Spatchcocked Turkey Stock
For Thanksgiving this year we spatchcocked a turkey two days in advance and brined it in buttermilk. It was delicious, and had the added benefit of giving us time to make this homemade turkey stock in advance, which we then used in Day-Before Gravy (trying to simultaneously make gravy and get the meal on the table is quite stressful for me, so making it in advance is key!).
This recipe includes instructions for browning the raw turkey parts, unlike most recipes that assume you’ve already roasted your turkey.
Pressure Cooker Ham Hock & Bean Soup
If you serve ham at the holidays, don’t discard the ham bone — it beautifully flavors beans and soups, and this easy pressure cooker recipe is a great way to take advantage of it. After the craziness of the holiday, you can put the soup on, put your feet up, and get ready for some comfort food.
Laure’s Crab & Corn Chowder
Vacationing with my cousin Laure usually means you’re in for some amazing food. Last week we stayed with her and her husband, Tim, in a cabin in Grand Teton National Park. Our first dinner at the cabin was this delicious and easy chowder, which smelled so good that a red fox peeked in the sliding glass door to see what was cooking.
Slow Cooker Ham Bone & Beans
Simmer onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves, and a ham bone in broth in the slow cooker for hours.
Slow Cooker White Bean Soup
This soup of garlic, onion, celery, carrots, navy beans, bay leaf, and rosemary makes getting through the winter a little easier.
Tomato Sauce with Vegetables
On my road trip earlier this year, a family friend invited us to his lake house and served pasta with a tomato sauce much like this one. He sautéed his vegetables first, and said that you can use bell peppers, zucchini, or any other veggie you have on hand.
Once you run everything through the food processor, you’d never know the veggies were there, except the flavor of the sauce is a little richer. This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables, especially if you have kids who need more veggies in their diets.
Erin’s Red Broccoli Salad
Our friends Erin and Matt have a lovely home in the country, surrounded by pastures and horses, and on the occasional holiday, a fireworks display on each horizon. We love gathering with friends there, especially when dishes like this are on the table.
Red onions, grapes, and bacon lend the red color to the otherwise green salad of broccoli, celery, and green onions.
Laure’s Shrimp Gumbo
My cousin Laure lives on the gulf coast. As my grandmother got older and less able to cook a Thanksgiving feast for the family, Laure started a new tradition. She would prepare seafood dishes like this one and take them to Grandma’s to serve the family. We now congregate at her house every year.
This stew of tomatoes, onion, celery, okra, and shrimp is thickened with a roux and seasoned with Old Bay, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic.
Chilled Salmon Salad
Chill baked salmon and combine it with diced celery, red onion, dill, capers, and raspberry vinegar.
Beef Stew
Though the beef in this stew is delicious and tender, we affectionately call this “Jerky Stew.” I made it on my second date with Guy and accidentally cooked it on the small simmer burner at the back of the stove. It didn’t cook enough and was pretty tough, but the date went well anyway. Cook it on a regular burner and it’ll be great! The red wine vinegar, parsley, and fresh cherry tomatoes add a fresh burst of flavor at the end.
Serve over halved baked potatoes, set in the bottom of a bowl and fluffed with a fork, or over cooked rice. Yum!