Thanksgiving

[littlelamb]

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving items and add how to make them please

[Chris_]

Cranberrry sauce.

Step 1: open can

I think that's about it.

[Odin's Hand]

Filets, marinated in a black pepper and onion marinade overnight, over the grill in the afternoon after Thanksgiving lunch with a cold one in hand and football on the TV.

[Boudicca]

My mom made the best stuffing ever, IMO.  Depending on how much you want to make, cut up slightly stale white bread, mix it with melted margarine, cut up celery and onions, and season with sage, salt and pepper.  It's especially awesome when it's cooked inside the turkey.  Yeah, it's plain and simple, BUT it's a reminder of past times sitting around the Thanksgiving table as a child.

I also make a yam casserole.  Cut up yams, place in a greased glass pan and cover with dots of margarine, brown sugar, cashews, peaches, and bake at 350 until the yams are tender.  Top with marshmallows in the last five minutes until they melt.

As I get older, I've realized some of the best recipes in my repetoire don't necessarily use measurements.  Sorta like our pioneer women.  Of course, at least I don't have to chase the chicken around the yard!!

[cavegal]

Cresent Rolls.....buy can, open lay on cookie sheet. bake.  Add butter then dip in Turkey juice. 

[Thor]

Some of y'all are plain lazy..... I go for the standard fare. Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and usually pecan pie for dessert, but sometimes pumpkin or both and with whipped cream.  ALL home made. If I have rolls with the meal, those are usually store bought, but NOT the ones from a can.

[The Hollywood NeoCon]

Whatever quells the bile in my stomach that comes from too much vodka and the bitter scorn of my ****ing in-laws... 

[Thor]

Whatever quells the bile in my stomach that comes from too much vodka and the bitter scorn of my ****ing in-laws... 

I no longer have to worry about "in-laws"......   

[cavegal]

Whatever quells the bile in my stomach that comes from too much vodka and the bitter scorn of my ****ing in-laws... 

+1   

[thundley4]

Some of y'all are plain lazy..... I go for the standard fare. Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and usually pecan pie for dessert, but sometimes pumpkin or both and with whipped cream.  ALL home made. If I have rolls with the meal, those are usually store bought, but NOT the ones from a can.

I agree.  My sister is a good cook.

[Eupher]

I'm with Thor. A couple of things, though.

I brine the turkey. It's absolutely GREAT what happens to the bird after brining. White meat that's full of flavor and juiciness.

I made a cornbread stuffing the other day that I really liked. Baked my own cornbread, with cranberries, walnuts, sweated onions/celery/garlic, sage, rosemary, and held together with chicken broth. Bake for 30 minutes, done.

Stuffing often takes the consistency of wallpaper glue - yuk. And I absolutely WILL NOT stuff a bird. Too much of a pain in the ass.

Mashed, with gravy; baked rolls, pumpkin pie with real whipped cream; salad to start off - we're not terribly big on hot, cooked vegetables.

[Chris_]

A food blog I get regular updates to has been doing Thanksgiving threads all week.  These guys must have cooked a dozen turkeys by now.  I've never had a fried turkey and I've never had one that wasn't roasted whole, but this guy cut up one of his turkeys like a chicken and started cooking the dark meat (wings, legs) 20-25 minutes before the rest of the bird.  They also did a buffalo-fried turkey, slathered in hot sauce, and served with bleu cheese dressing.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/11/how-to-butcher-a-turkey-for-even-cooking.html

[Thor]

I made a boo-boo one Thanksgiving and got a few people sick, at least I think. It's tough for me to tell because one of my ex bro in laws brought over his kids and one had the flu.  Regardless, just for safety's sake, I typically make "dressing" vs "stuffing"... and since then, I never ever stuff a bird. Ohh, and Eupher??  tried that brining trick once and I didn't like the taste afterwards. The bird WAS juicy, but it took on flavors I didn't care for. I used Alton Brown's brining recipe. (I didn't have ALL of the ingredients and this isn't the same as what he originally had) I can do just as well by just roasting the turkey. Just gotta watch the temps.

Chris, I've had deep fried turkey before. Honestly, it's OK, at best. The theory is that the oil seals in the juices. The important thing is to let the bird rest after any type of cooking.

[Chris_]

My parents are going out of town, so I'm at my brother's mercy for Thanksgiving food.  I don't know if anyone else is showing up... probably not, since most of the usual suspects have moved to Texas.  If it was just me, I'd make a rib roast.

[Thor]

My parents are going out of town, so I'm at my brother's mercy for Thanksgiving food.  I don't know if anyone else is showing up... probably not, since most of the usual suspects have moved to Texas.  If it was just me, I'd make a rib roast.

I've done that one Thanksgiving, too. A nice Prime Rib. It was tasty, but WAY overcooked for me.

[soleil]

Everything homemade on Thanksgiving.

Fried turkey
dressing (yummy)
green bean casserole
broccoli cheese rice casserole
mac-n-cheese
this year I am trying twice baked potato casserole
sweet potato casserole
yes deviled eggs will make an appearance
some cranberry crap my mom makes that everyone loves but me
fruity fluffy stuff that I don't eat
I am leaving a lot out I know

desserts:
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
apple pie
caramel cake
coconut cream cake

[Odin's Hand]

Another one that is good is a family recipe. It's chicken cornbread dressing. It is the best.

