Thanksgiving menu

[trish_scotland]

Thank you dixieagle, i did some reading and now have an idea what this is all about. I would love to be a part of a thanksgiving meal for the experience and to learn all about its history etc… We celebrate christmas as a huge thing here and in scotland we have Robert burns suppers he was a famous poet here so once a year we all gather and have haggis,turnip and mashed tatties this is a tasty dish with whisky sauce. I was cook in charge one year on this day at my work very stressfull thing as we have to get it right and once the haggis (the beasty) is cooked i had to follow the piper playing the bagpipes around the diningroom with the beasty on a platter showing it to everyone. I much rather celebrating it at home with family although this was a good experience. You should have a christmas experience here in britain its a rather cold time though so remember your scarf and gloves. Anyway i hope you enjoy thanksgiving. God bless.

 

[gardenswithkids]

I will admit it. I will be brave enough to confess the sacrilege.

NO ONE in our entire family likes homemade stuffing. Absolutely NO ONE, not even the older ones. And especially the kids. Yecch–homemade stuffing. Blech. I still have memories of little bones from the “giblets.” Giblets–isn’t that what they hang people from? …

No wonder no one likes the homemade stuffing if it contains giblets! Ewww! I agree with you, BLECH! My mom (God rest her soul) and her family members added giblets. Liver flavored stuffing. Soggy and liver flavored. Gag. I never liked stuffing growing up. Even my husband (who loves stuffing) didn’t like my mom’s stuffing. I miss my mom, but not her stuffing.

…And as a microbiologist, I’m terrified of Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning, so I usually don’t eat anyone’s homemade turkey (shudder) unless I was there during the entire preparation and actually witnessed the safe cooking of the bird. …

We should mention food safety so the other posters can come back to post again after Thanksgiving. Caution on defrosting and cooking the turkey properly–especially a stuffed turkey. It’s often the stuffing that contains the highest concentration of bacteria, (which gives you one more reason to avoid giblet stuffing.)

 

[AmberDale]

Giblet stuffing Ick. Regular stuff is great though. A little poultry seasoning, celery, onion
My husbands aunt put Mushrooms and nuts in it one year. I didn’t like that.
My grandma used to make oyster stuffing and oyster gravy. I remember loving it, but it’s been a long time since she made it. We don’t do T-day at her house anymore, to much for her (she’s 84). She still insists on Christmas Eve though

 

[dixieagle]

Giblet stuffing Ick. Regular stuff is great though. A little poultry seasoning, celery, onion
My husbands aunt put Mushrooms and nuts in it one year. I didn’t like that.
My grandma used to make oyster stuffing and oyster gravy. I remember loving it, but it’s been a long time since she made it. We don’t do T-day at her house anymore, to much for her (she’s 84). She still insists on Christmas Eve though

My dad, who cooked only for holidays and special gatherings, made - and still occasionally makes for himself - an oyster dressing which was loved by anyone in the family who could stand oysters ( not I - slimy, icky things!) I’m not sure exactly what goes into it, but I remember Ritz crackers and lots of butter. There was so much butter that it even smelled good to me while it was in the oven!

 

[dixieagle]

Thank you dixieagle, i did some reading and now have an idea what this is all about. I would love to be a part of a thanksgiving meal for the experience and to learn all about its history etc… We celebrate christmas as a huge thing here and in scotland we have Robert burns suppers he was a famous poet here so once a year we all gather and have haggis,turnip and mashed tatties this is a tasty dish with whisky sauce. I was cook in charge one year on this day at my work very stressfull thing as we have to get it right and once the haggis (the beasty) is cooked i had to follow the piper playing the bagpipes around the diningroom with the beasty on a platter showing it to everyone. I much rather celebrating it at home with family although this was a good experience. You should have a christmas experience here in britain its a rather cold time though so remember your scarf and gloves. Anyway i hope you enjoy thanksgiving. God bless.

I’ve heard of Robbie Burns’ suppers! Don’t think I could eat the haggis, though, but everything else sounds good!

 

[KCT]

Since I have school the day before Thanksgiving, I am going to ask my mom to do the turkey and stuffing. I can handle the rest.

 

[whatevergirl]

I will admit it. I will be brave enough to confess the sacrilege.

NO ONE in our entire family likes homemade stuffing. Absolutely NO ONE, not even the older ones. And especially the kids. Yecch–homemade stuffing. Blech. I still have memories of little bones from the “giblets.” Giblets–isn’t that what they hang people from?

Stuffing simply has to be Stove Top in our family. Mmmmm!

And incidentally, it has to be instant mashed potatoes, too, like Hungry Jack. We all hate lumpy real potatoes. Gross.

