Meal Planning : Weekly Eats ~ Thanksgiving Edition

To get you in the mood for prepping for Thanksgiving dinner this week, we're sharing our Thanksgiving dinner ideas on Nell's Weekly Eats link-up!

 

The 2008 turkey that wouldn't cook. (Like the one from 2005.) Don't let me near your turkeys, guys.

This will be our first Thanksgiving with just my husband and the girls. It is a little intimidating being in charge of all the dishes, but, then, I'm only making enough for four (three, really). We're planning on having a little Pilgrim and Indian party to make it fun for the girls (and to commemorate the night my husband and I met -- yes, we met at a Pilgrim and Indian party hosted by the man himself -- so it only seems fitting). ;)

And, yes, we blow dry turkeys at my parents' house. It started when one of my brothers got the ingenious idea when my mom told him to dry it off. She meant with paper towels.

Here is the dinner plan for the evening:

Appetizer
baked brie with cranberries 
I won't follow this recipe to a T but it will be something similar. We'll serve this alongside some multigrain crackers. 

Main course dishes
turkey

We're actually going to bbq ours this year. My husband is a pro on the grill and he has the extra large one. So to the grill it will go.

stuffing

I tend to just do one of the boxed kinds (and will probably do a cornbread one), following the instructions on the back. Exciting, I know.

gravy
Not sure yet.

cranberry sauce

Unless I get really daring, I will stick to my tried-and-true simple recipe of cranberries, sugar and water. MUCH, much better than the canned jelly stuff. Do yourself a favor and make it fresh. It is fast and easy.

brown sugar-glazed sweet potatoes with marshmallows
My family didn't do sweet potatoes growing up but they are my favorite (as well as my husband's) so we'll put them on the table this year. This recipe looks amazing.

braised dijon brussel sprouts 
They're in season and a great addition to the Thanksgiving table. This recipe will be the one.

honey whole wheat dinner rolls
I don't often do freshly baked bread (although I wish I did), but during holiday meals, I like to make an exception. These will go splendidly with our dinner.

Dessert

maple pecan pie

The one we are making will not have corn syrup but brown sugar and maple to sweeten instead. I wish I had the recipe to share with you but it comes from the November edition of the Martha Stewart Living magazine. I couldn't find it on the site but with a google search you can probably find something similar.

Also, a few wines that won't break the bank but are wonderfully paired with Thanksgiving fare. 

What will you be serving on your Thanksgiving table?

Ides of March

 

 {Source}

A little history lesson: The 15th, or Ides, of March was traditionally, in ancient times, reserved as a festival day in honor of the god, Mars. However, Shakespeare warns us 'Beware the Ides of March!' His soothsayer in his famous drama, 'Julius Caesar,' predicts to Julius Caesar that he will meet his demise that day. A plot was afoot lead by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus to do him.  Caesar joked to his soothsayer when the day arrived, that it was here and he, indeed, was still alive. But the soothsayer reminds him that although it is here, it is not yet gone. By the end of the day, in 44BC, he had been stabbed to death by an angry mob in the Forum. Didn't turn out so good for him after all.

Having just realized it is the Ides of March, I thought I would share with you some fun dinner suggestions to celebrate this momentous day! Here are a few suggestions for a Roman-inspired meal:

ROMAN style artichokes (Carciofi alla Romana) make a nice appetizer. Perhaps begin the meal with a CAESAR Salad, topped with ROMANO Cheese. A ROMAN Pork and Apple Stew is a wonderful ancient recipe sure to put you in touch with your Roman side. Roasted Figs and Grapes are true Roman favorites, alongside a bottle of ruby red, Mulsum Wine. And a magnificent Honey Cake will be the perfect ending to this Roman meal.