what's cookin' for Thanksgiving

[Snapdragon]

Just pulled mine out of the oven. Was going to make one for six people but my wife twisted my arm for a second. Guess we’ll be having pie for breakfast this week.

My recipe makes two pies, but after I mix it up, I only bake one pie and save the rest of the mix in the fridge for a couple of days until the first pie is almost gone.

 

[Snapdragon]

Dressing is made and is surrounding the turkey in the roaster pan. Fridge tonight and in the oven early, low and slow.

 

[MontereyC6 Junior]

A good bourbon.

As nice as that sounds I’m only 18...

 

[printcraft]

Just pulled mine out of the oven. Was going to make one for six people but my wife twisted my arm for a second. Guess we’ll be having pie for breakfast this week.

"Somebody" already got into 1... my wife swears it was the cat, but is seems to have been sliced cleanly... weird.

 

[Libertarian01]

I just finished peeling 2# of garlic. My fingers burned.

The peanut butter cookies are baking. I am working on the apple butter spice cake. The ingredients are prepped for the bean & bacon soup, except that I have to cook the bacon.

I'll try to prepare the mac & cheese soon, when all else is done.

I think I'll take a nap then resume around 5AM. Naps are good. They help. Cocaine is good too. It can help work straight through. Decisions, decisions...

Doug

 

[printcraft]

I just finished peeling 2# of garlic. My fingers burned.

The peanut butter cookies are baking. I am working on the apple butter spice cake. The ingredients are prepped for the bean & bacon soup, except that I have to cook the bacon.

I'll try to prepare the mac & cheese soon, when all else is done.

I think I'll take a nap then resume around 5AM. Naps are good. They help. Cocaine is good too. It can help work straight through. Decisions, decisions...

Doug

Sprinkle the cocaine on the peanut butter cookies...

 

[mike4sigs]

More prime rib and king crab legs!

I like that kind of Thinking

 

[Libertarian01]

All desserts are done. The 2# of garlic has been peeled. My fingers burned. The dough for the black bread is resting in fridge. All ingredients for the soup are done, save the darn bacon. That won't take long.

I need to let the cheese come to room temp so I'll do the salmon mousse when I get up.

I have a lot to do but a lot has been done.

Regards,

Doug

 

[Thor]

FYSA Sugar Cream Pie is the official state pie of Indiana.

We did not make one this year though; went with pecan, pumpkin, cherry and apple.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Had the usually big (not so much this year) family thanksgiving last weekend, smoked a turkey and made about 10 lbs of mashed potatoes and about a qt. and a half of gravy. The rest of the family made the rest.

Today it's going to be my wife, daughter, possibly son and myself. Doing a turkey breast, sirloin tip steaks, stuffing, mashed potatoes/gravy, sweet potatoes, have a pumpkin pie already made and probably doing a pecan in a bit, asparagus, and making some lemon cheese with some crackers. I think that's about it.

Just got the call that the "Framily" was exposed to the Rona and has to quarantine so it's gonna be an unconventional holiday for us. Right now planning for 2-4ish people so making the usual: Pecan Pie, Blackberry Cheesecake, Pumpkin Bread, Oatmeal Cherry Cookies (because I don't do raisins - blah), Turkey, Grandma's Green Bean Casserole (gotta pay homage), Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Stuffing, and still trying to decide if I'm doing OkieCorn (Crockpot slow all day - family sized bag of frozen corn, can of Rotel, 1/2 stick of butter, and some cream cheese, oohhh it's heaven).

That OkieCorn sounds tasty, I don't think I'll get a chance to make it today but will in the future.

My wife loves oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries I also sometimes put white chocolate chips in them.

I know it's blasphemous, but I actually like the Idahoan Roasted Garlic instant mashed potatoes. Super quick and easy and they have really good flavor. Boil water, dump in the pouch, stir, done.

I like the Idahoan myself, they are the best instant I've had.

I do the instant potatoes also, but I always sub out some of the water for milk and butter.

Ditto.

You are a correct...and as an employer, all I really care about is my workplace. We have made no pronouncements (Thanksgiving or otherwise) about behavior outside of our office and I do not foresee that happening.

They can't force you, but they can fire you I believe. My brother in law was a supervisor for a company, one of the rules was he was not allowed to buy/give alcohol to any employee except other supervisors. He'd go to the bar occasionally with his buddies from work and joke that he couldn't buy a round but they were free too. It even applied at his house. I know another company that tests for nicotine, they will fire you if you test positive.

 

[gregkl]

"Somebody" already got into 1... my wife swears it was the cat, but is seems to have been sliced cleanly... weird.

Cats do have sharp claws you know.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Only one bird this year, on the grill. Usually do a second in the oven to make the dressing taste better but things are much smaller this year. It is coming along nicely.

 

[jwamplerusa]

So much for smoked turkey. Son had a little to much fun with friends last night.

SWMBO'd decided it was just going in the oven...

On the plus side, bourbon sweet potatoes!

