Two Turkeys, Two Days & 46 Guests

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. It is a time to get together with friends and family and celebrate the harvest. This past Thanksgiving weekend my sister and I volunteered to host not just one Thanksgiving dinner, but two! We were determined to create two fabulous Thanksgiving feasts for our ever-expanding family and friends. In two days we cooked two turkeys with all the fixings and we served 46 guests without a hitch. We were organized, calm and had plenty of time with our guests. Yes, we are very proud of ourselves.

At first the task was daunting, especially as the number of guests continued to increase, but when we began to plan the menu and divide and conquer the tasks, it was really a lot of fun. The key to our success was in the planning and preparation, and delegating out a few family favourites. The menu included: caramelized onion dip and veggies, spicy pickled beans (last years batch), and sweet and spicy popcorn with nuts and seeds to snack on; the first course was butternut squash soup garnished with chives and nutmeg; on the buffet table was a perfectly brined and roasted organic turkey (raised by my sister), gravy, cranberry sauce with pear and cardamom, Nana's stuffing, maple and herb roasted root vegetables, poached pear salad with blue cheese, bacon, pecans dates and greens, yams topped with toasted marshmallows (don't knock till you try it!) and mashed potatoes; and on the dessert table was a selection of pies (pumpkin, apple and berry) and chocolate zucchini cake.

We are already looking forward to next year to see if we can out do ourselves. The recipes from our Thanksgiving will soon be added to the website so be sure to check them out.