thanksgiving is an incredibly special time of the year for me. last year, the day before thanksgiving, my then-boyfriend (+ now husband!) proposed to me at sunset on the gorgeous beach at seaside, florida. see? here we are, just minutes after he proposed.
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for the past few thanksgivings, we’ve traveled down to florida with family to celebrate the holiday at the beach. however, since we’ve done a lot of traveling lately with our trip to italy, we decided to pass on the beach this year + spend thanksgiving in nashville instead. and you know what that means? it’s time for me to make my first turkey EVER! (wish me luck + send good vibes, please).
here’s a sneak peek of what i’ll be serving for our very first thanksgiving as a married couple!
to start:
tomato-pancetta butter with crostini (see recipe below), assorted cheeses, olives, + bread
the meal:
herb + butter roasted turkey
farmhouse herbed stuffing
herbed yukon gold + sweet potato gratin with gruyere
green beans with caramelized shallots
cauliflower with mustard-lemon butter
dinner rolls in mason jars
to drink:
cranberry champagne cocktails + wine
for dessert:
pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling
something chocolatey – still trying to figure this one out!
*update: i wound up making a delicious chocolate, toffee + apple galette.
without further ado, here’s the recipe for the delicious tomato-pancetta butter that i make for lots of holidays + parties. it’s seriously amazing, always a huge hit, + even better, it’s very easy to make. =)
so, what are your plans for thanksgiving this year? are you staying home? or traveling? what’s on your dinner menu? + most importantly, do you have any ideas of what i should make for my chocolate dessert? y’all always come up with seriously great suggestions!
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tomato-pancetta butter
makes 4-6 servings, adapted from bon appetit
ingredients
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
8 large plum tomatoes, quartered, seeds + membranes discarded, tomatoes diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thymedirections
cook chopped pancetta/bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp + brown.
using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel; drain. set aside. pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. add butter to drippings in skillet; melt over medium-high heat. add tomatoes + thyme; sauté until tomatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. add cooked pancetta/bacon back to to tomato mixture + cook an additional minute or two, until pancetta/bacon is heated through. season to taste with salt + pepper. (can be made 2 hours ahead. let stand at room temperature.)
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