YA READY FOR YOUR TURKEY DINNER?

the “now how do i keep this thing warm” of cooking

We never travel for Thanksgiving, since it's always been a pain, and instead usually impose on local friends to feed us. This year my mom flew out, though, so we're hosting, just us five, which is weirdly hard to cook for (especially with one vegetarian kid, and one picky kid, back from school, and a wife that doesn't like the festival of beige food that much to begin with). My solution was to order from our local gourmet sausage stand turned catering business, which does an incredible Thanksgiving feast. My wife was worried we'd have too much food, but I promised to eat all the leftovers. And then ... karma! Our good friends were set to go to San Diego for Thanksgiving when their teenage son tested positive for covid, so two of them had to stay behind, and the mom called a couple of days ago asking if we can spare some of our feast, since they literally had nothing prepared, let alone provisions purchased, and it's just the two of them. If ever there were a holiday designed to share food with others, it's this one, and it put all my over-ordering to good use! That and a third pie, an apple cranberry, that was gifted to us at the last minute from another friend. It's a true day of paying it forward.

man, three kids for thanksgiving is a different way to experience the holiday. two meltdowns, two of the kids won't eat anything but pie, one won't put down his ipad.

The Brazilian cheese bread did not work out as hoped for.

man i am so bad at carving turkey lol. night was otherwise fabulous and full of insane amounts of food (each of our guests brought 2 or 3 dishes). one friend brought a karaoke microphone with her so that was our post-dinner entertainment

I made way too much food for just the two of us but it was really good -- afterwards we busted out the bottle of Laphraoig quarter-cask and put on some Sinatra/Basie at the Sands and a lovely time was had by us

Cornbread dressing is ready to bake. Now to figure out what to do with this (bone-in) turkey breast. I wonder if Instant Potting it would give it a rubbery texture.

I've volunteered to bring cider and bread and this was accepted. (To my gathering, not to WmC's.)

You used to be able to kick a can in the street down to the store where you could find a small whole smoked turkey breast, unsliced. Now it's all presliced and you have to go to the deli counter in back and convince someone you really do want a hunk of one of those big'uns, unsliced.

Probably going to do Thanksgiving vegetarian calzones

This is the first year where I've been aware that making dressing is actually like a multi-day affair, up to even a week

I was at the store yesterday gathering my own supplies and overheard two old ladies comparing notes on when they were going to make cornbread for their dressings and whether they used biscuits or "light bread."

When I make stuffing it takes hours and all the ingredients are mixed in a three gallon bucket.

mr veg is currently in the process brining a turkey breast, then to be smoked on the barbecue :D

tomorrow i’ll make a sugar-free cheesecake

day-of i will make brussel sprouts, green beans & cauliflower sides

and that’s it! just the two of us this year

I am in charge of the Szechuan green beans, and have been ever since I swapped for those instead of green bean casserole three or four years ago

i’m making mary berry’s chestnut stuffing which is v easy apart from shelling the fucking chestnuts ffs

I've also grown into the habit of having a whole Greenberg smoked turkey delivered each year to the house that is specifically used to just make a lot of soup and stock and chili on my end to put into the freezer for down the road in winter. (But I'll make a bunch of stock from the actual dinner turkey too, just over at that house for folks there.)

I enjoy, perennially, that this thread exists.

I just peel and lift stuff, and clean up. My wife and daughter in law are the kitchen geniuses. It's an effective division of labor.

I enjoy, perennially, that this thread exists.

― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, November 21, 2023 3:22 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

It's only the core four of us (and one of us is sick, and another one is a vegetarian), so we, per tradition, just pick something up. But I'm about to bake a pie and make a sweet potato souffle.

I will bake a corn casserole to take to my cousin's, who has duck on the menu.

i sure am!!!!!

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II)

ready for quorn, that is

I’m never really ready

I have dressing and sweet potato casserole (grated not mashed, This Is the Way) in the oven at the same time, loving the competing sweet/savory smells coming out.

I'm almost more excited to make the stuffing waffles tomorrow morning

"Stuffing, that is!"

https://i.imgur.com/YKDH4dP.jpg

I say I say I say

i'm a thanksgiving freeloader, i cook at xmas

Chilling at the kitchen table chatting with others. My role comes after when it’s time to make stock and soup, the mirepoix is ready to go.

https://i.imgur.com/4CHG8RQ.jpg

that’s brunswick stew

Great dinner, stock mode activated, chilling.

Fuck American Thanksgiving, I had a Greek feast with Avgolemono soup, tiropitos (cheese in phyllo dough), dayboat scallops with risotto, and rice pudding with raisins.

I made a chicken stew with chili paste, rio zape beans, and pesole.

brined & smoked turkey breast might be my favorite food

always the goods

I put so much time into the dressing and sweet potatoes that I went the quickest route for the protein, just browned and Instant Potted a turkey breast, and it turned out great.

As fate would have it, we signed up for going to a family Thanksgiving dinner about 100 miles from here at my brother-in-law's place, but we had to back out at yesterday morning. Because we'd already shopped for the week, tonight's dinner had to be improvised from whatever was in the fridge, the pantry and the freezer.

After careful thought I decided to make baked polenta with boneless chicken breast, both topped by a tomato-based sauce full of chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, red bell pepper, basil and oregano with grated Gruyere on top. This was accompanied by a chopped raw broccoli salad with dried cranberries, toasted almonds and a dressing of buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise and minced red onion.

Dessert will be pumpkin custard and vanilla ice cream. It worked out great. But the wine was pretty cheap stuff.

Did smothered turkey legs this year; may never roast a whole bird again

my cheesecake turned out a bit disappointing this year: still learning sweetness levels now that i’m using sugar substitutes. and i overcooked the crust :(

When I'm cooking or baking for an occasion and for other people I get more invested in the outcome and more easily disappointed if my efforts fall short of my hopes. I'm sure the cheesecake was delicious VG, even if it didn't quite hit your expectations or desires.

Venison tenderloin, pierna, pumpkin soup, assorted sides (including my corn casserole). A good time until I edged out of a conversation about the greatness of Gen. MacArthur.

xpost thx aimless, i suspect you’re probably right

In my quest to convert Americans away from gross orange sweet potatoes, I brought a dish of roasted Japanese sweet potatoes (they were a big hit), as well as lemony shredded roasted Brussels sprouts and StevieD’s vegan gravy.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned to my MIL how excited I was for the next Jewish holiday involving brisket, so she made brisket (so fucking good) as well as turkey.

My friend throws a Hanukkah party and he makes the most amazing brisket!

i made an apple tart— my family didn’t even consider the sad store bought pies as legitimate desserts after they ate it.

still, it was my first tart and so there is room for improvement!

no talkin bad bout orange sweet potatoes

I'm not a cook - or rather I'm a ridiculously slow cook which is why I normally don't cook - but someone made an amazing ham that made me wish it became the traditional Thanksgiving dish over turkey. On the other hand, if it wasn't for the turkey, we wouldn't have had the amazing stuffing, which was actually cooked in the turkey and also included some chopped bits of sausage inside. Brussel sprouts were also amazing, cooked with thick, chopped bits of bacon. I usually don't eat much meat, so that may have enhanced my appreciation for this one-off splurging.

that’s brunswick stew