From food to family to friends – Thanksgiving is a big holiday for country music power couple Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks.
Yearwood and Brooks host Thanksgiving every year at their home in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s a celebration of thanks that Yearwood deemed a “misfit Thanksgiving.”
“In Nashville a lot of people that live there aren’t from there so they can’t get to their families for Thanksgiving,” Yearwood said. “They just come to our house – so that’s fun.”
Garth loves Gravy
In addition to all of the “misfits” Yearwood says the couple hosts, Yearwood’s sister and her family also stop by.
(MORE: Trisha Yearwood explains why 'Every Girl' should have a husband like Garth Brooks)It seems like a lot of people to cook for, but Yearwood is always up to the challenge.
Her favorite dish is one that's close to her heart.
“My favorite thing to make on the Thanksgiving table is my grandma’s cornbread dressing. It’s a tradition that’s been passed down from generation to generation,” Yearwood said. “It’s what I grew up on so I can’t imagine not having that on the table.”
Her turkey, however, is a little less traditional. Yearwood's no-baste, no-bother turkey method isn’t the usual way to cook a turkey, but she swears by the results.
“You put the turkey in (the oven) and you turn it off after an hour. Through the night that hot heat is still cooking it as it cools down,” Yearwood said. “When you get up in the morning it’s fully cooked, it’s tender, it’s perfect.”
(MORE: Garth Brooks is a 'big fan' of his youngest daughter's music career)There were a lot of skeptics of her no-baste, no-bother method for turkey – including her husband.
For Brooks it’s not so much about the turkey, but rather what’s on top of it.
“Garth loves Gravy,” Yearwood said with a laugh. “So he looks forward to Thanksgiving for the homemade gravy with the turkey.”
(MORE: Country's biggest female stars band together for equal representation, industry changes)Yearwood says her husband also loves her mashed potatoes, which she makes special for him.
“In my house growing up we typically didn’t have mashed potatoes because it’s like two starches, but I make both for him because he likes mashed potatoes,” she said.
With plenty of love and delicious food, Yearwood's and Brooks’ house sounds like the place to be on Thanksgiving.
Can we get an invite?
(MORE: Make 'turkey legs' out of chocolate and pretzels with this Taste of Home recipe)Ingredients:
2 cups pan juices from the turkey roasting pan
4 tablespoons fat skimmed from the pan juices
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded white meat from your roast turkey
2 large eggs, hardboiled, peeled and chopped fine
Salt
Directions:
Pour the pan juices from your turkey roasting pan into a measuring cup. Skim and reserve the fat; you'll need 4 tablespoons total. If the remaining turkey juice comes to less than 2 cups, top off with chicken stock.
Mix the flour with the skimmed fat in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the roux is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk the pan juices into the roux and cook until the gravy thickens. Stir in the shredded turkey meat and chopped eggs. Add salt to taste.
Editor's note: This was originally published on Nov. 21, 2019.