Happy Thanksgiving!

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:57 am

To all the US-based (and US ex-pat) posters out there.

I've been doing some prep-work in the kitchen this morning and will be getting ready to pop the bird in the oven around noon (he's been cooling off in a brine bath overnight). On our menu:

-Turkey, of course
-Mashed potatoes with sage and sharp cheddar cheese
-Two types of cranberry sauce (the second with a touch of Grand Marnier)
-Double sausage dressing (cooked in a separate pan, not inside the bird)
-Green beans with garlic and country ham
-My wife's homemade biscuits
-Homemade pumpkin pie (we spread apricot preserves over the bottom of the pie shell to give it an extra bit of goodness)

Oh, and SNOW. The kids are loving it.

My father's bringing the wine. I'm really hoping this is the year he digs deep into his cellar for some of the old bordeaux.

Have a good one folks, and try not to eat too much.

RedShoes · Post by **RedShoes** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:12 am

Sounds just lovely, WSS.

I'm missing my US family this year...we decided making the drive down for just a long weekend was too much this year, especially since it would mean a few extra vacation days for each of us.

Since we're staying home, I've decided to have a few friends over for a Psuedo US Thanksgiving...as a vegetarian, we won't be making a bird, and fake meat is just ick for the most part, so here's our menu:

- Vegetable Cornicopias - a biscuit shaped into a cornicopia, filled with roasted winter vegetables

- Macaroni and Cheese - the real stuff

- Green Bean Casserole - of course

- Buttermilk Biscuits

- Spinach Salad with Strawberries

- Homemade Cookies & Cream Ice Cream (a special request)

- Some sort of pie (being brought by a guest)

Mmmmmmmm. Too bad I don't get the day off work to get all of this stuff ready

Happy Thanksgiving!

invisible Pole · Post by **invisible Pole** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:09 pm

WSS?, Red Shoes,
your menus have just made me salivate.

Happy Thanksgiving to all US posters !!

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:00 pm

Happy Thanksgiving. Whatever it is.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:24 pm

No double-sausage stuffing for me this (or any) Thanksgiving. It's more or less kosher cuisine in Upland/Rancho Cucamonga for me. There are moments when it's nice to be a goy!

Have a happy U.S. Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans (and those who tolerate them), wherever they are.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:35 pm

Happy Thanksgiving, even if you guys do celebrate it a month and a half late

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:36 pm

Had to squeeze in a huge meal of mashed potatoes, squash, homemade applesauce and veggie stuffing with fellow expats (plus copious amounts of red wine and an emotional phone call from the whole family gathered in Chicago) between teaching two English classes. Naturally, my lessons focused on Thanksgiving and how kickass it is.

My friends roasted a suckling pig. I kind of can't get over how gross I find that.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:56 pm

happy thanksgiving, peoples of all the americas, etc. does that piss you off? be thankful.

this was my first "solo" thanksgiving, with none of the usual suspects around to do the gravy and bail me out when it comes to those little snacky things everyone wants. Just me, The Jim and our four children, one of whom just turned 20, so he's only a child in his mother's eyes. Some of you, who know me and my(not so) Sweet Kitchen Skills will be on the edges of your seats wondering who survived the debacle. So far, so good.

What did we eat? Sausage balls for breakfast. Spinach dip and Hawaiian bread as a warm-up to the big event, then the usual: turkey, cornbread dressing (is there any other kind?), mashed potatoes, the little tiny "english" peas, shrimp/cream cheese stuffed celery, mandarin orange/pineapple salad, and the rolls that burnt my fingers when I took them out of the oven. Damn, I am proud of me tonight.

We did our typical What Are You Thankful For? round table and I said 'you guys(my fam,as well as you all) AND elvis.'

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:18 pm

Well, everything turned out great. The only anxious moment was when we thought the sink had backed up. Luckily, I filled it up with hot water and ran it through - whatever had been clogging up the pipe seemed to unclog itself. If I may say so, the mashed potatoes were incredibly yummy. No Bordeaux, but the California Cab was very nice indeed and the turkey was as tender as you could hope for.

Man am I beat.

Sounds like a success moody. Congrats and happy holiday to you and yours.

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:43 pm

I'm Stuffed

I am listening to Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song.

I need a drink

Happy Thanksgiving

RedShoes · Post by **RedShoes** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 12:09 am

Our gathering went well, even if it was small. Cooking for 6 people is a big task for me

But yeah - I think I may have started a nice tradition for me

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:36 am

A belated wish of happy Thanksgiving to everyone here. It's one of my favorite holidays, as it involves both overeating AND genuine reflection on how much we have to be glad of in our lives. What's not to love?

I had the meal in question at my Sis and Bro-in-law's house in Philadelphia. There were about 25 people and it was quite a party. Three turkeys: one oven roasted, one in a convection roaster, one deep fried. My dad brought his famous creamed onions and a homemade apple pie and there were loads of other standout dishes as well. My Irish brother-in-law, who co-owns 4 brewpub restaurants including one that specializes in Belgian and Belgian-style ales, provided some to-die-for mulled lambic (I think it was lambic?).

