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Thanksgiving Dinner Redux

November 30, 2009

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Redux

 

I miss Thanksgiving (already), so during the week, I did a mini Thanksgiving dinner for myself and my boyfriend. It included…

 

* A turkey breast, baked with butter, thyme, rosemary, sage, and a little salt

* Cranberry Sauce (recipe below)

* Butter-Roasted Parsnips (recipe below and… yuuummmmmm!)

* Brown rice

 

Cranberry Sauce

 

* 2 12-ounce bags of cranberries, rinsed and sorted

* 1 orange, juiced

* at least 1/2c granulated sugar

* at least 1/2c brown sugar

* pinch of salt

 

In a pot, mix all ingredients and bring to a bowl. Stirring the whole time, cook on medium-high heat until the cranberries pop, about 10 minutes. (I tasted the sauce and decided to add more brown sugar at this point.) Let cool for a few (10-20) minutes before serving. Easy.

 

Butter-Roasted Parsnips

 

This recipe was inspired by one in the Bon Appetit October 2008 issue.

 

* A bunch of parsnips (I had about 10 tiny ones and 2 medium ones), peeled and cut into similar-sized pieces

* Third to half stick of unsalted butter

* Grated lemon peel (I grated a little less than half a lemon)

* Grated nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)

* Plus: salt, pepper, a little extra butter or non-stick cooking spray

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a pot big enough to hold the parsnips. Spray a cooking sheet with non-stick spray or lightly grease with butter. Remove butter from heat, and toss the parsnips with the melted butter in the pot. With a slotted spoon, transfer the parsnips to the baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reserve the extra butter. Roast parsnips until they are soft but slightly crispy on the outside, about 30-45 minutes, turning the parsnips over once. Add the lemon peel and nutmeg to the reserved butter (which may need to be heated again). Serve the roasted parsnips drizzled with the lemon-nutmeg butter.

 

The parsnips were my favorite food for this meal. I love parsnips. They taste like spicy carrots. These were probably the best parsnips I have ever eaten; the lemon-nutmeg butter was a delicious pairing with them.

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Uploaded on December 3, 2009
Taken on November 29, 2009