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Thanksgiving dinner...; help :)
Topic Started: Oct 19 2010, 06:00 AM (1,530 Views)
Corey94
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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MayaTy02
Oct 19 2010, 07:43 AM
love you guys - now I'm actually getting excited to try it all. Still won't be the same as being with my family though...boring with just the 4 of us. SO if anyone local to NoVA has any suggestions for stuff to do over the holiday weekend, that would be great.
:teehee: I thought you were going to say 'come on over to MayaTy's for thanksgiving'!!

THAT would be very brave! ;)

If Mr. Corey and I can host T-giving dinner, and have it be delish, anyone can. We do have the electric roaster for the turkey, which helps w/ space. We've got loads of casseroles for some reason, so the oven space is premium.

SSR, how about posting the squash soup recipe? I think it sounds wonderful...

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MayaTy02
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Corey94
Oct 19 2010, 07:55 AM
MayaTy02
Oct 19 2010, 07:43 AM
love you guys - now I'm actually getting excited to try it all. Still won't be the same as being with my family though...boring with just the 4 of us. SO if anyone local to NoVA has any suggestions for stuff to do over the holiday weekend, that would be great.
:teehee: I thought you were going to say 'come on over to MayaTy's for thanksgiving'!!

THAT would be very brave! ;)

If Mr. Corey and I can host T-giving dinner, and have it be delish, anyone can. We do have the electric roaster for the turkey, which helps w/ space. We've got loads of casseroles for some reason, so the oven space is premium.

SSR, how about posting the squash soup recipe? I think it sounds wonderful...

LOL :rofl: I would love to send out an open invite but this being my first time ...'fraid you'd all say.... :point:

(plus I'm pretty sure no one wants to hang out with my annoying little clan of 8 yr olds and a football crazy hubby)
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Indy
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MayaTy02
Oct 19 2010, 07:43 AM
love you guys - now I'm actually getting excited to try it all. Still won't be the same as being with my family though...boring with just the 4 of us. SO if anyone local to NoVA has any suggestions for stuff to do over the holiday weekend, that would be great.
If you guys haven't come into DC to do museums and touristy stuff yet, Thanksgiving and the day after are fantastic days to do that because it's a really low tourist time (everyone is off doing family things and the weather can be crappy) so you don't have to deal with all the hoards of people like you would other times of the year.
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MayaTy02
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Indy
Oct 19 2010, 08:03 AM
MayaTy02
Oct 19 2010, 07:43 AM
love you guys - now I'm actually getting excited to try it all. Still won't be the same as being with my family though...boring with just the 4 of us. SO if anyone local to NoVA has any suggestions for stuff to do over the holiday weekend, that would be great.
If you guys haven't come into DC to do museums and touristy stuff yet, Thanksgiving and the day after are fantastic days to do that because it's a really low tourist time (everyone is off doing family things and the weather can be crappy) so you don't have to deal with all the hoards of people like you would other times of the year.
awesome tip Indy!!! Thats a definite option for us and something that would take my mind off missing my family. And no we haven't really done DC yet at all. Plus if MIL comes, she'll be coming via train into Union Station so that would be handy to go in and see some museums before and/or after dropping her off.
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Barn Girl
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I'm with Indy, I cheat and buy a pre-cooked turkey breast. We've done Thanksgiving at our house for the last couple years and it is just too much hassle for me to deal with cooking a turkey. We only have 6-8 people so the turkey breast is usually plenty. I just do stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, a few veggies, rolls... I tell everyone to bring a side or dessert.

I'm sort of hoping someone else will offer to host this year, but unfortunately since my parents' moved, we have the biggest house now so we get "drafted" into service. My brother has a new GF this year so I'm hoping maybe they'll want to do it at their house. The biggest pain about having it at our place is a) cleaning/straightening up/ corralling dogs, etc and b) having to clean up afterwards and wash all that fancy silver and china crap that I never use otherwise and that can't go into the dishwasher! :sigh: Oh and c) if I'm at someone else's house I can leave when the relatives (mostly MIL) start to annoy me or when I've had enough... that can't happen at my house. If I try to make an excuse to check on the horses, they will follow me up to my barn... there is no escape! :o
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SidesaddleRider
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I will be glad to post the squash soup recipe this evening after I get home. It really is amazingly good -- and pretty darn easy to make, too. ;)

And if anyone on the board in the NoVA area doesn't have plans for T'giving yet (or if MayaTy02 doesn't really want to cook), please feel free to join us; trust me, I make PLENTY of food! We do eat later afternoon/early evening, though, as we always have a big formal T'giving Hunt in the morning, and I have to leave time to cook the turkey, as I don't put it in until after we get back and have finished unbraiding the horses.
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MayaTy02
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SidesaddleRider
Oct 19 2010, 08:19 AM
I will be glad to post the squash soup recipe this evening after I get home. It really is amazingly good -- and pretty darn easy to make, too. ;)

And if anyone on the board in the NoVA area doesn't have plans for T'giving yet (or if MayaTy02 doesn't really want to cook), please feel free to join us; trust me, I make PLENTY of food! We do eat later afternoon/early evening, though, as we always have a big formal T'giving Hunt in the morning, and I have to leave time to cook the turkey, as I don't put it in until after we get back and have finished unbraiding the horses.
how about I come and leave the kids and hubby home? :innocent:

heck I wanna come to the hunt breakfast! :teehee:

JK, the soup sounds great so I'm definitely going to give it a try, looking forward to all your great recipes!
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Delia
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Maya -- do you have a gas grill? If so, you could cook the turkey in that, and then have room in the oven for your side dishes. We frequently grill a whole chicken and it comes out tasting as moist and delicious as when we roast. I like to stuff the cavity of my turkey with fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme, then spray olive oil over the skin + sprinkle poultry seasoning + fresh black pepper over it and stuff more sprigs of herbs around the legs/wings. I don't stuff my turkey with stuffing -- I cook it separately b/c I've heard too many horror stories about food poisoning.

