Thanksgiving Menu - How Did it Come Out?

DebWAZ wrote

on Nov 20, 2009 1:03 PM

IF I cook, our menu is similar to Courtney and Cat's. The only way you can get anyone in our family to budge on the menu is to bring in a new in-law who has something from THEIR traditions. We're stuck in a BIG rut in our family.

The longer this thread goes on, the more I'm thinking about doing a small turkey (Mike wants ham) and the fixings. SEE - you people are a BAD INFLUENCE ON ME!!!!!

Deb

Cat_P wrote

on Nov 20, 2009 2:32 PM

CourtneyB:

It allows for multiple servings along with LEFTOVERS! 

Same here, there's usually just enough leftovers for us and a few others may take some home.

CourtneyB:

Cat,

I hope you have space for all those kids to run around!

cb

Not really. Our house is only about 1700 sq ft so it's tight. Three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second level and large eat in kitchen, living room and office on the first floor. We do have basement space not accounted for in the 1700 sq ft because it's not finished. They just run all over the place really.

Oh yeah- and trash the kids' rooms! It's crazy but that's how it is. I'm usually exhausted afterwards.

LitaC:

25 lbs?  How do you get it into a pot?  And how big is your oven? 

(I have visions of a medieval hearth and this huge bird on a spit turned by a team of dogs).

LMAO!! It fits in my oven just fine but I do have two ovens so I can cook other stuff at the same time.

I use this

and it specifically notes in the advertisement that it will hold up to a 25 pound turkey and it does quite well even with the aromatics under the rack. This was the exact reason I registered for this for our wedding. Hey it benefits them all!

Sherri S. wrote

on Nov 20, 2009 2:36 PM

Everyone's menus sound wonderful! 

I'm 49 years old and only began cooking my own holiday meals about 5 years ago, so you guys are WAY ahead of me when it comes to holiday cooking!  I've discovered that I absolutely love cooking the good ol' traditional turkey dinner with all the fixin's!  Its a lot easier than it looks, especially when you cook a Honesuckle White which comes with it's own thermometer and I cook it in one of those baking bags.  You don't have to baste it and if you're careful enough, you can remove the turkey from the pan, drippings and all, without having to clean the pan!

I've never had luck making my own gravy.  Everyone gives me pointers but I always end up with lumps.  So I cheat and use the packaged variety, and just add some of the pan drippings for flavor.

With that said, I will make the traditional holiday dinner as follows - not nearly as impressive as all of yours!

17 lb turkey with in-the-bird stuffing

Mashed potatoes - my late Mom's recipe

Baked yams

Steamed asparagus

Green salad

Beer and wine

Ours won't be the crowd that everyone else here will have.  It will be hubby and myself and our 70-year-old neighbor across the street, whose wife is getting chemotherapy for lymphoma in Texas, so no sense making a big production out of it.

I miss the days when Thanksgiving was a big to-do with my immediate family.  That was when my parents and brother were still alive.  They were wonderful, cheery times.  But we will be having another Thanksgiving gathering on Black Friday, at my brother-in-law's house 50 miles away, with DH's 5 siblings and their families - a big dinner all over again that will be potluck style.  I'm glad that I have DH's family to fill in the void I feel not having my own immediate family to celebrate with.  They are always wonderful times.

AFTER THANKSGIVING - Do any of you folks who cook turkey ever make soup from the carcass?  OH MY GOSH!  It's a lot of work (to me) but it makes extremely flavorful soup, especially if you throw in the neck and a bay leaf for seasoning.  I boil the carcass until it falls apart, remove the carcass and strain the broth to get all the yuckies out of it.  Pick off any turkey pieces left on the carcass and throw it in, add more turkey meat if you'd like.  Season the broth to taste.  Add any vegetables you want - I put in carrots, celery, and onion and cook for at least 2 hours.  Add a cup of rice in the last 30 or so minutes, it turns out yummy! 

TIP:  Don't add more water after you finish cooking the carcass, or the broth will taste watered down.

LoisB@23 wrote

on Nov 20, 2009 3:11 PM

 Sherri-- YES! Well, not with the turkey, but about mid January, I pull the ham bone out of the freezer and make ham-n-bean soup. SO much better WITH the bone!

Lois

JSmaz wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 12:59 AM

We'll miss having the big family Thanksgiving this year.  The past 2 years we've gone home and my family has come down from Colorado to Oklahoma so they could see kidlet.  This year we just don't have the money for it.  Hubby's family has a big to-do and everyone pitches in cooking things.  Definitely lots of fun.

We've done turkey soup with leftovers before-yummy!

Cathy wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 8:21 AM

 We spend Thanksgiving with MIL and BIL and his family.  Sherri - DH and I are the oldest, almost 46, and still considered 'kids' so we haven't done a Thanksgiving dinner yet.  DH and BIL still want the traditional things their mom makes so we'll have :  turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, MIL's yams, corn pudding, and peas.  I'll bring fruit salad that my oldest loves, green beans my youngest loves and rolls.  SIL is making a pecan pie and MIL is making homemade banana pudding.

