# Whatcha cookin for Turkey Day?



## Korin_Mari (Nov 7, 2012)

Hi guys!

What are you guys cooking for Thanksgiving this year? Any family recipes you'll be whipping out for the holidays? 

Every year I plan out a Thanksgiving dinner for my friends who have no where to go, a thanks giving for strays, if you will. I gather my friends and we all cook together, but oddly enough, there has never been turkey at the table... and being the Asian that I am, I've never cooked turkey. I did some research on how to make turkey, but does anyone have any tips? 

There are recipes that say cook for 17 hours, then others that say 5~6 hours... Which is generally better? I'm assuming the 17 hour one.


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## ajhuff (Nov 7, 2012)

We are going out to eat. Probably a buffet. 

-AJ


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## Lucretia (Nov 7, 2012)

Pizza! Every year we have a Thanksgiving pizza. Thanksgiving was always a huge deal at my parent's house growing up--the turkey, dressing, potoes, dressing, gravy, pickled peaches, shrimp mousse--you name it, it was probably there to eat. My mom is a direct descendant of William Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrims credited with starting Thanksgiving, so she went WAAAAY over the top. People ate & drank too much and were miserable, there were always at least a couple of people mad at each other by the end of the day, and the cleanup was terrifying. Many, many years ago hubby and I started our pizza tradition. We make a pizza, enjoy a day of peace and quiet, and count our blessings.

My mom actually made a pretty decent turkey. She cooked it for a long time in a covered roasting pan, and dumped the better part of a bottle of sherry on it. You didn't get a brown skin, but the bird was moist and the gravy was great. The best part was the turkey neck. It would cook for hours covered with sherry down in the bottom of the pan.


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## RobinW (Nov 7, 2012)

We actually started our thanksgiving about a month early... However, some things that is easy in the states is not as easy in Sweden
Invited some friends that we got to know when in Philly.

Anyway,
Cooked turkey Alton Brown style. Wanted to see his perfect turkey youtube. Not open for sweden. Had to log on to the company US network to fake sitting in WI.
Roasted sweet & normal potatoes, swedes and carrots
Made gravy from sherry, brown bits and juice from turkey
Roasted brussel sprouts
Steamed string beans
Salad 
Apple sauce from the neighbours apples
And for the grand finale; homemade cranberry sauce. Now cranberry sauce may not seem like a big deal to you, but they are not available fresh in Sweden. Thus i got a friend to go to a shop and get two bags which promptly got overnighted with UPS to Sweden! :happymug:


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## EdipisReks (Nov 7, 2012)

i'm going to my sister in law's house. last year i did the big dinner, and i made an Alton Brown style turkey, mac and cheese, and bread (other people contributed other things). this year, the SIL is doing a turkey, so i'm going to roast a duck, make cranberry sauce, and make bread. there will be many other side dishes, i'm sure.


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## DwarvenChef (Nov 7, 2012)

The one thing I don't do for Thanksgiving is cook a turkey, by that time I am sick of seeing turkey. So far I only have the appetizers done LOL still battling for the main course, sides tend to take care of them selves after the main course is selected...

Living on one part time job is keeping things in the skinny side but we shall still have a nice spread


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## mainaman (Nov 7, 2012)

I am cooking Turkey, what a surprise


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## Korin_Mari (Nov 7, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> We are going out to eat. Probably a buffet.
> 
> -AJ



No one stresses out and everyone gets to relax. Sounds great to me!


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## Korin_Mari (Nov 7, 2012)

Lucretia said:


> Pizza! Every year we have a Thanksgiving pizza. Thanksgiving was always a huge deal at my parent's house growing up--the turkey, dressing, potoes, dressing, gravy, pickled peaches, shrimp mousse--you name it, it was probably there to eat. My mom is a direct descendant of William Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrims credited with starting Thanksgiving, so she went WAAAAY over the top. People ate & drank too much and were miserable, there were always at least a couple of people mad at each other by the end of the day, and the cleanup was terrifying. Many, many years ago hubby and I started our pizza tradition. We make a pizza, enjoy a day of peace and quiet, and count our blessings.
> 
> My mom actually made a pretty decent turkey. She cooked it for a long time in a covered roasting pan, and dumped the better part of a bottle of sherry on it. You didn't get a brown skin, but the bird was moist and the gravy was great. The best part was the turkey neck. It would cook for hours covered with sherry down in the bottom of the pan.



What the heck!? She's a descendant of William Bradford?! Wow thats awesome, and yes that would be a reason to go over the top on Thanksgiving... Ohhhh my god, I have nightmares about after dinner party clean ups... A peaceful and laid back Thanksgiving sounds awesome too. You forget to count your blessings when you're running around like a headless chicken in the kitchen. 

mmm... I'll try using sherry instead of white wine. Thanks for the tip!


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## Lucretia (Nov 7, 2012)

Yeah, great-something grandaddy was the leader of a bunch of crazy religious cultists who sailed across the ocean in a leaking little boat to start their own community. Today they'd probably be arrested for endangering their children and sent for psychiatric evaluation. The cool thing about it is that Julia Child was also supposed to be a decendant, so in some convoluted way I'm related to Julia!


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## ajhuff (Nov 7, 2012)

Korin_Mari said:


> No one stresses out and everyone gets to relax. Sounds great to me!



Exactly!

-AJ


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## Zwiefel (Nov 7, 2012)

we don't like turkey....so I make a huge pot roast (a braise really) every year: 6 lbs of english chuck roast, 10 lbs of red potatoes, 5 lbs of carmelized onions, 5 bulbs garlic, 2 bunches celery, about 1/2 gallon chicken stock, thyme, blonde roux, cayenne pepper....

takes about 6-7 hours to cook @280F. can cut it with a wooden spoon and serve (and a ladle for the sauce!).


