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Thanksgiving dinner...; help :)
Topic Started: Oct 19 2010, 06:00 AM (1,529 Views)
SidesaddleRider
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Bearhunter
Oct 19 2010, 10:02 AM
Also, if you like mashed potatoes without lumps (some people like lumps; I think the lumps are :spew: ) a ricer is a must!
I don't do lumpy mashed potatoes either, but I use a hand mixer (beater?) to do mine. Super easy, super quick, and no lumps.
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Indy
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SidesaddleRider
Oct 19 2010, 10:19 AM
Bearhunter
Oct 19 2010, 10:02 AM
Also, if you like mashed potatoes without lumps (some people like lumps; I think the lumps are :spew: ) a ricer is a must!
I don't do lumpy mashed potatoes either, but I use a hand mixer (beater?) to do mine. Super easy, super quick, and no lumps.
Yup, a hand mixer makes wonderfully fluffy mashed potatoes (as my father says "whipped like a cloud"). Sometimes we do lumps, sometimes we don't and when we're going for smooth, the mixer is the only way to go.

I third the request for Delia's sweet potato recipe. Mr. I won't touch them but they're one of my favorite foods. But only when they don't involve marshmallows. Marshmallows are a weird addition.
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Delia
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OK -- Here's my sweet potato recipe. In parentheses I'm including variations for those who may like it sweeter, richer, etc.

Casserole Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
2 large eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon honey (or 1/2 cup of brown sugar if you want it sweet, but personally, the topping makes it sweet enough for me)
1/2 cup low-fat milk (use milk with more fat or half-and-half if you want it richer)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.

While preheating, put sweet potato chunks in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender -- about 10-15 minutes. Drain well and mash. You should end up with about 3 cups. If much more than that, reserve the overage for another use.

Whisk eggs, melted butter, and honey in a bowl. Add mashed sweet potatoes and mix well. Stir in milk, orange zest and vanilla.
Sprinkle in some cinnamon to taste, if you want. (I usually don't b/c I don't want it to taste like pie.) Once I also tossed in some garlic powder and a little ground cumin, and that actually was really good, although T-day traditionalists probably wouldn't like it.

Spread mixture in a baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil

For topping: mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a fork or fingers until crumbly. Stir in pecans.

Sprinkle topping mixture over casserole and bake, uncovered until top is lightly browned -- about 35-45 minutes.

You can put the casserole part together a day or two in advance, and then just make/throw on the topping and bake on Thanksgiving.
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Neighland
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ok after reading this, I'm so ready for Thanksgiving, and yes everyone needs to post recipes!! I LOVE hearing what others do on holiday's, since I have a relatively small family it was always the same for me up until a few years ago when I started going w/DH!!

I have nothing to add, because I've never prepared a whole turkey day meal, but actually thought about doing a small turkey the other day to try it out, may do that this weekend for fun....... that all said I'm always the pie person in my family/family's, and since DH and I have to eat 'dinner" three times, twice on turkey day and his mom is kind enough hold it one day earlier in the week, I normally make 10 or 12 pies that week....

Knife people, what kind of electric knives do you have?

You'll do great Maya never fear!! :)
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headlesshorseman
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I say FRIED TURKEY....it's super simple and OH SO YUMMY...

BUT DO IT OUTSIDE...even if you have the neato INDOOR one...

get about a 10-12lb bird....you can inject it with lots of things if you wish....

We've done them both ways....and they are good either...

IF You are interested I can email you the directions....main thing..DRY BIRD..

I can't wait to try some of these recipes...

GOOD LUCK

HH :)
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sheepwithagun
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MayaTy02
Oct 19 2010, 09:28 AM
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:
Pfft, just skip the turkey then! We always have turkey and honey baked ham at our Thanksgiving, and the ham is my favorite! If you really want turkey Honey Baked Ham has a turkey breast that's 2.5 lbs. (Never had their turkey though, so I can't vouch for its tastiness.) Should leave room in your oven for the other stuff..
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Fish Cheeks
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For a moist turkey (or chicken, for that matter), brine it first: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/BriningPoultry.htm

It makes a huge difference and the bird will be juicy and tender after cooking.

Mr. Fishy does a lot of the cooking for T-day - pies are his specialty, but he does a good bird, too. I do the cranberries and in the past have done an onion pie. DO NOT HAVE CRANBERRIES FROM A CAN!!!! :spew: I can think of almost nothing grosser - it is so simple and easy to make real cranberry sauce - plus you can do it the night before to cut down on T-day cooking.

