Let's Talk Turkey

I was going to post this in general discussion, but thought it might be more appropriate here.

What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving?

My family will start the day at my in-laws where I'm going to drink beer, eat turkey, watch football,

and then go to my parents' house where my brothers, sister and their families will be , and I'll drink beer, eat turkey, and watch football.

Then I plan to top off the night by getting sleepy.

So, kly...are you gonna drink beer or watch football?

I'm going to my sister's house.

I reminded her today to put new batteries in her smoke detector. She uses that as her cooking timer.

Eat leftovers and sleep. As usual

Hopefully, both. I just realized that I sounded like Homer Simpson in my first post.

"Will there be beer?"

I'm cooking for 13. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with the little marshmallows on top, some white potatoes for those who don't like sweet, broccoli and asparagus. My mom is making a pumpkin pie and my daughter is baking a carrot cake.

Of course, just to add to the excitement, the valve on my refrigerator's icemaker broke, and I came downstairs to water everywhere this morning. I can't tell you what a mess I have right now, not to mention that the wood floor in my dining room is soaked, which I'm pretty sure does not bode well for its future.

But, it wouldn't be the Babe household if chaos didn't reign in one form or another!!!

I'll be going to 3 places to eat and visit with people then come home and watch the Colts game while Megan is working.

Well, I'm starting the day in Manhattan. I'll go down the Village to pick up my aunt relatively early. Then stop at my cousin's apartment. They live at Central Park West and 74th street, so you can look out the window and see the parade. My nieces and nephews will be with me, so they'll love it. Then it's up to Westchester for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's house. A full day.

PB, I have to ask. Do you do pasta on Thanksgiving? It took me a few years to break my brother of the habit, but I finally stopped doing it. After pasta, nobody would eat the turkey, and I got sick of throwing it out!

We have to. Two words: my father.

I'd just assume not, but he's a big pain in the ass. This year, my sister-in-law (The Hungarian) is cooking, so her gravy might be enough to put him off it for a while.

I never had pasta on Thanksgiving...even at my in-laws, who are Italian.

We'll have turkey (I favor the dark meat), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans and stuffing. After that a few other assorted side dishes make an appearance. There'll be apple and pumpkin pies, and if my mother-in-law isn't too annoyed with me, maybe a slice of coconut cream pie.

My 93 year old grandmother, who is virtually blind, still bakes and cooks, and I can expect something good there too. While her lack of vision doesn't interfere with her cooking, it did create a problem on Thanksgiving a few years ago when she mistook the base of an artificial tree for an ashtray, and set the thing ablaze.

Drinking beer,eating food all day and watching football......

*heartbroken sigh*

What a an absolutely perfect sounding day...

you must excuse me now whilst i cycle to work in the pouring rain

I love Thanksgiving! My parents will be coming in town and we have invited a couple of stroke survivors that have no family to cpme over as well. Probably about 12-13 people to prepare for.

I am turkey man! I am going to deep-fry three turkeys. I am planning to "inject" each with a different flavor.
1. Creole Butter
2. Bar B Q
3. Garlic Butter

My son works today so we will not have the feast until 7 PM.

Howewver, we will have a brunch about 10 ish when my parents arrive.

I am so hungry now but just drinking coffee so I dont spoil the ole appetite!

Well, the turkey was delicious. The stuffing was moist, if a tad peppery, but that added a little zing, just not too everyone's taste. The broccoli was good, the asparagus tender and the sweet potatoes were great. The gravy didn't have one lump. All in all, a successful dinner.

I have a turkey wing in the fridge calling my name. I'm trying to decide if I have the strength to get off the couch to get it.

SB,

I thought I was the only one who liked Turkey Wings. As far as gravy, I suck at making gravy.

Sounds like your feast went well. Do you guys make the mushroom/green bean dish too?

TIS

My turkey leftovers (on toast with stuffing and gravy) are awesome!

Is anyone really big on cranberries?? Don't get me wrong, I couldn't have Thanksgiving without them, but must admit I am not crazy about them. I usually end up throwing away 75 percent of what I serve. Myself, I eat a small small portion but that's it.
I guess they are so traditional that I feel they are a must for the holiday. I don't know of any cranberry lovers in my family.


TIS

My mom taught me to make brown gravy when I was about 10, so I find it pretty easy. I use cornstarch instead of flour because it's easier to work with. Never add it when it's too hot, because that's what causes the lumps, and make sure to stir constantly. We originally started using corn starch because my dad had celiac disease, but it truly is easier to work with.

