The Thanksgiving List

Okay, Thanksgiving is mere weeks away and I am getting serious about my invite list and my menu! This is the first year in over a decade that we will be having Thanksgiving at our house and I am both excited and stressed out about it. Who’s bringing who? Who’s bringing food? Do I have to do all of the cooking? So many questions that I keep running through my head, so I’m just getting it out of the way and organizing the menu, the guest list and the list of who is bringing what right now so I don’t have to think about it again until the day of! I want to enjoy Thanksgiving prep and enjoy my family on that day, I don’t want to be stressed the entire time. Anyone else feeling like I am this year?

The Guest List:

Other than my brother, I am not very close to my family so our holidays are typically spent with my in-laws. So for this year’s guest list, we are looking at having my father--in-law, my brother-in-law and his wife and son, my sister-in-law and her husband and three children. I will invite my brother, but he won’t come so we are looking at having 7 adults and 7 kids total to feed and entertain for the holiday. Okay, that’s not too many, I can handle that. Phew!

What I am Making:

The Turkey - Yep, it’s Thanksgiving, I definitely think there is some kind of rule out there that I am required to make a turkey. Although, this year I am also trying to decide between a ham and a roast beef for a secondary main dish.

Mashed Potatoes - The carb lover in me gets way too excited to make mashed potatoes! I love love love them! This is my favorite recipe right now.

Fruit Salad - A basic fruit salad was the first recipe I ever made and brought to a holiday gathering, so just for nostalgia sakes, I made this fruit salad each and every year.

Pumpkin Pie - I’m going to be honest here, I am not a big fan of pie. I’m pretty sure I can hear the gasps from here, but it’s true. I just don’t like them. Pumpkin pie I can do though. My problem now is that I eat gluten free so I have to find a crust that will work for me. I think I am going to try this one. If you don’t need a gluten-free crust though, check out these tips from Sassafrass on making pastry crust!

Breads and rolls - Yes, I eat gluten-free, but my family does not, so I do plan to make them several different breads and rolls, because I remember how much I loved those during my non-gluten free days.

These are the recipes I plan to make and the bakeware that I am going to use to create them:

Basic French Bread - I’m not sure I have ever met anyone that doesn’t love french bread so this is a staple I always like to keep on hand during family meals.

cracked wheat sourdough bread - I love a good sourdough bread recipe. Plus, my in-laws have been really into the health benefits of sourdough lately, so I know this one will be appreciated.

Sassafrass stoneware is awesome to have around when you are preparing Thaksgiving meals! Here are some of my favorite pieces to cook with:

superstone® la cloche® - the late james beard wrote, "the bread i have been baking in it is nothing short of sensational." truly, this product is a bread-lovers dream as it duplicates a professional brick-lined oven, creating a light crumb and crusty exterior. no need to soak the la cloche™.

superstone® bread dome - the "incredible" superstone® bread dome is an amazing product for baking breads and chicken, vegetable or meat dishes. the stoneware material replicates a professional brick-lined oven to create a dry, even heat and spectacular bread. the domed shape allows air to evenly-circulate around the baker for a uniformly browned crust on your bread while the unglazed lid helps create the perfect environment for baking crackly breads and juicy chickens and roasts. (This is what I will use if I go with a roast as my second meat dish)

superstone® deep dish pizza/pie baker - our superstone® pizza/pie baker absorbs moisture, creating a delicious, crispy crust. pizza crusts are crustier and pie crusts are lighter and flakier. terrific for deep dish pizza, breads, quiches or pies. to clean, simply scrub under hot water -- do not use soap. measures 11" diameter x 1.5" deep. includes recipes.

I’m not sure that I need anything other than my Sassfrass stoneware to make this one delicious Thanksgiving dinner! Okay, I don’t think I can fit my turkey into one, but other than that, I might be golden and I am thankful for that!