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## sachem allison (Nov 8, 2012)

we should never have invited you all to dinner.lol stuck with you for 400 plus years. Go Home! The parties over! Take your crap with you, leave the women, booze and the knives! Skeedaddle!


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## GlassEye (Nov 8, 2012)

sachem allison said:


> we should never have invited you all to dinner.lol stuck with you for 400 plus years. Go Home! The parties over! Take your crap with you, leave the women, booze and the knives! Skeedaddle!



Hilarious


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## Carl (Nov 8, 2012)

Our family tradition, for the past 3 years anyway, is to have Tri Tip for Thanksgiving dinner. We make 3 for the family and we have very few leftovers. Everything else is pretty much the same as other folks'.


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## Eamon Burke (Nov 8, 2012)

No idea, but we have a bigger kitchen now and are out of the apartment, so I would really like to bust my ass and make a Thanksgiving dinner worthy of Norman Rockwell this year. If I had 15 people over and I was cooking for 2 straight days, I'd be pumped.


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## Lucretia (Nov 8, 2012)

sachem allison said:


> we should never have invited you all to dinner.lol stuck with you for 400 plus years. Go Home! The parties over! Take your crap with you, leave the women, booze and the knives! Skeedaddle!



Woman with booze and knives...do I get to stay?


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## Korin_Mari (Nov 8, 2012)

RobinW said:


> We actually started our thanksgiving about a month early... However, some things that is easy in the states is not as easy in Sweden
> Invited some friends that we got to know when in Philly.
> 
> Anyway,
> ...



Didn't know Alton Brown youtube and cranberries aren't available in Sweden... Man, such determination! Overnighting cranberries via UPS to Sweden must have been crazy. But I don't blame you, I love cranberry sauce too. Ugh, drooling at the sound of your meal. Everyone is recommending Alton Brown. I apparently really need to look into his recipes.


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## stereo.pete (Nov 8, 2012)

I am incredibly anti-turkey, so I usually do something very different. Last year I did a beautiful grilled tri-tip slice thin on garlic bread with chimichuri sauce. I have no clue what I am going to do this year, honestly I probably won't do much of anything due to my job. I will be at work at 12:00am Black Friday morning..YAY!!!!


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## mr drinky (Nov 9, 2012)

Korin_Mari said:


> No one stresses out and everyone gets to relax. Sounds great to me!



Wait, wait. Thanksgiving is only Thanksgiving with stress....

I went all out two Thanksgivings ago and it wasn't a true holiday until I got so pissed off that at the family table I raised my hand, extended my middle finger and said "F you" to some people at the table...then I tromped off with a bottle of wine. Good times.

With that said, I would love to make sausage this year, but I don't think I will get to it -- and I am not experienced in making sausage. The sausage I would like to make is duck with grand marnier soaked orange rind and veal with grappa soaked golden raisins. Some guy in NYC makes these and he refuses to ship them to MN now. 

I also make a Norwegian rice pudding called risengrøt.

k.


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## Lucretia (Nov 9, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> ...it wasn't a true holiday until I got so pissed off that at the family table I raised my hand, extended my middle finger and said "F you" to some people at the table...then I tromped off with a bottle of wine...



Yeah, that's more like what I remember! Except later after my dad, my grandad, and the family doctor (a friend of the family) got well and truly stewed, they'd invaribly do a really bad rendition of "I love you truly."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqCWWuEzFus


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## Jmadams13 (Nov 9, 2012)

I'm cooking this year. My townhouse is too small to host, so I'm using my parents farmhouse. Gonna cook for my 12 cousins, two grandparents, four aunts, three uncles, mom and dad, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, cousins three kids, and my girlfriend. 

Menus is:
22 lb turkey
Whole goose
Grilled pork chops
Regular thanksgiving fixings ie; dressing, cranberry sauce, candied sweet pots, mashers, roast corn, 
Lots of bread, haven't decided on what yet, but at least four different kind of loafs
Mussels in green and red curry
And a wired family tradition, hot dogs (for the adults as well as the kids)

And I have a mead, and a barleywine about to be keged. 

Desserts are being done my my girlfriend, I'm not sure what she's doing yet.

Oh, and I'm doing a batch of special squash and pumpkin dog treats for mine and my parents dog. I make my own treats, and always do something holiday themed for them to enjoy while being kicked around under the table while beging for scraps.


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## mr drinky (Nov 22, 2012)

So, I still haven't had my Thanksgiving meal -- that comes tomorrow evening. I went pretty traditional this Thanksgiving. As a mini-Thanksgiving this evening, though, we had duck breast, which is one of my daughter's favorites. The big meal tomorrow includes: 

* Apple and Bacon Stuffing
* Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy
* Baked sweet potatoes
* T. Keller's asparagus w/ bacon ragu
* Homemade cranberry sauce
* Turkey (deconstructed, brined, then deboned, and roasted) 
* Lefse from the grocery
* Mom's apple pie that she is bringing, and pumpkin pie from the bakery.

k.


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## apicius9 (Nov 22, 2012)

Didn't feel like going to one of the bigger meals, just made it a quiet day. Had a slice of pizza with turkey on it for lunch, does that count?  Fresh bread is cooling down, there will be some nice cheese, prosciutto, truffled pate, marinated shrimp and other things going with the bread later, maybe I'll open a bottle of nice viognier with it. 

Stefan


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## ajhuff (Nov 22, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> We are going out to eat. Probably a buffet.
> 
> -AJ



Not as good as I had hoped. I just don't like Southern Thanksgiving fare. One good thing is that I never over eat on Thanksgiving down here. The fried chicken was better than expected though.

-AJ


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