Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Gravy and Cosmo Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is almost here and I have a tremendous amount of things to be thankful for. But besides taking time to count my blessings, to be with family and enjoy our time together, I am so looking forward to turkey and the fixings. I love LOVE the Thanksgiving meal. I can’t get enough turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce or the countless number of veggies I like to eat with the meal. Unfortunately, I don’t get to prepare the big meal for the whole family. Another group of relatives get this honor. I know, I know, I’m nuts! I should be happy to not slave away for days to prepare this meal. But, I love it! I love it so much, that I stock up on turkey so I can roast it for just the five of us anytime we want it! I just made one of our turkey dinners this weekend and it was to die for: Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Gravy plus Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce. Are you hooked yet?

I usually make a simple gravy with my turkey, so this year I was looking for something with a kick to it. That’s when I found this recipe for pomegranate gravy. Of course, it is pomegranate season and my family of fruit eaters will eat these jeweled fruits straight up. Rich with antioxidants, Vitamin C, vitamin B5 and potassium this is one healthy and scrumptious fruit. The pomegranate is native to Iran and is used in many wonderful meals (coming soon to Family Spice), so why not the All-American Turkey?

Roasting the turkey is straight forward enough. You can make your own pomegranate juice by squeezing and juicing the fruit, a tedious and messy job. Or you can buy the juice at your grocery store. If you have a middle-eastern market nearby, you can forgo the whole making pomegranate syrup step by purchasing a bottle of, you guessed it, pomegranate syrup. I used what I already had in my pantry, the pomegranate syrup.

So, when your turkey is done, place it on your platter and cover with foil. Scrape the bits on the bottom of your roasting pan with water and add this to the turkey broth you made with the neck and giblets early on. A little fat, a little flour, a little broth and a little pomegranate syrup and you got a gravy with some zing to it! For the full recipe, click here.

I was also looking forward to trying my other favorite Thanksgiving staple, cranberry sauce. I don’t do the can. EVER. That’s just gross. In the past I usually make orange-cranberry sauce. Last year I discovered a fabulous recipe for spiced-tea cranberry sauce. This year, my new fave, now get this: Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce. This is like having a Cosmo with your meal, but better. Simmer your cranberries in a pot with orange zest, sugar, VODKA (are you paying attention?) and oh-so-good Grand Marnier. This is not your grandmother’s cranberry sauce! My husband LOVED it. Since my kids don’t do cranberry sauce, we didn’t have to worry about the alcohol. Toss in 1/2-cup of pomegranate seeds after the sauce has set, and it’s a great compliment to the fabulous turkey you’ve just made. For the full recipe, click here.

This year, make your own Thanksgiving meal. It’s not that much work if you plan ahead. Many recipes can be made up to a week ahead, like the cranberry sauce. Others can be assembled ahead of time, and cooked on the big day. Don’t reach for preservative-filled, sodium-rich and un-nutritious canned cranberries or vegetables. Don’t open the Stove Top. Homemade is the best way to feed your family delicious and nutritious foods.

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