Think I've decided on my Tgiving dinner...

[K Frame]

I have a spiral sliced ham in the freezer. Going to bake that. Seren loves ham.

For the main veg the creamed parmigiana Brussels sprouts from the recipe I posted the other day.

For the supporting veg mashed potatoes. Should pair well with the cream sauce from the sprouts.

For Seren's supporting veg, frozen broccoli florets, as always. My girl is absolutely bonkers for frozen broccoli florets.

I'm still waffling on the last thing...

I'm debating just opening a can of cranberry sauce (chunky), making a fruit salad with apples, grapes, and mandarins ADDED to the canned cranberry sauce, or doing the fresh cranberry fruit salad my SIL does, which uses coarsed chopped raw cranberries with chopped tart apples, grapes, and mandarin oranges macerated with a bit of sugar and some ginger ale.


This is the canned cranberry fruit salad. Doesn't look particularly appetizing, but I expect the taste will be pretty solid...

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/cranberry-fruit-salad/

[Ben]

Last year was the first Thanksgiving where I didn't cook a whole turkey. I was kind of keeping a tradition alive for nostalgia, but with most of the family passed away or a great distance away, and me not wanting to go to California under any circumstances, last year I decided it was just too much time and cleanup and too many leftovers for just me and the animules.

So this year I'm doing the same as last year. I'm getting just turkey breast, and I'm making the stuffing in a casserole dish. It's like 45min of prep and 30min of cleanup, and I still get my favorite parts of Tday turkey. I bought fresh plums back in August and cooked up and froze enough plum sauce for both Tday and Xmas, plus leftovers. I'll make yams on the side, and buy a fresh baked Dutch Apple pie from the local diner the day before. Some wine with the dinner, then a post dinner cigar and Grand Marnier. 

[K Frame]

I LOVE the whole traditional Thanksgiving turkey meal. It was a staple of T-giving in my family for many years.

We even started making the bread we'd use in the stuffing. Bread machines are fantastic.

But, the last year we really celebrated T-giving as a family with Mom, I decided to really shake things up.

I did an herbed pork roast with cider reduction sauce (I didn't reduce it enough, but it was still good), the crockpot scalloped potatoes, and a few other things.

I just didn't feel like cooking the whole damned thing, followed by cleaning it all up.

The years I've been with Castle Key and his family have been a continuation of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but with Seren's health it's just not been in the cards to travel down there the last few holidays.

I'd LOVE to do a traditional T-giving meal again, but not just for me.

If I can find one, I may brine and cook a turkey breast next weekend after the holiday.

Or, if I can find a 10 pound turkey (oddly enough, that's VERY difficult, they seem to sell out so quickly) I'm also thinking about spatchcocking and salting a turkey then roasting it on a bed of veggies. But again, only if I can find a small one.

Same thing as what you're saying, quick to prepare, quick to clean up.

I know you don't like it, but I really adore stuffing that's been cooked in the bird. But I figure I'll just do stuffed roasted chickens from now on.

But, in general, I'm also just fine with box stuffing mix. It suits me just fine.

[K Frame]

10 pound spiral sliced honey ham out of the freezer and into the fridge to defrost.

Will be more than ready to go by next Thursday.

[K Frame]

Wow, the herbed roast pork and crockpot scalloped potatoes was 9 years ago.

Crap.

Hard to believe that it's been that long. *expletive deleted*it, it's hard to believe that my Mom has been gone for going on 8 years, and my Dad for almost 18 years.

https://armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=50110.0

[Ben]

I know you don't like it, but I really adore stuffing that's been cooked in the bird. But I figure I'll just do stuffed roasted chickens from now on.

Oh, I like it in the bird, but I'm such a stuffing hog that even when we did family Thanksgivings, we needed to do extra stuffing in a casserole dish (or two!) because I could eat stuffing all year. I have never made box stuffing mix - always from scratch.

[K Frame]

Oh hell yeah, we always did lots of extra stuffing.

For some reason I thought you didn't like in the bird stuffing. Maybe it was someone else here. I'm obviously blocking their name due to the sheer horror and infamy of not liking bird-cooked stuffing.

And yeah, I prefer homemade stuffing, as well, but 10 minutes for stuffing vs a couple of hours, or more, to make it from scratch? Just for it to be part of a quick dinner? Yeah, the box is coming out.

[K Frame]

Matter of fact, I may do some box stuffing tonight for dinner. Pan sautee some ground turkey and have that over top of the stuffing with some packet gravy.

