this is part 3 of a 3 part blog post on my thanksgiving meal – click here for part 1 and part 2.

The Thanksgiving feast came and went. It was highly successful and everyone left stuffed and happy. The bird turned out perfect. The 48-hour brine, reducing the salt to 3/4 cup did the trick. It was not dry; it was not mushy; it was just right. I understand the bird could just be done in a 24-hour brine with 2 cups of salt, but I wanted to do the 2-day brine, more out of convenience than anything else. I will say that it did eat up a lot of valuable refrigerator space. Keeping the refrigerator organized and accommodating all the pre-prepped dishes, was probably the single hardest task of the whole meal.

Also, while I did a lot of research on the preparation of the bird, I will say that I should have dedicated a little more time to how to carve a bird. I was a bit at a loss. Now we are in the leftover stage and should probably be eating it over the next few days, with the help of 5 others who are our guests for the weekend

The turkey coated with rosemary, lemon, and garlic butter, ready for the oven

Rosemary, Lemon and Garlic Butter

Mashed Potatoes with Dill and Chives

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Gratin topped with Panko and Parmesan

The Bird with gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Corn Casserole (a recipe from my Aunt Alice Berarducci)

Brioche Stuffing with Kale and Pears – there was also one with bacon, but this dish was prettier

The Bird again

My Plate with a little bit of everything

Caramel Apple Pie

Sous Vide Dark Chocolate and Bacon Ice Cream

Sous Vide Salted Caramel Ice Cream

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