And to continue the litany of modern Thanksgiving–we usually order a turkey to be cooked up at the local grocery store–much easier, moister, and more delicious than anything we ever make at home. (Although a few years back, I did a crock pot turkey breast that was pretty good.) Ah, the festive joy of driving over the potholes and through the suburbs to the grocery store and picking up the turkey in its bright and cheerful disposable foil pan and paying for it at the cash register and then driving it back home again to the waiting family and the cats meowing underfoot!

Actually, hardly anyone in our family really likes turkey. The tryptophan in the turkey makes everyone sleepy. And my husband doesn’t eat anything with bones.

And as a microbiologist, I’m terrified of Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning, so I usually don’t eat anyone’s homemade turkey (shudder) unless I was there during the entire preparation and actually witnessed the safe cooking of the bird. I don’t trust anyone with turkey except the grocery store. They have too much to lose (their entire business) from a community food poisoning outbreak.

BTW, when everyone takes their initial helping from the grocery store turkey, I quickly jump up, seal it over with foil, and put in the frig so that no one will get Staph aureus food poisoning. Anyone looking for a second helping will have to warm it up in the microwave. No *Staph aureus * is going to touch my family! As far as I’m concerned, it’s a miracle that so many of us survived the holidays of our childhood when the turkey sat out all day long breeding deadly bacteria.

As for pumpkin pie–we’re all happy with the local grocery store’s bakery. And Cool Whip, whatever that stuff is. It’s not whipped cream, I know that much. It’s some kind of chemical goo, but it tastes good, especially if you buy the Extra Creamy with 100 calories per teaspoonful.

Now sweet potatoes–those will be real. My MIL cuts them up and roasts them with no marshmallows or anything. She does it for me–I’m the only one in the family who eats sweet potatoes. I think if she made them from a can with plenty of sugar and syrup and pecans, others would eat them. But I’m the only one. So usually, there’s only one sweet potato in one of those cute tiny casserole dishes that normally never get used.

Now the cranberry sauce–only one person in the family eats that, my BIL. And the only way he will eat it is in the form of that canned-shaped cylinder of quivering dark red jelly that looks like ectoplasm from The X-Files. My MIL opens the can, pushes out the cylinder, and sets it in front of him. He eats it while the rest of us wonder how anyone can stand cranberries. (Sorry, Maine.) At least he has a healthy urinary tract.

The rolls are always those brown and serve, usually white not brown (so why don’t they call them “white and serve?”). Absolutely no fiber, and not a whole grain in sight. And “spread,” not butter, although I usually bring a stick of the real thing–one of our few “old-fashioned” Thanksgiving foods-butter.

Interestingly, there is absolutely no sign at our table of a green vegetable, a cruciferous cancer-fighting vegetable, or anything that is actually good for us. The whole meal is all starch and sugar and fat. We really need that 2000-calorie meal to sustain us as we sit around in a gas-heated home (if it’s at our parents’ house, the thermostat is usually set at around ninety degrees) and vigorously watch football games from colleges that we didn’t attend.

It doesn’t matter. The little kids don’t eat much anyway except the chicken fries that grandma ends up warming up for them after they refuse to eat anything except the Stove Top stuffing. And the rest of us–well, we’re just glad to be together on this earth for a little while longer. Somewhere out there, there’s a Staphylococcus aureus that’s meant for us, but until then, we’ll enjoy ourselves and our traditional family Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!.

*LOLOLOL!!! Oh my gosh, I’m laughing so hard. I didn’t get a chance to read this through at work today, this is FUNNY! You’re funny, Cat. It’s true…

It’s strange, but I am not a huge fan of homemade mashed potatoes. I like the kind in the section where they sell bacon? haha Ugh, I think it’s called Diner’s Choice? I just think, why bother boiling and mashing when this tastes BETTER, in some cases. I guess I never learned how to master mashed potatoes. Come to think of it, I’m not very good with potatoes in general. I am the one who posted recently about how to bake a potato. *

 

[whatevergirl]

Here’s my stuffing recipe. It is very free-form.

Cornbread and slightly dry white bread, cut into cubes. (I make the cornbread a day or two ahead.)

Cream of mushroom soup
Mushrooms, sliced
onions, diced
celery, sliced
Sage
Poultry Seasoning

First, I saute the mushrooms, onions, and celery. When that’s done and cooling a bit, I cube the breads and put them into a large mixing bowl, alternating between the cornbread and the white, sprinkling the seasonings. I turn the cubes and seasonings over with my hands–mixes better.

Then, in go the sauteed items; mix again. Then, the cream of mushroom soup. However many cans depends on how much bread one has and therefore, how much stuffing will result. I use gloves and mix it all together by hand.

