iLunchbox Blog

We Have Another Winner!
Posted by Beth Ann Bentley on Nov 14 2008
iLunchbox Blog >> Beth Ann

Well the second winner has been selected: Lisa Gay. Congratulations! I have already sent you an email letting you know, so I am looking forward to hearing from you so I can have your basket sent ASAP.

So now we are looking for winner number three. There are still four more baskets to give way and still three ways to enter:

• Sign up for the newsletter
• Comment on this blog
• Send in a favorite holiday recipe

How would I use these spices? Well I will be having 22 people for Thanksgiving dinner this year, this is my menu: I will be adding recipes to this blog throughout the week, so keep checking! My game plan for this menu is below.

• Cream of Pumpkin Soup with garlic croutons
• Turkey
  • Cut into pieces then brined in the Spice Hunter brine.
  • Grilled on the BBQ using a basting liquid of butter, white wine and sage.
• Gravy made from the stock of the turkey neck and left over bones for splitting the turkey
• Sage and Walnut Pesto
• Cranberry-Orange Chutney
• A traditional sour dough “Stuffing”
• Corn Bread Pudding
• Oven Roasted Autumn Root Vegetables
• Brussel Sprouts with garlic and bacon
• Mashed Potatoes with sour cream and chives
• Cream of Seven Onions
• Pumpkin Pie-plain and simple
• Chocolate-Pecan Pie
• Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
• Homemade Crystallized Ginger Ice Cream

My game plan:

• 3 weeks before:

1. Make the cream of seven onions and freeze it in an oven proofed serving dish.
2. Make the pastry and divide into pie ready portions and freeze.

• 10 days before:

1. Make the Cranberry-Orange Chutney and put into a covered jar in the fridge.

• 3 days before:

1. Make the vanilla Ice cream

• 2 days before:

1. Make the Ginger Ice Cream
2. Make the Soup and store in the fridge

• The day before:

1. Cut the Turkey and Brine it.
2. Make the pies.
3. Make the Pesto.
4. Make the stock for the gravy
5. Assemble the “stuffing” and corn bread pudding into their oven proof serving dishes and fridge until time to cook.
6. Defrost the cream of seven onions in the refrigerator over night.

• Thanksgiving Day -late morning:

1. Prep all the vegetables and potatoes.
2. Make basting liquid.
3. Put the soup in the crock pot, set to low to heat up and stay warm until dinner.
4. Cook the bacon for the brussel sprouts
5. Set the table.

• Two hours to dinner:

1. Start grilling the turkey on a low flame basting often

• One hour to dinner:

1. Put the Root vegetables, seven onions, stuffing and corn bread pudding in the oven to cook.
2. Pour yourself a glass of wine.

• ½ hour to dinner:

1. Cook the potatoes for mashed potatoes

• 20 minutes to go:

1. Sautee the brussel sprouts, make the gravy, mash the potatoes.

• 10 minutes to go:

1. Serve the soup
2. Rest the Turkey

After the soup is served and eaten, put the rest of the dishes on the table and serve family style.
Autumn veg and brussel sprouts are the only side dishes needing a serving dish, all the rest were cooked in their serving dishes. Gravy goes into a boat and rest of the condiments should already on the table. The turkey was craved before cooking so there is one less thing to do and clean up.

Dinner is served, relax and have another class of wine.

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Comments

Congrats	By Unknown on Nov 01 2008 at 7:54 PM
Congrats Lisa! I like your plan Beth Ann. Perhaps, I should make one for myself. LOL
Another recipe to add to your list	By Unknown on Nov 04 2008 at 1:13 AM
Beth Ann, your menu looks perfectly scrumptious. I would add a recipe of Herbed Roasted Nuts to munch on before dinner. Many of the spices included in your gift basket could be used. There are several good recipes on the internet, my favorite included a variety of nuts and spices that are sweet and savory and include both cayenne pepper and maple syrup, yummy! This is also a great make ahead dish, as well as a great idea for Holiday Gifts. Put them in a pretty bag tied with ribbon or a mason jar.
Wow!	By Unknown on Nov 06 2008 at 6:45 PM
Beth Ann, What a great menu! And the planning ahead is wonderful. I am only having about 10 people over, but I think I am going to use some of your "prep far in advance" ideas to make things run more smoothly. I already have about 10 pie crusts frozen from a couple weeks ago when I thought I should make 12 just to have ready, so I guess I am on track. :) Nice post! Katherine
"Spice Basket Giveaway!"	By Unknown on Nov 08 2008 at 1:30 AM
Hi, I appreciate your Thanksgiving posts! They are very helpful to me. Please enter me in your delightful spice giveaway drawing. My husband and I enjoy using various spices when we cook! They add more flavor and are healthier than salt. Many thanks.....Cindi
thegreenrestored@hotmail.com	By Unknown on Nov 12 2008 at 4:57 PM
The Roasted Autumn Root Veggies sound delicious.

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