Yeah, that sounds tasty.

[K Frame]

Well I just got one hell of a snotty private message on Facebook.

Not about politics or any of the posts I've made since the election (very few of those, actually).

This one was from some ass hat asking me how dare... HOW DARE!!!!! I give Seren... HAM!

Don't I know that it's high in salt? Don't I know that too much salt is bad for dogs, especially their kidneys?

And that if I give my girl ham I'm KILLING HER!

Just as background, I'm the admin on a Leonberger group on Faceplace. Been so for years. No, I'm not the most experienced Leo owner. But I've got over 20 years of experience with them, including two of my own. And I had two other dogs of my own, and I've been around dogs most of my life as we had dogs when I was growing up.

So yeah, not my first rodeo.

Part of keeping other Leo owners engaged on this site is I post "conversations" between Seren and me. Usually just funny little anecdotes based on things that have happened during the day, or things I imagine about her. One of them has been a running discussion about Seren loving ham.

And since we're moving towards T-giving, several of our "conversations" have been about Seren wanting ham. And that's what sparked today's message. I guess.

Sigh. Despite wanting to very badly rip this person's head off, I had to explain, to a *expletive deleted*ing adult, the concept of MODERATION and the fact that I'm not going to be giving her own 10 pound ham to eat on T-giving, and she/he/it needs to settle the *expletive deleted*ck down.

God have mercy. And you people wonder why I'm pissy most of the time.  

[Ben]

For some reason I thought you didn't like in the bird stuffing. Maybe it was someone else here. I'm obviously blocking their name due to the sheer horror and infamy of not liking bird-cooked stuffing.

I think I may have mentioned once that I like how the casserole dish gives it a nice "crust" and that depending on the turkey size, I sometimes worry about either the stuffing being underdone or the bird being overdone.

[K Frame]

"that depending on the turkey size, I sometimes worry about either the stuffing being underdone or the bird being overdone."

Alton Brown has always hated stuffing in the bird because of the potential for food borne illness.

He did, however, come up with a MASSIVELY complicated precooked stuffing that is then put into a cloth bag hot and inserted into the bird and then the bird is roasted so that as the bird heats up, the stuffing cools down, and both achieve equal, and safe, doneness.

Holy freaking hell that is bullshit!

For years I've done the following:

1. Stuff the bird.
2. Put the bird in the oven.
3. Cook until the bird hits 150-155 in the breast.
4. Remove bird from oven.
5. Remove stuffing and transfer to a heatproof bowl or pan and cover lightly with foil.
6. Return bird AND stuffing to oven.
7. Continue cooking both until the bird comes to the proper temperature.
8. Remove bird and let it rest.
9. While bird is resting, keep stuffing in hot (but turned off) oven.

By that time the bird is ready the stuffing is more than heated enough to ensure that there are no food pathogens.

[MillCreek]

We are scheduled to have 14 people this year.  We picked up a turkey and a ham at Costco the other day.  We are assigning out various side dishes and desserts to others.  We are also making mashed potatoes, a couple of pies, and whatever else that someone else may not be able to do as per their assignment.

[BobR]

I am going to have to cook this year. I dicked around and couldn't get reservations to the local casino for their T-Day feed. I have no desire to drive to Las Vegas to eat so we will just pretend it is the old days and have kielbasa, kraut, fried potatoes and some veggie in solidarity with out eastern European cousins (if we have any).

Actually we will probably do a pared down traditional meal but cut out a few things.

bob

[K Frame]

That's one thing I really miss... homemade pie.

At Mom's we did pumpkin, mine (with beef, Mom and my Aunt would make it in October) and a particular family favorite, cranberry pecan.

At Castle Key's dessert is invariably cheese pie, a particular favorite there. It's not too terribly sweet and it's serve frozen so it's very refreshing.

I'll probably just get some ice cream for me, as I have no intention of going to the hassle of making a pie just for myself.

[K Frame]

A couple of years it was just me and Mom, so we went to a local restaurant that put on an incredibly good homemade spread that was all you can eat.

Most places that do something like that used insipid canned gravy, or powdered gravy granules, but this place didn't.

They also did an incredible baked Italian corn casserole. It was pretty similar to this recipe: https://www.food.com/recipe/marias-italian-corn-casserole-217958

Unfortunately they went out of business.


