Thanksgiving Tippy Style

Mom and the menu

This year is a smaller gathering than in years. That didn’t stop the Tippy’s from preparing our annual feast, although slightly scaled back because we didn’t have quite as many mouths to feed. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it back to Central Oregon until late on Wednesday night. While I missed the pie baking and the other pre-Thanksgiving preparations, which are some of my favorite parts of the day, it was nice to make it home in one hour rather than the 7-8 hours it would have taken to drive from Seattle. Avoiding the pre-turkey day traffic was worth missing the pre-turkey day festivities.

On to the food… our turkey preparation was pretty typical—roasted with a sage and vegetable stuffing. We did coat the turkey with a sage butter to crisp the skin a little bit. A little bit of white wine was added to the roasting pan with 2 hours remaining in the roast. Dad’s theory is that will leave some good drippings behind for making the gravy.



Rolling out the rolls



Another traditional part of the Tippy family thanksgiving is heavenly roll. These crescent rolls are absolutely delicious and really easy to make. In the past, my neighbor and I have raced to see who can eat the most. Since we’re not celebrating with their family this year, I’m able temper my roll consumption and save a few for leftovers.

We also made my cranberry chutney, mom’s green beans and hazelnuts, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes for some other dishes. One notable exception from this year’s menu was the marshmallow fruit salad. Luckily, I had most of the week to accept the absence of my favorite Thanksgiving dish and there wasn’t too much trauma at the dinner table tonight.



Amazing "Heavenly Rolls"





Lunch



Wedged into all of this food prep was a walk around the snow covered neighborhood and lunch. It was nice to get out of the house and stroll around the neighborhood. Dad was obsessed with showing me where the neighborhood’s deer herd has been sleeping and where they go after he chases them from our rose garden and vineyard. It was also nice to see the freshly snow covered Cascades. For lunch we had a nice little spread of olives, cheese, dips, and shrimp paired with an Oregon Pinot Gris.

Dinner was fantastic. While there were fewer dishes to try and fit on the plate my dad and I had very little trouble filling our plates with our favorites. We paired the meal with a bottle of Columbia Crest Reisling and a Maragas', the winery just north of Redmond, Legal Zin Reserve NV. The Zinfendel was fantastic. The four years the wine spent in the barrel added a good dose of oak to the big fruit that created a great balance. The notes of chocolate, cherry, butter and smoke on the palate complemented the turkey, stuffing and cranberry chutney.  Delicious.



The Tippy Thanksgiving Table



Less than an hour after dinner was finished, my dad wanted to have dessert. He baked a pumpkin and an apple pie. While they were delicious, I am far too full to give them the complete attention and appreciation they deserve. I guess that is what tomorrow’s leftover meal is for, right?

Happy Thanksgiving!



Dad and his pie