Thanksgiving Menu in Review

[Steve Paulson]

What worked, what didn't? The planning for next year's feast begins now.

From my kitchen...

Worked: Apple crisp with diced bacon. Hell yes. Unfortunately it overcooked and the apples turned to mush. So it was like applesauce with bacon-infused "crisp"....but that's ok. It was awesome.

Worked: Homemade cranberry sauce. I do it a little different each year, but this one was the best yet. 1 bag of cranberries, OJ, brown sugar, pinch of salt, shot of rum, dash of cinnamon. Cooked it down for a while, ran it through the vitamix (blender) instead of straining out seeds & skin. Cooked it a little more, then poured off into glass dishes and into the fridge--set up beautifully, like a thick jelly absolutely bursting with flavor. Perfect.

Worked: Scratch made gluten free stuffing. 1 loaf of Udi's GF bread cubed & toasted in the oven, 1lb Jimmy Dean sausage, 1 diced red onion cooked in bacon grease, 2 cups (cooked in chicken stock) short grain rice, 1.5 cups each diced celery & apple, lots of fresh thyme, tablespoon or so of dried sage, kosher salt and a fair sprinkling of Costco's organic no-salt seasoning mix, all soaked with about 2 cups of chicken stock. Mixed well, pressed into an oven safe dish, 45 min at 375. Mighty, mighty good.

Worked: mashed sweet potatoes. Lotsa butter & whipped with a hand mixer. Say no more.

Worked: fresh green beans fried with diced onion & bacon. Should have cooked the beans a little longer, but that's ok. YUM.

Worked: Butternut squash pie custard. No crust, so gluten free...but scratch made by my wife. Sorry--you can't have her, so you can't duplicate it. Too bad for you. :lol:

Didn't work: The turkey. I cooked it well (oven bag), stuffed bacon under the breast skin, seasoned well...but the bird itself was disappointing in the flavor category. 14.7 lbs, so not huge--thought it would be good. Jennie-O brand too....but quite disappointing. I think next year I'll break tradition and do a prime rib instead.

All in all, a successful feast that I was proud of. My feet were sore from spending all day in the kitchen, but my belly was full, my family was smiling, and Lady Tryptophan and Mr. Beer Buzz held hands while we watched the Patriots bury the Jets in their own field. It was beautiful.

[Greg Nichols]

I took Mom out for salmon in lobster sause and prime rib. German chocolate cake for desert. Some nice Vino finished it out.

[Pokeguyjai]

Made the American version of paella for 8 people. Had these beautiful nantucket bay scallops and huge U 8-10 scallops. Along with shrimp and lobster. D'artagnan brand Chorizo is good to go!

Also had cherry tomato / habanero brined chicken thighs (thank you foodwishes for that) which were broiled and then baked.

Sadly I'm done with the turkey thing until I shoot one myself.



Didn't work: The turkey. I cooked it well (oven bag), stuffed bacon under the breast skin, seasoned well...but the bird itself was disappointing in the flavor category. 14.7 lbs, so not huge--thought it would be good. Jennie-O brand too....but quite disappointing. I think next year I'll break tradition and do a prime rib instead.

All in all, a successful feast that I was proud of. My feet were sore from spending all day in the kitchen, but my belly was full, my family was smiling, and Lady Tryptophan and Mr. Beer Buzz held hands while we watched the Patriots bury the Jets in their own field. It was beautiful.

Great job!

I agree with the turkeys... I have had no luck the past few times I made a whole turkey. It is very disheartening to put that much work into a turkey and then have it not taste good because the turkeys were either not fresh or just not flavorful.

[Greg Nichols]

I prefer Unicorn meat to turkey

[JeffC]

We've been brineing turkeys for a few years now using Alton Brown's recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html). Turkey comes out moist and delicious every time. Give it a try...

-jeff

[Steve Paulson]

We've been brineing turkeys for a few years now using Alton Brown's recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html). Turkey comes out moist and delicious every time. Give it a try...

-jeff

I wanted to brine it--never tried it before. But running two funerals in the past week (the second being the day before Thanksgiving) put the clamp on the pre-cooking schedule. One of these days I'll get to do that...

Chardonnay smoked turkey? Dang!.......

[daniel87]

My add on place turcey on grill coal in half turkey over foil pan. Heat till cooked. Butter injected in and out


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[bae]

Grilled leg of goat, marinated for half a day in wine, garlic, anise, marjoram, smoked red pepper
Grilled octopus w/lemon aioli
Cold-smoked salmon, scallops
Potatoes with kalamata olives
Grilled asparagus w/salt, vinegar
Green beans
Pickled artichoke hearts
Salad with feta, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, no lettuce
Spanikopita
Tzatziki
Melitzanosalata
just-made pita bread
Pistachio baklava
Fruit
red, white wine from our vineyard

I probably forgot something.

