Open Thread for Thanksgiving Prep
Natalie K’s great suggestion: Here’s a place we can share our favorite Thanksgiving tips, help each other out with questions and answers, keep each other company as we wait for the turkey to thaw, and commiserate with each other when the pie burns.
To get things started:
Here’s the best turkey recipe in the world
And here’s my seriously fantastic cranberry sauce.
Any questions to ask the hive mind? What are you working on today?
I used to do the full Thanksgiving from scratch thing. Now my family and I go to Zion Ponderosa down at Zion National Park and they do all of the cooking for us. It is fabulous!
Comment by StillConfused — November 25, 2009 @ 1:48 pm
To answer Natalie’s question from the other thread….
How do you know if a turkey is dethawed?
Anyone have an official answer? I’d say when it stops feeling like a brick and you can feel it give, but it’s never been an issue for me because if it’s still a bit frozen when it goes into a brine, it’s not by the time it comes out.
Comment by Reese Dixon — November 25, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
If you’re going to stuff the turkey, line it with cheesecloth first. The juices soak through into the stuffing just fine, but you can pull it right out, saving on much scooping. And blood clots stay on the outside (sorry to be gross, but).
Comment by Naismith — November 25, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
Today I am making the desserts. Actually, I made my 11-year old DS make the pumpkin squares (very easy recipe) in exchange for some Wii time. I love slave labor! My 9-year old DS made the cheese ball yesterday and the cranberry Jell-o salad for the kids is done too. Still need to make the apple pie and finish the chocolate eggnog pie (new recipe I’m trying).
My mom and brother’s family come up every year and I host it. My brother’s wife is from Mexico, so he loves coming to my house for a traditional meal.
Comment by Fairchild — November 25, 2009 @ 2:12 pm
I was just going to do a turkey breast (I highly recommend this option if you aren’t big meat eaters or have a small group), but then dh won a “Tur-Duck-en” at work. I kid you not, it’s a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken, then stuffed with stuffing. I can’t help but wonder who the freak came up with this idea, and who the freak buys them.
But hey, I’m all about free food!
Comment by fMhLisa — November 25, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
“Tur-Duck-en” is one of my favorite words to say, but I had no idea people acutally made them, much less gave them away as prizes. Enjoy the freaky dish Lisa and let us know how it is.
Comment by Susan — November 25, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
Tur-Duck-en was popularized by John Madden, the peripatetic (now retired) football commentator (and big meat eater). At least that’s how I learned of it.
Comment by Kevin Barney — November 25, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
That sounds fascinating, Lisa. Let us know how it turns out.
I haven’t started Thanksgiving prep yet. But, we have been cleaning the house like crazy! We did the downstairs on Mon (rewarded with friends over for dinner), bedrooms on Tues (rewarded with a movie), and game room today (rewarded with donuts). Just as soon as we re-do all the rooms we already did (since these kids are in an endless state of mess-making), we will start Thanksgiving prep. That means we’ll probably get started . . . sometime next year.
(or until I give up on the dream of having a clean house)
I have never really done a turkey. If we eat alone, I buy one of those Jennie-O freezer to oven turkeys. It costs four times as much, but it is soooo worth it. This year we are eating with friends. I volunteered to buy the turkey if somone else would cook it. I am making a pecan pie, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole (all with the most excellent recipes I will share if anyone is interested). DH is making a chocolate cream pie and mashed potatoes (after he gets back from the turkey bowl in the morning - that’s his most favorite Thanksgiving tradition. I wonder how long his body will hold up for that. He spends the whole weekend limping around because of all the impact).
Comment by Stephanie — November 25, 2009 @ 2:36 pm
Stephanie, I would love your delicious pecan pie recipe. I’m having trouble finding one that doesn’t call for booze.
Comment by Rose — November 25, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
Lisa, I am so jealous of your turkducken! They’re a southern tradition. I’ve always wanted to try one.
I’m cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner ever. I’m planning on using that Alton Brown recipe for the turkey and then keeping it simple (and realistic) with Stovetop, roasted fingerling potatoes and butternut squash, and two pies. It should be plenty for just the three of us.
Comment by Faith — November 25, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
I had a turducken about ten years ago. I remember the duck part being overly seasoned. They seem to be popular down here (Mississippi), but I’ll stick with just turkey until the turduckens sell for $0.60 a pound.
Now I’m worried that my turkey won’t defrost in time. It’s a 15-pounder, and it’s been in the fridge since Sunday evening, but still feels a bit icy. Maybe I’ll move it to the sink tonight.
