Naturally, Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It always gave me an excuse to wander around the grocery store with my mom's money to pick up ingredients for an unusually ambitious meal. Usually Thanksgiving is about sharing a meal with friends and family1, but this year Julia flew back home to Boston, leaving me alone, abandoned, and distraught. Rather than be melodramatic about my situation, I saw it as a challenge from the Turkey God to cook an entire Thanksgiving feast by myself.
There are certain requisite components to a classic Thanksgiving meal: turkey, gravy, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, a green vegetable casserole of some kind, and an assortment of pies2. Other than the potatoes, which I replaced with mashed parsnips, I decided to tackle all of these standards. With no prep before the big day other than making the pies. While trying to watch the Cowboys game. A bit reckless, yes, but I was drunk on my newfound bachelor freedoms (and a few Black IPAs).
Ultimately I decided to make:
- Roast Turkey
- Turkey Gravy
- Mashed Parsnips
- Cornbread Stuffing
- Cranberry Sauce
- Brussels Sprout Gratin
- Mini Apple Pies
- Micro pecan pies
Overall the day was a success and everything turned out pretty well. The Cowboys even managed to beat the Raiders, giving them a few more weeks to string me along until they get brutally defeated by the Eagles in the last week of the season.
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