Thanksgiving is here! Or pretty darn close, anyway. Our family gathering is going to be just 5 people, so I've got a 12 pound turkey and I'm going to spatchcock it, a first for me. Dry brine for a few days, then I'll inject it with a flavored butter solution and roast it. I'll get a jump start on everything and make a big batch of turkey stock this weekend; I end up putting a bit of it in most everything I cook for Thanksgiving.

I'm going to make Jim's favorite cream of mushroom soup, the smothered green beans linked below, and a stuffing with a little sausage and mushrooms in it. Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and of course I'll make gravy with the roast turkey drippings.

My key ingredient to a tasty Thanksgiving dinner is a basic turkey stock. It simmers on the stove all night, and we wake up to a house already filled with the aromas of Thanksgiving. I use it to flavor everything from green beans to the turkey gravy, and of course to baste the turkey. If there's any left over, I use it as the base to simmer the carcass in for soup or turkey gumbo the next day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey

• Perfect Roast Turkey 
• Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Stuffing 
• Honey-Brined Turkey Breast
• Cajun Fried Turkey
• Turkey with Cornbread-Andouille Stuffing
• Turkey Injection Marinades
• Turkey Dry Rubs

Turkey Alternatives

• Roast Fresh Ham with Cracklin
• Stuffed Roasted Pork Shank
• Beef Tenderloin with Jumbo Lump Crab
• Rack of Lamb
• Lil Pachter's Jewish-Style Braised Brisket
• Praline-Glazed Holiday Ham

Side Dishes

• Best-Ever Mashed Potatos
• Creole Smothered Green Beans
• Mirliton with Crab and Shrimp
• Leah Chase's Holiday Oyster Dressing
• Basic Bread Stuffing
• Turkey Gravy
• Classic Green Bean Casserole
• Modern Green Bean Casserole
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

Desserts

• Sweet Potato Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Pumpkin Pecan Layer Cake

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director
Our Kitchen & Culture

Last Week's Recipes:

Emeril's Turkey Roulade

If you're not up for roasting a whole turkey, give this recipe a try. It was featured in the Nov/Dec 2013 cover story Emeril wrote for us; it's easy, and delicious. A friend made 2 a couple years ago to ensure leftovers, but to no avail; she said there was nothing left but crumbs.

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Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole

Dorcas Reilly headed up the Campbell's test kitchen in 1955 when this recipe was invented. She says she has no inkling why it became a classic recipe; but today, the company estimates that about 20 million of these casseroles are prepared for Thanksgiving each year.

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Best Ever Mashed Potatoes

This recipe was a reader favorite for Thanksgiving a few years ago. 'Tis not the season to diet, though....  

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