Comment by kew — November 25, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
Rose, here it is: Texas Pecan Pie (from The Texas Pecan Producers Board)
Prep: 20 minutes
Baking TIme: 45-60 minutes
1 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Texas pecan halves
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Preheat oven to 350. Mix syrup, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla. Mix in slightly beaten eggs. Add Texas pecans. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 for about 45-60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool. Makes 8 servings.
Lasts at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 weeks.
Comment by Stephanie — November 25, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
Another Texas tradition (or maybe just southern) is deep-fried turkeys. I haven’t had one yet, but we are going to have one at our Ward Christmas party. I am looking forward to trying it. They are supposed to be very tender (the oil doesn’t touch the meat - just the skin, which I don’t eat anyways)
Comment by Stephanie — November 25, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
my number one tip is do just about everything a head of time. Almost all the traditional stuff can be pre-made and just warmed or cooked right at dinner time.
My second number-one tip is to use a thermometer on the turkey, don’t go by time estimates.
We are having our Thanksgiving on Saturday since we don’t have work off here in Germany, but we are having all our friends from US/Canada for a big dinner. I am roasting a turkey the day of, but cooking a turkey breast the day before to supplement. Then I am doing just a few sides (dressing, sweet potatoes, a veggie I haven’t decided on yet and cranberry sauce) and a couple of pies (pumpkin-pecan pie and chocolate creme pie which I am making the day before). I might even attempt to make rolls but I don’t know yet. Either way there will be rolls with honey butter
Comment by julie — November 25, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
Ok, you women are amazing. Today I am doing homework and planning my snacks for the football game tomorrow night. I am lucky to have in-laws very close by and MIL will not let me bring anything. I think it’s because she thinks I can’t cook. Whatever, I’ll take it.
Comment by Eris — November 25, 2009 @ 3:24 pm
That is my favorite turkey recipe also, but we started spit roasting ours (home made burn barrel with a large dowel, a couple skewers, and plenty of slave labor to keep it turning:) So, so good.
Yeah, I haven’t gotten much done yet. When I got my turkey out of the freezer 2 days ago, it slipped out of my hands and broke two of my toes….
Comment by TA — November 25, 2009 @ 3:25 pm
My ultimate Thanksgiving goal (maybe this year!) is to have my MIL teach me her amazing trick of de-boning a raw turkey. Yes! Raw! Then she puts gobs of stuffing in it, bakes it, and you can just slice off giant turkey-stuffing goodness. No bones! 14 years after witnessing this, and I’m still in awe. They’re coming here this year and I hope to learn this secret.
I do get an extra day as we’re delaying Thanksgiving dinner to wait for my nurse SIL who works Thurs. Good thing as I’m still waiting for my new oven to get installed. If the appliance guys don’t come this afternoon, I’m screwed I guess.
Can you nuke an entire Thanksgiving dinner?
Comment by RasJane — November 25, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
Thanks Stephanie!
Comment by Rose — November 25, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
Besides green bean casserole and frozen corn, what good vegetable dishes do y’all serve?
We’re making turkey, mashed potatoes (3 different varieties), candied yams, stuffing, fruit salad, rolls. NO VEGETABLES! And an awful lot of starch.
Can I get a good and easy squash recipe that can be made in advance? I LOVE vegetables, and am scratching my head as to how to incorporate it.
Also, my dinner is going to be very complicated this year. I have invited a whole bunch of my coworkers who either A) don’t have family to spend Thanksgiving with, or B) are new to the country and have never celebrated Thanksgiving before. Some are working the night shift, and some the morning shift. SO, we are going to have some food available at noon, and then serve the official dinner at 6pm.
Any brilliant ideas as to which dishes could me made to be eaten earlier, saved, and served again later? What’s the best way to reheat mashed potatoes? And if I cut all my potatoes and sweet potatoes the night before, can I put them in tight tupperware or something airtight to prevent them from getting that weird grayish look, so I can just boil and mash them in the morning?
Obviously, I need some matronly guidance here.
Comment by Natalie K. — November 25, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
Ouch, TA!
Natalie K, a green salad? That’s the other veggie we do. Or a veggie tray with all the goods: carrots, celery, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, olives, etc.
Comment by Stephanie — November 25, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
Natalie,
Along with all the hot stuff, we do a cold veggie tray (great for getting out more than once, and easy to do ahead of time)
You can bake or stew squash ahead of time with a little (or a lot) butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, though it reheats better stewed (just peel and chunk it, add about an inch of water to the pan, cover and simmer until soft, drain, add the good stuff). Also, glazed carrots and brussel sprouts are really yummy (boil baby carrots for a few minutes, add frozen brussel sprouts until desired doneness, drain, toss in frying pan for a few minutes with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, you can add a bit of brown sugar or maple syrup if you prefer them sweeter.)
