This was a big week! Thanksgiving. And a little of last week included some local adventures. I woke up early on Friday and drove to Portland. About an hour drive. I was exhausted for a few days after, then went straight to work preparing my Thanksgiving meal. I used a beautiful loaf of bread from a renowned bakery to make my apple sage stuffing – the highlight of the meal each year. It’ll never live up to my grandfather’s, but I’m getting better each year. 

Apple Sage Stuffing

When the week started, I felt on top of the world. After my couple of meetings in Portland I felt hopeful. Things are planned for the new year, which is an exciting opportunity to try new things. I feel good being social. I’ve always identified as introverted, but as an adult I’ve thrived in groups and in conversations. Connecting with people. One meeting was a tour of a facility to host cooking classes. Which is something I’ve always wanted to do. The other was a creative opportunity for utilizing my art and design skills to make some extra cash. 

The day started Friday on a very sleepy note. I felt sick for a few days and had trouble sleeping. A mix of allergies and being generally run-down. And when I have a meeting scheduled, I don’t sleep. I’ve never really used alarm clocks because my body worries too much and I wake up a few times before I need to. Friday was no different, and I woke up at about 6:30 for the day. Weirdly I felt refreshed. Probably relieved that I had plenty of time for my hour commute and to mentally prepare for my day. To fix a snack for the break in between meetings. 

Bakery Road Trip

I spent some time in bed looking at places in Portland I’ve wanted to try for a while. Bakeries, cafes, sandwich shops. I realized, too, that I could buy a killer loaf of artisan bread to use for my apple sage stuffing on Thanksgiving. It would get nice and stale for a few days, too. So I decided to visit Zu bakery, which was recently named one of the best bakeries in the country! Insane, really, to be able to drive to a place like that. I put on my best hoodie, packed a few things, and hit the road. I listened to some pop music on the way to pep myself up. And I parked right outside the bakery, 15 minutes before they opened. 

It felt like Christmas morning. Counting down the seconds until the bakery doors opened. Until I could find that cloud of fresh yeast and caramelized sugar, spices, and coffee that is so tantalizing in the morning. I had huge expectations. And I was on a high with my amazing parking spot. No need to rush. Suddenly I saw a hand flick a key in the door and a sign flip over. It was open. I let a couple of women in front of me lead the way and I followed them inside to a fresh new morning at a typically bustling bakery. It felt almost like being in someone’s house. 

The Chocolate Croissant of Dreams

The smell was incredible. Fresh croissants and danishes lined the counter. Coffee was brewing and steaming in the corner. Workers in white aprons were hustling in the open kitchen, which had umpteen ovens cooking fresh bread. I waited for my turn, completely enthralled, and ordered two croissants. Plain and chocolate. As well as a loaf of bread. It wasn’t ready yet, so I ate my chocolate croissant in my car. The most flaky, buttery, and deliciously chocolatey pastry I’ve had in a long time. Molten in the middle and shatteringly crisp on the outside. 

I wiped the crumbs off of my hoodie and made my way back inside. I chatted with the woman working and she told me the chocolate croissant was her favorite. She gave me the bread, piping hot in a paper bag, which I nestled into my passenger seat like a baby. I felt on top of the world. Then I made my way downtown and found another great parking space, directly outside of another bakery. My meeting wasn’t for another few minutes, so I stepped inside. Hazelnut chocolate cakes, coconut macaroons, and savory hand pies sat in the case. I got a couple things for my parents and chatted with the employees a little.

City Walking + Meetings

Afterwards I took a brisk windy walk down the city streets. Typically overflowing with tourists. I spotted stores I’ve never seen, old businesses that have been closed, and I bought a donut at my favorite college spot. I didn’t have time to walk back to my car, so I strategically snuck it into my coat pocket and got to my meeting early. The rest of the day was filled with meeting new people, seeing new things, and brainstorming exciting ideas. I couldn’t wait to come home and write down all my thoughts. So I had an exciting, upbeat drive home in the afternoon. I made my way into bed after lunch and dozed off until dark. 

It was a great day and an exciting change to my calm, quiet lifestyle. I have many new places on my list to try next time I go. So the weekend was spent recovering and resting. I finished my M&M cookie blog and ate the last one for dessert. My mind drifted to Thanksgiving. The first few days of the week were spent planning, working on new ideas, and recipe testing. I made a homemade version of cheesy breadsticks from my childhood that turned out perfect. I found a couple new TV shows that I loved. And I did some cleaning. On Wednesday I woke up raring to go with a stale loaf of amazing bread ready for apple sage stuffing. 

Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner

The first thing I did was tear pieces of the bread apart with my hands. I used to cut it into cubes when I first started making it, but one time someone suggested tearing it so it would be more jagged and textured, which I loved. I spread my pieces on a baking sheet, smelling the yeast and toasted crumbs on my hands. The bread pieces toasted for about 10 minutes with a little lemon olive oil and I took them out to rest when they started to harden. Next came my favorite part – vegetable prep. 

