Thinking About Thanksgiving

I immortalized last year's menu in this layout because it was amazingly delicious. I will now share the recipes with all of you (well, at least those those that can be linked here). Most of them come from my favorite recipe site, Epicurious, which is the archive for all recipes from both Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. If I've altered a recipe at all or if I have helpful hints to offer I've noted that in parentheses after the recipe link.

• Potato and Fennel Gratin with Gruyere and Creme Fraiche (Substitute two large fennel bulbs for half of the potatoes; slice the fennel bulbs very thinly and either saute or steam the fennel until tender and then layer in with the potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes are the best here!)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Ancho Chiles and Dry Jack Cheese
• Root Beer Carrots (I know it sounds crazy, but these are amazing, and work well with the rest of the gourmet food.)
• Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Shallots (Yes, I changed the title - it didn't sound fancy enough billed as "hash" :P.)
• Paula's Big Hit 1977 Thanksgiving Stuffing (My mom's concoction from, yes, 1977 - it's VERY 70s, but so good we still make it every year! She threw random things together and they worked.)
• Baked Yams with Cranberry-Oatmeal Streusel (Recipe courtesy of a family friend)
• Brined Herb-Butter Roasted Turkey with Pan Gravy (Seth brines the turkey overnight and then we take scary amounts of butter, like 2 sticks' worth, let it soften, and mix it with chopped fresh herbs: sage, thyme, and marjoram. The butter goes on the breast under the skin and also gets smeared all over the skin itself. The turkey goes on a rack in a roasting pan and we shove several onions, carrots, celery ribs, and oranges cut into big chunks under the turkey. After the turkey is done, the pan juices make the most amazing gravy!)
• Maple Cranberry Sauce (I leave out the maple extract - it's great without it!)
• Honey and Spice Cranberry Sauce
• Pear Chutney
  
• Pumpkin Chocolate Tart with Vanilla Whipped Cream (toss some vanilla into cream before whipping)
• Turkey-shaped Sugar Cookies (Okay, we cheated here. We bought sugar cookie mix in a pouch, followed the directions, cut them out with a turkey-shaped cookie cutter, and decorated them with frosting and fall-themed sprinkles.)

I can't believe I have to wait nearly two weeks for Thanksgiving! Ack!