I don't like cranberries. I actually used to forget to buy them, because my husband and I don't eat them, but I got the hint when my mother-in-law started bringing her own can. Now my mom makes her own from scratch every year, and I serve that.

Call me a fake but I only eat cranberry sauce from a can. I cannot stand the homemade stuff.

If you don't use a can opener and hear the sluuurp of "dumping" the cranbery sauce I won't eat it.

Matter of fact I use to hate that also but not because of the taste. I always thoght they looked like beets which I hate and always associated the two. Not sure when I actually trid the cranberry sauce but quickly fel in love.

Also -- I am with SC. I love a good leftover sandwich - complete with turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, gren beans, and, of course, cranbery sauce!

You know SB, I'm gonna try it with corn starch next time I make a roast or any meat with gravy. How about the water/meat juice ratio to the liquid and how will I know how much corn starch is enough without making it thick and chewy?

TIS

I use the strained meat juice and combine it with one cup of appropriate bullion (beef or chicken, depending on the meat), so that there's plenty of gravy. Then I mix two or three tablespoons of cornstarch in water, just enough so that it's pourable, but still has some substance. I add that to the meat juice/bullion combination and stir until it's dissolved. Then I turn the gas on medium, and keep stirring until it comes to a boil. It should be at the right consistency at that point. If it's not, turn off the gas and remove it from the heat. Then mix one more tbs. of cornstarch in water, and add it to the gravy, stirring briskly to make sure it doesn't lump. Then bring that back to a boil, and it should be just right. I also add some onion powder, salt and pepper, and few drops of Gravy Master.

Hope that helps!! Or was that WAY too much information???

No, not too much info at all SB. I like the detailed instructions. Thanks! I'm gonna give it a try next time I make gravy. I'll let you know if I mess it up.


TIS

I too avoid cranberry sauce, not that I hate it, but I prefer turkey with gravy only. I always have a cold turkey sandwich on Thanksgiving evening, and for that I usually have ketchup or gravy.

TIS, I doubt that you'll mess up!! I love brown gravy. As far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough of it.

I don't usually eat cranberry sauce but had it this Thanksgiving. It wasn't all that bad. Plus, there was a cranberry jello mold with other fruit that was quite tasty. I don't think I'll be a convert of cranberry sauce yet though.

Do people still eat turnips?

I can't say I ever buy them, but I would eat them if they were served. I'm not too picky with vegetables. I think I'll eat just about any for the most part.


TIS

As aq kid, I had an aversion to them, but my grandother made them every Thanksgiging. I think I would eat them now. I haven't seen them on a table for years.

I don't think I've ever had a turnip in my life. I feel so left out.

They look a little like Poke Salad ( pick me a mess of it chomp chomp!!)

TIS


If some of ya'll never been down South too much...
I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this,
So that you'll understand what I'm talking about
Down there we have a plant
That grows out in the woods and the fields,
Looks somethin' like a turnip green.
Everybody calls it Poke salad. Poke salad.

Poke Salad Annie, huh, Tis??

My mother made mashed turnips. She cuts up the turnip and boils it for what seems like forever. Then she adds one potato. This supposedly takes out the bitterness. Since she and my m-i-l are the only ones that eat it, she only made a small dish. Seemed like a lot of work for a teeny bit of food.

Does anyone ever make potato patties with the leftover mashed potatos? I really like them. Just add Italian breadcrumbs, egg, salt/pepper and make into patties. They're great.


TIS

My mom used to make potato pancakes with them. That was a great way to stretch out potatoes. Now I just throw the leftovers away.

I love potato pancakes. My Mother-in-law will make them with her leftover potatoes.

So, what are everyone's plans this year?? As the family has expanded over the years (not just weight-wise, but also in numbers), we're usually around 20-25. This year, we'll only be 12, though.

And, in honor of my brother, we're resurrecting the pasta dish. Usually we have to make both a turkey and a turkey breast to feed the masses. Since we're skipping the turkey breast this year, we'll have an oven open, so we're making baked ziti.

Last year we did a pasta station with three sauces, but only as an appetizer (if 3 pounds of pasta can be considered an appetizer). The Godfather was on, and we ate pasta and watched the movie. My brother said it was just like the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims!

This year Thanksgiving will be at my house but we won't be having Thanksgiving dinner till Friday cuz my SIL has to work on Thursday. I'm hoping my 2 older kids will get to come home. There will be 14 at my house.