One of the things I used to make for Tgiving was corn pudding. I've not made that for years. I ought to make that at Christmas.

[JTHunter]

As all of my remaining relatives are 150 miles north of me, 4-5 of them are going to meet me halfway at a restaurant that will be open on Thursday.  I don't know if my S-i-L will have cooked something for themselves for before or after Thanksgiving but she is NOT going to cook for Thanksgiving.

[K Frame]

My SIL is a fantastic cook, so there's no problem there.

The big problem is that they're in Michigan.

[Kingcreek]

We haven’t cooked a turkey whole in years. It works better to cut it into pieces and cook it that way. We brine it overnight before. We have done it both in oven and in pit barrel.

[K Frame]

We haven’t cooked a turkey whole in years. It works better to cut it into pieces and cook it that way. We brine it overnight before. We have done it both in oven and in pit barrel.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of doing -- at least spatchcocking it.

[K Frame]

I'm making a small batch of fresh cranberry salad. I decided as I was making my shopping list.

I'll buy a bag of cranberries. I'll chop half of them for Tgiving, and freeze the rest to be used some other time.

Two or three mini oranges (Halos), two tart apples, and maybe some grapes (but maybe not because grapes are really bad for dogs) and I'll be set for my salad.

[BobR]

I'm making a small batch of fresh cranberry salad. I decided as I was making my shopping list.

I'll buy a bag of cranberries. I'll chop half of them for Tgiving, and freeze the rest to be used some other time.

Two or three mini oranges (Halos), two tart apples, and maybe some grapes (but maybe not because grapes are really bad for dogs) and I'll be set for my salad.

I love a good cranberry sauce while the wife likes the jellied canned stuff. I use her leftover jellied stuff for jelly on toast. I have been using this recipe for many years, probably decades, now and it is always my go to. I usually do the girl version and keep the nuts out.

https://www.food.com/recipe/killer-cranberry-sauce-102108

bob

[K Frame]

We have advocates of both in my family, as well. My brother was always a fan of the jellied (no berries) until I made Alton Brown's recipe one year with whole berries. Then he requested that every year.

But, I'm not making cranberry jelly or sauce, I'm making cranberry salad.

Coarsely chop 1 bag of picked, washed cranberries.

Coarsely chop a couple of apples. I'm using peeled Granny Smiths and unpeeled Galas.

Add halved (or even whole) mandarin orange segments.

You can add grapes, as well, but I'm not going to.

Macerate with sugar and add some dry Ginger Ale (or a few sprinkles of ground ginger).

You can also omit the sugar and go with either maple syrup, maple sugar, or honey.

Best made 1 to 2 days before and held in the fridge.

Serve very cold.

You can also add other fruit, like bananas, pears, or blueberries. Some people even add (GAG!) marshmallows.


The neat thing about this salad is that you don't really need anything other than the roughest proportions.

Mine's going to be a 12 ounce bag of cranberries, 4 apples, and maybe 10 or 12 of the cutest little Mandarin oranges you've ever seen. They're slightly bigger than golf balls. Hopefully they taste good.

[T.O.M.]

This thread has me feeling nostalgic.  It's been a long time since I've had a real traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Growing up, it was an event.  Big turkey, homemade stuffing, scratch gravy.  It was Dad's meal to cook.  Yes, stuffing in the bird.  Great-grandfather, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins.  Football on TV.  Smells of turkey, Tanguery gin, and pipe tobacco.

Last time I had this was when I was in law school.  Great-grandfather and grandmother wee gone.  Grandfather moved to Florida.  In their place were some good friends from law school and a crazy ex-girlfriend.
Then I graduated and moved to away for work.  Then Dad died two years later.  And mom started going to Florida in the winter to spend time with her dad and sister.

I cooked a couple of turkey dinners for my in-laws, going from what I remembered from watching my dad all those years.  Turns out wife's family doesn't really like the traditional turkey dinner.  So, around 2006, it became roast beef tenderloin, au gratin potatoes (scratch.  Sister in law is British and studied traditional French cooking), green beans, and my mother in law makes pies.  She makes a really good apple pie and a chocolate cream pie.

[K Frame]

"Turns out wife's family doesn't really like the traditional turkey dinner. "

DAMNED LIBERALS!

[T.O.M.]

"Turns out wife's family doesn't really like the traditional turkey dinner. "

DAMNED LIBERALS!

Yeah, they voted for Biden and don't like turkey.  Makes them more commie than liberal, right?