Thanksgiving!

[Bella]

I figure that if the stores can have Christmas decorations lining the shelves almost two months early, then we can have a Thanksgiving meal thread in the midst of October.

What do you eat on Thanksgiving? This will only be my second time cooking a dinner for Jek and myself since our marriage (the first time was our first year together, before I really knew too much about proper cooking, and it was a mild disaster). I know what usually loads up the "traditional" table - green bean casserole, that quivering heap of cranberries with the ridges from the tin can still showing - but what about the road less traveled? I know there are culinarians here with much more experience than I - let's hear about it!

[wei yau]

We hosted Thanksgiving once. It was a ton of work, anxiety and frustration. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

For the bird, we went with the Alton Brown Roast Turkey (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html). Although, I used a Kosher turkey to avoid the whole brining process.

No stuffing! Stuffing is evil!

The cranberry sauce was made with whole cranberries, although we did have a can of the jello-like stuff to please some culinary philistines.

Candied yams was another popular side dish.

I also made a steamed sea bass with scallions and ginger. Not a traditional Turkey Day dish, but a favorite Chinese recipe of mine.

And to represent the Jewish side, we made a brisket in sweet & sour sauce.

If we ever do it again, I plan on being more adventurous. Although, I doubt I'll ever skip the turkey.

[Ex-zombie]

We hate the whole green bean casserole thing, so we have steamed green beans instead.

Instead of the traditional stuffing, we have wild rice cooked slowly with onions, garlic, and apple slices. Insert into the turkey and cook like regular stuffing.

I love Thanksgiving! None of the gift pressure of Christmas. Lots of good food, good friends, and good times.

Hey, I can't find any Thanksgiving smilies!

[livius drusus]

Okay, you caught me. I still have a shitload of keywording to do. Meanwhile, we do have these guys to offer on a Thanksgiving platter: :pilgrim: :roastturkey: :turkey:

[Socratoad]

We hate the whole green bean casserole thing, so we have steamed green beans instead.

Instead of the traditional stuffing, we have wild rice cooked slowly with onions, garlic, and apple slices. Insert into the turkey and cook like regular stuffing.

I love Thanksgiving! None of the gift pressure of Christmas. Lots of good food, good friends, and good times.

Hey, I can't find any Thanksgiving smilies!

Ya can never go wrong putting apple slices in any dressing ...... don't forget to add sage :yup:

[JoeP]

I also made a steamed sea bass with scallions and ginger. Not a traditional Turkey Day dish, but a favorite Chinese recipe of mine.Mine too; delicious and good to look at.

[pescifish]

Traditional Thanksgiving for my extended family as I grew up included all the regular stuff (turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, etc.) but additional must-haves were chili relleno casserole, homemade refried beans, tortillas and salsa. Tamales if someone in the family got ambitious before the mandatory Christmas batch. The turkey's stuffing often had chorizo (chorizo/cornbread/onion dressing is surprisingly good.)

[viscousmemories]

Last year Lauri and I made a really good Thanksgiving dinner together. It was mostly the traditional stuff with a couple exceptions. This really great cornbread thing she will hopefully post the recipe for, and these scrumptious green beans (recipe courtesy of liv):

Green Bean Casserole

3 lg shallots, sliced thin (about 1 cup)
s&p
3 T all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
10 oz cremini mushrooms, stems discarded, caps wiped clean and sliced 1/4"
thick
2 T unsalted butter
1 med onion, minced (about 1 cup)
2 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 2 tsp)
1.5 lbs green beans, stem ends trimmed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 chicken broth

1. Toss shallots with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and 2 T flour in a small
bowl; set aside. Heat 3 T oil in 12" nonstick skillet over med-high heat
until smoking; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and
crisp, about 5 min. Transfer shallots with oil to baking sheet lined with
triple layer of paper towels.

