it’s been well documented on the internet that thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday.
so the weekend before the big holiday, as per tradition, we held our annual volvovski family video conference to plan the menu. for visual confirmation of how well we’ve aged, you can see 2011 and 2012 screen shots as well.
this little family chat is always a highlight of the holiday season, not only because of it’s hilarity, but also because it sets the tone for the thanksgiving dinner to come. we are all responsible for bringing recipes to the table, and they must be variations on classics. sometimes, they stray further than even we expect (there was sriracha on the ingredient list this year).
here’s what we came up with this year:
aperitifs
cranberry liqueur which sat for two weeks developing flavor. totally perfect cocktail, although slightly dangerous on the alcohol content to alcohol taste ratio. rating: 5/5.
salads
horseradish and beet salad is a perfect make ahead salad which gets better the longer it sits. rating 4/5.
pear, cranberry, walnut and parmesan salad was a bigger hit than expected, considering how simple it was. we skipped the candying of the nuts. there was enough sugar and butter in this dinner already. rating 5/5.
turkey
always the classic, but this time served with gravy. you see, jason is now legally part of the family, so he has the authority to make these kinds of calls. he wanted gravy, so he was made responsible for gravy. it was a success. rating: 5/5.
stuffing
we fancied up the stuffing by adding some mushrooms and bacon. it had the right crunch while still being moist and the right amount of fatty. rating: 4/5.
potatoes
our favorite mascarpone and leek mashed potatoes made the cut yet another year. it’s safe to call this a classic at this point. rating 5/5.
for the sweet potato, we went with my warm brown butter sweet potato and pancetta recipe, which is really simple and way more delicious than any of its individual components. rating 5/5.
vegetables
the sriracha came in with the brussel sprouts, in this crispy fried brussel sprout recipe. it’s bold and a little bit scary, so don’t feel bad about cutting down on the amount of spice. rating 4/5.
and another green one, ginger and garlic green beans. this will be my go-to way to make green beans moving forward. rating 5/5.
cranberry sauce
this recipe tasted like mulled wine infused cranberries. i adored. rating 5/5.
desserts
we went two classics and one out there pie: a mascarpone pumpkin cheesecake, a traditional apple pie (made by matt’s father), and the lemon curd tart. it’s always hard to rate at this point because you’re so full, but i’ll go with rating: 4/5.
after the food came the walks. on the lakefront of chicago:
with my parents in their matching coats:
[…] during the video chat is one of my favorite ways to annoy my sister, and you can see evidence from 2013, 2012, and 2011 […]
writes Each Thanksgiving Tops the Last[…] makes pâté from the Thanksgiving turkey. Speaking of Thanksgiving, it’s so close, and you know what’s going to happen soon. But I […]
writes Homemade Chicken Stock and Pâté - Things I Made Today[…] when the tradition started, but it’s at least been documented on the blog in 2011, 2012, 2013, […]
writes Wisconsin Brussels Sprouts, Jones Bacon and Cranberry Stuffing - Things I Made TodayI love these so much!!! Please keep doing them!!! I’m writing this in 2023 but my sister and I love reading them for inspiration!
writes Oni