From Food Network by Bobby Flay
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys: two teams who annually play on Thanksgiving. The last time this match-up occurred between the Chicago Bears and the Lions was back in 1999. The first time this match-up occurred was the first broadcasted football game in 1934 at The University of Detroit Stadium where the Detroit Lions played against our Chicago Bears. I don’t know about you, but I plan on cooking, eating, drinking and watching football with my family this Thursday. This is one Thanksgiving where the Chicago Bears and I have our game-on!
Before I get into the menu, I wanted to go over some basic rules regardless of whether you are hosting, going out to a restaurant or being a guest.
Here are a few basic rules to consider:
For the host:
1. Don’t worry about the music suggestion from the Bon Appetit article. Just have the football game on in the background. Serve dinner AFTER the Bears’ game. Then, you could have the television volume lowered or on mute; don’t turn it off.
2. Do not light scented candles. Let your food take care of the aromas in your house.
3. Carve the turkey in the kitchen. Don’t give provide an opportunity to embarrass yourself by carving it in front of everyone. Trust me, they just want to eat.
For the restaurant goers:
1. Put your cell phone away; don’t leave it on the table. All that means to your friends and family is that you have somewhere better to be than there, which sends the wrong message at a holiday. If you really have to check that email, be subtle; otherwise think of the dinner as a break from your busy life.
2. Watch comments made during conversation. Try to avoid being offensive or banal. One neutral question to ask to start a conversation would be “How has this year been for you?”
For the guest:
1. Do ask your host if you can bring anything, but this should be a specific request. The host could ask you to bring your awesome sugar cookies or even ice.
2. If your host does not give you anything specific to bring, do NOT arrive at his or her house empty-handed. Some ideas of host or hostess gives are: candied fruit or caramels, a special loaf of bread or even a small potted herb or plant.
3. Try to avoid bringing wine as a gift. I will tell you right now, I have my wines already selected and are chilling. If you want to bring a wine, do NOT anticipate this bottle being opened and served with the Thanksgiving meal. If you know this host well and like this person, I would suggest buying a Brut Champagne or sparkling wine for about $40. If you know this host well and do not like this person, then buy a good red blend table wine for about $20. I you do not know this person at all, buy him or her a bottle of Chianti for about $20 since everyone likes a good one. (The wine information is provided by Ray Isle from Food and Wine Magazine.)