Aunt Kim is the Queen of Thanksgiving. Every year, she’d throw open the doors of her suburban Chicago home to a whole flock of Mehtas. She is famous in our family for cooking a delicious turkey in the oven and throwing a second turkey into the deep fryer. It’s a Mehta family tradition to have two birds, a ton of gravy (You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted the gravy from a deep-fried bird.), an absolute abundance of mashed potatoes and delicious stuffing.
But what if we aren’t all like Aunt Kim? What if we simply have too much on our plate that we can’t possibly fathom cooking? My son is a Thanksgiving baby, and we celebrated his first birthday very close to the holiday. I was so exhausted from the first year of motherhood, and I also had another baby on the way. I couldn’t even begin to think of how to cook an entire meal for my extended family who were descending upon Edina. I was walking through Lunds & Byerlys when I saw a giant sign advertising that it caters Thanksgiving. I ordered their biggest meal. My brother-in-law, Khushroo, is an amazing cook, so he took over my kitchen and served the entire meal. He said it was the simplest thing he ever made. And it was delicious, easy and foolproof. No prep. That was 15 years ago. I still outsource our Thanksgiving meal. We’ve tried them all. And I’ve zeroed in on my favorites.
If you’re the type who couldn’t dream of outsourcing Thanksgiving, we chat with local chef Zoraida Marquez, whose rich Venezuelan background and two decades in Minnesota have resulted in an amazing cornucopia of recipes. And if you’re like me and love to listen to something while cooking, we have a list of local podcasts to keep you company in the kitchen.
And while we reflect upon and celebrate our gratitude, don’t forget to have a moment of silence on November 11 for Veterans Day. I will remember my grandfather, who served in the Royal British Navy during World War II.
May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of joy, family, unity, friends, gratitude and love.
