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thanksgiving day menu/dishes?

2K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  chicagoterry 
#1 · (Edited)
What's on the menu? Are you going with dishes you grew up with, trying a new dish, or dining out?

I love turkey, and the leftovers make great sandwiches - tetrazinni etc.

What are your plans and tips fôr the bird?
 
#2 ·
My friends host Friendsgiving the weekend before real thanksgiving.  I always encourage people to experiment with recipes.  I'm bringing smoked bone marrow butter and some crusty bread,  oysters, apple fennel slaw, and pumpkin hummus.

For the bird on turkey day proper, I brine, then dry in the fridge,  and smoke it at 325.
 
#6 ·
We have once again been invited to the kids and grandkids home for Thanksgiving, but with strict instructions that I am not to cook or bring anything. Although I am sure that I will once again be put in charge of carving the bird, so I will cheat and bring my chef's knife.

Small price to pay for a day off though, not to mention getting to spend a holiday with family. Before starting to work for a caterer five years ago, that never happened in the prior 35 years unless they came to the restaurant where I happened to being working at the time.

WOOT!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thinking about a spatchcocked turkey. Menu is not finalized. Heard that thebig bird is in shortage this year. Have you bought yours yet - noticed a shortage in your area?

Do you prepare your stuffing inside or outside of the big bird? I like it both ways, but picked up a tip for cooking stuffing outside of the bird, and drizzling with the Turkey cooking juices.

Thinking about hasselback sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels perhaps an appetizer of stuffed Belgian endive.

Still ruminating. Plan b is hometown buffet and putting my feet up :)

What are your "game" day plàns?
 
#9 ·
My wife requires that I stay pretty close to tradition on Thanksgiving. So I experiment with Turkey and the related dishes at other times in the year. Occasionally, those experiments are deemed worthy and brought to the Holiday meal. That's how Sweet Potato Rolls became part of the "tradition"

I like my sweet potatoes themselves more savory than sweet. No added sweetener, no marshmallows.... I've been playing with a schmaltz/stock high heat braise/roasted technique seasoned with Poultry seasoning. That's been well received. Not yet at the point I can carry it over to the Holiday.

No Green Bean Casserole. I had the multicolor carrots from Trader Joes last year and those were popular.

I don't enjoy cranberry sauce. I am required to supply a can of gelatinousness.



Appetizers kind of grew into a lunchtime graze. So many snacky bits to enjoy early on. Then the Holiday meal itself at dinner time.

Dessert is a few different pies and a cheese cake.
 
#10 ·
Thinking about a spatchcocked turkey. Menu is not finalized. Heard that thebig bird is in shortage this year. Have you bought yours yet - noticed a shortage in your area?

Do you prepare your stuffing inside or outside of the big bird? I like it both ways, but picked up a tip for cooking stuffing outside of the bird, and drizzling with the Turkey cooking juices.

Thinking about hasselback sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels perhaps an appetizer of stuffed Belgian endive.

Still ruminating. Plan b is hometown buffet and putting my feet up :)

What are your "game" day plàns?
Costco hasn't had theirs in yet which is surprising. Kroger stores said they've got their supply locked in at good prices. Norbest has turkey farms here in state and the local production shouldn't have been impacted from what I've read. Which doesn't guarantee that any of those turkeys actually show up in my grocers.
 
#11 ·
Do you prepare your stuffing inside or outside of the big bird? I like it both ways, but picked up a tip for cooking stuffing outside of the bird, and drizzling with the Turkey cooking juices.
I always do my stuffing/dressing outside of the bird. First reason is that by the time the stuffing has reached 165, in the bird, the breast is, almost always overcooked and dry. Secondly, I find stuffing, in the bird to end up being too moist for my liking. Thirdly, my favorite part of dressing is the crispy bits stuck to the sides of the pan.
 
#12 ·
I always do my stuffing/dressing outside of the bird. First reason is that by the time the stuffing has reached 165, in the bird, the breast is, almost always overcooked and dry. Secondly, I find stuffing, in the bird to end up being too moist for my liking. Thirdly, my favorite part of dressing is the crispy bits stuck to the sides of the pan.
I too prefer the stuffing outside of the bird, for the crispy bits you mentioned. I have tried so many variations over the years from sausage and ritz crackers to oyster and a combo of apples walnuts etc. I'm a stuffing/dressing junkie :)
 
#14 ·
@Cerise just the other day I was at Sprouts, a grocery-chain store here in the western states, and they started taking fresh Turkey orders. I like their birds because I can get organic; they hadn't mentioned anything about a shortage of birds.