As for what will take to reheating..stuffing does well, candied yams, the squash and carrot/brussel sprouts, even rolls are fine, just wrap them in foil when reheating to keep the moisture in. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole–not so much (but maybe I’m just picky)
Prepping potatoes the night before is fine, either seal them in a ziploc by squishing/sucking out all the air (adding a little water will help here too), or submerge them in a bowl of water.
Hope this helps, and best of luck!
Comment by TA — November 25, 2009 @ 4:23 pm
rosemary carrots and red potatoes…
Comment by mfranti — November 25, 2009 @ 4:24 pm
Lisa, Apollo is going to be absolutely green with envy. He’s been talking about wanting a turducken for a couple of years now, but the last couple of weeks… the jonesing’s getting bad.
I was supposed to be making a pumpkin pie this week and another dessert. However, an infected cyst on my face has been interfering with my weekly plans. I could still do it…. I have this great recipe from the Old City Tavern in Philadelphia, pumpkin pie from scratch, and it’s awesome.
Natalie, you can make old mashed potatoes into patties and fry them in butter for breakfast. Also, you can do fresh yams–slice ‘em 1/4 in. thick and mix them in butter, olive oil, sea salt, and either chopped fresh or freshly ground dried rosemary. Cook for 20 min. at 420*. Yum. Or saute some chard/beet greens/spinach/kale (your choice) in plenty of butter. Add soy sauce or white cooking wine just before they’re totally wilted.
My favorite squash recipe is pumpkin pie. Oooh! Or pumpkin ginger soup (let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send you the recipe. Very yummy and easily reheatable.) But there are lots of good stuffed, buttered things to do with squashes. Check Epicurious.com.
Comment by Artemis — November 25, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
I’m seeing roasted brussel sprouts everywhere this year and they look divine. I also love anything with a nice green. Even just braising kale in a little bit of stock and a whole lot of butter and onion is divine. Artichokes are lovely steamed whole and served with a garlicky mayonnaise and a vinaigrette.
Mushrooms stuffed with breadcrumbs and goat cheese. Love candied carrots too. Partially boil them, then dump a ton of butter and brown sugar on top.
Thanksgiving in my house is the day we worship butter.
For potatoes - the only way I’d risk pre-prep is in a big bowl of water. Any contact with air and they’ll go black.
You can also prep things in smaller batches for the latecomers. Assemble the stuffing and casseroles, and then bake one at noon and leave the rest in the fridge until 5:30.
Comment by Reese Dixon — November 25, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
The bird is tied down and stuffed (not in that order); a pound of bacon strips laying on top of it; seasoned butter under the skin on top of the breast pieces.
Now it’s in the cooler (+1-2 C — 33-36 F) waiting for the morning (we’re GMT+2), when it’s going to go in the oven for a slow bake. When the bacon’s crisp, it’ll be peeled off and the bird goes back in so the skin get s a nice brown hue, too. Then, when it’s done, we take it out to cool for a while. Then the stuffing comes out and the bird gets carved and put on a decorated salver.
And before our eyes, behold a Thanksgiving Turkey.
This turkey didn’t suffer too bad in life. S/He was living on a farm, strutting outside, pecking away for seeds and whatnot, until it got a little cold. And s/he also was getting to be big enough. So a date was fixed with the guy who chopped his/her head off.
And this turkey didn’t die for nothing. Every usable bit of it will get used with good judgment and gratitude.
And that’s what Thanksgiving is about; it’s an attitude of gratitude. IOW, it’s Grattitude!
I love Grattitude. It makes people happy. With a decision to find things around you to feel grateful for, you can see many, many things surprise you by how positively they can influencekkkkkkk
Comment by Velska — November 25, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
Here’s my pumpkin/squash soup recipe
One Thanksgiving my uncle served a similar soup in a carved out pumpkin, with a little spigot in the bottom. Needless to say, we were all deeply impressed.
I’m a little jealous of all you American Thanksgiving-ers… Canadian Thanksgiving was well over a month ago and I want more!
Have fun cooking
Oh and TA - OUCH! Your poor foot!
Comment by Emma — November 25, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
Awesome. Glazed carrots ftw. You are all amazing.
Just because I should probably give considering all I’m getting, here’s one of my favorite quickie Thanksgiving classics, marshmallow fruit salad.
1/2 pint of sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 package of mini marshmallows
Mix together and refrigerate overnight.
