Make Ahead Thanksgiving

What better way to show gratitude than with food?

We shared a Thanksgiving potluck with some special people in our lives and while the food was yummy, the company was the sweetest part.

(sending love to the folks who weren't able to join us, and wishing you guys much nourishment in the days ahead.)

The Menu
The post-turkey tryptophan-induced coma has made me too lazy to copy over the recipes from these fabulous links. Besides, you should visit all these sites anyway - there are way more goodies where these came from.

With the exception of the green beans and mashed potatoes, everything was made ahead and reheated. It made for a mess-free, stress-free morning.

If only we'd used that time to figure out where everybody was going to sit . . . :)

The Bird:
-Turkey (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade - Put the tablescapes aside in your mind, her turkey suggestions are awesome.)


Sides:
-Spiced Cranberry Sauce (Eating Well - This is a doctored up version of canned cranberry sauce. It makes it taste like something new altogether. I'd highly recommend making it a day ahead for full-on flavor melding to occur)
-Mashed potatoes
-Pan gravy
-Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese (Epicurious - Bon Appetit November 2006 - this can be fully cooked the day before or stopped right before cooking and refrigerated overnight before cooking the following day)
-Maple Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping (Simply Recipes - I think this gets better every time it's reheated. It is sweet, but in a baked, nutty way rather than some of the candied recipes I've had. We made it with regular sweet potatoes.)
-Green Bean Salad with Walnuts (Serious Eats - originally from New Classic Family Dinners - skipped the walnuts and forget to tell people about the dressing, but I enjoyed it!)
-Scandinavian Slaw ("Moosewood Restaurant New Classics" cookbook- This is the only recipe I wouldn't make again. I've never been steered wrong by Moosewood - I have tons of their cookbooks and use them all the time - but I think the fact that I found a container of carraway seeds in the pantry made me think I liked them. Wrong - and they were a pretty key ingredient in this recipe.)
-Guests brought - baked sweet potatoes and spinach salad with sharp cheese, apples, and craisins . . . yumm!


Desserts:
-Devil's Food Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting (Vintage Victuals - DO. NOT. PASS. GO. MAKE. THIS. NOW! We had a little challenge with the frosting - when I heated it, it sort of separated into melted butter and the other stuff - kind of the texture of peanut butter cup filling swimming in butter. I was ready to throw it out and start again, but Mishke made a total husband save with the addition of some milk. So glad he did. I can't stop eating it.)
-Guests brought - Tiramisu, pumpkin cheesecake, apple crumb pie from Petsi Pies . . . all amazing!!