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SidesaddleRider
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Here you are, per request:

Yellow Squash Soup with Sour Cream and Chives (makes 12 servings)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 pounds yellow crookneck squash, sliced thinly
3 large onions, sliced (I have also made this with only 1 onion, and it tastes the same)
1 tbl dried thyme, crumbled
6 14.5 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth
Sour cream
minced fresh chives

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over med-low heat.
Add squash, onions, and thyme. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Add chicken broth and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Puree soup, either in small batches in a blender, or use a hand blender directly in the pot.
(The above can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate)
Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer.
Ladle into bowls. Top each with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

--------

Stuffing recipe:

1 loaf white bread, cubed (just buy the cheapest kind you can find at the store, like Town Talk or similar, for the breads)
1 loaf wheat bread, cubed
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 finely chopped white onion
2 cups celery, finely chopped
1 can chicken broth
1 stick butter
2 tbl poultry seasoning
Dash of salt and pepper
3 eggs

Cube bread. Leave sit out overnight in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a skillet. Add onions, and cook until tender.
Beat eggs in a bowl.
Put the onion, carrot, celery, poultry seasoning, and eggs over the bread in the bowl.
Pour the chicken broth over the mixture, and use your hands to stir/mix in all the ingredients to make sure the bread is moist and the vegetables are integrated.
Place stuffing lightly in turkey just prior to cooking. Do not pack the cavity too tightly--leave room for expansion.
For the remainder of the stuffing: take several sheets of aluminum foil,and spray them lightly with Pam. Place stuffing in the middle of each sheet, and then fold the aluminum foil to make packets. Cook the packets for 1 hour (30 min on each side) at 350 F. This can be done for the last hour the turkey is cooking, or done afterwards.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

------------

Easy Sweetened Yams


Melt 1 tbl butter in a skillet
Put in 1-2 heaping tbl brown sugar, and stir to form a paste.
Pour in 1/2-2/3 of a little can of pineapple juice
Open a large can of cut yams. Drain the liquid, and reserve.
Pour 1/2-2/3 of the yam liquid into the skillet with the butter sugar paste and pineapple juice.
Heat up, until just simmering.
Put the yams into the skillet, and turn heat to Low
Cover the skillet, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and serve.

----------------

Easy & TASTY Pumpkin Pie

1 large can Libby's Pumpkin
2 cups milk
1.5 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 9" prepared pastry shells

Mix pumpkin with the next 6 ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into the pie shells. Bake in a 450 F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes more.
Allow to cool. Serve with whipped cream or cool whip.

(Another option, since I do NOT like crust, but love the pumpkin, is to just pour the pumpkin into a casserole and bake it as instructed).
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JanM
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Maya-lots of places sell pre-cooked turkeys, deep fried turkeys, or other dishes (I second the honey-baked ham store idea, and they sell desserts also). My dad was a food safety nut and so we always did the stuffing in a casserole dish, and never in the turkey-he worried about the possibility of undercooked turkey + undercooked stuffing = repeated barfing (never happened but he still worried). Since we cooked the dressing separately I usually made a big batch and cooked one casserole dish that day, and the second dish after the oven was free and kept that one for leftovers. Since no one at our house liked dark meat we did get the turkey breast only, and that worked better for us. Many groceries sell full dinners and you pick them up the day before, and some do deep fried also-if you want leftovers of turkey just buy two dinners. That soup recipe sounds so yummy. And even if you do everything yourself you don't have to buy a lot of things-for a single dinner I would just buy an electric hand mixer, instead of shelling out for a big expensive stand mixer you'll never use; a nice roasting pan with rack could be reused also (some people use the big aluminum disposable ones for that too). But most of the dishes are stove top type, and you can do the stuffing, sweet potatoes, or other casseroles after the turkey comes out. Then while everything is cooling off you can do the rolls quickly, and then reheat the pies (if they need it) while you are eating.

And you have a nice choice of places to eat out on Thanksgiving also. Some are buffet, but many are family style seating, and some are table service with menu choices. Usually it's pricey but no prep time, no cleanup, but unfortunately no leftovers either.
Edited by JanM, Oct 19 2010, 05:28 PM.
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justmagic
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My family has been having stewed onions since the 1920's. I make them now using my grandmother's recipe that was passed on to her. They are sweet and buttery and oh so good. We put them on the stuffing instead of gravy. They are also super easy and will make you look brilliant. (which is why I cook them because I really can't do much else for Thanksgiving :psycho: )
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MayaTy02
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and the recipe Just Magic????.....I don't see it ;)
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Buryinghill1
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Maya, what time is dinner? <3
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Corey94
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Thanks, SSR! I'm going to give the squash soup a try for sure.... :rose:
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justmagic
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Grandma Bossert's Onions

-heavily butter a baking dish
-peel and 1/2 onions and put in dish

3/4 cup of melted butter
6 T of Holland House Red Cooking Wine (but I typically just use what ever red wine I have open and I'm drinking ;) )
6 T of honey
1 1/2 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of dry mustard (but I have used good old yellow from a squeezy bottle in a pinch)
3/4 tsp of ground sage

Determine how much water is needed to almost cover the onions.
Thicken with corn starch and drizzle water over onions.
Bake 350 about 1-1 1/2 hours or until onions are done

I throw it all in a big bowl and mix it all up then add the water and corn starch and dump the entire mixture over the onions. I also use the same amounts of everything if I'm cooking for 5 or 15 people

Enjoy!

SSR I'm going to try the squash soup too.
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Boston
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OMG this thread is making me drool! I can't wait for Thanksgiving!!
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