Hi, readers. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we’re having a bit of a global pandemic at the moment. That means Thanksgiving at home. No travel, no family.
My lovely girlfriend Brooke and I are spending our fourth Thanksgiving together. Give me a moment to reflect on them.
In 2017, Brooke was house- and dog-sitting for some friends of hers who live in Sedalia. I drove down there and made Thanksgiving dinner. I guess I should say I assembled dinner. I bought a smoked turkey breast from Owlbear BBQ (one of the amazing Central Texas style barbecue joints that have cropped up in Denver the past decade), along with some side dishes. I think I made haricots verts amandine from scratch.
In 2018, we flew to Baltimore and had Thanksgiving dinner with one of Brooke’s friends from college, Amy. Amy’s parents invited us all to a home cooked meal, and it was wonderful. Very traditional, like something my grandmother would made.
In 2019, I roasted a turkey and made side dishes from scratch. I wrote a blog post about the whole thing, with photos. Go check it out, if you’re so inclined.
This year, I made a 180 degree turn and decided to let someone else do all the cooking. After shopping around some, I settled on Root Down. If you’re not aware, that’s a really good restaurant in Denver that has been very popular since they opened a bit over a decade ago. They specialize in upscale healthy food, and like many restaurants were offering a take home Thanksgiving dinner. Once I saw the menu, I just couldn’t pass it up.
I made some choices, added on some pre-mixed cocktails (a quart!), and chose a pie, and here’s what we’re having:
- Earl of Blackberry Mule
- Kale & Shaved Brussels Salad
- Pretzel Crusted Purple Sweet Potato Dauphinoise
- Charred Green Beans with Chili Crunch & Shallots
- Cornbread & Chorizo Stuffing
- Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish
- Brined Roasted Turkey Breast
- Pulled Confit Turkey Leg
- Giblet Gravy
- The Half & Half: Spiced Pumpkin/Whiskey Pecan Pie
The “mule” is like a Moscow Mule, but blackberry flavored. I had to look up what dauphinoise is; it’s a particular French style of scalloped potatoes. The rest is pretty self-explanatory except for one thing.
I had assumed “The Half & Half” was half of a pumpkin pie and half of a pecan pie. But no! At least not like I imagined. It’s a single pie that has two layers. The bottom is a pumpkin pie, but the top is a pecan pie. It’s like layers of rock and it appeals to my interest in geology.
But wait, you’re probably saying, you’re writing this on Wednesday night, so how could you know what the inside of the pie looks like? Well, I’m saving all the Thanksgiving dinner for Thanksgiving proper except for the pie. We gave in and had to try to a slice early. That’s now I know.
Here’s how the whole spread looked when I got it home from the restaurant and unpacked it onto the counter.
In the lower right is an extra package of turkey I bought, because I wanted to be sure to have some turkey leftovers to make a sandwich. But oops, I forgot to get some bread. Oh well.
And now that I’ve told you all about what’s on the menu for tomorrow, I want to let you know that we are having a pair of virtual gatherings with friends and family. If you’d like to join us by video call using Google Meet, we would love to see you. We’re just gonna leave the computer on, and people can come and go as they please. So consider stopping in to say hi for just a minute or stay to chat for an hour with a glass of wine and some leftovers.
Happy Thanksgiving 2020 from Brooke and Todd
Please join us for a casual and warm gathering of friends and family
using Google Meet. Come and go whenever you like.
- Thursday 4:00pm to 8:00pm – Thanksgiving dessert and food coma
- Friday 5:00pm to 7:30pm – leftovers and cocktails
All times Mountain
I’m leaving the URLs off so we don’t get any random internet weirdos joining us. Only known friendly weirdos, please! Call me at 720-480-4890 if want the instructions for joining.
And if you are busy with your own plans, please have an enjoyable Thanksgiving regardless of what you decide to do. Brooke and I are both thankful to be safe and healthy and together.