A Happy and Organic Thanksgiving

Was your holiday nice? I hope so!  Ours was pretty wonderful.  I think we had the best turkey dinner ever. My son helped me cook, and it was a lot of work, we went all organic, local,  and from scratch. We tried to avoid convenience foods or short cuts.   Man, it was tasty!  But it did seem like we were in the kitchen non-stop for about 24 hours... Roasting a pumpkin before you can bake the pie isn't the quickest way to fix dinner. And about midnight on Wednesday, I was wondering if if was the dumbest. But those pies and pumpkin cheesecakes were really, really good on Thursday and we were glad we'd stayed up to do it.

Quality ingredients do make a big difference in the end result of the meal though, and cooking side by side with a grown up son is pretty cool too.  The whole family pitched in to help, but Sugarwing's Daddy and I were in it for the long haul.

Our fresh,  free range turkey was the best ever. I don't know if it was how he cooked it, or if it was the bird itself.  We soaked it overnight in a brown sugar/sea salt brine, then he tossed an orange, onion and celery inside the cavity before rubbing it down with a blended slurry of fresh herbs, garlic,olive oil, honey, and S&P, then slow roasting it  till it was tender and juicy.

Our local grocery store was selling these herb planters, brimmed with just what a holiday dinner called for.  I made good use of them too, stuffing with fresh sage is sooooo good.  We used a toasted  loaf of whole wheat bread, and added rosemary, thyme, sage, and garlic to the onions and celery that I'd chopped and cooked in veggie broth the night before.  We also through in a little olive oil and a cup of chopped kale. 

In the past, I don't think I've given kale a chance.  But now its a fave.  We used dark green, purple, and the pink and white kind in our tossed salad too.  Sugarwings and Mr. Finn both helped me with the greens. We tore a head of Romaine up with the kale, and added chopped radishes, pears soaked in lime juice, dried cranberries,  sugared pecans, roasted pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese.  Letting the kids make the salad themselves and filling the bowl with such pretty colors encouraged them to eat lots of greens (and purples).

The dressing was a half cup of cranberry pomegranite juice, a 1/4 cup of white balsemic vinegar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, S&P, and a tsp of chopped garlic.  Fast, simple, and a good compliment to the kale.

To go with all that, we had sauteed fresh green beans with red peppers. And to make sure the meal wasn't too heart healthy, we had a good, gooey, sweet potato and butternut squash casserole that our Gypsy girl made with lots of butter, blueberries, and brown sugar, then topped with marshmallows.  I baked the potatoes and squash the night before while the pumpkins were roasting so she just had to work her flavor magic and pop it in the oven to heat up while the turkey was being sliced.

Oh, and of course, there were mashed potatoes too.  I try to keep those healthy by using golden potatoes so they look buttery without actually adding any butter. It seems to trick my family.   To make them creamy, I use a cup of fat free cottage cheese instead of sour cream.

Dew Drop discovered that she could pull up a chair to the kitchen island and sneak some appetisers while we waited for that turkey to bake.  I'd never cooked a fresh, free ranger before and discovered that they seem to take another hour longer than a Butterball turkey does. They also cost about 3 times more.

That part was painful.  But I'd already committed to the whole fresh/local food idea before I saw the price tag  and it was too late to back out. I'm still cringing at what fresh/local/organic costs for the whole meal compared to canned goods and a frozen bird.

But I'm thankful that I have a houseful of grand kids that think purple kale is an exciting thing to see on their plate.  I spend a lot of my life in the kitchen, cooking healthy foods for my family and sometimes I complain about how much time it takes to chop and prepare the meals.  But I love it that they care about eating well and appreciate the good food. 

Its not cheap, its not fast, but maybe we'll end up with longer lives because of it, and that will make up for all the time I've spent in front of the stove?(of course, I will probably also die poor from paying three times as much for food to get it organic)

And with this great newly remodelled kitchen, how can I complain about spending time in it??? Its a joy to have and to work in!

Don't forget, I'm celebrating the holiday weekend by giving away a couple of my online cuff bracelet tutorials.  If you are interesting in winning one, please mention that in a comment to enter. I'll draw winners on Monday.

Comments

[Lori]

Karla that all sounds soooo good!!! We love
to eat healthy so I am going to definitely start
eating Kale raw ~ I never thought of that for some reason :)
It is always fun to see your pictures!!

xoxo
Lori

[Karla Nathan]

I always thought of it as an ornamental plant for cold weather. Its delicious too!

