Yesterday, I completed my final presentation for my leadership certificate program. In a few weeks, I will attend graduation and have an official certificate in hand. I had started on my certificate program in January of this year and still can’t believe I’m reaching the end of the program. It has been an absolute joy working with some of the most dedicated professionals in the public and nonprofit sector. Shortly after completing my final presentation, I was already back to planning my menu for the upcoming holidays. This time of the year is my absolute favorite because of the back to back holiday celebrations. Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple weeks, Christmas is shortly thereafter, and then lunar new year is around the corner. I’ve scribbled down some ideas for each of the holidays, but my favorite holiday to plan a menu for is definitely Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time of joining together with close family and friends and connecting over great food. A few years ago, I started using the alphabet trick to help me with menu planning. I’ve stuck with this menu planning method ever since. The alphabet method is where I list down all of the dishes I plan to make on Thanksgiving Day starting with the letter A and ending with whichever letter equals out the number of dishes I plan to make. For example, if I want to make a total of nine dishes, I would list out the dishes from A to I, which is what I did for this year. The alphabet method worked best for me because it helped me keep track of all of the dishes in my head to ensure I did not miss a dish. For this year, I already planned on making nine dishes in total (including desserts and drinks).
A is for an apple medley pie with a lattice top. B is for biscuits with mushroom gravy, a recent vegan favorite in our household. C is for cheesy hash brown potatoes, a dish I learned in college from celebrating thanksgiving with my college roommate, Annie’s family. D is for double herb sausage stuffing, a classic dish served by most midwestern families. E is for my easy roast turkey (with or without rosemary butter). F is for fresh orange cranberry sauce. G is for green bean casserole, a classic thanksgiving household favorite. H is for a harvest apple and pear salad with a simple vinaigrette. I is for an iced lemon honey brewed tea. There you have it, my quick short list of some of my favorite thanksgiving dishes. I’ve already started shopping for the ingredients I will need on Thanksgiving Day. The only items I truly prep ahead of time are the turkey and pie crust dough. A few days before thanksgiving, I move the turkey from the freezer down to the refrigerator to begin defrosting. The evening before, I brine the turkey in a very simple vegetable stock filled with some aromatics. I clear off the bottom shelf of my refrigerator to make room for the turkey and brine. Once the turkey is enclosed in a brine and placed in a container on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator, I prepare 2-3 pie dough crusts for my apple medley pie. The next morning, I wake up early, turn on the television, flip to the channel showing the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and start cooking up dishes for the next several hours. The entire process from prepping to cooking and serving takes anywhere from six to eight hours, but I absolutely love each minute of the process. The best part about Thanksgiving this year is my parents will actually be joining both Kevin and I for dinner. This means I will finally have some help in the kitchen if I need it. During the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I tend to eat lighter in anticipation of the feasting I will do on Thanksgiving Day. Homemade pizza is one of those simple, lighter dishes where I can easily pull together a meal in almost no time. Making the pizza at home from scratch also allows me to control the amount of cheese and toppings. During my holiday brainstorming session, I made a very simple rainbow tomato pizza to serve alongside a warming cup of tea. The rainbow tomato pizza topped with some thinly sliced spinach and arugula was just the fuel I needed to help me through the menu planning process.
For the pizza dough:
· 2½ cups double zero flour or all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading the dough
· ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon fine sugar
· ¾-1 cup water
· 2 teaspoons olive oil
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the rest of the pizza:
· 3 tablespoons tomato puree from a can
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
· ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
· 2-3 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed or hand shredded
· 6-8 assorted rainbow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
· 1-2 ounces of fresh spinach, thinly sliced
· 1-2 ounces of fresh arugula
Directions:
1) Prepare the pizza dough the evening before. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine all ingredients. Gradually add in ¾ cup of water to the mixture. Begin kneading the dough. Gradually add more water if needed. Add the two teaspoons of olive oil. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes directly in the large bowl or on a lightly floured surface. Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil in the large bowl. Coat the dough in the olive oil and let it rest in the bowl. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl. Let the dough rise undisturbed overnight.
2) In the morning, preheat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone placed on the center rack. Place a sheet of parchment paper over a pizza peel. Divide the dough in half. Reshape both halves into a ball. Place one of the balls of dough onto the parchment lined pizza peel. Save the other ball of dough to use later (or right after). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as thin as possible on the pizza peel.
3) Add the tomato puree and spread all over the pizza dough in circles starting from the center. Evenly distribute the kosher salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and freshly cracked black pepper all over the pizza dough. Distribute the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, and halved rainbow tomatoes evenly over the pizza. Gently glide the pizza and parchment paper onto the pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes.
4) Remove the pizza from the oven once the crust begins to bubble up and turn golden brown around the edges. Let the pizza rest for a couple minutes before topping with fresh spinach and arugula.
Takeaways: Pizza is one of the most versatile foods. Some of my favorite variations of pizza include margherita, BBQ hot chicken, pickles, and gorgonzola, BBQ turkey, broccoli, bacon, and cherry tomatoes, and buffalo chicken.