Today is Monday and as I sit here in my living room after a full week of social media rest I am filled with a sense of partial stomach turning panic. In four days I have to cook a turkey. By myself. For obvious reasons I am also giddy with Thanksgiving excitement. I love the holidays.
My Great Grandma and David Cooking Turkey in 1979.
I promised I would let all of you in on my meal prep, so today is my second post about Thanksgiving. I know you have all ordered your turkey and are probably going to pick it up tomorrow. You will need to make extra room in the refrigerator because I know your bird is fresh, organic and just in from roaming the grassy hills. Those of you who purchased a frozen bird, you will have to make room as well because your turkey has to hang out in the fridge until it thaws. It could take up to 4 days.
David and I Laughing On A Thanksgiving Holiday In 19something
With our Thanksgiving meal we are having mashed potatoes, roasted Brussells sprouts, and traditional herbed stuffing*. This is a menu anyone can reproduce, especially a FODMAPer. This meal is just for Team VP, but we insist on leftovers for packed lunches, so if you are feeding a crowd you will need to double or triple your ingredients. Here is my list for the supermarket:
- 5 large grade A russet potatoes
- Lactose free whole milk
- 2 bags of Brussels sprouts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic infused olive oil
- 1 loaf homemade gluten free bread – dried overnight**
- 32 ounces organic vegetable broth
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 carrots
- 5 mushrooms
- 1/2 pound organic sausage
- Dried herbs: parsley, sage, thyme
- Fresh herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (I’m doing a Simon and Garfunkel turkey)
- Salt and pepper
You will also need to make sure you have a roasting pan large enough to hold your turkey and of course the various kitchen tools associated with cooking these dishes. You will need a sheet pan to roast the sprouts, a dish for the stuffing and a pot to boil your potatoes. I also suggest you invest $12 in a potato masher. I will walk you through how to make mashed potatoes because until just last year I had no idea how to mash potatoes. The potato masher will change your life. Oh, if you’d like to follow my plan, you will also need a turkey roasting bag. Martha Stewart be damned, these bags will simplify your turkey cooking process by 10 million. They are made of nylon, so don’t even worry about BPAs or phthalates.
Our Happy Family On A Thanksgiving Holiday With Extended Family Near Detroit.
Mr. MVP and I decided last week that we would order dessert from Cupcake Zoo. I was stressing over how to convert recipes and I truly wanted to bake a pumpkin pie, but I simply could not get everything completed. I called the Cupcake Zoo and I have to say it is so nice to have a bakery that knows its customers because not only did Cupcake Zoo agree to make our favorite vegan cupcakes, but they also are making Mr. MVP’s favorite allergen free peanut butter cookies. If you have not been to Cupcake Zoo and you live in the Kalamazoo area, start your Thanksgiving shopping off with a vegan cinnamon roll. They are open early on Friday morning.
My Mom’s Turkey Decoration From My Childhood.
Besides dessert, you might want to consider leftovers in your shopping too. We are using most of our turkey in lunches, but we also wanted to do sandwiches. To make the best turkey sandwiches you can use stuffing and turkey and then add extras, but Team VP likes turkey sandwiches with flair. To make these sandwiches you will need:
- Avocado
- Organic bacon
- Boston lettuce
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Goat cheese
Tomorrow we’ll talk about food storage and Wednesday I’ll be back to discuss turkey basics because if you’re like me preparing a large bird is starting to feel a little daunting. Don’t worry, knowledge is power and by the time the calendar hits Thursday we will be so ready, Thanksgiving will be no big deal. I love the holidays.
*Just a quick pre-shopping FYI for those of you who are completely freaking out because I did not list my stuffing recipe: I don’t have one. Now, I’ve never actually made stuffing before, which should either cause your inward groan to switch to another page or to stay with me for a couple more days to see what type of mess I create. I have a rough idea of the stuffing I’d like to have emerge from my oven and I’m a pretty decent cook, so I promise, if you buy the stuff on the list, I will guide you in the right direction.
**I am making homemade gluten free bread, but Udi’s gluten free bread or your favorite supermarket brand will work just fine. If you’d like to make homemade bread too, I use King Arthur Flour GF flour blend and then I follow their recipe. Obviously, I substitute lactose free milk and I leave out the flax meal. If you want bread for sandwiches Friday afternoon make two loaves.
About The Author
Nicole
Member of Team VP, knitter and Mama to Blue and Franks. Life, is bloody good.
