In the past, I’ve run myself ragged trying to produce the kind of Thanksgiving feast described in The New Basics Cookbook. It’s a great cookbook and every recipe has been a winner, but they all require many ingredients and lots of steps to produce. It doesn’t help that I’m a super-slow chef who needs to triple check each step in a recipe or risk total ruin.
Early in our married life - i.e. before kids - I followed The New Basics recipes to produce a spectacular Thanksgiving feast in our tiny Manhattan apartment with its postage sized kitchenette. The menu included: The Turkey, baked onions, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, fresh cranberry sauce, and the most amazing pork stuffing flavored with tawny port and a savory medley of tart apples, hazelnuts, and cherries. It was so divine that it became the centerpiece of every subsequent Thanksgiving meal.
This delightful dish became the bane of our family’s annual Thanksgiving tradition.
Every year I would rise at the crack of dawn (for me, that is any time before 7am) to prepare the stuffing before the turkey could go in the oven. And every year it would take hours to prepare the stuffing, thus delaying the roasting of the turkey and the family meal.
I tried to find ways to reduce the morning prep time. On the Wednesday night, I chopped the vegetables, toasted the nuts, and cubed the bread. Still, each Thanksgiving morning found me stressing to get the turkey in the oven and screeching at my family to help and/or get out of my way.
I tried escaping at Thanksgiving and celebrating with other families that didn’t know about this irresistible stuffing. That was a delightful break, but we couldn’t stay on the lam.
We’ve come home to roost, but I’m no turkey. I’m making instant stuffing this year.
Book Resource:
 The New Basics Cookbook
ISBN: 0894803417 |
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