Thanksgiving - Introduction

I love Thanksgiving, and not just for the Turkey and football. I think I like it because it is a unique American holiday, with deep historical, political, and religious roots. I also believe it is important to take some time and reflect on all that we have. I'm sure that some of my love of Thanksgiving comes from my dad, who absolutely loves Thanksgiving for all these reasons and more (Thanks for instilling that in me, Dad). So, before Thanksgiving passes and you move to Christmas shopping, take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for. This will put you in the company of many Americans both past and present, and it makes an excellent family tradition.

Now that I have pontificated about the merits of Thanksgiving, let's move onto food, which is a huge bonus of contemporary American Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is like the Super Bowl of cooking (which makes it a good time to start a food blog...I'm cunning like that). I am hosting Thanksgiving again this year and have a pretty extensive menu planned. I'll give you the highlights of the menu now, and I'll try to give you updates tomorrow.

The main components of the menu are:

Turkey (brined and covered with sage butter)
Truffle-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (inspired by the outstanding french fries at Rouge in Philadelphia, which I had last week - the burger is also excellent there)
Classic Stuffing (Mrs. Real Job insists on the classic kind)
Deconstructed Green Bean Bundles
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
7-Layer Salad
Apple Pie

If I can give one tip, brine the turkey the night before. It's a very important step for a moist turkey. Here's mine, brining in a cooler because my stock pot wasn't big enough. (As a side note, I used my friend's cooler . . . he's out of town and won't know until he gets salmonella.) To good food . . .