2. Wipe out skillet and return to med-high heat. Add remaining 2 T oil,
mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned,
about 8 min. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Wipe out skillet. Heat butter in skillet over med heat; when foaming
subsides, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until edges begin to
brown, about 2 min. Stir in garlic and remaining 1 T flour; toss in green
beans, thyme, and bay. Add cream and chicken broth, increase heat to
med-high, cover and cook until beans are partly tender but still crisp at
center, about 4 min. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, unconvered, until
green beans are tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 4 min. Off
heat, discard bay and thyme; adjust s&p. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle
evenly with shallots and serve.

[lisarea]

The first time I did the whole thing myself was 1993. My dad had just died that Easter, and some siblings were coming out for Thanksgiving, and my mom said, "I don't feel like doing it," so I volunteered.

It started out pretty simple, I guess, but it started getting bigger. Parts of my family would come, and then I'd invite friends and coworkers who didn't have a place to go. Colorado's employment market was booming, so there were always stray 'orphans' who didn't have anywhere to go. It reached numbers over 20 a couple of times at least.

I liked to ensure that there were cheesy monster movies available for when there wasn't football, and all kinds of booze, all day long. Champagne, a couple of wines, beer, cider, and even sody pop for the little babies and stuff. I had a rule that you had to dress really sloppy. At least once, there were pajamas. It started at maybe 11:00 AM, and slowly, we'd trickle out various appetizers. Always stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, and antipasto. (There was usually an Italian edge to the festivities, because at the time, I was always hanging with two identical twin Eye-talian guys. It was the 90s, and that's a natural consequence of rampant market populism. Eye-talians everywhere. And they all look the same.) Sometimes, I'd add the crudites, hummus and pita with banana peppers (my sister insists on banana peppers with hummus), and other things.

Next would usually be two-color soup. It's a pea tarragon soup and a red pepper with tomatoes. Both cream-like soups, poured in a kind of yin-yang sign, with a dollop of sour cream and cracked pepper. It came from the New Basics originally, I think. That, and a spinach salad, with red onions, feta, tomatoes, etc., and vinaigrette. I think once or twice I did lobster bisque instead of the two-color soup, but: vegetarians. (Also, I stopped eating lobster a while ago.)

Then was the turkey, with bread stuffing. Plus cheese manicotti, for vegetarians. (Or vegetarian lasagne in the event of vegans, but I think that was just once.) Asparagus, yams, squash, barley casserole, mashed potatoes baked in a casserole with cream cheese and stuff, that Indian stuff with the chick peas cooked in a spicy red sauce a couple of times, plus cranberry relish and various and sundry chutneys--turkey screams for chutney, you know. Also, orange jello with walnuts, apples, and celery, because my mom used to make that. The menu would vary from year to year, but basically stuff like that.

Then. Dessert would be pumpkin pie, which I don't like, so someone else either had to make it or I'd get a frozen one. Plus, sometimes schwartzwalder kirschtorte, which is a chocolate spongecake with kirsch and cherries in the middle, frosted with whipped cream, then chocolate shavings and maraschino cherries on top. Wine-soaked pears with chocolate sauce, which I thought I invented, but I saw someone make it once years later. Shaved red wine ice at least once.

It would usually end really, really late, and people would fall asleep on the floor.

Oh. One year, my mom couldn't make it until the next day, so I did a turkey and yam curry, and refashioned the cranberry relish with whipped cream, more lemon, and sugar, and make a floofy pink thing, and we had another little party. That was pretty good.

That rocked. But most of the people I don't see anymore. A lot of them moved back to where they came from when the employment market tanked, a lot of them I didn't really know in the first place, and I just don't run with the same crowd so much anymore. Plus, my family doesn't come out quite as frequently anymore. So, this year, I don't know.

I am probably just going to do something all lame.

Suxxorz. I should totally BOIL the turkey and make some gross-assed grean bean casserole with canned mushroom soup and potato chips on top.

One year, The Little Muffin really wanted the can o' cranberry shit, so I got one, and I just put it on the table, still in the can, with the top bent up all ghetto and a spoon sticking out of it. Maybe I'll do THAT again.

