Thanksgiving Menu: The Movie

Trailer:

Starring Entertaining by Evie as the Sophisti-casserole, lady extraordinaire  

With her sidekick, Alice the Mean, Green Bean-a-nator …  

And, special guests Russ, Russell and Richard as the male antagonists who “lounge on the couch and watch football” which is code for “let’s fix computers, drink beer and watch the dog show while Russell breaks wind.”  

In a beautiful, picturesque beach setting on the fourth Thursday of November, a family cooks, eats, eats again, cries a little bit at all of the eating and then eats a little bit more. They eat because they are unhappy. They are unhappy because they eat.   

Here’s the sneak preview just for you all, my BFFs:  

• Smoked Turkey a la Dad – Since we’re participating in a Turkey Trot that morning, we didn’t want to bother with roasting a turkey all day long. My dad is going to smoke the turkey prior and bring it with him to the beach. I know, I know, we keep telling him to stop smokin’ turkeys, but he just can’t kick it. That tryptophan, it will get you every time. Gobble. Gobble.
• Potato Gratin with Mushrooms and Gruyère – This is in the latest issue of Bon Apetit and it looks divine! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Gratin-with-Mushrooms-and-Gruyere-361811 I will let you know how it turns out, think smell-o-vision style. Promise.  
• Christmas Green Bean Salad – So sue me, it’s a little early for a Christmas salad, but this can be served cold and made in advance. The beach oven is smaller so we must strategically plan which casserole dishes will be in there at a time to ensure flawless temperature. http://entertainingbyevie.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/christmas-green-bean-salad/
• Squash Casserole – My mom prepared squash casserole ever since the ‘Puter Hub joined the family in 2007. It was one of his favorite family dishes so she incorporated into our menu to make him feel at home. I’m still researching recipes for this one, as we really haven’t figured out what his family squash casserole has in it. Something with cheese, butter and bread crumbs, perhaps?
• Stuffing – The family stuffing incorporates Italian sausage, day old French bread, celery, onion and seasonings. I don’t have a recipe so we will make it up as we go along.
• Dessert – This is the part where the DVR stops the movie … Good things are worth waiting for, my peeps.

Proper planning is required for this type of meal. Here is a little tip from the Barefoot Contessa via www.epicurious.com,  

“The most important thing for having a party is that the hostess is having fun. I’m very organized. I make a plan for absolutely everything. I never have anything that has to be cooked while the guests are there. The only thing I might have to do is take something out of the oven and carve it. When I’m doing a menu for a party, I make sure I have at least one thing done the day before, at least one thing I can do early in the day, and then I only have one thing in the oven when guests arrive. It’s the planning—just make sure the menu is doable.”*

What’s your menu starring? Do you have a mean, green bean-a-nator in your family?