dad— something I don’t think anyone is ever ready for.
Despite knowing things are going to be different, and well, challenging, I’m comforted that some things will always be the same, and that my friend, is the food. The most important part of Thanksgiving.
Now before you call me the Thanksgiving-version of the Grinch, let me explain. I am all here for the cheesy tradition of going around the table and saying what you’re thankful for, but if Thanksgiving is the only day you’re giving thanks to all the wonderful things you have in your life, you need to 1. Order yourself a gratitude journal and 2. See a therapist.
I like to think I’m a pretty grateful person. I try to see the good, even when I very easily could point out the bad. Why’s the bad always more obvious? And maybe that’s why for me, Thanksgiving isn’t really about giving thanks— it’s about eating so many sides, smothered in gravy, that you feel euphoric. It’s about eating so much that your jean button leaves an impression on your belly. It’s about saying you have too much food on your plate, only to go back for a second scoop of potatoes.
I love this holiday because it’s the only one that’s completely centered around food. And not just ordinary food. Definitely not healthy food. Fucking heavy, warm, takes your breath away comfort food. I’m literally drooling on my keyboard just thinking about it.
So while I know Thanksgiving is going to be different for all of us, I wanted to share some recipes that celebrate the best part of the holiday: the food.
You’ll notice this week’s newsletter is jam-packed with recipes. More recipes than I probably ever should include in one email. I apologize for the length in advance, but like I said, this is a holiday centered around food, and this is a cooking newsletter.
But I do need to include a disclaimer because Thanksgiving recipes are not like normal recipes. While we might be eating the same stuff, we’re not actually eating the same stuff. Because your stuffing is going to be different from your neighbor’s stuffing, and that’s going to be different from mine. The reality is, everyone makes certain Thanksgiving foods in their own way, and that’s why it’s so incredibly special (and why going to other people’s Thanksgiving is always so interesting). So while I’m sharing recipes with you today, by no means should these replace your great nana’s or Aunt Sue’s.
These recipes are here for the people looking for recipes. Maybe you want to try something new this year. I have a pumpkin pie recipe for you that’s anything but traditional. Maybe you’re cooking for four instead of twelve. I have a spatchcock chicken for you — no, this newsletter does not have a turkey recipe. That shit is too hard, and my family has way too experienced of cooks for that to be my responsibility. Maybe you’re in charge of bringing a side dish to your family or boyfriend’s Thanksgiving. I have a stuffing recipe that’ll make you look way more responsible than you probably are.
And because Thanksgiving has way more dishes than what I can possibly fit in one newsletter, this puppy also has links on links on links to other recipes you can and should make.
Whether it’s a full recipe with tips and tricks, or just a link, know all of these have been tested and tried yours truly. I know Thanksgiving is a stressful holiday. I’ve been watching my mother do it for my entire life, and even she still gets overwhelmed. These recipes are intended to be simple for you. I’ve made them, and if they’re included in here, it’s because I believe they won’t add to your stress level this Thursday. They’ll just leave you unbuttoning your jeans and going back for more.
Let’s start with why I show up to Thanksgiving in the first place— the Stuffing.
In 2020 alone, I’ve already made this recipe thrice with plans to make it again this Wednesday. Yes, I make stuffing the night before. Do as much as you can ahead of time, so that you actually can enjoy your holiday.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 stale Sourdough or Country Loaf, torn into bite-size cubes and dried — if you don’t want to use a loaf, most grocery stores have pre-torn stuffing bread at this time of year
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, with some extra for topping off the stuffing
1 large white onion, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb Italian or Breakfast sausage, casing removed
2-3 cups chicken broth
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon sage, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
The day before you intend to bake this stuffing, tear the sourdough or country loaf into bite-size pieces. In one even layer, spread on a rimmed baking sheet and set out overnight to dry. One very important thing I learned from Alison Roman’s Thanksgiving is to dry out your bread.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter.
In a large bowl, place your dried bread cubes.
In a dutch oven, melt 1 stick of butter. Add the onions and celery, and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Once cooked through, add the veggies to the bread cubes in the large bowl.
In the same dutch oven, cook the sausage until brown, about 10-12 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage into small bits. If your sausage comes in a casing, remove the casing with scissors before cooking. Add the browned sausage and fat to the large bowl.
Add the chicken broth, egg, chopped herbs, heavy pinch of salt and fresh-cracked pepper to the bread-veggie mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir until evenly combined. The mixture should look soft and moist.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, and top with a few dabs of butter. I learned this trick from Melissa Clark’s One Pan, One Pot Thanksgiving, and it weirdly makes all the difference. Cook for 65-75 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top.
If you plan to make this the night before, cover with foil and re-warm in a 325 degree oven until hot.
If meat in your stuffing is not your thing, make the infamous Simple is Best Dressing from Bon Appetit. Very similar steps, minus the delicious sausage.
Before jumping into the chicken recipe, every Thanksgiving plate needs some sort of green vegetable to break up the carbs. Here’s some that I’ve made and would re-make:
NYT’s Brussel Sprouts Gratin
Southern Living’s Green Beans with Bacon Breadcrumbs
The Endless Meal’s Late Autumn Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
Like I said before, cooking a turkey is way above my pay grade. And let’s be honest, aren’t we all just thinking chicken would be just as good, if not better?
For a small Thanksgiving meal with friends this year, I made Carla Lalli Music’s 30-Minute Spatchcock Chicken from her first cookbook Where Cooking Begins. You guys, she’s working on her second book now, and she started a Patreon. I’m so freakin’ excited.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds), backbone removed — just ask your grocery butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you. Keep the backbone and bits for future stock.
