Martha Stewart, widely recognized as the pinnacle of Thanksgiving celebrations, has a rather unexpected agenda for the festive holiday this year. While participating on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ Stewart made a startling confession, revealing that she had abandoned her plans for hosting Thanksgiving dinner due to a surge in cancellations amongst her expected guests and from feeling satiated with turkey.
‘I let go of Thanksgiving,’ declared Stewart with a hint of resignation when quizzed by Clarkson about her special arrangements for the day. Subsequent to a bout of illness circulating among her guests, leading to nine cancellations, she decided to call up a chef acquaintance and convey, ‘We’re putting the Thanksgiving dinner on hold.’
Digressing further on the topic, she added, ‘My cooking show already had me turning out fourteen pre-Thanksgiving turkeys.’ Clarkson, in response to this, empathized with her, saying, ‘It appears you’ve experienced it enough.’
In agreement, Stewart indicated her consent and continued to mention that a fifteenth turkey still awaited her culinary skills for showcasing on yet another talk show. Conclusively she remarked, ‘I’m inundated with turkey.’
Rather than personally organizing a dinner, she announced her amended strategy – intending to ‘sample different culinary delights’ across ‘five different residences’ of her acquaintances. In response to hearing this, Clarkson amusingly pointed out that these friends might be riddled with nerves. Stewart, however, simply laughed it off, saying, ‘That’s what I’m hoping for.’
During her appearance on the show, discussions were ongoing about Mariah Carey’s status as the ‘Christmas Queen,’ given her infamous annual tune ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.’
Nonetheless, Stewart firmly held onto the notion of Thanksgiving as a highly crucial phase of the year, expressing, ‘Despite certain established ideas hinting at bypassing Thanksgiving, it’s an occasion you simply can’t eliminate. Here’s to celebrating our forerunners!’ Meanwhile, she warmly declared her fondness for Mariah, jesting, ‘Despite it all Mariah, you still have my heart!’
Stewart, once reminiscing about past Thanksgivings during a 2020 ‘Today’ show episode, confessed that she had helmed the preparations for ‘at least 60 holiday feasts over the years, perhaps even more.’ She continued, ‘My journey into Thanksgiving started at the age of 20, a year post my marriage at 19.’
Despite pausing the custom this year, she has, in past instances, delivered numerous tricks of the trade for novices wishing to prepare an impeccable dinner with her.
Last year saw the unveiling of a festive version of her online publication ‘Martha-logue,’ through which she elaborated on the art of choosing the ‘ideal turkey.’ Free-range, devoid of hormones, and pre-ordered with plenty of time to spare was her top advice for potential turkey buyers. As for quantity, she generally recommended playing it safe with 1.5 pounds of turkey per guest.
Stressing the importance of prior preparation, she encouraged readers to ‘thoroughly familiarize yourself with the recipe before commencing the cooking process,’ ensuing that all necessary ingredients and utensils are at hand when it is time to start cooking. She reiterated this point during a Williams Sonoma interview, promoting the concept of advance preparation, especially in relation to meal prepping for Thanksgiving day.
Drawing attention to the key activities of the day, she expressed, ‘Thanksgiving mostly involves roasting or reheating, rather than cutting or measuring – leaving plenty of time to connect with newfound family members and parents!’ Her concluding piece of advice was to stay ready with slices of pie to offer departing guests.
For the dish’s presentation, she proposed, ‘Decorate with wheat sprigs, dried or imitation berries, and raffia.’ She ended her guide with a witty remark, ‘And certainly don’t overlook the fork.’ Previously, during a 2018 interview with Parade, she shared her views, saying, ‘A buffet-style serving is the most practical arrangement for hosting a large assembly and assembling an impressive buffet is more straightforward than it seems.’
She also had an array of suggestions for hosts expecting overnight guests. She proposed a comforting setup, ‘Your holiday guests should be provided a room well-equipped for their comfort. Opt for cotton sheets of high-quality or warm flannel ones, a thick comforter, and sets of plush towels. And never forget to keep a cosy throw blanket handy for sneaky afternoon siestas.’