United States Thanksgiving

[Katie H]

Even though it'll only be Buck and me, we'll still have a feast:

Roast turkey with stuffing and tons of gravy
Cornbread dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes in some form (I always do something different every year.)
Buttered green peas
Cranberries (Again, like the sweet potatoes, done differently every year.)
"Green" salad, a family tradition (A gelatin salad with pineapple, nuts, cream
cheese, etc.)
Relish tray of green & ripe olives, carrot and celery sticks
Homemade "special" potato yeast rolls and butter
White wine
Pumpkin chiffon pie with whipped cream for dessert

Isn't that enough? Especially for two.

 

[Bilby]

Even though it'll only be Buck and me, we'll still have a feast:

Roast turkey with stuffing and tons of gravy
Cornbread dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes in some form (I always do something different every year.)
Buttered green peas
Cranberries (Again, like the sweet potatoes, done differently every year.)
"Green" salad, a family tradition (A gelatin salad with pineapple, nuts, cream
cheese, etc.)
Relish tray of green & ripe olives, carrot and celery sticks
Homemade "special" potato yeast rolls and butter
White wine
Pumpkin chiffon pie with whipped cream for dessert

Isn't that enough? Especially for two.

Well you probably won't need to eat again for a week!! LOL But you gotta have choice. It's just a meal otherwise!

 

[Gossie]

I serve my Brussel sprouts slightly differently. I saute some diced onion and bacon in a pan with garlic and oil, then add quartered par-cooked Brussel sprouts to the pan with a very good slurp of Worcestershire sauce and saute until the sprouts are cooked thru. Normally when they have a bit of colour and are beginning to break up a bit. Meal on its own just about and great for those who don't like sprouts. The other flavours take that cabbage aspect away from them a bit, but not entirely.

Not necessarily for this thread, but now that you mentioned the brussel sprouts angle. I've been thinking of saute'ing brussel sprouts and garlic in a fry pan, while the rest of the New England Boiled Dinner in a pot next to it. (making myself hungry) .. This DC forum always makes me hungry. hehe

 

[Bilby]

Yeah, I tend to get over-absorbed and forget to cook anything at all! I have had more sandwiches since joining DC than I did in the whole year prior!

 

[Tiggzie]

Thanksgiving. Ahhh...Thanksgiving. I love the holidays. I love to cook. Mmm Thanksgiving...give me a moment...Okay, I'm alright now. The massive menu (everything from scratch):

Antipasto platter (salami and cheeses served next to rosemary infused olive oil and fresh bread for dipping)
Triples (sandwiches made with an avocado and and hard boiled egg filling)

Roasted Turkey seasoned with herb butter
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Three Cheese Lasagna
Picadillo (what we actually stuff the turkey with)
Bread stuffing made with dried cranberries and turkey sausage
Turkey Gravy (I roast turkey necks with vegetables and use that to make stock the day before; this way I get enough gravy)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean and Almond Salad
Cranberry sauce
Biscuits
Arroz con Gandules

New York Style Cheesecake
Caramel Flan
Apple Pie

Coquito (tropical eggnog)
Wine
Soda/juices for the kids and drivers

I'm beaming from ear to ear. I have 10 people coming over (plus the six in my household) and something about cooking for a huge family makes me happy. To be honest, I don't wait until Thanksgiving. I officially start cooking on Tuesday. I can't wait!!

 

[David Cottrell]

A friend sent this.

Sent to me by a friend, I'm not sure if it goes here but this is worth checking out.
http://www.sgtstrader.org/msg/2006tdm1.html

 

[jkath]

Here's mine:

How I make Turkey in an 18 qt. roaster:

Inside the cavity of the bird, put 1-2 large navel oranges, each quartered. Leave the skins on, since that has the orange oil in it. Between the skin and the meat, add a mixture of 3 Tbsp.rubbed or dalmation sage, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1/4 tsp. salt. Then, mix up in a seperate bowl: juice of 1 orange & 2 c. hot water mixed with 2-3 chicken bouillion cubes. Pour a bit of the liquid into the roaster, set the turkey in and then pour the remaining liquid on top. Rub some butter on top of the turkey skin. Cook as long as possible, and now and then ladle out some of the liquid and baste the bird with it.

I this cooks for a very long time, you'll notice that when you take the bird out, the bones will literally slip right out of the meat, and it will be unbelievably moist.

My own Cranberry sauce:

1 pkg fresh cranberries
1 c. sugar
rind of 1 large navel orange, in shreds
½ c. fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp Southern Comfort
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. FRESH grated nutmeg

Cook all ingredients together over medium high heat in a saucepan for about 6-7 minutes, making sure to stir very often. Once the cranberries have popped, turn the heat down just a mark or two and keep stirring another 5 minutes. Take the pan off of the heat and use a potato masher to get a nice even consistency. Cool about 20 min and put into the fridge.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes in Orange Shells
(based on a recipe I got here a few years back)

***the filled orange cups can be made ahead, covered,
and refrigerated for up to 6 hours

5 navel oranges, halved hemispherically
3 lbs sweet potatoes, pared and cut into large chunks
1 cup white granulated sugar
5 ounces butter (plus another ounce for topping)
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 ounces peeled fresh gingerroot, minced
2 ounces peeled fresh gingerroot, grated (optional)

Using grapefruit knife, remove flesh from oranges over a sieve place above a bowl; reserve the juice. Squeeze remaining juice from fruit into the bowl. Measure out ½ cup orange juice; reserve remaining juice for another use.