@phatch I too prefer my Sweet Potatoes savory, unless their in a pie /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

@Pete Prior to being handing the reins for the Holiday Meals, I too did not care for stuffing, dressing, filling, whatever you call it... WAY too mooshy, and then putting gravy on it ... ACK!
I now make the stuffing in a casserole dish using this recipe and add dried Cranberries as well as cooked Hawaiian Portuguese Sausage. I little sister joined us last year for the first time and deemed this dish her new "...traditional stuffing, and can I have the recipe?" HA!
 
#15 · (Edited)
Costco hasn't had theirs in yet which is surprising. Kroger stores said they've got their supply locked in at good prices. Norbest has turkey farms here in state and the local production shouldn't have been impacted from what I've read. Which doesn't guarantee that any of those turkeys actually show up in my grocers.
I ventured into target on veterans day for some household incidèntals. Haven't been there in years. (Wow. It's a big two story-store with escalators etc.). I rolled over to the food aisle, and saw a pile of huge frozen turkeys. Didn't, check the price but did not see anyone buying.

I almost always buy a turkey breast for leftovers, for sandwiches and such. Haven't checked the price or availability yet, but the price has increased for a small 3 lb (advertised as 4 lb on line) has jumped every year, and difficult to find at the major chains here.

Let's see how the "turkey shortage due to bird flu" plays out price wise/availability.
 
#16 · (Edited)
We're staying home and cooking just for the 3 of us this year so I think I'll get a couple of turkey breasts. If I had to cook a whole bird I would definitely do it spatchcock. I will be slathering them with herbed dijon butter which will include rosemary, sage and thyme. We like our gravy thickish, no jus and my personal favorite is mushroom gravy.

Stuffing is italian inspired with sourdough bread, italian sausage, fennel and various bell peppers. Although I'm really considering experimenting with cornbread stuffing this year, never had it. Of course I will be cooking it separately, don't get me started on all that 'inside-the-bird' nonsense!

We do 2 kinds of potato, sweet and regular. I prefer my sweet potatoes savoury like everyone else and I like them rather spicy, I like the idea of hasselbacks but my family usually demands them mashed. The regular potatoes I have room to play with

It's not thanksgiving without my corn pudding with manchego, cheddar, ham and poblano. It's a staple.

Brussel sprouts are our preferred green but this year I'll be doing a collection of roasted veg including carrots, sprouts, cauliflower and onions.

Salad of some sort, fennel is our usual but I'm thinking radicchio for a nice burst of bitterness to combat all the sweetness.

@phatch I never really liked cranberry sauce either until I met the recipe I use now, it's a mulled cranberry sauce and it's spicy and goes perfectly with turkey.

I'm making an apple pie for dessert - I intend to make a creme anglais to go with it but I could be over reaching with my time. I'm buying a pumpkin pie and serving that with fresh mascarpone whipped cream which will also top the apple pie as well as be eaten in secret by me in a dark closet somewhere when I hit a wall in the midst of all this cooking lol.
 
#17 · (Edited)
My wife requires that I stay pretty close to tradition on Thanksgiving. So I experiment with Turkey and the related dishes at other times in the year. Occasionally, those experiments are deemed worthy and brought to the Holiday meal. That's how Sweet Potato Rolls became part of the "tradition"

I like my sweet potatoes themselves more savory than sweet. No added sweetener, no marshmallows.... I've been playing with a schmaltz/stock high heat braise/roasted technique seasoned with Poultry seasoning. That's been well received. Not yet at the point I can carry it over to the Holiday.

No Green Bean Casserole. I had the multicolor carrots from Trader Joes last year and those were popular.

I don't enjoy cranberry sauce. I am required to supply a can of gelatinousness.

Lol. I like cranberry sauce. Even the jiggly stuff. I could eat a slice on a plate while watching the twilight zone fest.
 
#20 ·
I'll be going to a potluck dinner. My contribution will be roasted sweet potatoes with a coffee/maple/bourbon sauce. They were such a hit last year that I think they are now my forever contribution to Thanksgiving dinners. I will be making extra sauce. Last year people also drizzled it on the pumpkin pie.It's a nice combination of sweet and salty. Oh, yes, and slightly boozy.
 
#21 ·
I'll be going to a potluck dinner. My contribution will be roasted sweet potatoes with a coffee/maple/bourbon sauce. They were such a hit last year that I think they are now my forever contribution to Thanksgiving dinners. I will be making extra sauce. Last year people also drizzled it on the pumpkin pie.It's a nice combination of sweet and salty. Oh, yes, and slightly boozy.
Terry, that sounds absolutely amazing!

Would you be willing to share the recipe?
 
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