A Taste of Wendell Falls

The Christmas lights are going up on The Farmhouse. Twinkling lights of holiday trees are peeking through the windows and doors have been adorned with festive wreaths here at Wendell Falls. That means it is time for one of our favorite holidays—Thanksgiving!

It has become far too easy to overlook the fall holiday of connection and community. Because of this, we asked the residents of Wendell Falls to share their go-to holiday recipes to help make this next Thanksgiving unforgettable.

Quick bites:

If your household is anything like ours, cooking on the holidays doesn’t always run on a tight schedule. The main course could be ready anywhere between noon and three p.m. It all depends on the turkey, the chef, and how much coffee we’ve sipped down amidst the busyness of the day. Because of this, it is important to have a few quick bites ready to prevent any holiday hanger. Many families will sustain their guests with an array of meats, cheeses, and crackers on a charcuterie board while others create colorful spreads of veggies, hummus, and other crunchy crudités.

One Wendell Falls representatives says that it isn’t Thanksgiving without a plate of deviled eggs.

Another family shared their must-have appetizer for the big day:

‘Caramelize a few onions in a pan over medium high heat, and just before they are done toss in a tablespoon of thyme leaves and a splash of vinegar before allowing to cool completely.

As they cool, cut two sheets of puff pastry (In the words of host extraordinaire, Ina Garten, store-bought is fine) into 3x3 squares and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet or two. Top each square with a tablespoon of your caramelized onions from earlier, leaving a small boarder of exposed crust on all sides. Brush this exposed crust with a simple egg wash and sprinkle with a generous crumble of goat cheese.

Bake these in an oven that has been preheated to 375° F for 25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating tray(s) halfway through.

When you remove them from the oven drizzle each of them with a little bit of honey, a dash of black pepper and a little extra thyme.’

However you choose to satiate your guests while they wait, make sure they save enough room for the delicious dinner being prepared.

On the side:

“I may be in the minority with this opinion, but I believe the sides are what truly make or break a Thanksgiving dinner.” Claims one Wendell Falls resident, and we might just have to agree.

While a perfectly cooked turkey may be the showstopper, it’s the decadent sides that make the meal truly shine.

A resident shared his secrets to the perfect mashed potatoes saying, “Mashed potatoes are the side I look forward to most. In all honesty I can’t think of a plate of mashed potatoes that I didn’t like. However, after years of fine tuning, I have settled on a recipe for mashed potatoes that I love.”

‘Add equal parts peeled and cubed russet and Yukon gold potatoes to a large pot of heavily salted boiling water. “The two types of potatoes make a world of difference. The russets are heavy and starchy which provide the sturdy fluffiness we expect in a good mashed potato while the Yukon golds are a little less starchy and provide a creamier texture.”

Allow these to boil until you can easily pierce them with a fork. As they boil combine equal parts milk and heavy cream in a small pot with a few sprigs of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage. Additionally, add a crushed garlic clove or two. Place this cream mixture over low heat just to warm it, allowing the fresh herbs to infuse their flavor.

When the potatoes are fork tender, strain them through a colander and return to the stove over medium-high heat and mash as you cook out any excess water they have absorbed. You will know when they are done when steam stops escaping from them.

Remove from heat and slowly stream in the infused cream mixture, mixing as you do so, until the potatoes reach your desired consistency.

‘Don’t think I forgot about the butter! Mashed potatoes are never the place to skimp out on calories.”

Add a few half-inch cubes of cold butter and gently fold them in. The residual heat from the potatoes will melt the butter as you fold.’

For something a little lighter, we recommend this beautiful autumn harvest salad. It perfectly combines all the autumnal fruits and flavors we love and pairs perfectly with any protein.  

If you’re the head chef of the big day, it is also important to remember that you don’t have to plan all the sides. You can always ask a guest, or guests, to bring something along! For other tips on stress-free hosting, be sure to check out this article!