Right before serving, add 1 can of fruit cocktail, 2 cans mandarin oranges, and as many apple and banana slices as you like.
A really perfect appetizer/side dish.
Comment by Natalie K. — November 25, 2009 @ 5:48 pm
“Thanksgiving in my house is the day we worship butter.”
LOL Reese, I’d like your house of worship.
Brine the turkey.
Make stuffing from scratch. Easy shmeasy and lightyears from a box.
When in doubt, add bacon, butter, or pecans.
I have never heard of turducken. Sounds downright fowl
Comment by Lupita — November 25, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
I am making the rolls - dough goes together tonight, and sits overnight to be baked in the morning. They are classic butterhorn rolls, rich with eggs and, duh, butter. My mom’s recipe, which she got from her friend Susan sometime in the early 1980s. We call them “Out of This World Rolls.”
Thanksgiving is at my best friend’s house tomorrow. It will be our last hurrah before I move away to Montana. I was kind of excited about not cooking this year until I realized that I would far rather cook than pack up my whole life in boxes and deep clean the house in homes of getting some minute portion of our deposit back.
We load our truck on Monday. And we’ll be having a white Christmas ..
Comment by Ana — November 25, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
The turkey (22.83 lbs — I always get the largest I can find to maximize the meat-to-bones ratio) is thawing in a sink full of cold water. Cornbread crumbs (I baked a large batch yesterday) are drying in the oven on cookie sheets at 100 degrees in anticipation of using them for stuffing. Earlier in the day, I dug out a container of frozen turkey broth (probably from last Christmas), thawed it, brought it to a boil, strained it thru cheesecloth, and refrigerated it to use for stuffing and gravy tomorrow.
Right now, I’m experimenting, making a batch of whole-berry cranberry sauce that has a diced honeycrisp apple and whole pomegranate seeds. We have no oranges around (my fault), so I put some lime juice in.
[Oops! Just had to leap up, as the cranberry sauce was boiling over. Thank goodness for solid-counter cooktops.]
The menu tomorrow will be pretty simple: roast turkey, cornbread stuffing (including a separate batch with oysters for my sweet wife), steamed fresh green beans, steamed fresh brussels sprouts (again for my sweet wife), mashed potatoes (butter! heavy cream!), and cranberry sauce. Oh, and I’m going to try homemade dinner rolls. Maybe. Dessert: pumpkin and mince pies (Pillsbury rolled crusts, canned/jarred fillings). ..bruce..
Comment by bfwebster — November 25, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
can someone give me an amazing homemade roll recipe that I can make in the time window of 6-11am tomorrow morning (i mean something that doesn’t take 10 years to rise:) forgot i am in charge of those for the in-laws dinner tomorrow so I would be so grateful:)
Comment by Heidi — November 25, 2009 @ 9:45 pm
Heidi–I’ve got a tutorial for some awesome home-made rolls. They take about 4 hours total, they aren’t hard to put together at all, and best of all, they’re impressively good!
Oven roasted green beans are becoming a favorite of mine and my husband’s. Basically, clean up the green beans (chop off the ends and anything you don’t want to eat), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for another 10-12 minutes, or until dark brown spots cover the beans. They’re awesome.
For squash, I recently tried this roast squash and apple recipe and thought it was pretty good (though mine was not at all as pretty). Basically, you cube the squash, slice an apple or two, and toss some cranberries and nuts over the whole thing. I tossed some spices (salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves–very light on the nutmeg and cloves) and put about a 1/2 inch (probably about a cup) of water into the bottom of the pan to encourage the squash to cook, and then cooked it at 350 for about an hour.
Comment by kristine N — November 25, 2009 @ 10:50 pm
thanks so much kristine!
Comment by Heidi — November 25, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
I’m having my daughter try her hand at thanksgiving dinner.
to make it easy on her, i bought prepackaged cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pie mix, and a teeny tiny turkey breast (that i’ll end up cooking) she’s already made the mashed ‘taters so we’re on our way….
this should be fun (and i have a feeling that i’ll end up working just as much as i usually do)
wish her luck.
Comment by mfranti — November 26, 2009 @ 12:19 am
m, that is an awesome idea. I may have to try that next year. I have secretly always wanted to host Thanksgiving - but I don’t have a house for hosting. You may have inspired me.
Comment by Eris — November 26, 2009 @ 12:26 am
eris, my house is smaller than yours and i will often have this place packed to capacity. (about 12)
you can do it. and pillsbury makes a good roll.
Comment by mfranti — November 26, 2009 @ 12:34 am
If I do it, will you attend?
Comment by Eris — November 26, 2009 @ 12:42 am
yup!