Sent from my iPad

[Folk Heart]

What a delightful and inspiring post. It is my family and their appreciation of all things organic that have encouraged me to take the same route. Both of my boys are professional chefs, and they are also vegetarians, so I do have my challenges. Your feast sounds fantastic and I know fully well how much work that was for you. One more reason I so enjoy your blog. Would also love to try for the cuff tutuorial...many thanks for your generosity!

[Mary]

Karla, Everything (and everyone) looks wonderful. You are making me feel guiltier than ever for going to a restaurant this year! Would love a chance at the tutorial. Your cuff bracelets are always so charming.

[Gypsy Rose]

Haven't had a completely organic Thanksgiving since I was a teen and while we didn't have an organic Thanksgiving this year, we did have a drama free Thanksgiving and for that I am very thankful!
Love seeing your family in your newly reno'd kitchen. Everything looks great and everyone looks happy. That's what it's all about! tfs

[C]

Very expensive to go organic, I don't use mixes for anything always from scratch, can be time consuming but the results are always amazing (most of the time) hehe....you kitchen looks awesome, would love to see it in person, maybe for a class in 2012.....would love to win

thank you
c

[Edy]

I had to laugh....your story is what being Thankful is all about to me...so much joy...and you always have such lovely tutorials....would love to enter....

[Gail]

Karla, I received the mini bottle brush wreaths I ordered and they are absolutely beautiful! The whole presentation with the picture, tag and little tree..just beautiful. Thank you for making your packages so special.

[Dorthe]

Dear Karla, your organic meal sounds like the most delicious thing ever- and love the photoes from your kitchen with your family --The decoration with bird and pumpkins are gorgeous.
Your cuffs are so wonderful, and I would love to win one.
xo-Dorthe

[nancy thompson]

Sounds like a very happy and healthy way to celebrate. I am trying to do the same with our grandkids here in in Illinois. I love shopping the local farmers markets. I must remember to put kale on my list. Love your kitchen...and I would love to win the bracelet tutorial !
Blessings!

[Kate garfield]

I would love to be included for a cuff tutorial. I love your cuff bracelets!
Your dinner with your family looks like everyone had a wonderful time!
We had a very old fashioned dinner with friends. Both our friends' family and ours live away from here so we got together and had a great day.
I am thankful for your website and all you share with us.
take care,
Kate

[melissa]

Love that sweet little child's table!

[Karla Nathan]

Arent they cute in their play dress up clothes? You cant see her face, but sugar wings had got into my makeup and mascaraed her brows to the extreme

Sent from my iPad

[Elaine L.]

It looks like you had a lovely Thanksgiving! It's great that you're teaching the kids how to eat healthy.

I love your new kitchen and how you have opened up the living area of your home. And, the kids table, how cute is that!

I would love to be entered to win the tutorial for the cuff bracelet.

~elaine

[Mary Green]

everything looks delicious! any leftovers?

[Charlene]

Sounds like a great time with everyone being together. I admire your organic measures. I'm sure it was all yummy. I wasn't 100% but, did most of it from scratch too. Happy Holidays! HUGS!
Charlene

[Soarenth]

I'm glad to hear you had such a success with your 24-hour cooking marathon. Only you can say if the effort was worth it, but from your descriptions and the bright photos it looks like the answer is "Yes!"

Happy Thanksgiving, Karla!

[My Blessed Serendipity Life]

Your dinner sounded fantastic. I have never made a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin before but I bet it was delicious! The dinner always tastes so good when you have your friends and family enjoying it with you.

Danielle

[Leann]

Wow 3x as much? I knew they were more expensive, but that's a lot. Our market gave free turkeys when you spent $300 in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Sounds and looks like you had a wonderful day! And getting kids to eat healthy when they're young is wonderful.

I'd love to win one of your beautiful cuffs - who wouldn't?!

Enjoy the season!
Leann

[Laurie]

Oh, I know, I know -- about the cost. But I also know your dinner was delicious! It sounds like it was wonderful. How was the color on your pies? 'Just curious.

[Suzanne Wingfield]

Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving with all of us! Love the new kitchen and I would like to enter your drawing for the cuff tutorial.

[Marian]

Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds divine. I'm so glad that your kitchen was finished just in time. Please enter me in your drawing for the cuff tutorial. Thanks.