thanksgiving recipe recap

there is a lot of pressure having thanksgiving at your house! even though it was a small group (my parents and us) it’s in my top two favorite holidays and i wanted it to be special. i have a tendency of going over the top but i think i managed to keep it in check buying only a few new things for the table, using things i already had and borrowing the rest. i’ll give you a full recap of the recipes i used but first let’s start with the table decor.

the eucalyptus was a trader joes find. i have a bunch of it throughout the house because it dries beautifully and only costs $3 a bundle. all the eucalyptus on this table cost $9. can’t beat that! the candle sticks were borrowed from my friend ashley. i had started to thrift for them but guys… what happened to thrift stores?!!? they wanted like $9 for a brass candle stick. they’re insane. luckily ash bought a bunch off of craigslist and let me borrow them.

the tablecloth is from an etsy store called not perfect linen (we sell their dresses and tops at the found cottage) the quality is amazing and it was the perfect hue to highlight the eucalyptus and brass. the runner is old from crate and barrel but target had a similar one this year. i found the wire urns at the country living fair this fall and thought these purple pears looked wonderful in them. i found these pears at fresh thyme market and thought they looked beautiful. i’m going to make a tart with them this week.

the chargers are silver platters i found at the salvation army and the red dessert plates i found at blue door antique store in downtown grand rapids. the only new thing i really purchased for the table (that was not thrifted) were the william sonoma turkey plates i’ve wanted forever. hosting thanksgiving seemed like a good reason to buy them. plus they were on sale. buy them now they’re on clearance for $7!  and with that the table decor is pretty much covered. now scroll down and lets talk food.

my menu this thanksgiving was a few newbies and some old classics. my mom brought the sweet potatoes and the stuffing. we have the same stuffing every year and it can’t be beat. it’s made outside of the turkey. i’ll get the recipe from her and share soon. but here is what i made
the menu
mayo roasted turkey
beet and goat cheese tart
chai pumpkin cake 
corn pudding
buttery herbed mashed potatoes 
dutch apple pie 

lets talk turkey. lets talk this 17lb turkey. i went all out and picked this up from carvers in the downtown market stall. it actually came from ottos turkey farm! i let it brine in the fridge uncovered for 2 full days before cooking it on thursday. i rubbed a mixture of sugar and salt all over the outside and inside of the turkey. i think that and the mayo was key for getting the turkey super crisp on the outside and delicious and moist on the inside. i had the turkey come to room temp for a few hours before cooking. I mixed an entire jar of mayo with sage, thyme and rosemary. slathered it all over the turkey and cooked at 350 for a few hours. i used both an oven temp and an instant read to continuously check the birds temp. i removed at 150 degrees and let the bird come to temp as it rested. i will say hands down this is the best turkey i’ve ever had. the mayo was perfection. i followed the gravy recipe listed with this and it turned out nasty but luckily it didn’t really need it.

the beet and goat cheese tart was a nice addition to the table. the crust on this tart recipe was super simple and tasty. i omitted the walnuts because… i don’t like them. the texture was still great without them and was a definite make again recipe.

the half baked harvest recipes (potatoes and the cake) were on point per usual. I kept the cake simple. this frosting though you guys… was incredible!!!! i want to put it on everything. i think it would be fantastic on pancakes!

i have to find my corn pudding recipe back. it is a hybrid of one my mom makes and one made of things i had on hand. i’ll post that soon. the dutch apple pie was just ok. it wasn’t my favorite but it still was good. a lot of this food i made or prepped the night before and it made for a low stress thanksgiving day.