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Modest menu? Check. Table set? Done. Fabulous hostess dress? Got it. Like so many other late-20-somethings, I've decided to live up to my tax-filing status—"single, head of household." Let's just hope mom will be impressed.
Martha Stewart terrifies me, and Rachael Ray makes my teeth hurt. I don't ever plan on attempting Stewart's cranberry ginger jelly or shouting "Yum-o!" like Ray. I am a Turkey Day first-timer. And at 28, I thought it was time to bite the drummette and finally do a grown-up Thanksgiving. Something that goes beyond the makeshift menus we cobbled together in college (Hamburger Helper plus ground turkey equals delicious) but well within the boundaries of what Bree would do.
My mother is coming to town, and the mission is to impress.
I used Gmail to put together my guest list, scrolling through 628 names to find the perfect group of six. The invite is "read-only"—no gobbling graphics. "We'll be cooking a turkey and etc. next Thursday, so feel free to stop by if you don't have plans or if you do with folks less awesome than the Andrews girls."
For years, Thanksgiving has been about missing the family I didn't have the plane ticket to see. It was the place-holder holiday, keeping my heart warm until Christmas rolled around. But now, like so many other late-20-somethings, I've decided to live up to my tax-filing status—"single, head of household."
The game plan is simple enough—look fabulous, cook fabulous.
The former is sort of my thing, so stealing a page from future first lady Michelle Obama's look book I head to J. Crew to search for dresses. They're having a massive fall sale and the Georgia sheath in persimmon (read: orange) is only $39.99, down from $118.00. Dress? Check.
I'm thinking my apartment should look the part, too. Instead of buying an environmentally irresponsible amount of red cups and Styrofoam plates, which are neither grown-up nor sexy, I navigate over to Target. The value superstore has classic white plate options that are under $20 for 10. At Crate and Barrel, the Leo collection is the iPhone of glassware; it's one part champagne flute, one part cocktail glass and one part tumbler, all for $1.95 each.
When it comes to decorations, the word festive makes me anxious. I refuse to purchase anything I have to hang on the ceiling or tack to the front door. Two of these fake pumpkins from Target placed on opposite ends of my table screams: "I'm thankful, but not tacky." West Elm, where modern meets affordable, has these "organic shaped" serving dishes on sale for $19.99 each. The leaf motif is autumnal and adult.
Since folks will have to actually eat and since I have to actually cook, there will be no kitchen appliances involved—save the oven—and no recipe will have more than five ingredients—save salt and pepper. After an hour of searching, I find rookie recipes for green beans with pearl onions, glazed sweet potatoes, cornbread and canned cranberries. I'll ask someone to bring dessert.
Now on to the main event. A while ago, I read an article in GQ that made the process of brining a turkey seem ridiculously easy. Basically, you give the bird a kosher salt water bath for a day; jam it into the oven and voilà. I figure if the recipe was in a men's magazine, then it can't be difficult. What is hard is finding the magazine from two years ago with the recipe in it.
I type in "turkey brine easy" on Food Network's Web site. Sunny Anderson, host of Cooking for Real, has a recipe for a roasted turkey breast with peach rosemary glaze that calls for a two-hour brining. Sunny looks like me—single and ready to mince—so I'm feeling confident about making two turkey breasts to feed 8 people.
It takes less than 30 minutes and $75 to add the ingredients for everything to the online grocery store account I never use. So next Wednesday, I'm expecting presents—from Giant, Target, J. Crew and Crate and Barrel to my nerves—boxes filled with packaged goods that I plan to transform into a day of giving thanks.
Helena Andrews is a regular contributor to The Root.
Comments
I am single and I have hosted Thanksgiving many times for my family-fleeing friends, and there's plenty of ways to do it more easily. I like having maximum time with my guests and minimum time wearing an apron in the kitchen fussing over the stove.
The first trick is to do as little as possible. There are plenty of places that will deliver a fully prepared Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings, from local supermarkets to food delivery services. I won't mention any names, because I'm not trying to spam this discussion, but there are plenty, just about anywhere you live. Also, delegate! Most guests will be flattered if you ask them to bring a dish. Email them all a list of the side dishes you would like and have them pick one to bring with them. So much easier than doing it all yourself. Just be prepared to use your managerial skills, so the guy who is always an hour late doesn't sign up to bring appetizers. And make sure that everyone knows how many people are coming, so you don't get somebody bringing a single-serve can of peas for a crowd of twelve.
Next, leaving everything for delivery on Thanksgiving eve is a recipe for disaster. Yes, I can certainly agree that you don't want to serve your guests on paper plates, but check warehouse stores, discount stores and places that have factory "seconds" for a dirt-cheap set of dishes and glasswear. Will you be running to the gas station to steal paper plates from their hot dog counter if your deliveries don't come in time?
The third item is the most important, and as a professional cook I stress this enough: don't cook a new recipe for the first time for a big occasion like this. There are two options, first, cook a smaller turkey a day or two ahead of time to figure out what you're doing, and then another small turkey on the big day, if the first one turns out okay. Refrigerate the first turkey, and serve it with the second after reheating it in the microwave. Second, have somebody else cook the damned thing. My downstairs neighbor always goes to her son's house for Thanksgiving and Christmas and was almost in tears when I asked her if she could cook a turkey for me at her house, because she missed cooking a Thanksgiving turkey desperately. The resulting turkey was so spectacular my professional cook jaw dropped. Just be ready to pony up some leftovers as a reward!
Also, what's in your arsenal if things don't work out? What if the turkey comes out dry? Here's a quick tip: get a couple of cans of turkey stock (about $1 a can, so well worth the insurance) and if the turkey is too dry, cut big slices and dip them into a pan of simmering hot turkey stock before you put them on the serving platter. As long as you don't live in a studio apartment, nobody at your holiday soirée will be the wiser. Don't try to use turkey gravy for this trick, though.
Another lifesaver is a nice (pre-cooked!) canned ham, especially if it looks pretty apparent that you're going to run out of turkey because of unexpected extra guests. Nothing could be easier than opening the canned ham, zapping it in the microwave until it is steaming hot, and then slicing it on a plate. Don't get daring and start fantasizing about cooking one of those spiral hams; you'll have your hands full with the turkey, but the ham will be an excellent backstop.
Additionally, if you don't have to use the ham, and you really don't need a ten-pound doorstop until your next party, you can return it if it's unopened.
Good luck, and make sure that everyone brings a bottle of their favorite wine. That's always been the key to my successful Thanksgivings.
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The game plan is simple enough—look fabulous, cook fabulous. online games