That'll show...uh...

them.

[Ex-zombie]

Lisarea said, "I should totally BOIL the turkey and make some gross-assed grean bean casserole with canned mushroom soup and potato chips on top."


Ex-zombie has passed out from the trauma.

[Lauri D]

Mmmm... Thanksgiving food!!! :banana:

Yes, last year at Tom's we undertook the ambitious project of making a full-on complete (mostly) traditional Thanksgiving dinner, which I had never done before. Much to my surprise, the whole thing turned out fabulously! I will have to find the stuffing/dressing recipe he mentioned, and also my 2 "signature dishes" (which I traditionally took to my grandparent's house as my contribution). One is a baked corn casserole, the other a cold cranberry-grape-marshmallow-whipped cream salad dessert thing. :eat:

Dammit, now I am hunGRAY!!!!!

[Dingfod]

Lisa, you make me laugh... again. I have to work Thanksgiving day this year. Blech!

My favorite Thanksgiving story was one year that my mom forgot to put sugar in the pumpkin pie. Of course, wolfing food down like I do, I was the first one to the desserts. Pumpkin pie is my favorite. I put a dollop of whipped cream on a slice and had eaten almost all of it by the time Aunt Margaret had a slice and said "There's something wrong with the pumpkin pie." My mother had a bite and exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness, I think I forgot to put the sugar in it." Didn't bother me one whit. I ate that piece and more, since nobody else wanted the unsweetened pumpkin pie, I had it all to myself. Mwahahaha! Mine, all mine!

When I was growing up that was the only time we ever ate turkey. Turkey is so good and relatively inexpensive the rest of the year. I buy several of them when the price is low and put them in the freezer to be cooked at various intervals through the year. It's darn hard to beat leftover turkey sandwiches (with Miracle Whip salad dressing) and homemade turkey noodle soup. Mmmm-mmm.

[livius drusus]

What in God's unholy name is Miracle Whip salad dressing? Do you mean just the fake mayo spooge or is it some vile conconction with oil and vinegar and whatnot?

[Dingfod]

What in God's unholy name is Miracle Whip salad dressing? Do you mean just the fake mayo spooge or is it some vile conconction with oil and vinegar and whatnot?Fake mayo spooge? Blasphemy!

Kraft Miracle White is a heavenly concoction only remotely related to that vile bland buttery tasting mayonnaise, talk about spooge.
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/docs/images/21006.jpg

[livius drusus]

Spooge with a twist is still spooge, my friend. :yuck:

/me hates mayo unless she's made it herself and turned it into delicious aioli.

[LadyShea]

From my family (East Texas born Grandma actually), Thanksgivin' ain't Thanksgivin' without cornbread dressing and homemade macaroni and cheese

Frankie's grandma immigrated from a German community in Russia. I think most of their holiday foods are repulsive, but I love this cherry coffee cake stuff called Couga, and their amazing cranberry/Jello salad.

If any of these sound tatsy, let me know and I'll dig out the recipes. Not gonna type them out if nobody is interested.

[viscousmemories]

I will have to find the stuffing/dressing recipe he mentioned, and also my 2 "signature dishes" (which I traditionally took to my grandparent's house as my contribution). One is a baked corn casserole, the other a cold cranberry-grape-marshmallow-whipped cream salad dessert thing.
God I'm so retarded. I was talking about the corn casserole when I said "cornbread thing", 'cause with my damaged brain I remembered the casserole as being made with cornbread mix. :doh: That stuff was really good, too. :yup:

[Roland98]

The cherry coffee cake sounds yummy, if you feel like typin'.

My grandma generally does the cooking, but one year we were stuck in Connecticut so I did the whole meal for just my (then fiance) and I. Turkey, mashed potatoes, super buttery corn, homemade bread. He cooked sweet potatoes and stuff, 'cause I never liked them in the first place. And had to have pumpkin jelly rolls for dessert, even though they were nowhere near as yummy as my grandma's.