Cook sweet potatoes in large, covered saucepan of boiling water for 20-30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with the point of knife. Drain. Return sweet potatoes to saucepan. Heat over medium heat & shake pan about 1 min. Mash the potatoes. Add orange juice, sugar, 5 oz. butter, minced gingerroot and seasonings; beat until combined.

Mound sweet potato mixture into empty orange shells; sprinkle the tops evenly with grated ginger; dot with remaining ounce of butter.
Bake the cups at 350 degrees until heated through, about 25 min. (or longer if they were first refrigerated)


Creamy Dilled Carrots
(my sister won't show up if I don't make these!)

4 c. thinly sliced carrots
3/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. butter (no margarine!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. flour (wondra works really good)
1/2 c. light cream
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced

In a saucepan, combine carrots, water, butter, salt, sugar & pepper. Cover & simmer until carrots are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain liquid into a small saucepan; set the carrots aside & keep warm. Bring liquid to a boil. In a small bowl, combine flour & cream until smooth; slowly add to liquid, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over the carrots; stir in dill. Cover & let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8

Here's what my husband's making (he made one last week and did a great job for his first time baking)
Taste of Home -- Upside-Down Cranberry Crunch


Fruit & cheese plate

Stuffing

Veggie appetizer plate

Rolls

Green beans

Wine & sparkling apple juice

Mom's pumpkin pie

 

[PA Baker]

Everyone's menus sound wonderful! I can't be too adventerous, either, due to some very traditional family members, but I'm still pleased with this year's menu!

Roast organic turkey with a compound butterof dried herbs from our garden rubbed under the skin. We finally broke down and bought a roasting pan with a rack so this will be the first year I'm not cooking the turkey on a bed of root veggies.

Traditional stuffing--all different kinds of bread (my mom begins saving a few months in advance and freezes it!) with a bit of broth, onion, celery, and just a dash of poultry seasoning.

Roasted sweet potato wedges with a brown sugar cinnamon glaze (I'm still looking for the recipe--I know I have it somewhere!)

Homemade cranberries with fresh ginger and orange zest

Mashed yukon gold potatoes made with lots of buttermilk and butter

Homemade wheat rolls with an herb-infused olive oil brushed on top. We usually don't do rolls since there are so many other starches, but I needed something that Sofie could help me make.

Peas (oh, how I want to do the rosemary pea recipe that Elf raved about, but the pea purists in my family would revolt!)

Homemade applesauce

For dessert: homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream and rather than a standard pumpkin pie this year, I'm making a pumpkin ice cream pie. Homemade pumpkin ice cream in a gingersnap-pecan crust. I'll serve it with a drizzle of caramel sauce and sugared pecans.

 

[jkath]

Oh PA, that pumpkin ice cream pie sounds like perfection!!

and lol to the "pea-purists"

 

[CharlieD]

Thia year i am just not in the mood to do a big diner. We have invited one family and i do not want anybody else to come. Will make something very simple. Still need to come up with an appetizer. Otherwise it's mashed potato
turkey
gravy
sweet potato pie
desert is my wife's thing.

 

[wysiwyg]

I guess this is too late, but here it is our Thanksgiving menu:
Notice this was a men only affair as we all are foreigners living in Michigan w/o families.

A French friend roasted a turkey w/apples, cranberries, mushrooms, red wine and shallots
He also prepared mashed potatoes with bits of bacon
I cooked a 7 Lbs glazed ham with maple-orange glaze
I also did a roasted pears salad with lettuce, radicchio, gorgonzola and walnuts
I took care of the dessert tray with Tiramisu and Passion Fruit mousse
One of our Mexican friends brought the wine and a nice tequila reposado as after meal drink and our other friend brought Belgian beer.
One of the best Thanksgivings I ever had.

 

[Claire]

I know I'm very late, but I want to chime in. My husband insists on Thanksgiving at home. This works for me, we have an extended group of friends, and at various times in life have been near my family. I buy the largest turkey my roaster will accomodate (about 20 lbs), then invite my friends for the meal. I tell them what I will be making, and if there is something else they like, they're welcome to bring it. I make a sage-based stuffing, a great gravy (if I do say so myself), a cucumber and shrimp salad (serve it as a first course to give myself time in the kitchen to make the gravy). After that, everyone else is in charge. It works very, very well. I've lived in the south, where cornbread dressing is in order. I just tell people if they want it, make it and bring it. Ditto deserts and other dishes. If you have a family traditional dish, please bring it to the table. WE never lack for food.

 

[suziquzie]

Thank you very much Claire for pulling this thread up! I found Corazon's Chocolate Kahlua Mousse Pie, and I don't think I would have seen this otherwise. It sounds GREAT!
It's amazing what you can find when you bring up an older thread. Nothing here is irrelevant!

 

[Baketech]

We usually have the standard TG fare around here...

Brined turkey
Dressing w/ sausage
Roasted veg, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Green beans
Mashed potato
Sweet potato Gratin (savory)
Cornmeal Rolls
Lots of pan gravy...

*Have a pic in the gallery, but can't post the URL because I'm a noob...