Comment by mfranti — November 26, 2009 @ 12:44 am
Haha. Don’t let your place stop you. I have a one-bedroom, 700-something square foot place, and anywhere up to 18 people will be coming hungry to my house tomorrow.
Bright side is, we definitely won’t have to turn on the heater. Save some money on utilities.
Comment by Natalie K. — November 26, 2009 @ 1:14 am
kristine, your rolls are coming along swimmingly. Thanks!
Comment by britt — November 26, 2009 @ 9:43 am
Artemis, I need your pumpkin ginger soup recipe. I”ll try Emma’s too. The garden went crazy and even after carving for Halloween, we have like six or seven pumpkins to consume. Also, I have lots and lots of spaghetti/butternut/acorn/hubbard squash, plus a tasty mystery squash that volunteered in the middle of the green beans.
All pumpkin/squash recipes welcome.
Comment by fMhLisa — November 26, 2009 @ 1:40 pm
We are having a boneless rib roast, garlic mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, green bean casserole, and pumpkin and pecan pies.
Hebert’s (ay-bearz) Specialty Meats in Maurice, Louisiana, ships out 5000 turduckens each year.
Comment by Ann — November 26, 2009 @ 2:12 pm
Well last night I prep all the sausage stuffing ingredients and made a fluffy pistachio Mormon “salad”. I was gonna make a cheesecake but I was tired and new baby thing 3 wants the booby ALL THE TIME! So I ran to the Fred Meyer and bought one. I will make the topping myself and yes… I will claim it as my own.
This morning I woke up, combined the stuffing ingredients, and wrestled my 26 pound turkey with Big D’s help. As I was literally elbow deep in turkey. My husband looks at me with a semi disgusted look on his face and says “you will do this, but not the dishes?!?” (to me nothing is grosser than wet food *shudder*).
Everything else I farmed out to the other 15 people coming. Even doing this I think I may be a little crazy for taking this on after having a baby 5 weeks ago.
Comment by ..just call me cassandra — November 26, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
Lisa, I have a three sisters stew recipe that highlights squash - it’s our main dish for Thanksgiving. (I’m eating it right now, actually.) It’s the first recipe listed here. I also like to roast any sort of hard squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut, buttercup, turban, etc.), puree it in big batches, and freeze it in 1-cup servings. I’ll defrost it overnight when I want muffins, cookies, pancakes, smoothies, soup, etc. all through the year.
Comment by Chandelle — November 26, 2009 @ 5:34 pm
OK, I’m trying to figure out where I found this recipe yesterday. I made it (instead of pies) for our Thanksgiving dessert. I thought it might be here at FMH, but I don’t see it listed.
This is basically crack in a pan. After we all had some, my wife said that I had to either freeze the rest or throw them away so she doesn’t keep eating them. Seriously. ..bruce..
Comment by bfwebster — November 26, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
Baked my bread last night. Darcie’s making the Tofurkey and sweet potatos now, and she baked three pies this morning. My brussels sprouts and potatoes are in the oven. She’s on the way to pick up her cousin and bring him over and then we’ll eat. The stuffing and gravy are all that’s left to make. :woo-hoo:
Comment by Lorian — November 26, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
bfwebster - Oh my word! Those look phenomenal!!! I’m going to have to try that sometime. And I just love the sense of humor of the person who wrote up the recipe. I do wonder what the Mountain Dew is for, though…
Comment by Lorian — November 26, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
kristine, your rolls were a big hit. I did change the sugar to honey and made half of them whole wheat and they were still great.
Comment by britt — November 26, 2009 @ 8:16 pm
thanks britt! Glad they worked well for you. I may have to try that myself–I’m a big fan of whole wheat and honey and that sounds delicious.
Comment by kristine N — November 26, 2009 @ 10:04 pm
Anyone hear of turducken?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9TzK4b0yCrw/Sw6XqnaEvUI/AAAAAAAAC5U/zdVpwGNucIg/s1600/Turducken.jpg
Here’s more on how to make it a different way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken
Comment by Mike H. — November 28, 2009 @ 12:16 am
Re 50 - I have to admit that just does not look appealing to me.
Comment by Stephanie — November 28, 2009 @ 12:45 am
Stephanie: The cartoon, or the recipe?
Comment by Mike H. — November 28, 2009 @ 1:50 am
Oops, Lisa mentioned the turducken well before I brought it up.
Also, the down side of deep fried turkey, as well as a demo of stonding too close to an oil fire when using a fire extinguisher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vZnuYK2Wfg
Comment by Mike H. — November 28, 2009 @ 5:13 pm