 

[Libertarian01]

I just had to make two (2) phone calls and admit defeat. I have raised the white flag and rescheduled for tomorrow. I told everyone I bit off more than I could chew. I have barely slept and my stress level is through the roof. I spent 30 minutes looking for stupid butchers twine that I have to have for the pork. I don't know what a nervous breakdown is but I think I was nearing the brink. Not there but I could feel my blood pressure rising.

I don't know if you folks get that way but sometimes there is one otherwise insignificant thing you want or need that you just cannot find, and you know you have it, and where it should be, but it isn't. And of course everything is closed today so you probably can't run out and just get it. At least that was it for me.

So we are on for tomorrow at 1330 when hopefully I will have everything prepared, lovely, and enjoyable. That is, after all, the goal.

As I have surrendered to no big meal today I will sleep - for real - and resume preparations well rested and reinvigorated.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and that all of your family, friends, and four legged loved ones enjoy the festivities.

Regards,

Doug

 

[singlesix]

Little things can get to you, sometimes you just have to let it go. I'm trying to let go of why people are late when all they have to do is show up to eat?

 

[gregkl]

I have been both amazed and impressed at the meals some of you are putting on. I did the full, standard dinner one year for 9 of us. No one pitched in to help at all. I was in the kitchen for 14 hours that day and I did prep work the day before.

I said never again after that. In the future, I will ask people to take responsibility to do something; bring a dish, wash a dish, pour the wine, whatever. But no more solo runs for this guy.

And all I made was green beans wrapped in prosciutto, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry compote, sour cream apple pie, pumpkin pie, whipped cream,stuffing and the turkey. Maybe some rolls. It's a memory I'm trying to forget.

Doug, glad to hear you threw up the white flag. You will have a much better Thanksgiving tomorrow. And the meal will still be great.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had some leftovers from our Thanksgiving in MI last weekend so we kinda had the meal today.

We will do the meal with my daughter next weekend so that is something to look forward to.

My wife and I are putting up the Christmas decorations today and tomorrow. First time since we moved into this house 5 Christmases ago. I'm even going to put up lights outside tomorrow if the weather is decent.

 

[Rookie]

A few years ago, I told all my kids that I hoped they enjoyed their last holiday meal. When they asked why, I told them it was the last time I would buy everything, cook everything, and then clean up after they left. They got the hint.

 

[NKBJ]

Planning on the left overs like turkey mole enchiladas.
What could be more American that turkey, chocolate, corn tortillas and chili peppers?

 

[KittySlayer]

My sons first year hosting. I was in charge of cooking and bringing Turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. We were sitting at the table and my son said this was the first time he hasn’t heard me swear in the last half hour before serving food. Of course my wife volunteered the swearing occurred before we left our house to drive to his. Allowing others to help certainly lowers the stress.

Good call on deferring so you and your family can enjoy. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got to know his limitations”. Sounded like you had a lot on the “table” so to speak. Nothing wrong with being realistic. Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the weekend, there is plenty of time for food.

I don't know if you folks get that way but sometimes there is one otherwise insignificant thing you want or need that you just cannot find, and you know you have it, and where it should be, but it isn't.

Couldn’t find the half teaspoon of vanilla for the whip cream. No one but me would have known it was missing. Finally found it after emptying an entire cabinet.

The worst is when you are holding what you are looking for in your left hand while you Frantically search for it with your right hand.

 

[Sigblaster]

This year was weird.

First off, after years of turkey, several years ago sitting around the Thanksgiving table, my wife and my kids and I finally came to the consensus that none of really like turkey, and we had been eating it purely out of tradition. What a relief. While my wife makes a fantastic turkey, juicy and as delicious as turkey can be, it's still just f'ing turkey. I took this really nice turkey pan and rack to goodwill after that, because we decided not to do turkey again.

We switched to standing rib roast, or ham, usually with king crab or lobster tails, and all the usual side dishes, "and there was much rejoicing".

This year was a bit different. My wife, who has been through a lot in the last couple years, wanted a turkey for for nostalgic reasons. She just wanted the smell of the turkey in the house, and some turkey on the plate, so I obliged. One kid who lives in another state and rarely comes for holiday meals wasn't going to be here, one kid had to work today, and one kid just squirted out a baby and isn't up for going out yet. It was just going to be me, my wife, and my youngest who still lives with us.

We had crab legs a week or so ago, and I cooked a ham a few days ago, so neither would spoil the smell of turkey in the house. We still got the non-traditional Thanksgiviving meals, just not on Thanksgiving day. It worked out really well.

I tried to find the smallest turkey I could, but it was 18.67 pounds. To be honest, the three of us here ate maybe a half pound of meat, gave about half pound of meat to the dog, and saved about a pound of meat for leftovers. The rest went into the trash. We've got more leftover ham than we have leftover turkey.

Still, it was a good day, full of love and laughter and that frantic last half hour of cooking when you're trying to get everything ready to serve at the same time. A really good day.