The Thanksgiving Menu Thread

[MonaLittle]

I'll be cooking this year with one of my sisters. We've not made our menu yet but I'm starting to think about what to prepare.

Are you cooking? What's on your menu? Anything nontraditional?

Tell me what's on your grocery list.

 

[MonaLittle]

Pie! It's all about the pie!

Any holiday where the pie is the star attraction is A-okay in my book!

o0o0o Pie!

 

[contrifan32]

Agreed! Pie is king, but it is difficult to save enough room when there is so much else to choose from prior to. I always stash one pie for the morning after. I am cooking for 15. Short of brining a fresh turkey, I am going what some would consider traditional.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Turkey, barded with bacon and all of the traditional trimmings.

The one untraditional serving? I have several gallons of my nearly famous spiced mead ready for the onslaught of family coming from all over the country.

 

[Wife of Bath]

Brined and herb-roasted turkey
Baked cauliflower purée with truffle butter
Candied sweet potatoes
Roasted root veggies
Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and cranberries
Corn pudding
Parker house rolls

Spicy pumpkin pie


For just the two of us, even that will be way too much food

 

[MonaLittle]

Agreed! Pie is king, but it is difficult to save enough room when there is so much else to choose from prior to. I always stash one pie for the morning after. I am cooking for 15. Short of brining a fresh turkey, I am going what some would consider traditional.

I've never used a brine before. Does it make a difference? What do you use for the brine and what's the method?

Turkey, barded with bacon and all of the traditional trimmings.

The one untraditional serving? I have several gallons of my nearly famous spiced mead ready for the onslaught of family coming from all over the country.

Mead! That sounds like something that should be served every time the relatives stop over.

I have a neighbor who makes Swedish Glug. That stuff is Potent!

Brined and herb-roasted turkey
Baked cauliflower purée with truffle butter
Candied sweet potatoes
Roasted root veggies
Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and cranberries
Corn pudding
Parker house rolls

Spicy pumpkin pie


For just the two of us, even that will be way too much food

OMG! That sounds delish!!!! All of it. That cauliflower sounds amazing.

I'll be using my grandma's corn pudding recipe. It's one of my favorites. I'm also thinking about making creamed spinach. Now you've got me thinking about cauliflower, too.



I'm so curious about brining. I wonder if most people use that method now?

 

[contrifan32]

Brined and herb-roasted turkey
Baked cauliflower purée with truffle butter
Candied sweet potatoes
Roasted root veggies
Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and cranberries
Corn pudding
Parker house rolls

Spicy pumpkin pie


For just the two of us, even that will be way too much food

Oh yea... you know how to eat!

 

[Wife of Bath]

Oh, and I forgot the chestnut stuffing. That too .

Brining is good. Flavorful, tender meat.

 

[Wife of Bath]

Oh yea... you know how to eat!

A truer statement has never been made.

 

[MonaLittle]

Stuffing is probably my favorite part of the meal.

How do you Brine?

 

[MonaLittle]

Oh yea... you know how to eat!

Let's go to her house!

 

[Wife of Bath]

Stuffing is probably my favorite part of the meal.

How do you Brine?

Combine salt, sugar, and spices with water or broth, then let your bird sit immersed in the mixture for a few hours. Easy peasy.

Let's go to her house!

There will certainly be plenty of food!

 

[MonaLittle]

Combine salt, sugar, and spices with water or broth, then let your bird sit immersed in the mixture for a few boys. Easy peasy.



There will certainly be plenty of food!

For a few boys? Got the men on your mind?

I'm going to research this. Sounds interesting.

 

[Wife of Bath]

For a few boys? Got the men on your mind?

I'm going to research this. Sounds interesting.

Ha! I'm posting on my iPhone. Hours. A few hours.

 

[contrifan32]

I've never used a brine before. Does it make a difference? What do you use for the brine and what's the method?

The afternoon before I heat a cup of kosher salt, 1/2 cup of molasses handful of peppercorns, 4 quarts of vegetable stock 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 washed and cut up lemon. After it is heated enough to melt the salt I add enough ice to chill it to cold.

I put the turkey in a heavy plastic bag and pour in the brine making sure there is still some ice that is not melted. Seal the bag and put it in a large cooler. I add enough ice to cove the top of the bag just to be sure.

Next morning remove and discard the brine, rinse turkey, season stuff (optional) and roast as usual. It is almost impossible to dry a brined turkey out. The meat is moist with just a hint of the brine. I think it makes a better flavored gravy too!