Put the stuffing in casserole dish(es). This can be done the night before even–I think the flavors mingle better with time.

When you get ready to bake off the dressing, gently pour milk over the top of the dressing, poking holes in it to make sure it absorbs really well. This is the secret because as it bakes, it gets super-inflated with the moisture and comes out hot and fluffy and really flavorful.

Bake it with the lid on for most of the time (about 40") and then, remove the lid and for maybe 10" more, let it dry out on top and crisp a little around the edges. The temperature I use is 350.

This can be adapted to any amount of dressing desired. Just keep adding stuff. One year, I used a 13 quart mixing bowl to mix everything and we ended up with about 7 quarts of dressing. This was not too much!

This sounds fabulous, seriously. I could see adding the pork sausage to this, too…out of dulcissima’s recipe. Good stuff!

 

[whatevergirl]

hahaha… yes we have a lot of desserts… it is a big thing in my family and we end up having plenty of left overs for people to take home.

I’ve never made cheesecake either. I’ve made a number of other pies though.

I’m single, but I do cook regularly and bake every so often. So for Thanksgiving I’ll be making the pecan pie and 1-2 food items. Sometimes I’ll make hazelnut biscotti, but probably not this year since I won’t have the time. Everything is split fairly evenly among my parents/aunts/uncles/grandma/etc so no one person does too much.

*Oh, I thought you were married. Must be another Jay on here. lol That’s great that you cook, because someday, the woman you marry will appreciate your help in the kitchen! My husband is a great cook, and we truly do thanksgiving together…he is better at the turkey, and then I do the sides, the tablescape, etc.

Cheesecake seems hard, I don’t know why. When I was a kid, my sister, who is 13 yrs my senior…she would make cheesecake every single holiday. I am not a cheesecake fan, because it’s so heavy. But, she would literally be in the kitchen for hours making this to perfection, so it must be tricky. I think part of it getting the bottom part of the cake cooked through, but not burnt. *

 

[Brenda_V]

LOL Cat, your Thanksgiving dinner sounds like the one my sister does! She works full time too so it works out better for her.

As far as getting sick from my turkey, no one has ever gotten sick from it and if it is a huge one and we can’t eat it within the week I freeze a bunch. Usually not a problem for four of us though.

I have to make much from scratch because of food allergies and sensitivities in this house and I like to cook anyway.

RE: Gluten Free cornbread stuffing - I shared one earlier and how to make gluten free corn bread from corn meal so any of the posters here need more help with GF feel free to PM or e-mail me, I don’t want to hijack the thread .

BTW, most everything I have seen for recipes I can do GF so if you see something you want to make let me know and I will help you make it GF.

Oh, and make sure the turkey you get specifically says GF or does not have anything added to it (turkey by itself is GF but so many have juices and stuff injected into them). One more thing, if you are buying a pre-made turkey from the Grocery store make sure they don’t put wheat on them, you know those roasted chickens you can get, they have wheat on them. My local grocery store makes some plain just for people like me and those who have to watch their salt intake.

Brenda V.

 

[whatevergirl]

I love this kind of thread! So interesting to see what everyone does. We’re about as traditional as it gets, and our family does NOT like any tinkering with the menu.

Roast fresh turkey (at least 14 lbs. as I love turkey leftovers) with an onion and a few ribs of celery in the cavity. I never, ever actually stuff the bird, as you have to overcook it to be sure the stuffing is safe.

Gravy (my dad is the family gravy master, and I have tried to absorb his tricks, but it never is quite as good.) *AND WOULD YOU SHARE IT WITH US?? I need help with gravy making…it never comes quite like my sister’s. *

Simple stuffing (white whole wheat bread as the basis, with onion, celery, and chicken broth) NO eggs

Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes

Yams with marshmallows (I think they eat the yams just for the browned marshmallows!) *Oh, this sounds great!! We actually don’t make this all that often, but I have enjoyed it when we’ve visited people. *

Carrots and parsnips (cooked together with a little butter, a bit of sea salt and black pepper; my mom used to make this and I think it goes really well with turkey.)

Sweet green peas

If SIL#1 is in town, green bean casserole; not this year Aw, this is one of my faves!

Cranberry sauce - both whole berry and pre-fab. My sister makes this dixie, with vodka, and grand marnier…and boils the cranberries. I am not a fan, but for people who like cranberry compote, supposedly it’s the bomb

Crescent rolls, or sometimes homemade healthy cornbread Define what makes it ‘healthy’ cornbread…

Homemade apple and chocolate cream pies

I’ve tried sneaking in cornbread stuffing but no one liked it as much. This is one meal that I better not mess with.

I am now VERY hungry.

Me too!