There is this sweet potato souffle that they make that is also good.

[Eupher]

I made a boo-boo one Thanksgiving and got a few people sick, at least I think. It's tough for me to tell because one of my ex bro in laws brought over his kids and one had the flu.  Regardless, just for safety's sake, I typically make "dressing" vs "stuffing"... and since then, I never ever stuff a bird. Ohh, and Eupher??  tried that brining trick once and I didn't like the taste afterwards. The bird WAS juicy, but it took on flavors I didn't care for. I used Alton Brown's brining recipe. (I didn't have ALL of the ingredients and this isn't the same as what he originally had) I can do just as well by just roasting the turkey. Just gotta watch the temps.

Chris, I've had deep fried turkey before. Honestly, it's OK, at best. The theory is that the oil seals in the juices. The important thing is to let the bird rest after any type of cooking.

Yeah, Alton's was the same one I used. I liked it. But then again, I had ALL the ingredients, you knothead. Bitchslapped for being lazy. 

[IassaFTots]

Filets, marinated in a black pepper and onion marinade overnight, over the grill in the afternoon after Thanksgiving lunch with a cold one in hand and football on the TV.

Now that sounds like heaven!

[IassaFTots]

My mom made the best stuffing ever, IMO.  Depending on how much you want to make, cut up slightly stale white bread, mix it with melted margarine, cut up celery and onions, and season with sage, salt and pepper.  It's especially awesome when it's cooked inside the turkey.  Yeah, it's plain and simple, BUT it's a reminder of past times sitting around the Thanksgiving table as a child.

I also make a yam casserole.  Cut up yams, place in a greased glass pan and cover with dots of margarine, brown sugar, cashews, peaches, and bake at 350 until the yams are tender.  Top with marshmallows in the last five minutes until they melt.

As I get older, I've realized some of the best recipes in my repetoire don't necessarily use measurements.  Sorta like our pioneer women.  Of course, at least I don't have to chase the chicken around the yard!!

Bou!  That is the SAME stuffing I grew up with!  Exactly the SAME!   

[IassaFTots]

I have to go to the boyfriend's family.   The menu goes as follows:

Overcooked turkey, too late for everything else
Canned Yams with stupid marshmallows
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread Dressing from a box
Green Bean Casserole, you know the drill
Canned Cranberry Sauce
Celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese

Pies
Store bought crust filled with canned fillings.

No booze.

(I pack a flask of vodka and wear a hoodie to hide it in my pocket.)

Everyone is a yeller, cept for boyfriend, and there are children.  Screaming children. 

[littlelamb]

I need to bring a veggie dish to work on Black Friday any suggestions

[Thor]

Yeah, Alton's was the same one I used. I liked it. But then again, I had ALL the ingredients, you knothead. Bitchslapped for being lazy. 

All I tasted were the peppercorns...... didn't like hat so much. And...... I wasn't lazy as I did ALL of the prep AND all of the cooking BY MYSELF, so..... 

and a BS in return!! 

[Boudicca]

Bou!  That is the SAME stuffing I grew up with!  Exactly the SAME!   

Dang, that's awesome stuffing, isn't it?
I forgot to mention in my last post that Mom (and now I) put the bread cubes, melted margarine, onions, celery, sage, salt and pepper in the bread bag and shove it in the fridge overnight to give the flavors time to meld.

This Thanksgiving Day I'm cheating a bit on the bird.  The commissary was selling a freezer to oven turkey, the one I bought is 10 pounds since it's just hubby, daughter, son and grandson.  For an almost two-year old that boy puts away gargantuan amounts of grandma's cooking.

My daughter came home tonight and asked me to help her make my yam casserole for her office potluck tomorrow.  She said she refused to have a Thanksgiving potluck without yams and thought her coworkers might appreciate something besides mac and cheese salads, which apparently several are making.  Hmm, we never had mac and cheese for Thanksgiving when I was growing up, but I see from soleil's menu that others do.

I was digging in my Southern Living cookbooks for the cranberry sauce recipe I made last year, but stumbled upon yet another one which sounds even better!  The one from last year only called for Gran Marnier, this one also has port.

Four ingredients, cranberries, sugar, orange liqueur (to me this means Gran Marnier) and port.  There's a bit of boilin, pureeing and chilling involved, but it's gonna be worth it.

[Wineslob]

I have to go to the boyfriend's family.   The menu goes as follows:

Overcooked turkey, too late for everything else
Canned Yams with stupid marshmallows
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread Dressing from a box
Green Bean Casserole, you know the drill
Canned Cranberry Sauce
Celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese

Pies
Store bought crust filled with canned fillings.

No booze.

(I pack a flask of vodka and wear a hoodie to hide it in my pocket.)

Everyone is a yeller, cept for boyfriend, and there are children.  Screaming children. 

Excuse my "french", but that's fu*ked up.

My mom and dad make the traditional dinner. Stuffed bird, taters, ect... NOTHING out of a box. My mother's gravy is to die for. It's an almost black/brown color and nice and shiney with fat.      My daughter always asks if Grandma is going to make "the" gravy.