[RevDahlia]

Last year I wound up making Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, for about twenty people, most of whom I did not know. (A heroic achievement, given the teeny, smelly, substandard kitchen at our old house.) This is the menu, verbatim from the invitation email I sent:

> Turkey lurkey dee
> Cornbread and prosciutto stuffing
> Porcini mushroom and walnut stuffing
> Cajun Brussels Sprouts
> Creamed spinach with jalapeno peppers
> The Obligatory Mashed Potatoes And Gravy and Cranberry Sauce
> Cranberry upside-down cake
> Pumpkin pie

This was a terrific menu, all told. Our guests filled in the gaps. I made two small turkeys instead of one large one; the prosciutto stuffing went in the turkeys. I have since learned that the porcini mushroom dressing is even better with toasted pecans than it is with walnuts -- just make plain ol' bread stuffiing with sage, add toasted pecans and reconstituted dried porcinis, and proceed. It's. So. Good.

I cooked for 40 hours straight and fell asleep immediately after the turkey was carved. I hear that it was a success, though.

This year I'm doing it all again, my stepmother will be in attendance, and she absolutely cannot handle spicy food. So the creamed spinach is right out. I am currently digging for another acceptable vegetable-type thing. The sprouts will be Chinese instead of Cajun.

I found a lovely recipe for butternut squash flan, so i think we're having that too. Hors d'oeuvres (or "horses' ovaries" as we refer to them in my family) will consist of homemade chicken-liver pate and lots of Melba toast and nuts and olives. To the dessert menu I will be adding an adaptation of a recipe in Nigel Slater's book "Appetite" -- a pear-and-almond tart.

I have learned that the best tipple to have around at T-Day is cheap wine in a box. Everyone will be too stuffed to appreciate the good shit. Franzia all the way, baby.

[AspenMama]

I think this is the first year I'll have ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner on my own. My mom will be out of town-- so it's me and the kids and now and I've got my cousin, her bf and another kid coming. So, 3 adults so far and 3 kids.

So far, I've ordered a good turkey from a natural foods store. I just need to figure out how to cook the thing. I'll be doing a salad, some sort of green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, bread or rolls, pumpkin pie and some sort of chocolate dessert. My cousin offered to bring the desserts, bread and green beans. I've got some major planning to do yet. At least the wine is in hand. :D

P.S. Anyone wanna come help me? :scared:

[Dingfod]

I'm working Thanksgiving Day, so perhaps, if I am lucky, I can have a sliced turkey sammich with Miracle Whip.

Gawd, I miss Utah, home of Artic Circle, a fast food joint that serves pumpkin pie shakes this time of year, and home to Taco Time, maker of da-best pumpkin pie empanadas.

[Skep]

In another thread I mentioned that I'd be making a pork roast with fried cabbage and apples on the side. Liv asked that I post the cabbage recipe here. This dish goes well with sausages like fresh kielbasa and bratwurst as well.

FRIED CABBAGE AND APPLES

1 medium head of cabbage
1 large onion, chopped
2 tart apples (Granny Smith is perfect)
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into 1 in. pieces
1/4 c cider or wine vinegar
2 T sugar
salt
pepper

Cut the cabbage into 1/2 in thick slabs and coarsely chop. Peel and core the apples, cut in half and the cut into 1/8 in. thick slices.

Over medium heat, brown the bacon in a dutch oven. When the bacon is about half done add the onion. When the bacon is done, add the cabbage and apple to the bacon. Season with a pinch or two of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir frequently until cabbage becomes translucent. Add vinegar and sugar and simmer until tender. Adjust seasoning and serve.

:)

[livius drusus]

You know, usually I can taste a flavor combination before I try it. This one I totally can't. I admit I am scared, but it intrigues me and I will definitely try it. Any cabbage prefereces?