 

[dulcissima]

For basic, perfect mashed potatoes, start with good potatoes. Russets are the standard, yukon golds and red potatoes are also great. Peel the potatoes and boil til just tender and drain. Add some butter, not too much, and some milk, half and half or heavy whipping cream. Never use skim milk. The heavier the milk or cream, the fluffier the potatoes. Don’t overdo the milk though or you will end up with potato soup. You can always add more milk if need be. I whip mine with an electric mixer (hand held). You don’t want to overdo this either, or you will end up with glue. Then I add salt and freshly ground pepper. Some people prefer to use white pepper on their mashed potatoes.

I have read that you are supposed to warm the milk and mash that in before you add the butter. I’ve never done it that way since I am too impatient. I think real mashed potatoes are too die for. Growing up they were my favorite food in the world. I can not imagine preferring instant.

For some reason, my mom almost never made mashed potatoes when I was growing up. She thought peeling the potatoes was too much work. Once I was on my own, I started making them all the time. We have them several days per week. I can peel potatoes super fast.

 

[whatevergirl]

For basic, perfect mashed potatoes, start with good potatoes. Russets are the standard, yukon golds and red potatoes are also great. Peel the potatoes and boil til just tender and drain. Add some butter, not too much, and some milk, half and half or heavy whipping cream. Never use skim milk. The heavier the milk or cream, the fluffier the potatoes. Don’t overdo the milk though or you will end up with potato soup. You can always add more milk if need be. I whip mine with an electric mixer (hand held). You don’t want to overdo this either, or you will end up with glue. Then I add salt and freshly ground pepper. Some people prefer to use white pepper on their mashed potatoes.

I have read that you are supposed to warm the milk and mash that in before you add the butter. I’ve never done it that way since I am too impatient. I think real mashed potatoes are too die for. Growing up they were my favorite food in the world. I can not imagine preferring instant.

For some reason, my mom almost never made mashed potatoes when I was growing up. She thought peeling the potatoes was too much work. Once I was on my own, I started making them all the time. We have them several days per week. I can peel potatoes super fast.

*I’m sorry, I lost you at ‘‘peel the potatoes.’’

Another thing my sister does well. I’m with your mom on this one, peeling potatoes is so time consuming. BUT…if done right, they can be so good. I can’t serve Diner’s Choice to our guests, I guess that would be tacky. Something tells me that you are an awesome cook, dulcissima, I don’t know why. *

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

*I’m sorry, I lost you at ‘‘peel the potatoes.’’

Another thing my sister does well. I’m with your mom on this one, peeling potatoes is so time consuming. BUT…if done right, they can be so good. I can’t serve Diner’s Choice to our guests, I guess that would be tacky. Something tells me that you are an awesome cook, dulcissima, I don’t know why. *

Isn’t Diner’s choice the one that comes in a tub and is microwavable? You can serve those, just take them out of the tub and put into a serving dish. It’s only tacky if you leave the label out on the table.

I have served them to guests once, they are actually really good

 

[whatevergirl]

Isn’t Diner’s choice the one that comes in a tub and are microwavable? You can serve those, just take them out of the tub and put into a serving dish. It’s only tacky if you leave the label out on the table.

I have served them to guests once, they are actually really good

*LOL

Yes those are them. My kids love them. I used them this past weekend to make mashed potato pancakes…yum. I don’t like peeling things…apples, carrots, potatoes…it’s annoying. A poster on here recently posted a link for an apple peeler…I have that on my Santa wishlist. *

 

[dulcissima]

*I’m sorry, I lost you at ‘‘peel the potatoes.’’

Another thing my sister does well. I’m with your mom on this one, peeling potatoes is so time consuming. BUT…if done right, they can be so good. I can’t serve Diner’s Choice to our guests, I guess that would be tacky. Something tells me that you are an awesome cook, dulcissima, I don’t know why. *

Thanks

You know, you do have two built in spud peelers in your house. Put them to work!!!

 

[mylo]

I’m still working on our menu (just the three of us), but all this talk of mashed potatoes resulted in me making a giant bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. Thanks guys! :tiphat:

 

[whatevergirl]

Thanks

You know, you do have two built in spud peelers in your house. Put them to work!!!

*Don’t roll your eyes, I imagine you being a naturally good cook.

They won’t peel either. It’s inherited, this deficiency. *

 

[whatevergirl]

I’m still working on our menu (just the three of us), but all this talk of mashed potatoes resulted in me making a giant bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. Thanks guys! :tiphat:

Aw!!!

 

[puzzleannie]

oh so thanks guys I just gained 4 lbs reading this thread today, hope you are happy. I l also went out and bought potatoes to cook and mash for tomorrow I can’t wait