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Set your oven racks to the lowest position in the oven, and place a large cast iron skillet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the skillet in there.
Season the bird generously with salt and pepper.
When the oven reaches 500, take out the hot skillet and place on the stovetop over high heat. Add around 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Carefully lay the chicken in the skillet, skin side down. This makes the most amazing crackling noise.
Using a spatula, press firmly on the chicken so the skin makes contact with the pan. Cook until the edges of the skin are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Lay a sheet of foil over the chicken, and then place a second cast-iron pan, dutch oven or heavy pot as a top weight. Carla says this will help the chicken maintain contact with the pan while it roasts.
Return the pan-chicken-pan sandwich to the lower oven rack, and cook for 30 minutes. The thickest part of the breast should read 150 degrees F on a meat thermometer when it’s ready to come out. The chicken will reach 165 as it rests.
Turn chicken skin-side up and rest for 20 minutes.
Carla will walk you through the steps of making this chick below. We skipped the pan sauce and roasted some beets instead, but you do you.
But wait— if you’re wondering what we did for gravy since we didn’t make a turkey, I’m here to share Melissa Clark’s Make Ahead Gravy, which you can make with or without drippings. Also, chickens have drippings so just use those. This gravy can be made up to five days in advance.
And last, but not least, dessert. It’s only right to have some sort of pumpkin dessert at Thanksgiving, and while I do love a traditional pie, last year, I made Molly Baz’s modern take on the classic, and it was gone in seconds. This is a Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.
Like the stuffing, plan to make dessert the night before, especially cause you’ll want this one to sit in the fridge overnight.
For the crust, you’ll need:
12 graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the filling, you’ll need:
1 envelope, or 2 ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
¾ teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
¾ cup whole milk
1 ¼ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (from one 15 oz can)
3 large egg whites
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
Let’s start by making the crust. Preheat your oven to 325. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until it becomes fine crumbs. Twelve graham crackers should yield ~ 2 cups of crumbs. If you want to buy the pre-crumbed crumbs, go for it.
Set aside 2 tablespoons of crumbs for serving.
Add sugar and salt to the crumbs and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
Transfer the crumbs to a pie pan. Using a measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake the crust until the edges start to color, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
In a small saucepan, stir the gelatin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ½ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon salt until combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk. Add egg-milk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil. This step should take about 5 minutes.
Stir in pumpkin puree and remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and chill, until cool, about 10 minutes.
While the pumpkin filling cools, beat egg whites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. If you don’t know what I mean by soft peaks, here’s a guide for reference. While the motor is running, gradually add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Mix one-third of the egg white mixture into the chilled pumpkin mixture until smooth. Gently fold the remaining egg white mixture into the puree in two additions until completely incorporated. Avoid over-mixing here.
Pour the filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Smooth top and cover with plastic wrap. Chill overnight.
When you’re ready to serve dessert, whisk the heavy cream in a large bowl until medium peaks form. Fold in the sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until it’s medium peaks again. Using a large spoon, dollop a generous amount of whipped cream in the center of the pie. Sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker crumbs.
If chiffon is not your thing — I get it, raw egg can be scary, but like, just try it!— we also made this Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Pie by Sally’s Baking Addiction, and holy shit, it might be better than any pumpkin pie ever.
And because I love you guys, I’m made a compilation below of other binge-worthy Thanksgiving cooking content that covers plenty other recipes I wasn’t able to include:
I already mentioned it once this newsletter, but Alison Roman’s Thanksgiving is worthy of two shout-outs. She is queen of this holiday.
Melissa Clark, who I also mentioned, did a One Pot, One Pan Thanksgiving this year, knowing many of our meals with be spent at home
Sohla El-Waylly shows the NYT followers what to do with their Thanksgiving leftovers this year. She even makes a leftovers sandwich, which is giving me such Ross Geller vibes
And how could I not mention Bon Appetit’s Making Perfect season on Thanksgiving? You’re wondering what my favorite episode is— well, obviously it’s the final meal. The fact that they go clamming is iconic.
For what’s giving me life this week, it actually is reciting all the things I’m grateful for over and over and over again, because this year has been hell, and we need to constantly remind ourselves that good still exists. I’m thankful for my amazing mother and brother who have been my rock. I’m forever grateful to my Aunt and Uncle who made their home, my family’s home. I’m thankful that I travelled all around Southeast Asia with my best friend before the world shut down. I’m thankful to have two new roommates— Anna and Greta. I’m grateful for everyone who reads and cooks from this newsletter. Writing these has become my everything.
There’s so much more that I’m thankful for, but I thought it’d be cool to share what some of my closest friends and family are grateful for this year as well.
“I’m thankful for FaceTime and Zoom. My family started doing weekly Zooms, and we ended up talking more than we did pre-COVID. Makes not being able to see them in person not quite as bad.”
“I am grateful for all of my peaks and valleys. You will never know when to celebrate your peaks when you haven’t honored your valleys.”
“I am so thankful for friends and family across the country who I know support me even if they can’t physically be with me during this time. It has been such a weird year, but I have never felt the love more from hundreds to thousands of miles away from so many people. I am thankful for my support group keeping my mental health in check.”
“I am so thankful for friendship. Even though our friends are spread all over the US, I feel like we have been there for each other in times of need and maintained our closeness. There have been a lot of bad things that have happened this year, but it’s amazing to see how strong and resilient our friends are when it comes to dealing with these situations. Seeing that strength and support gives me hope.”
With all these things in mind, I leave you to have a fabulous, delicious Thanksgiving.
Wish I was with you,
Maddie