We make turkey and sausage gumbo, sometimes, with the carcass.  What I miss, though, is when I'd have Thanksgiving with my grandmother and we'd eat leftover turkey Thanksgiving night.  Then on Friday my mom and my aunts would take all the turkey off the carcass and cut it up small while my grandmother made a thin barbeque sauce and we'd spend the rest of the weekend eating BBQ turkey sandwiches.  Sounds strange but it was so good!!!  I also miss her homemade mac and cheese.  We had that EVERY holiday.  I'm supposed to be eating low-carb but I may make a 1/2 recipe.

Courtney - we have a radio station that plays Christmas music all the time during the holidays.  They used to start he day after Thanksgiving.  This year they started last weekend.  Every radio in my house is set to that station now.  I LOVE Christmas carols.  Good idea about buying our own turkey for the leftovers!!!  I may do that this year and get my grandmother's recipe for BBQ sauce from my sister.

Cathy

Cathy wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 8:33 AM

 Forgot the cornbread stuffing!

Cathy wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 8:36 AM

 Sorry for the blank post.  I was going back and forth between 2 windows and thought I hadn't posted my last one and hit 'post' again  -  hence the blank one.

cbreul wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 1:57 PM

Sherri,

Absolutely! Turkey soup! Have to do it. It is alot of work (maybe more time consuming) but a must.  We also do turkey sandwiches and turkey pot pie. The past few years I have been very good about using ALL the turkey. Love that.

Cathy,

Thank goodness for those radio stations - ours started yesterday! I am so in the spirit that I have started decorating the house (inside only), don't yell at me - my kids are doing that already.

Lois,

I would love the ham soup recipe.  When my SIL and her family come for Christmas, she always gets us a Honey Baked Ham!!!!!  mmmmmmm. 

Jeni,

I am going to try the pumpkin risotto this weekend, thanks a ton!

I think that I have covered all my bases! 

cb

DebWAZ wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 3:20 PM

Cathy and Courtney,

Our radio station started Christmas music this weekend, too. I'll have it on in the store when DH Mike isn't listening to his internet radio (he's playing classic country from Heartland Public Radio). 2 stations at once tends to get a little nervewracking!

We've decided to just do nothing on Thanksgiving. We'll stay home, sleep late, watch TV  - maybe some old movies on DVD. I'll make a meatloaf, salad, broccoli or brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes with cinnamon and maybe banana split ice cream for dessert.

Mike loves meatloaf and I don't usually get much chance to make one except on our days off. As usual, Mike's mom will think we're crazy for having meatloaf.

Deb

Evalie wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 3:20 PM

 All the talk about turkey soup after Thanksgiving....I grew up having "Turkey Lurkey Pie" the thursday after. Take enough leftover turkey to fill a large baking dish about half full. Add leftover stuffing, sauteed celery,mushrooms and onions, a little Bell's seasoning, and gravy to coat it all really well. Top with homemade biscuits covering the top and bake until brown.  This was ALWAYS served exactly a week after the holiday, and everyone looked forward to the "end of the bird". Haven't made it in a couple of years since we've been eating at others' houses and didn't have the leftovers. But talking about the boiling of the carcass it reminded me. We would do that to get the 'last of the turkey' to make the pie.

                                                                     Evalie 

cbreul wrote

on Nov 21, 2009 6:58 PM

Evalie - yum!

Cathy - go with what works for you both! I do love meatloaf, especially with gravy and mashed potatoes! (see, mashed potatoes, that's a Thanksgiving food.)

cb

Gyspy Mary wrote

on Nov 22, 2009 12:12 AM

 I am hungry just reading about all these delicious menu's. I am Blessed with my Oldest Sister and Her DH forThanksgiving.(before they head west)

 (our place in NM has two RV hookups) Sis, is an Awesome cook.

She is making pecan pie, (also a Yam pie) A Banana Pudding Whip cream.

We'll cook the Turkey and sis will make the dressing and gravey. She' make biscuits or corn bread or both. We'll throw in a toss salad and a relish tray. , and some veggies. Of course, Mac and cheese baked to a toasty brown crust on top. Mashed pototoes and Cranberrys a must.

We'll freeze some of the turkey for next week. As we head back to St.David, the day after Thanksgiving.(for two weeks)(VA appointment on 11/28)

It is fun to read all the menus and traditions.

"Happy Thanksgiving Everyone"!

Cat_P wrote

on Nov 22, 2009 12:22 AM

Gyspy Mary:

 I am hungry just reading about all these delicious menu's.

Me too!

I'm excited for Thanksgiving. I certainly need the break I'll get for a few days from work and all that's going on with that. I love the preparing and cooking, and the hustle and bustle that settles in shortly there after. I just love this time of year.