 

[MonaLittle]

The afternoon before I heat a cup of kosher salt, 1/2 cup of molasses handful of peppercorns, 4 quarts of vegetable stock 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 washed and cut up lemon. After it is heated enough to melt the salt I add enough ice to chill it to cold.

I put the turkey in a heavy plastic bag and pour in the brine making sure there is still some ice that is not melted. Seal the bag and put it in a large cooler. I add enough ice to cove the top of the bag just to be sure.

Next morning remove and discard the brine, rinse turkey, season stuff (optional) and roast as usual. It is almost impossible to dry a brined turkey out. The meat is moist with just a hint of the brine. I think it makes a better flavored gravy too!

Ohh, that sounds perfect. I think i will try it this year. Thanks!

I'm sure there must be all different brine recipes online. I'll check them out. I'd hate to have a dry bird my first year.

 

[pointless]

my family has finally abandoned pumpkin pie. instead we will have the similar, but superior in every possible way sweet potato pie. also, frozen cherry and pecan pies and most likely a homemade sugar cream pie if i'm not stupid this time around and remember to put the baking sheet in the oven first so it won't pop and cause the pie to explode.

seriously though, fuck pumpkin pie.

 

[Wife of Bath]

my family has finally abandoned pumpkin pie. instead we will have the similar, but superior in every possible way sweet potato pie. also, frozen cherry and pecan pies and most likely a homemade sugar cream pie if i'm not stupid this time around and remember to put the baking sheet in the oven first so it won't pop and cause the pie to explode.

seriously though, fuck pumpkin pie.

I love pumpkin pie. My boyfriend requested lemon meringue, so well probably have one of those too. Splitting the difference, as it were.

 

[MonaLittle]

my family has finally abandoned pumpkin pie. instead we will have the similar, but superior in every possible way sweet potato pie. also, frozen cherry and pecan pies and most likely a homemade sugar cream pie if i'm not stupid this time around and remember to put the baking sheet in the oven first so it won't pop and cause the pie to explode.

seriously though, fuck pumpkin pie.

Mmmm - Pecan Pie. Love it!

 

[MonaLittle]

I love pumpkin pie. My boyfriend requested lemon meringue, so well probably have one of those too. Splitting the difference, as it were.

Me, too! I also love Pumpkin Roll. Takes a long time to make but it's well worth the effort.

 

[unregistered]

 

[MonaLittle]

All I need to be happy is green being casserole, real mashed potatoes with butter, and pumpkin pie. Therefore I always contribute at least these three items to our families Thanksgiving. I have cooked the entire meal before, but greatly prefer for several of us to share that responsibility, preferably all together in one kitchen.

Green Bean Casserole. Oh man, I used to love that stuff. Especially the durkee fried onions on top. I've not had it for years.

Peeling mashed potatoes for a holiday is one of the most hated tasks of mine. I always got handed that duty. Probably because I burn everything I bake so the desserts were handed over to someone else.

However, I can make a mean Keylime Pie. I have it mastered.

 

[contrifan32]

Green Bean Casserole. Oh man, I used to love that stuff. Especially the durkee fried onions on top. I've not had it for years.

Peeling mashed potatoes for a holiday is one of the most hated tasks of mine. I always got handed that duty. Probably because I burn everything I bake so the desserts were handed over to someone else.

However, I can make a mean Keylime Pie. I have it mastered.

Why peel when you can wash your potatoes well and cook them with the skins on. They are not as pretty and white but the skins are suppose to have all the all the vitamins in them.

 

[neci]

back when my sister was in college, we had thanksgiving at the house she was living in. the night before we all showed up, her roommates decided to throw a keg party. we show up and the entire house is trashed. booze bottles everywhere and half a keg of really cheap beer. that thanksgiving, the turkey was brined in beer left over from the keg in a giant plastic bin. the turkey was amazing. it ended up being a really good thanksgiving, but good god, that house was trashed. we ended up with her friends who either couldn't or didn't want to go home for various reasons. the keg party ended up extending through the holiday and was fabulous, despite the filth.

 

[neci]

the menu so far:
turkey
stuffing
dressing
mashed potatoes
mac and cheese
green beans
creamed corn
cranberry sauce gelled and straight out of the can, sliced
cranberry mint sauce made from scratch
pumpkin pie
apple pie
fresh whipped cream