Thanksgiving prep

Holy cow, can't believe it's thanksgiving already.  I'm so excited to host it this year, and have already started getting ready for the big feast.  I have quite a few recipes that I can chose from to create the best thanksgiving, from a different stuffing to a new brine for the turkey.  Here's my menu...

Brine Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Homemade green bean casserole
Artichoke Parmesan sourdough stuffing
Focaccia bread
Cranberry-ginger relish
Kale-brussel sprout salad
Plus two pies, pumpkin and pecan

We are also having a few appetizers before we eat the big feast.  You might as well go big or go home on this day to eat right?  Plus it's an extra reason to hang out with friends and family a little more.

Baked fontina
Veggie Tray
Caramelized poblano chili onion dip.

Now that we have the menu all planned out, I had to make a list of prep work that I needed to do each day starting today!  First thing was to make the sourdough starter that will be used to make the bread for the artichoke stuffing.  I didn't have a good recipe for sourdough bread, so a quick search on the internet found me exactly what I needed.  There are a few chefs that I know will have a great recipe, while I don't limit myself to just those chefs, thanksgiving is definitely a time not to experiment too much, right?  Go with who you trust!  So Emeril Lagasse it was.  Here is the link to the complete sourdough recipe, but just for today I needed to get the starter going.

Ingredients:
3 cups of warm water (110 degrees F)
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

I combined the water, yeast, and sugar, and let it sit until it became foamy, about 5 minutes.  Once that happened, I added the flour and stirred vigorously to work air into the mixture.  I covered it with cheese cloth, and put it in my warming draw set on the proof setting.  A quick peak gave me the reassurance that it was working well, and the smell is exactly like sourdough!

If you take a quick peak under the cheese cloth, and it's full of bubbly goodness.
I am so excited for the all homemade thanksgiving.  A few other items to make sure you have checked off your list of things to do...
Make sure if your turkey is frozen, take it out ASAP.  I will be doing a brine for the turkey, and it needs 24 hours to be in the brine before we cook it on Thanksgiving day.  I ordered mine from Natural Grocers, and will be picking it up on Tuesday, and putting it in my brine that evening.  I got 3 free range turkeys ordered this year.  One for thanksgiving, and two others for another special occasion like Christmas or a large gathering in the future.  The brine I use for this recipe also helps make the homemade turkey stock fabulous.

Tomorrow is pie dough making day, plus making the sourdough bread for the stuffing.  It will by far be my lightest day this week, but I'm so looking forward to a great thanksgiving day feast!
Tune in tomorrow for more of the thanksgiving prep work.