Thank you (featuring Caramelized Onion-Balsamic Gravy)
… Rachel Maddow for making a political numnutz like me understand almost all of the process without feeling patronized. If I wasn’t so into guys.…All Clad, Le Creuset, Calphalon –and Silver Nitrate
… to the tech support guy who I wanted to murder because your phone connection was so choppy and I couldn’t hear a thing you said. You actually fixed my phone. I’m sorry I was such a bitch. …to the Yankees- oh wait, never mind. …Fairway brand seasoned breadcrumbs. …to my friends who can always make me laugh till I’m practically peeing but know sometimes the only way for me to feel better is to just be alone. 
…to those Kashi crackers that taste just like Wheat Thins- there’s no way you could be healthy. …to the neighbor that found my keys. …Barack Obama for being just the right amount of strong and clear when we needed you to be. …photoshop. …free shipping. 
…to my incredible dogs who round my edges and soften my spurs every single day- and the Dyson Animal Cordless Vacuum. …King Arthur Flour white whole wheat flour – the absolute best flour in the whole entire world. 
…Claudette for the fascinator…savings accounts and extremely generous parents.
…to my window that did not blow out during the storm when I was certain it would.
…Ben. …Jerry.
…physical therapists everywhere but mostly the guys at Brick Run who taught me to trust them and myself. …people on the streets of New York who actually know how to walk – both of them. 
…Global Knives- and Neosporin. … Farmer’s Market apples. …the M4 (Magic) Bus. …for 4 years and counting of sobriety. …Scharffenberger Chocolate for saving my ass every time. …my loyal blog readers. …to that cab driver who found us when I thought our luck had completely run out. …Altoids. …Citibank for the refund. …Time Warner Cable for absolutely nothing. …Trader Joe’s for good tasting, cheap unsalted butter and about a million other things. 
…to each of my grandparents who have shown me giving up the fight is not the same as quitting. …Spice Thai restaurant for the lunch special. …Homeland. …Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall – but mostly Fall. …Shannon for the running shoes and also for changing my whole entire life. … maple cornbread & sausage stuffing and caramelized onion-balsamic gravy- because of you I always have a job on Thanksgiving.
I found this gravy recipe years ago in a Bon Appetit but have adjusted it to make it perfect. It is incredible. Every Thanksgiving I make a double recipe and the gravy boat always winds up empty. The instructions pair the gravy with a Thanksgiving turkey (first you make a turkey stock with the turkey neck and giblets and then you deglaze the roasting pan with balsamic vinegar) but you could just as easily pair it with a roast chicken (and use a chicken neck and giblets) for an every day meal.
Caramelized Onion-Balsamic Gravy
- 6 cups canned or homemade low-salt chicken broth
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, separated
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, separated
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
Combine turkey (or chicken) neck and giblets, 5 1/2 cups broth, quartered onion and bay leaf in saucepan. Simmer until reduced to 4 cups liquid, skimming occasionally, about 1 hour. Strain this new turkey (or chicken) stock.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions, season with salt and a sprinkle of sugar; sauté 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon rosemary and 1 tablespoon sage and sauté until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in turkey (or chicken) stock. Boil until gravy thickens, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon each rosemary and sage.
Pour juices from turkey or chicken roasting pan into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat. Add juices to gravy. Add vinegar to roasting pan. Bring vinegar to simmer over medium heat, scraping up browned bits. Pour mixture into heavy small saucepan. Boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes; add to gravy. Rewarm gravy; thin with more chicken broth, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
I enjoy your confidence and so I have passed this recipe on to many friends that love to cook. Happy turkey and gravy day. Thank YOU!
Thanks Jenny! I wouldn’t write it if I didn’t believe it. I’d love to know how it turns out for them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Alison
I love you with all of my heart. I am thankful, I am grateful for you. ever & always.
Meg-
Love you too. Hope we get to see you guys before the holidays get too nuts. xoxo aw
Loved the blog. Dear and sweet and with just the right amount of acid! But, two things. (1) what do you do with Silver Nitrate? (I know I am missing something here!!) and (2) the link to the stuffing recipe did not work for me.
Betty,
Silver Nitrate is the greatest burn cream in the world. It’s freaky it works so well. It is a prescribed cream but once you have a small tub of it, it lasts for years.
And thanks for telling me about the broken link. It should be back up momentarily.
How can you possibly be thankful on the day that Hostess Brands announced they are going out of business? No more Wonder Bread for stuffing? No more Ding Dongs to dip in coffee? I do not even want to think about what the junkies will do without Twinkies.
Let us all join hands and share a moment of silence… for we will all live longer, healthier lives without the Hostess influence. I will miss Wonder Bread though. Nothing beats it for crabcakes.