Thanksgiving Menu??

For the first time I think ever, Thanksgiving will be a sit down affair for us. We usually have a big 'ol buffet style number for around 30 or so people with a massive turkey, massive amounts of stuffing, green beans and mashed sweet potatoes, but this year I get to explore, be a little more elegant, and test these culinary chops of mine. I'm trying something new, survey's... so please give me your opinion.

This is what I'm thinking:

Turkey:
This goes without saying obviously. I brine my turkey with salt and sugar and some spices overnight which keeps it moist and faboo.

Stuffing:
I've never made stuffing from scratch before, but I am this year. What I'd really like to do is make a stuffing from brioche (a soft somewhat sweet French bread), but I suspect that even if I let it get a bit stale or dry it out in the oven, it's going to be too soft of a bread for stuffing. If that's the case I'll use corn bread instead. As for what kind of stuffing, I have in my mind that Toasted Pine Nuts & Bacon (slab bacon so I can get some nice cubes) sounds wonderful. I would use sautéed onions and celery and maybe mushrooms. I'd use plenty of Thyme, butter and white wine too.

Wild Rice:
I'm pretty sure I'm making wild rice instead of potatoes. It's a little less expected, and the huge array of stuff I can put in the rice is fun. I was thinking of dried cranberries and pecans, which isn't terribly groundbreaking but it's still great. Of course, I could go a totally different route. I might go a little spicy and Moroccan... spiced almonds and dried apricots. What do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

Soup:
I've always wanted to start a Thanksgiving meal with soup. I'm torn though. I'd like to do either an acorn squash soup, or a Mushroom Soup. Before you decide, let me say this. If I make the acorn squash soup, then I wouldn't have acorn squash in the rest of the meal, and I would make this killer mushroom pate that would be served on toast points along with the salad. If however, I make the mushroom soup, I would make equally amazing acorn squash wedges with brown sugar and melted butter. I'm leaning toward mushroom soup, but what do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

Veggies:
I'm thinking of roasted carrots and cauliflower with brown butter and roasted chopped hazelnuts... that made me hungry actually. OOO I can't wait!

Salad:
Depending on soup decisions, this will either have the toast points with the mushroom pate, or sliced poached pears and stilton (an English cheese that’s very much like a Blue cheese)... oh man got hungry again!

Dessert:
Dessert will be my Mother's pumpkin flan - I know it sounds weird but its AMAZING, and a cranberry clafoutti (that is fruit sautéed in liquor, and then baked in a batter, so good, so easy).

Phew, well thanks for the input, and there will be recipes as soon as decisions have been made, and then of course pics of the food!

Lazy Eating

Ellen Degeneres once did a brilliant little sketch about how lazy this country has gotten. Indeed, lazy enough to have developed gogurt and breath strips (check it out here at the 3:56 mark).

I have another addition for her: the soy sauce dispensing chopstick. Ya, it's EXACTLY what you think it is. I dunno how I feel about this. On the one hand it's damn clever, and leave it to the Japanese to make something else "cute". On the other hand -- is this really necessary? It's all a little too Jetson's for me -- we're steps away from food in pill form. Now, if someone found a way for me to eat fish without getting a bone stuck in my throat, that would be progress!