As for our menu, I usually serve shrimp cocktail or deviled shrimp for an appetizer, and then with the turkey we have savory stuffing with sausage (really easy to make), sweet potato casserole (brown sugar crumble on top, but not super sweet), pan sauteed brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce (Mr. Delia insists on Ocean Spray right out of the can, so that's easy!) and and endive salad with sliced beets, pears, gorgonzola crumbles + walnuts. Dessert usually is a chocolate pecan pie w/rum and fresh whipped cream. As for gravy, I suck at it making it so usually buy from Whole Foods or Balducci's. Both have very tasty, fresh turkey gravy.

And wine. Given that this is a family gathering, I self-medicate liberally. Lots and lots of wine . . .
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Trialbyfire
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Delia
Oct 19 2010, 09:07 AM
As for our menu, I usually serve shrimp cocktail or deviled shrimp for an appetizer, and then with the turkey we have savory stuffing with sausage (really easy to make), sweet potato casserole (brown sugar crumble on top, but not super sweet), pan sauteed brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce (Mr. Delia insists on Ocean Spray right out of the can, so that's easy!) and and endive salad with sliced beets, pears, gorgonzola crumbles + walnuts. Dessert usually is a chocolate pecan pie w/rum and fresh whipped cream. As for gravy, I suck at it making it so usually buy from Whole Foods or Balducci's. Both have very tasty, fresh turkey gravy.

And wine. Given that this is a family gathering, I self-medicate liberally. Lots and lots of wine . . .
That sounds awesome....love the salad. Personally, if I were the only one that mattered, I'd skip the turkey. I usually eat very little of it anyway to save room for all the awesome side dishes. Heck, turkey isn't all that special in comparison to everything else.
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Trialbyfire
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Thanksgiving Stuffing

2 T vegetable oil
3 cups chopped celery with leaves
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound bulk country pork sausage, broken into small chunks
2 tart apples cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped
1 cup dried pitted cherries
6 cups stale bread cubes
1 t salt
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t crumbled dried sage leaves
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup tawny port
1 cup chicken stock

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute the celery & onions over low heat until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large mixing bowl.

Add sausage to skillet and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until it is cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with vegetables.

Stir apples, hazelnuts, and cherries into the sausage mixture. Add bread cubes and toss lightly. Sprinkle with salt, thyme, sage, ,and pepper. Toss lightly again. Add port & stock, toss until well blended.

Stuff turkey with stuffing and cook according to turkey instructions. If you have reserved some extra stuffing in a casserole, stir in a bit of the pan juices from the turkey and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

(My notes....I very rarely measure anything. This stuffing works well no matter how you alter the ingredients -- you can add more liquid (or butter instead of oil) if you prefer it more moist. I have used dried cranberries, blueberries and cherries in this and all work great. Hazelnuts and walnuts both work well. You could make this a vegetarian recipe by omitting the sausage (or replacing with a veggie sausage) and using vegetable stock.)

Enjoy!
Edited by Trialbyfire, Oct 19 2010, 09:27 AM.
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MayaTy02
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totally agree with you TBF, I like turkey but the other stuff that I love most of all :) I was spoiled these last few years, my sister in law is a great cook and she's been doing Thanksgiving, in her very very big kitchen (like I think she has 3 ovens, plus a warming oven, but a huge stovetop etc) so she makes tons of stuff and I love it all. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, brussel sprouts (well i don't eat those), fresh rolls, cranberry bread, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a multitude of desserts. Plus amazing wine from my brothers wine cellar. ah oh well....hubby is ruining it for me! Darn him! :tantrum:
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stephjm
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OK, I am getting hungry for Thanksgiving just reading this!! ;)

Trialbyfire, thanks for the stuffing recipe. It sounds delicious. I want to try it. Normally Thanksgiving is at my MIL's house but I think if I offered to bring stuffing no one would complain!

Delia, I'd love the recipe for the sweet potato casserole that isn't too sweet. My hubby loves those yams with pineapple and marshmallows. Yuck. :spew: But he won't eat plan baked sweet potatos either, so maybe this would be a good compromise!
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Delia
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Steph, I'll post the sweet potato recipe as soon as I unearth it at home. It's not overly sweet, but it does have lots of butter!
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Bearhunter
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I do Thanksgiving every year. The only thing I don't do from scratch is the turkey (though I know how.) We have a local gourmet store that makes a fabulous one so I pre-purchase one and reheat. I am very particular about my sides! I have a GREAT sweet potato casserole recipe if you wish (kids and adults go back for 2nds and 3rds.) Also, if you like mashed potatoes without lumps (some people like lumps; I think the lumps are :spew: ) a ricer is a must!
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MayaTy02
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do share bearhunter!
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