Has anyone started cooking yet?

[Dawgluver]

Anytime we get invited to Thanksgiving somewhere else, I cook the whole shebang a day or two later, it wouldn't be thanksgiving to me without leftovers! That and when we would go to his mother's, she'd cook the turkey too early and too long completely unseasoned served cold, most of the veg was canned as was the gravy. Once Rob had a real thanksgiving with some effort put into it, that wouldn't do.

Another fan of cooking leftovers myself. As much as I love my cousin, she and her DH's relatives cannot cook. They're also all vegetarian/gluten-free/paleo/whatever the food fad du jour is. We're lucky to get turkey. They have the most gorgeous kitchen with all the professional equipment that they have no clue how to use.

I bring the dressing, made from real bread. Gluten-free be hanged. I'm also debating whether to bring cranberry sauce and gravy. We have to travel 3 hours, everyone else lives nearby.

 

[GotGarlic]

So far I I've made jellied cranberry sauce, cherry vanilla ice cream, oyster shooters and 2 pan's of cranberry,sausage,apple & mushroom stuffing and just pulled creme brulee out of the oven.

You made oyster shooters in advance? With raw oysters?

 

[salt and pepper]

You made oyster shooters in advance? With raw oysters?

Yes, I freeze them and take them out the night before I eat them.

 

[GoodLookinCookin]

Every year my mom makes almost our entire Thanksgiving dinner. This year I really want to help her out by making a few dishes on my own (without getting in her way). Does anyone have any easy and tasty recipes or tricks?

 

[legend_018]

I could be in the minority, but I've learned that it's perfectly find to make a lot of things a day or two before. I'm trying to take it easy, but it's still going to be a lot of work. My mother is in charge of pies and my Mother in Law is making a big popular greenbean/ground burger side dish. I will be doing the Turkey, 2 different kinds of stuffings, rolls, mashed, butternut squash, cranberry sauce and gravy. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Addie]

Spike got me the apples I need for the pie. Bless his heart. I already told my daughter that I wouldn't be able to do one this year. So it will be a surprise for her and her husband. He is the pie freak in the family. I am still going to make the pumpkin cheesecake with the gingersnap crust also. I might have a very, small (and I do mean small) sliver of the apple pie. I do not like cheesecake. I know, call me un-American. "Oh try just a bite of this one. It is so different." Nope, didn't like that one either. I can't tell you how many times I have spit out a bite of cheesecake.

 

[ShannaLee83]

Not yet, BUT I haven't gone to the store to buy my foil pans for tranporting. I think I will start tomorrow night, but honestly it all has to do with the weather and how my back & neck are holding up. As long as my 3 items are done by Wednesday I am golden.

I do have to say that GOING to someone's for dinner is a lot easier than making it al yourself!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have 40 hours of work (the real job) to put in before Thursday. Then back to work on Friday. Going to be a rush job on T-Day dinner this year.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I have 40 hours of work (the real job) to put in before Thursday. Then back to work on Friday. Going to be a rush job on T-Day dinner this year.

Make a Honey-do list or maybe an Ogre-do list, then sit back relax and bite your tongue!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Make a Honey-do list or maybe an Ogre-do list, then sit back relax and bite your tongue!

I don't know which is the bigger fairy tale...an Ogre-Do list or me relaxing and biting my tongue

 

[RawVeg]

more salads guys

 

[bakechef]

I have 40 hours of work (the real job) to put in before Thursday. Then back to work on Friday. Going to be a rush job on T-Day dinner this year.

I actually have Thursday and Friday off this year, I can't remember the last time that happened. It sure will be nice after cooking all day Thursday, to have a day to rest. Usually this week starts off with 50 or so pumpkin breads on Sunday, followed by baking every evening after work for other people and cooking right through thursday. I'm taking it easy this year and the only cooking is for us!

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes, I freeze them and take them out the night before I eat them.

Oh, good - scared me for a minute! ☺

 

[GotGarlic]

Every year my mom makes almost our entire Thanksgiving dinner. This year I really want to help her out by making a few dishes on my own (without getting in her way). Does anyone have any easy and tasty recipes or tricks?

Hi. I'm sure we could come up with quite a few ideas, but it would help if you could narrow it down. What specific types of dishes are you interested in making? Gravy? Rolls? A vegetable? Dessert?

It might be a good idea to start a new thread with this question, so the answers don't get buried here.

Also, have you talked to your mom about this? It would be helpful to coordinate with her what each of you will make. That way, you won't have duplicate items.

 

[Andy M.]

Every year my mom makes almost our entire Thanksgiving dinner. This year I really want to help her out by making a few dishes on my own (without getting in her way). Does anyone have any easy and tasty recipes or tricks?

Ask your mom what you can make to help her out.

 

[Addie]

I don't know which is the bigger fairy tale...an Ogre-Do list or me relaxing and biting my tongue

You do have a sense of humor.

 

[Roll_Bones]

RB, if you have fresh thyme, that would be good in the stock, too. Also, you can just use the parsley stems in the stock and save the leaves for another dish. Learned that in culinary school

Thanks for that advice. I always use the stems and a few leaves.
Yes, I have thyme. But its dried.

Is my idea regarding roasting everything first important enough to add that step?
Roasting everything before making the stock.
If it only going to make it marginally better, I will skip the roasting and just brown the meat in the pot before adding the water.

 

[GotGarlic]

See for yourself. All that brown stuff = great flavor. It makes a *huge* difference.

 

[GLC]

I am happy to report that, after many years of providing a solid array of meats for upwards of twenty people who come to our house, this year, there are only two coming, and I'm not going to hit a lick until Wednesday afternoon.

We will be having blue cheese lamb burgers on homemade buns. The lettuce will be arugula from the garden. I will keep queso on standby in bags in the sous vide setup and provide chips, salsa and guacamole. Desert will be an easy chiffon pie made with some cranberry/hot pepper sauce I picked up. And if they don't like it, they are more than welcome to lump it.

Next year, it'll probably be back to the grind of figuring out how to top all previous years and host enough people to start a new political party, so I'm going to enjoy this one.

 

[Aunt Bea]

This morning I made my cranberry sauce.

I was not going to bother with them because of the sugar, then a couple of weeks ago I spied a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries for 99 cents so I bought them and tossed them into the freezer. The idea of the sugar still bothered me so I bought a bag of Splenda with fiber for $5.00, bye-bye bargain!

Skinny cranberries!

1 12 ounce bag of frozen cranberries, washed and picked over.
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of Splenda with fiber.
1/8 t of baking soda
A dash of salt.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes, chill overnight in the refrigerator.

I'm curious to see if the cranberries will jell the way they do when you make them using sugar. The baking soda was added to reduce the need for additional sweetener. The regular recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar or the equivalent amount of artificial sweetener. By adding the baking soda and cutting the sweetener in half I ended up with a nice sweet/tart mixture.