Looks like I'm staying home for Thanksgiving this year...

[K Frame]

I'm quickly running out of leave taking Seren to her appointments and I'm not wanting to put her through the stress of travel and grumping at her friend where we normally go when she'll be actively in the middle of another treatment cycle, so we're staying home for Thanksgiving this year.

Last year we stayed home because I was dealing with a knee injury that made driving more than a few minutes incredibly painful.

Last year I made a turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Seren was very appreciative of that. She really likes may meatloaf.

But this year I'm thinking something different, but I'm not sure what.

I have a sugar cured ham in the freezer, so I may do that.

I also have a couple of pork loin roasts.

Any suggestions from the hive mind for something simple, but a bit different?

Some years ago I made crock pot scalloped potatoes for Tgiving with my Mom and brother, and they were a big hit. I may make those again, but for just one person... I don't know.

[charby]

Do the ham and scalloped potatoes, leftovers for the weekend and lunches the next week.

I'm actually going to be having shrimp for Thanksgiving. Going to wake up that AM, walk to the fish market at the marina, and buy a kilo or 2 of live shrimp.

[K Frame]

I thought about that, but I think the ham in the freezer is sugar cured, not salt/smoke cured. So I don't think it would be good for adding to scalloped potatoes. Or for ham and bean soup.

[charby]

I was thinking of them as separate baked dishes.

[K Frame]

Ah, I misread your post.

[charby]

Ah, I misread your post.

Nope, I probably should have laid it out better.

Midwest, ham and scalloped potatoes are typically cooked separately.

There are exceptions though, like everything.

[K Frame]

Here in the east it's very common to have ham in scalloped potatoes.

[Ron]

Andrew Tate would be dissapoint in you guys.

[zxcvbob]

Any suggestions from the hive mind for something simple, but a bit different?

Roast a duck. or a leg of lamb, or a pork shoulder.  (who is Andrew Tate?  (yes I saw the other thread))

Sugar cured hams are salt cured, they just have sugar added to the cure too.  The bone still works for flavoring bean soup.

[Brad Johnson]

Grilled pork loin medallions in apricot-onion glaze or orange ginger sauce. Yum.

Sides of garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans,, and glazed carrots.

Brad

[K Frame]

"Sugar cured hams are salt cured, they just have sugar added to the cure too.  The bone still works for flavoring bean soup."

Yes, I know.

And no, it certainly does not.

[K Frame]

I've pretty much decided on the ham. I need to use it anyway, and it will provide a lot of extra meat for sandwiches.

I'd love to roast a duck. Except that I don't want to take out a second mortgage on the house to roast one. Duck prices in Northern Virginia are just ridiculously obscene. Last one I saw, around easter, was $24.99 a gooddamned pound!

A leg of lamb would be nice, if I could find a half one. The stores around here sell them whole, only very rarely halfs like they do in central Pennsylvania, and that's just way too much.

I'd consider doing a turkey if I could find a smaller one. 10 to 12 pound turkeys sell out REALLY fast in this area. I looked for one last weekend when I was shopping and the smallest they had was 18 pounds.

[Ben]

I'd consider doing a turkey if I could find a smaller one. 10 to 12 pound turkeys sell out REALLY fast in this area. I looked for one last weekend when I was shopping and the smallest they had was 18 pounds.

This will be my first Thanksgiving (outside of one I missed for work) without a traditional turkey. Even after I moved here, I went out of my way to avoid Thanksgiving dinner invites so I could make my own the same way we did them when my folks were alive, just out of, I guess, nostalgia. I could usually find a 12ish pounder to make.

This year I decided the whole stuffed turkey thing and prep are just not worth it. I'm still doing turkey, but am just getting a turkey breast and I'll just season up slices and put them in the convection oven. I'll still be doing stuffing with plum sauce and candied yams, but instead of spending hours with cooking and cleanup and stuff, I'll spend an hour prepping and cooking everything and still get the turkey experience.

[K Frame]

I've not made a full-bore turkey dinner with all the trimmings since before my Mom died in 2017.

It's a tremendous amount of work, and I'm just not feeling up to it for much the same reasons as you are. The nostalgia draw is strong, no doubt about it.

I've spent quite a few of the holidays since Mom died with Castle Key and his family. I'm really bummed that I won't be going down again this year, but I just don't want to put any more stress on Seren right now while she's in treatment.