The main course:

Being in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey is a huge honor, and by that, we mean it is often incredibly stressful. No one wants to be remembered as the person whose turkey was dry enough to burst National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation style, nor do they want their food to be an all-day labor of love only for it to come out with underwhelming flavor. One resident avoids both these problems by using a recipe they claim to be perfect from food blog Bon-Appetit. “Every time I have made this turkey it has turned out perfectly! It is so flavorful, and everyone loves it.”

Another resident suggested a more traditional turkey recipe that is easy to adjust to your taste preferences!

‘It starts with a well thawed turkey! Be sure to take your turkey out of the freezer well in advance, 5-6 days should work! 24 hours before you’re going to put your turkey in the oven, give it a generous sprinkle of salt (this includes inside the turkey as well!), and let it sit in your fridge uncovered. This allows the skin to dry out which helps get the delicious crispy skin we all love!

On the big day, take two sticks of room temperature butter and mix in any seasonings or herbs you’d like! The more traditional flavors are thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic, but feel free to change it up if you’d like. It is your turkey after all!

Using your hands, rub the herb butter all over the now dry brined turkey. If you’re feeling brave, slide a thin layer of the butter mixture between the skin and meat. It will allow the flavors to absorb further into the meat making for an even more flavorful turkey!

Fill the cavity with hearty fruits and vegetables such as carrots, onions, apples, and lemons! (I always find this a great place to use up scraps from other recipes, so nothing goes to waste!)

Toss a few more of the fruits and vegetables that fill the cavity in the bottom of a roasting dish along before settling your turkey on top.

Place your stuffed and buttered turkey into a 450° F for 30 minutes and then lower heat to 300° F for 65-85 minutes until it hits and internal temperature of 150° F. This should take 65-80 minutes depending on the size of your turkey. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow residual heat to finish cooking the turkey as it rests for another 30 minutes or up to an hour.’

Now if cooking isn’t your forte, or if the whole ordeal of it all sounds like too much stress, we totally understand! Lucky for you, you can order a whole “heat and serve” spread from the Publix in Treelight Square!

Save room for dessert:

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie! (Ok maybe it would be.) One resident of Wendell Falls said they’ve had great luck with this recipe!

Another resident said they are always excited about their go-to apple tart.

‘In a food processor, add 1.25 cups of flour, 1 TBS of sugar, a sprinkle of salt and one stick of cold, cubed butter and pulse a few times until the butter is the size of peas. Add in 0.25 cups of ice water and pulse a few more times until it makes a crumbly dough. Put this dough on a piece of plastic wrap and fold it up tightly, so the dough begins to come together.

After it has set for a few minutes, roll out the dough into a 12 inch round piece of dough, adding as much flour as you need to the surface to keep it from sticking. Transfer dough into a tart pan with a removeable bottom and trim the edges, being sure to save the scraps! Put this tart pan in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until chilled thoroughly. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 450° F.

Take three or four apples, depending on the size, and slice on all either side of the core to make some apple ‘cheeks’. Lay these apple slices cut-side down and thinly slice. Arrange these apple slices any way you’d like into the chilled tart dough. Some people choose complex designs like a large spiraling rose while others fan them out fitting them into a more grid-like pattern. It really is personal preference.

Sprinkle 0.25 cups of sugar, or sugar in the raw, over the sliced apples and then top with half a stick of cold cubed butter. Place in your tart in the oven and cook until golden brown and caramelized.’

To take some of the stress off the big day, you can make any of these desserts a day or two ahead of time! The only challenge will be not sneaking a piece early. If you do, we won’t tell! Just say it was for ‘quality-control’ purposes.

Don’t forget about the pets!

As much as they will try and convince you otherwise, our furry family members can’t join us at the table, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a special treat too! Be sure to stop by Woof Gang in Treelight Square to get your pet the perfect Thanksgiving treat!

Thankful none the less:

We hope you try out one of these Wendell Falls approved recipes! If you do, be sure to snag a pic and tag us! Over this holiday season, we hope you spend time with loved ones in moments of intentional gratitude, and know that we, at the Wendell Falls team, are grateful for the residents that make this community so special!

Looking to make memories in a new Wendell Falls home? Visit our Homefinder to view available quick move-in homes.