[Skep]

Just plain ol' white cabbage. Red cabbage can be used but I don't like the way it looks; kinda purple/gray. :yuck: One caution: use just enough sugar to take the bite out of the vinegar. Well, maybe another caution: don't overcook the cabbage.

[wei yau]

Just plain ol' white cabbage. Red cabbage can be used but I don't like the way it looks; kinda purple/gray. :yuck: One caution: use just enough sugar to take the bite out of the vinegar.

I've recently discovered the joys of savoy cabbage. Mild in taste, wonderful in texture. Would it work in this recipe?

I'd recommend not using napa cabbage, it tends to get very "thready"

[livius drusus]

Wotcher, cap'n. I'll be sure to report back. :yessir:

[Ronin]

Over medium heat, brown the bacon in a dutch oven. When the bacon is about half done add the onion. When the bacon is done, add the cabbage and apple to the bacon. Season with a pinch or two of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir frequently until cabbage becomes translucent. Add vinegar and sugar and simmer until tender. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Something Wicked this way comes...

[livius drusus]

:roflmao:

[pescifish]

I made my cranberry sauce for tomorrow's potluck lunch early. If anyone would like a slight variation on the standard whole cranberry sauce, here goes:

whole cranberry sauce
one bag fresh cranberries (I think 8oz)
1 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
one can (err... small, maybe 8oz?) mandarin oranges fully drained
two large jalapenos chopped fine
2 tbsp peppadew sauce (I'm sure you could leave this out, but for JoeP's sake, it did actually add that little bit of lovely peppadew pepperiness)

Put all ingredients in a saucepan, boil rapidly until cranberries burst (about 5 minutes), cool.

[godfry n. glad]

Last night I whipped up two apple pies and had them in the oven before the usual suspects dropped by for cards and general debauchery. Hypothetically, that is.

After retiring late...and I mean way late for this ol' duffer...I arose early this morning...unwillingly...and prepped the bird and did some stuffing (including a trip to the grocery for onions and mushrooms). I just jammed the twenty pounder into the oven for it's six hour roast. Still cleanup and whipped taters (whip 'em...whip 'em good) and gravy to go, but now's the chance to grab a few more winks before the hordette strikes.

In case you're wondering, the guests bring every thing else they might want with their dinner, I provide the basic bottom-line turkey and stuffing, 'taters 'n' gravy and homemade apple pie.

My job is done....sorta.

godfry

(I'm in it for the 'taters 'n' gravy, myself.)

[Bella]

Heh, well I went without turkey this year and cooked a duck. Semi-boned it (butchery class did come in handy!), laid it on top of some mirepoix and leek, shoved it in the oven at 375F for about an hour and a half, and pulled it at 175F. Yum. Jek made garlic mashed potatoes and we had wild rice, dilled carrots, and of course, pumpkin pie with brandied whipped cream.

Emeril, as usual, got it wrong. Duck fat rules.

[lisarea]

Emeril, as usual, got it wrong. Duck fat rules.

Ooh, DUCK. Yeah, a duck stock can stretch a million miles, can't it? I accidentally stumbled on one of my favorite soups using leftovers from a duck dinner the night before. I used the duck to make a stock, then added leftover wild rice and brussels sprouts, quartered. It ROCKED. I never make duck anymore, though, so I usually just replicate it with chicken. Good, but not quite as good.

This Thanksgiving, I did:

Stuffed mushrooms
Baked brie
Curried squash soup
Turkey
Bread stuffing
Barley casserole
Mashed yams
Cranberry relish
Extreme fries (which is what I call green beans to try to trick the ODB into eating them)
Apple pie, which I had frozen from that time last month or so when I made all those apple pies.

I think that's it.

And NOW:

Turkey stock and turkey barley soup
Turkey curry with yams
Cranberry bavarian cream
Turkey shepherd pie like thingies, with bread stuffing crusts
Lots and lots of roast turkey sandwiches, on crusty bread with butter and salt, and with pickles and pickled jalapenos on the side.