[JTHunter]

If you cook the pork loin, what about a "pork-flavored" dressing mix?
Although limited in quantity, some of those box mixes are fairly good.  And they don't take much time to prep.

[K Frame]

I use box mix stuffing all the time. The local grocery chain has a store brand that's pretty darned good and comes in multiple flavors, including turkey, pork, chicken, and cornbread.

My go to meatloaf recipe is 2 to 2.5 pounds of ground turkey, a box of the turkey stuffing mix, an egg, a splash of half and half, a dash of worcestershire, and a finely chopped onion. Once in awhile I'll also sweat down 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms and throw them in, as well.

Mix everything together and bake.

I'll either top it with BBQ sauce or a half can of cranberry sauce.

[Kingcreek]

Just gonna be the 2 of us here this year. Things have been crazy hectic and we’re looking forward to just having a quiet long weekend. I’m doing a turkey breast over charcoal in the pit barrel. Butter garlic and seasoning.
Wife is in charge of any trimmings. We have a sparkling Shiraz I’m looking forward to trying.

[Ben]

Wife is in charge of any trimmings. We have a sparkling Shiraz I’m looking forward to trying.

I'm having the Kirkland Tawny Porto with mine. I discovered it last year, and while classified as a dessert wine* and on the sweet side, it just hits the spot with a meal. I like to have it on my bread baking days as well. I usually bake a loaf of bread to go with meals like stews or beef boogaloo, and like to have buttered warm bread as soon as I can cut it, while I'm waiting for the main meal to finish, and that wine is great to wash the bread down with. Also good with cigars. It's like $17 a bottle, but well worth it, IMO.

* Fun fact - not being a wine connoisseur, I did not know this wine was supposed to be refrigerated until I read it in the article below that describes the wine. I'm going to refrigerate the next bottle and will be curious to see any taste differences.

https://www.reversewinesnob.com/kirkland-signature-10-year-old-tawny-porto/

[Kingcreek]

Port is typically a dessert or after dinner wine.
Many red wines serve better slightly cool and allowed to warm in the hand. Similarly many whites are served chilled but should be allowed to warm.
But I knew a very knowledgeable wine drinker that said the only rule is that you enjoy it.

[grampster]

A couple years ago we did a Polish Thanksgiving.  We have several Polish meat markets here.  So I got a bunch of fresh and smoked kielbasa, fresh sourkraut, red cabbage, and German potatoes salad, and black bread.

[K Frame]

I'm thinking that, instead of the crockpot scalloped potatoes (which are good, but a lot of work) I may make Charby's Jiffy Scalloped Corn. I've always wanted to try it and it looks like it would go really well with ham.

[charby]

I'm thinking that, instead of the crockpot scalloped potatoes (which are good, but a lot of work) I may make Charby's Jiffy Scalloped Corn. I've always wanted to try it and it looks like it would go really well with ham.

Enjoy the scalloped corn bake.

My partner just called me, Thanksgiving just went from 5 people to 20+. Now going to a poolside potluck, including the family that was in the news earlier that had the sail boat broken mast in the Pacific Ocean. Mom and kids were rescued while the dad had fuel delivered to him via cargo ships and motored to marina they started from. The marina is 2 blocks from my partner's place in Mexico. She said they are weird af.

https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/dismasted-pacific-niniwahuni/

[Ron]

Considering the sugar and alcohol content of Port I doubt the lack of refrigeration would effect it, as in degrading the wine.

Being chilled before drinking obviously will though, just like a white wine.

[HankB]

. . .  I'd love to roast a duck. Except that I don't want to take out a second mortgage on the house to roast one. Duck prices in Northern Virginia are just ridiculously obscene. Last one I saw, around easter, was $24.99 a gooddamned pound! . . .

There are ways around that.

My aunt's home backed up to a small pond, frequented by ducks. Her neighbor 2 doors down - a Korean couple - used to feed the ducks. (Popcorn maybe?) They'd lay down a trail from the water's edge to their covered patio . . . the ducks followed the trail up to their house, but they frequently never came back down to the pond. 

[T.O.M.]

I'm the only roast turkey fan in the house.  And, because of his schedule, we are going to younger son's apartment.  So, we're doing a roasted beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes, green beans (pan sautéed with bacon), and pies.  Dog lives when I roast a tenderloin (one or two times a year) because when I trim it up, the trimmings go in her bowl).