On Stuffing, Survival, and the Wisdom of Prep Work

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Hello, friend.

How was your Thanksgiving?
Maybe you opted for the maximum-chill holiday package—ordered pizza, stayed in your jammies, and watched movies or football until the couch permanently molded to your body. If so, I applaud your commitment to Leisure as a Lifestyle.

For the rest of us, Thanksgiving has become this… thing.
A stack of expectations wrapped in tradition wrapped in “Grandma always did it this way.” And while we may genuinely look forward to it, the implications for the home chef? Overwhelming.

Is the table set with the “good” dishes?
Did the pies crack?
Is the turkey going to finish on time—or finish you?
Will it be juicier than your family drama?
(Probably not.)

As for me and my house, I kept it as simple as possible while still making everyone’s favorites. The crowd is small these days—we live far from most of our family—so theoretically it should be easier. In reality? It just means I’m left with mountains of leftovers because I only know how to cook Thanksgiving dinner for fifteen people. Last year’s Endless Dish™ was green bean casserole. This year? Stuffing. An ocean of stuffing.

Thank the food gods, it’s delicious. It will never be my grandmother’s (nothing is), but it’s got those familiar flavors of sage, turkey stock, and bread… with some bonus chaos courtesy of Anthony’s recipe in Appetites (p. 188–194).

He calls for slightly more ~adventurous~ ingredients. And giblets, which tragically I did not have because I cooked a turkey breast. (No cavity. No cavity = nowhere to shove a bag of organs.)

Funny story:
The first year I ever cooked a turkey, halfway through roasting, my husband asked if I’d removed the giblets.
“What giblets?” I said, like someone who had absolutely not removed any giblets.
He stared at me like I’d poured sparkling water into the gas tank instead of petrol.

We yanked the turkey out, I went spelunking with a pair of tongs, unearthed the bag o’ organs, and if memory serves, my husband ate the heart like the absolute warrior he was. I wanted no part of it.

The Stuffing Situation

Anthony’s version calls for an entire loaf of bread, cut into cubes and left to dry out on the counter. Then you mix in beaten egg, roasted chestnuts, celery, onion, four shallots, a pound of mushrooms (wild if possible), a splash of white wine, turkey stock, and turkey drippings.

This is a very moist stuffing.
It can be assembled and baked a day ahead, minus drippings and giblets, and on the Big Day you just add those in and bake for 20 more minutes to brown the top.

I told the ghost this was genius for anyone trying not to serve stone-cold mashed potatoes. He nodded, tapped his temple, and said nothing—classic Anthony.

Cranberry Relish, But Make It Easy

I also made the Cranberry Relish (p. 195). Truly the simplest recipe on earth:

• One whole chopped orange (skin and all!)

• One bag cranberries

• Blend until smooth

• Add a full cup of sugar because the sour will physically assault you

Refrigerate overnight.
Done.

This morning, I spread some on toasted cranberry-walnut bread with goat cheese. I almost ascended.

I will likely stir a spoonful into the festive mocktail I made, mostly to shock its sweetness into submission.

Brussels Sprouts For the Win

One more Appetites recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (p. 201).
I love Brussels Sprouts. My grandson loves Brussels Sprouts.
My husband retches at the mere mention of Brussels Sprouts.

They were delicious, browned in bacon fat, then tucked in the oven to stay warm with the stuffing—eventually collapsing into a deeply flavorful, tender side dish.
It was the only vegetable I made this year. I could not face green bean casserole again. Not this soon. Not like this.

Mashed potatoes and gravy? Of course. But not the “kind of Robuchon style” ones—we’ve already suffered for that art once this year.

The Holiday Cooking Reality Check

Thanksgiving has basically turned into the Met Gala of food, and hosting it can feel like you’ve accidentally signed up for a triathlon.

Anthony’s three-day prep plan is genius.
I asked the ghost if he came up with it while puttering in his home kitchen one year, and he gave me a look like I’d just tried to sauté onions in dish soap.

“No,” he said. “I scaled it down from what restaurants do. You think they cook everything the day of? That would be ridiculous.”

Fair enough.

Let this be your permission slip:
You do not have to stay up baking pies until 2 a.m. only to wake at 5 a.m. to wrangle a 20-pound turkey like some sort of culinary endurance athlete.

Millions of home chefs today—the day after—are questioning every life choice that led them here. Their feet, knees, and backs are filing formal complaints.

It’s noble work, yes.
But also? Optional torture.

If a dish can’t be made ahead, maybe choose something else.
Did I just advise you to make better choices?
Yes. Yes, I did.

“Because Mama/Grandma/Auntie always did it that way” is not a personality trait. It’s a trap.
We evolve for a reason.

On this, the ghost and I are in complete agreement.

Next week? Something completely different.
Until then, enjoy your weekend… and the leftovers.

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