Last year we were all in the throes of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Less than 2 weeks after Thanksgiving 2020, my entire family was diagnosed with COVID. We recovered, thankfully, and didn't infect anyone, even more thankfully. We got our respective vaccinations pretty much as soon as we were able to this year, and the relatives coming over are vaxxed as well.
Which brings me to this year's menu. Last year's Thanksgiving spread very much reflected 8 months of lockdown, with booze in every dish. This year I'm going to take a bit of a different tack - a Southwestern-flavored meal. Chiles, oregano, cumin, lime, cilantro - these will form the framework for Thanksgiving 2021.
Roast Turkey with Southwestern Herb Butter. No recipe - just a stick of butter, zest of a lime, a teaspoon or so of finely minced cilantro, half a teaspoon of cumin, and a quarter teaspoon of chipotle or other chili powder (or omit altogether).
Mole Gravy - recipe (no pic, c'mon, it's gravy)
Southwest Cornbread Stuffing - recipe
Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes - recipe
Mexican Street Corn Relish - will post the recipe soon, but basically corn, lime juice, cumin, chili powder if desired and to taste, and cilantro. I threw in a can of black beans as well. I usually top with crumbled cotija or feta, but that didn't make the pic.
New Mexican Hatch Chile Cranberry Sauce - recipe
Absolute Mexican Cornbread - recipe
Dessert - store-bought pies (pumpkin, apple streusel, cherry) with vanilla ice cream, or margarita sherbet.
Turkey and cornbread were amazeballs. Cranberry sauce was good but prefer my usual port-based recipe better. Stuffing and mole gravy were not as well-received, though still keeping the gravy for dipping my Thanksgiving Leftover egg rolls in this weekend.