I always think that if I worked in a restaurant I would hate cutting onions. But I look forward to chopping a mountain of stuff each year for my apple sage stuffing. My parents typically don’t like onions in things, so I rarely cook with them. Apart from my favorite curry, or homemade onion rings. So I always love it a little when my eyes well up from the acid. I peeled and chopped apples, too, and diced some celery. Finally I heated my biggest pan with a little oil and started to cook my maple sage sausage. This step is optional, of course, if you’re a vegetarian, but it imparts so much richness and sage flavor on the apple sage stuffing. 

Cooking Bread, Sausage, and Vegetables

Once it was seared and no pink spots were left, I removed the sausage from the pan and cooked my vegetables in the drippings. With a bit of butter, too. The smell filled the house quickly. A trinity of deliciously caramelized sweet, bitter, and savory cubes. It got even better when I added my herbs. Ground sage. Rosemary, thyme, and some garlic. Salt and pepper, too. The whole pile soaked up all that herbaceous flavor and soon I was ready to add my sausage back into the pan. After that followed my jagged, crispy pieces of artisan bread from one of the best bakeries in America. 

It all came together into a glorious panzanella mush. All that was left to do was add my 4 cups of chicken stock. Some years I can get pretty extreme with each step. Trying to make sure it’s perfect. So I’ve been known to simmer a rich chicken stock fortified with herbs and spices and chicken bones for a while to impart more oomph into the apple sage stuffing. This year I decided to go simple. But since the pan was hot, I was able to deglaze all that brown butter and sausage fond from the bottom of the pan.

Robuchon Potatoes and Brined Chicken

I forgot to mention one of the best ingredients. Dried cranberries! Not only do they add a tangy chew to the recipe, but they add some pink color and balance to the rich, meaty filling. I don’t know when we started putting them in the apple sage stuffing, but it works so well. The apples lose a little sharpness when they cook, so it’s a perfect pair. My other favorite part of the recipe is mixing it all up and watching the bread soften. Mushing it all together into a buttered baking pan and pressing it down so it’ll all fit. I let it cool down as I cleaned and took a big whiff of the magical aroma before it rested overnight.

Instead of resting I decided to make Robuchon-style mashed potatoes a day ahead. By ricing them and cooking a rich cream sauce and mixing it all up with butter and salt. I passed it through a fine sieve too to get out lumps. Which caused my hand to cramp and after 30 minutes of stubborn grueling work. All worth it, though. When I tasted them they had cooled slightly so the texture was amazing. Easy to quenelle. I had a couple spoonfuls for my snack and just loved them. They rested in the fridge overnight. Then before my walk in the dark, I kneaded my weekly homemade pizza dough and brined the Thanksgiving bird.

Thanksgiving Day Feast

I was exhausted after my walk. Lots of energy burned, and even more excitement for Thanksgiving. Of course, on the big day I didn’t sleep well. I woke up really early then dozed off until 9 or 10. I came into the living room to see hot chocolate cinnamon rolls, from a tube, for breakfast. They tasted nostalgic and delicious. I watched the national dog show for a bit and took a blustery walk before dinner. We put the chicken (not turkey) in the oven. My mom and I prefer chicken over turkey so we alternate each year with my dad. He got turkey last time. 

It came out amazing, flavorful, and juicy. Slightly overcooked, but the brine helped a lot. The mashed potatoes were creamy, rich, and molten hot. My apple sage stuffing bubbled for about an hour in the oven, which crisped up that amazing bread and cooked all the flavorful fruits and vegetables, sausage, and herbs together. My mom made a homemade gravy with chicken drippings. We steamed some green beans. And we mashed our favorite sweet potatoes with cinnamon, brown sugar, lots of spices, maple syrup, and molasses. They get some broiled marshmallows on top, too, which I nailed. 

Stuffing, Potatoes, and Good Gravy

All that was left to do was eat. We gathered around the oven, which was stuffed full of different dishes, each readied with a serving spoon. One at a time we filled our plates and doused our chicken in gravy. We gabbed about how full we would be and how we couldn’t believe that other households also eat Mac and cheese. Collard greens. Dinner rolls. Cornbread. Green bean casserole. And dessert! I had planned to make an apple pie, which I’ve been craving, but after dinner we were all too stuffed. My mom only eats dessert on Sunday mornings, anyway. And the meal was fantastic. 

Another wonderful Thanksgiving with my family is in the books. It felt easy this year. Happy and light. Which was a great departure from the grief and loss we’ve experienced over the past year. I thought about all the people who were grieving loved ones on Thursday. Who couldn’t share inside jokes or their favorite foods with the fathers, mothers, and friends. Empty seats at the table. Too much food, which didn’t taste the same.

Gratitude and Good Food

I reminded myself how lucky I am. To have good food and a wonderful family. Support and love. The privilege to stuff our bellies to excess and lie on the coach and groan. Then to wake up the next day and do it all over again. To eat our apple sage stuffing year after year, which is always slightly different but equally as delicious. Only eating it once a year makes it more special.

We plan to have a second Thanksgiving meal this weekend and to share some leftovers with family. I always dream of leftovers, too, and the recipes you can make. Mashed potato omelettes. Stuffing sandwiches. It’s one of my favorite culinary times of the year. We’re going to see Wicked on Saturday, which I’m equally as excited about. Maybe we’ll sneak in some chocolates or candy. My sweet tooth has come back with a vengeance. 

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out Etsy for 100’s of my recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. I’m also now offering a recipe by mail subscription! I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving.