Happy Thanksgiving from Patch!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

For many years, I lived far from most of my family and couldn't travel home in November. That first year, in Los Angeles, a world away from the dishes and traditions I knew, my uncle and I (neither of us cooks at the time) decided to host our own Thanksgiving with new friends, making everything from scratch. 

We were up until 4 a.m. the morning of Thanksgiving to complete the work, and I honestly can't tell you all the dishes we prepared. We made so many, we actually forgot to put a few out on the table. The oversight wasn't discovered until the next day. 

Out of that endeavor came new traditions I've held on to. One is sharing the meal year after year with new people. It is such a delight to mix old friends and new over a feast of good food and good drink. Each year becomes distinctly memorable. 

The other is the recipe for the main dish, the turkey. A friend and co-worker at the time of that first meal gave me a brining recipe that created a mouth-watering, uniquely flavored bird. And it was so easy. 

My husband's parents graciously let me prepare the turkey in that special brine our first Thanksgiving together—in Portland, OR, at their home. It has been a staple of the meal ever since, combined with my mother-in-law's recipe for stuffing. 

Each year, we add and try new side dishes. A few have become other must-haves: my husband's butternut squash soup and his biscuits, which he perfected when we lived in the South, in Little Rock, AR.

This year, the big discovery (so far) has been a new pie crust recipe. In the past, I opted for Marie Callender's frozen crusts for convenience. (And if you go that route, they are the best option and delicious.) But I've been experimenting with Alton Brown's crust recipe—substituting duck fat for lard—and OMG. Worth it.

Now back in Pittsburgh full-time, I'm spending this Thanksgiving in the way of my childhood: Two meals in one day, one prepared by my grandmother on my father's side promptly at noon, and the other by my grandmother on my mother's side early in the evening. Both tables will be filled with family members and the familiarity of the old way, including the rowdiness that comes when people who have known each other all their lives are together in one room.

But, in keeping with our new traditions, my husband and I have added a third meal to our day. Friends of friends we only recently met are throwing a large Thanksgiving dinner party late in the evening—and I'm looking forward to meeting all those new faces and sharing the best feast of the year with them. 

We also have our turkey brining in the fridge and the makings for my mother-in-law's stuffing ready to go, for a "second Thanksgiving" day Friday or Saturday. 

After all, another favored tradition from years of hosting is the pile of yummy leftovers. We can't give that up. :)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

How are you spending the day? What traditions are you keeping or nixing? What recipes are your must-haves? Share your stories with us in the comments. 

Here is the turkey recipe mentioned above: 

Sichauan Salt-cured Turkey

(Republished with permission from Sue Young, of the Tasting Spoon in Marina del Rey, CA.) 

Ingredients:

* One turkey, 10 to 14 pounds.

* 1/3 cup Kosher salt

* 1/4 cup Sichuan peppercorns or powdered Sichuan peppercorns (These can be very difficult to find, but Sue emphasizes it is worth it to track these down. I've used pink peppercorns in substitute to fabulous results.) 

* 1/4 cup brown sugar

* 1/3 cup soy sauce 

First step three to five days ahead of time:

Wash and dry turkey. Place it in a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl or pan — or in a turkey-sized roasting bag lining the bowl. (I recommend using the roasting bag; it's much easier to rotate the bird in the fridge later.) 

Place Kosher salt and coarsely crushed Sichuan peppercorns in a small pan, and toast it over a low heat for five minutes. Use an old pan, wok or iron pan as the mixture tends to stain the pan. (Make sure the heat is very low and don't leave its side. It burns easily, and you do not want to put the burnt mixture on the bird. I won't get into how I know that. The color is something to watch, but the best indicator will be its aroma. Once it blooms, so to speak, move quickly to take it off the burner. If the smell goes from heavenly to a little off, then pitch the mixture and start over.) 

Let the mixture cool. Add the brown sugar.

Rub the mixture over the entire turkey, inside and outside. Cover it with plastic wrap or tightly close the roasting bag. Refridgerate for five days — at least three, turning the turkey over once a day.

Day of Thanksgiving:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

Remove the turkey from the bowl, place the breast down on a V-rack in the roasting pan. Rub it with soy sauce. Pour the marinade left in the bowl over the turkey — or if you used the roasting bag, open/slit the bag and fold it back to expose the back and wings of the bird. Poke a few holes in the bag under the breast. Drizzle the more soy sauce over the turkey. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan, to prevent burning. 

Roast the turkey for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat then to 325 degrees farenheit. 

Roast it for two and a half to three hours. Check for doneness: insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the inside thigh, do not touch bone. Thermometer should register 185 degrees. Or make a slit at thight and breast junction, juices should run clear. 

Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Turkey can be left out at room temperature for two hours. Keep it covered with a damp cloth. 

Serve warm or chilled. 

Collect the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan for the gravy. (Oh, the gravy — yum!)