~~~ A Vero Vine Thanksgiving ~~~ Vero Vine ~~~ Vero Beach, FL

This year we had out of town relatives and “The Food Guy” here for Thanksgiving. We each decided to make a few dishes to spread out the work and add some variety this year. Stacy managed the mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, the cranberries, gravy and the world famous “Cook Family” broccoli casserole. Tom was on turkey duty, the stuffing, a dark chocolate cream pie, and deviled eggs.

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This year we decided to keep it simple and make everything traditionally from top to bottom. The one exception was our dessert there we went completely ‘Over the Top’. Have a look at our Vero Beach Thanksgiving meal. If you are interested in any recipes or want to share your own we would very much appreciate you sharing with us this holiday.

The Turkey

After 3 and 1/2 hours, this beauty emerges from the oven. Tom and Stacy made an agreement before the baking to each share one “turkey oyster” each, which is usually a special treat for the one who carves the turkey. The trick to keeping the breast moist is cheesecloth over the top and basted each hour with chicken stock and butter. I learned this trick from Martha Stewart and have had successful results each year.

The Gravy

We took all the drippings and started simmering. Slow and steady is the pace stirring in the flour. Once thickened, we put it in the blender with all the giblets to make a very smooth texture and rich taste.

Deviled Eggs

Creamy goodness best describes the texture of these light and fluffy bites. Tom prepared these with extra care blending all of the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth consistency. Then used a star tip and an icing bag to fill each egg. They were then topped with sweet smoked paprika.

Mashed Potatoes

As simple as it gets, Russet Potatoes, butter, salt, white pepper and half and half. Hand mashed and stirred to a fluffy consistency. Baked before serving to brown the hills and valley’s created with a spoon as a finishing touch.

Broccoli Casserole

Stacy’s grandmother’s recipe. Always a favorite. The trick is the layers. It’s rich and a delicious compliment in between your turkey and mashed potatoe bites.

Sweet Potatoe Casserole

Simple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and brown sugar, this gets cooked twice before the marshmallows are melted on top. We like to char the top to give a slightly crunchy texture under that fluffy top.

Cranberries

Is it relish or a sauce? We just call it cranberries. Not too sweet and a bit of tart is just right. A hint of clove in that brown sugary goodness. We use this to compliment every other bite.

Stuffing

This is Tom’s grandmother’s recipe. What makes it so special you ask? It’s not so much the ingredients but the application as he stuffs it under the skin and in the cavity of the bird. This is where it picks up the extra flavor and stays so moist! So simple, yet so good!

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

Almost 100% from scratch, the only cheat was the Nutter Butter cookies crumbled for the crust. We then made a chocolate ganache with 60% dark chocolate chips and combined that with a block of cream cheese. Then we folded in some whipped cream to lighten it up a bit. To top if off, we made a peanut butter whipped cream and added some additional crumbled nutter butter cookies on top for decoration.