Thanksgiving Mealplan

I spent $20 today and saved $65. I came home with 3 flat-iron steaks, 1 13lb. turkey (I already have my Thanksgiving bird but I’m freezing this one for a later use), 1 pork butt, 2 cartons of sour cream, 3 boxes of butter, some veggies…maybe some other things too. It was a great day to buy non-Thanksgiving things. All the meat was priced so low because no one had been buying much of anything except Holiday-friendly ingredients this past week. So I lucked out. This will be my very first time hosting my entire family for Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be happier. And I am proud to say that the meal I am preparing has only set me back $16 (I bought most of it last week or the week before). This week, instead of a mealplan I thought I’d share with you my menu for Thanksgiving Day and what I plan on doing with the leftovers.
THANKSGIVING DAY~
*Prosecco with Cranberry and Pomegranate Juice
*Apple-Bay-Brined and Sage-Butter-Basted Turkey
*Apple, Onion and Celery Cornbread Stuffing with Fennel
*Mom’s Giblet Gravy
*Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a Maple-Sage-Brown Butter Sauce
*’Pineapple Side-dish’
*Braised Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Syrup
*Homemade Sourdough Rolls and Pumpkin-Honey Butter
*Cranberry Jelly
*Pecan Pie with Bourbon-Whipped Cream
*Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie
I feel like the ‘pineapple side-dish’ needs explaining…it’s truly the best thing we have all year. Basically it’s canned pineapple chunks and sharp cheddar cheese, thickened and sweetened, then topped with buttered cracker crumbs. As for the stuffing, I’m going to put it in large muffin tins so everyone gets their own perfectly textured piece, and the cranberry sauce will come from the can. In my opinion, there is so substitute for the canned variety, and I’ve tried. I get so much satisfaction from opening that can and seeing it slowly slither out onto a fancy plate. Everything else I’ve tried just makes me wish I was eating the kind with the pretty ridges.
*Turkey Pockets
For the day after Thanksgiving, I thoroughly enjoy eating a plate exactly like I ate on Thursday and my husband prefers to make the ultimate leftover sandwich but after that first day, I can’t eat the same thing again. So the following night for dinner we’ll have these- A piece of leftover turkey, topped with some stuffing, cranberry sauce and gruyere cheese, wrapped inside flaky pastry dough and baked until golden brown.
*I also plan on freezing the rest of the turkey to use for Christmas Party hor’dourves. If there are rolls and pumpkin-honey butter left, I’ll make a bread pudding. If there are gnocchi left, I’ll make a chipotle-cheddar-sweet potato gratin. If there’s cranberry sauce left, it will be melted with fresh rosemary to become a glaze for a pork roast.
I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Happy Eating Everyone!