The list of things for which I am thankful seems undeservedly unending; that I could celebrate that fact with so many lovely people and such amazing food is just icing on a spectacular cake.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:45 am

Turkey at Dad's at 2 p.m., prime rib at mom's at 7 p.m. After three months of road food, getting stuffed to a ridiculous degree never felt so sublime....

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:55 am

I spent most of the day flying back from a conference.....got the dog out of the kennel, had Indian take-away, watched the Lions-Falcons game on the dish - fell asleep by halftime.

Wife with a Problem made it back to the States and went up to my folks house - apparantly they forgot the thin mints and the stuffed celery sticks - otherwise a good time - except no gramps this year - he's lost his mind and has been relegated to a "home".

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:52 pm

selfmademug wrote:I had the meal in question at my Sis and Bro-in-law's house in Philadelphia. There were about 25 people and it was quite a party. Three turkeys: one oven roasted, one in a convection roaster, one deep fried.

Wow - that's quite a lot of turkey - which one was best? I've never tried anything other than good old oven-roasting. The stories I've heard of people burning their houses to the ground attempting to deep fry a turkey were enough to scare me off.

Boy With A Problem wrote:Wife with a Problem

Hope her problem's not you.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:41 pm

Who Shot Sam? wrote:
selfmademug wrote:I had the meal in question at my Sis and Bro-in-law's house in Philadelphia. There were about 25 people and it was quite a party. Three turkeys: one oven roasted, one in a convection roaster, one deep fried.
Wow - that's quite a lot of turkey - which one was best? I've never tried anything other than good old oven-roasting. The stories I've heard of people burning their houses to the ground attempting to deep fry a turkey were enough to scare me off.

Yeah, the fried one was a scary pain in the ass and those involved vowed never to do it again. But the meat was yummy, to say nothing of the skin. The only reason they used three different methods was that it was the only way to cook all the turkeys at once! Still I think the oven-roasted one was best.

I still have some leftover pecan pie around here somewhere... yummm...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:24 pm

Boy With A Problem wrote:got the dog out of the kennel

I do believe this is new info for the board! What breed? Can we swap training notes on Dec 9? I don't give thanks on any formalised occasion, but if I did, this year I would be thankful for little Rudy entering my life. I think life is simply much better with little doggie in it.

miss buenos aires wrote:My friends roasted a suckling pig. I kind of can't get over how gross I find that.

Do they call it 'cochinillo' there as in Spain? It's a great delicacy. Pork heaven, unless, of course, you don't do pork. I recall a restaurant in Madrid that had a model of one in the widow with a pair of glasses and an apple in its mouth. Well, it is the home of bull-fighting after all.

Belated happy thanksgiving to one and all. The only time I celebrated it was in Madrid 20 years ago (20?!?), when I worked with lots of Americans. I got thoroughly stoned and drunk and vomited from the balcony. This was a fifth floor appartment, and every one of the 4 flats below came and complained the next morning about what they'd found. Not many thanks were given in my direction. The food was unbelievably good, you really go to town with style, it seems (from memory and from reading the above - like IP, I'm salivating). Best sweet potato dish I've ever had. Would pay handsomely for the recipe.

Deep fried turkey?!?!?! It must be the Scottish in you...

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 9:39 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote: Deep fried turkey?!?!?! It must be the Scottish in you...

That's a cultural misconception. The deep fried turkey is, I believe, a Southern US recipe; it's the deep fried Snickers bar that has the Scots pedigree...

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 9:45 pm

selfmademug wrote: The deep fried turkey is, I believe, a Southern US recipe

You damn skippy it is!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 11:14 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:My friends roasted a suckling pig. I kind of can't get over how gross I find that.

And yet it sounds trefealicious to me!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 4:47 am

selfmademug wrote:
Otis Westinghouse wrote: Deep fried turkey?!?!?! It must be the Scottish in you...
That's a cultural misconception. The deep fried turkey is, I believe, a Southern US recipe; it's the deep fried Snickers bar that has the Scots pedigree...

Indeed, or more commonly the deep-fried Mars bar. The joke here is that if you're Scottish, you wll have an inherited willingness to take anything and deep fry it. Must have been some Scots in the Deep South!

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:01 am

Otis Westinghouse wrote:
miss buenos aires wrote:My friends roasted a suckling pig. I kind of can't get over how gross I find that.
Do they call it 'cochinillo' there as in Spain? It's a great delicacy. Pork heaven, unless, of course, you don't do pork. I recall a restaurant in Madrid that had a model of one in the widow with a pair of glasses and an apple in its mouth. Well, it is the home of bull-fighting after all.

No, they call it lechón. I guess the emphasis is on the "suckling" part.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:04 pm

Great word! In Spain, the equally if not more mindfuckinglyfantastic roast baby lamb is referred to as 'cordero lechal', and I think you might get the same with 'cabrito' (kid - sorry all you moral veggies!), but not the cochinillo. Oh my God I could do with a long, boozy Sunday afternoon in Pedraza de la Sierra north of Madrid with lashing of Rioja, a groaning platter of milky lamb and a good brandy to follow.