[Steve Paulson]

I probably forgot something.

Yeah. You forgot to invite me. :sad:

[Pokeguyjai]

Grilled leg of goat, marinated for half a day in wine, garlic, anise, marjoram, smoked red pepper
Grilled octopus w/lemon aioli
Cold-smoked salmon, scallops
Potatoes with kalamata olives
Grilled asparagus w/salt, vinegar
Green beans
Pickled artichoke hearts
Salad with feta, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, no lettuce
Spanikopita
Tzatziki
Melitzanosalata
just-made pita bread
Pistachio baklava
Fruit
red, white wine from our vineyard

I probably forgot something.

When'd you get a house on the Mediterranean?

[bae]

When'd you get a house on the Mediterranean?

Heck, I wish.

The wind was blowing 35 knots, it was 40 degrees, and raining/fog/mist-like while I was out trying to grill that stuff. I could barely find the grill.

[Pokeguyjai]

Heck, I wish.

The wind was blowing 35 knots, it was 40 degrees, and raining/fog/mist-like while I was out trying to grill that stuff. I could barely find the grill.

The seafood is fresher when it is cold!!!

I am totally in the mood for octopus now, thanks a lot!!!

[dbusarow]

Just me and the wife. Baked ham covered with bacon for extra flavor, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoe pie with whipped cream for desert. Simple and delightful.

Dan

[Mickey Rourke]

My wife has 6 siblings, so we had a good spread.

I no not my mother-in-law's secret, but her turkeys are always tender and juicy. Her ham as well. Maybe it's that she slow cooks them all night.

We also had broccoli casserole, squash casserole (personal favorite), green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, cheese and mac, green peas, baked beans, potato salad, rolls and the traditional cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce (both canned and home made).

Dessert: chocolate brownies, various cookies (cranberry/chocolate chip and red-velvet cookies were a hit), chocolate and peanut butter fudge. No pie this year.

My wife tried a new recipe: snicker-doodle brownies. They got rave reviews.

[ToddC]

+1 on brining, the XO refuses to cook any birds that have not been dunked. And I have immensely enjoyed every one she has prepared since starting the brine. Mix brine with fruit juice, beer, or whiskey and preferred spices to get flavor along with the whole Alton Brown chemistry-thingy that preserves moisture.

[P.D.]

Steve, I'm stealing the GF stuffing recipe. Thanks Bro.


The package GF stuffing mix we tried last year tasted like s***! We ended up not eating it.
we didn't have any this year.

[foxmeadow]

I prefer Unicorn meat to turkey

Best if you bag one before the rut, when they get all horny and gamy...

[moses1moses11]

On birds, I have had good luck cooking or bbqn em with breasts up, can of good beer inside , wrapped in foil. very moist and flavorful, even with a less than ideal meat at the get go.

[Steve Paulson]

Steve, I'm stealing the GF stuffing recipe. Thanks Bro.


The package GF stuffing mix we tried last year tasted like s***! We ended up not eating it.
we didn't have any this year.

Have fun with it! Use what you like. Dried cranberries might be a nice addition, and more apple (I'm a sucker for sweet). I was worried the GF bread wouldn't stand up, but I think the thorough oven toasting helped.

[Jamison]

I brine my turkey with Wild Turkey 101.

My recipe is as follows with a thawed and washed turkey:

2 gallons of cold water.
2 cups +2Tbs of kosher salt.
1 cup of sugar.
2 cups of Wild Turkey 101

Put in an appropriate container and place in the fridge or in a cooler with ice inside ziplock bags for 18-36 hrs. Make sure to rotate the turkey and change the ice at least every 12 hours.

Hope you enjoy. It always turns great for me.

I made a butternut squash soup this year for the first time it was an excellent addition to the spread.

Jamison

[RJW]

I deep fry 3 13 lb turkeys every year. The day before rub with salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder and cayenne pepper. k
Meat is always moist and it only takes 35-40 minutes per bird.
Started fixing the turkeys this way several years ago and our guests prefer it.

[Steve Paulson]

One of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken is to cut it in half length-wise, season it and cook over med-hot alder smoke for 1.5 hrs. The texture of the breast meat ends up like butter. One of these days I'm gonna do a turkey this way and see what happens. Gotta get me one of them Traeger smokers to make it easier...

Along the lines of thinking about next year, as I'd mentioned earlier I'm thinking about doing a prime rib instead of a turkey. But so many of the traditional trimmings are angled toward a poultry main course. Anybody ever thought of a version of stuffing that lends itself to a beef main course? What kind of bread, what herbs...? What other side dishes would you modify? I'm even wondering about that cranberry sauce...maybe some other fruit needs to join the party...

I think I'm hungry...