This Thanks Day will be the smallest to date but I'm looking forward to it. The Grandkids will be coming over! They are making the 6 mile journey on Tuesday and staying through to the weekend. Since they are still in a medically guarded condition, only people with the Flu vaccine and Pertusis (Whooping Cough) vaccine can visit them, it will only be six of us. The other grandparents got the vaccines, but they have other plans.

Can't wait to watch the Macy's parade with them. It's one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions, that and a Bloody Mary at noon!

God bless, MC. That sounds like a great way to spend their first Thanksgiving! BTW - I heard on the radio that 1 out of 4 Americans were scaling back their Thanksgiving bill by doing this one simple thing...cutting back the amount of invitations they extend for dinner. "Unnecessary" or "undesirable" friends & family are not getting the invites this year!

We'll have 5 of our 6 kids and all four grandchildren. We'll have northern (out of deference to me) and southern dressing. The kids always want their mother to make chicken and dumplings in addition to turkey and ham. Oh, I am going to pig out. I can't wait for the pumpkin pie!

So you'll be having a normal meal?

WOOHOO!! my two older kids will be here early Thursday morning.

So in that case why not have a Thanksgiving dinner with the immediate family on Thanksgiving and then have another dinner with your SIL and her family the day after?

Too much cooking. I want to visit with my babies while they are here to.

DC, what are your plans?? Is your family cooking?

Not this year, but sometime soon I wanna take a chance with the deep-fried turkey! Got plenty of (safe) space outside I think (hope)!

My Brother-in-law is gonna bring a small turkey so he can deep fry it. He loves it deep fried. It's not bad that way.

There was a letter to the editor from our local fire chief in the paper yesterday. Did you know that the turkey friers are not UL rated? They refuse to give them any sort of rating because they're too dangerous.

I heard that, too. Next year I won't care.

Aside from the fact that you just might burn your house down or scar yourself for life, you get no wings!!!!!!! You can't have turkey without wings. It's my understanding that they burn and you can't eat them. For me, it's not Thanksgiving without a wing snack around 11 pm.

My neighbor makes a deep-fried turkey every year. Then he leave the frier outside until April. Kinda lazy don't ya think?

And stuffing inside the bird.

Oh you kid!

I'll be having the traditional early thanksgiving dinner with the inlaws and then we'll join my family later. Instead of going to my parents' home, we'll be meeting them and my brother's and sister's families at my uncle's place in the Poconos. And there we will continue the family holiday tradition of watching my 96 year old grandmother down a dozen Manhattans.

God bless..... I love that old lady!!!!

Enjoy your holiday, klyd.

Bless her indeed! If I had dozen Manhattans you'd be continuing a holiday tradition of seeing me in a coma.

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless to all my BB buddies! Family Pizza night tonight (we all make our own pizza any way we like it!) and the bird gets gluttonized tomorrow! Salute'!

At the very last moment I find myself scurrying about from store to store in my neighborhood, getting all the fixin's together to make a small Thanksgiving dinner for a good friend and myself.

When I say "very last moment," I mean I agreed to do this yesterday (Tuesday) evening! Yes, I know, I'm definitely losing it...

My friend had nothing to do for the holiday (except he had to work) - he and his wife have no marriage left after thirty years except in name only and pretty much go their separate ways except they still live under the same roof. Quite sad, because he is really a very nice person. I have nothing to do on the holiday either. So, when he proposed getting together and chowing down on Thursday, I said yeah, why the hell not. Haven't cooked a holiday meal in years.

So, the menu will consist of a small (9½ lb.) turkey, mashed potatoes, fresh string beans, the most incredible stuffing on earth, a turkey gravy and a special caper sauce that was always a crowd pleaser. We both dislike cranberry sauce in any form, so we'll skip that. Haven't really thought of a dessert, because I have a feeling there won't be much room for it. In the bygone days, out motto for the holidays was, "Feed 'em 'til they burst." (Yeah, I know - gross, right?)

So, it looks like this year I'm dusting off the welcome mat and the Diner is open for business.

Signor V.

I'll be cooking an old brown shoe for Thanksgiving. Doesn't that sound lovely?

I hope you remove the laces before eating.... they're full of germs.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Try not to eat yourself into a food coma.

Too late but thanks, Lou! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I have been deep frying turkeys for about 6 years now and have never had a problem. Common sense goes along way to preparing it properly and safely

I would recommend a fryer that has a pot to place in the fryer (not the kind that has a hanger for the bird)

It takes about 60 minutes for the oil to heat up and about 3-4 minutes per pound to cook. Use a smaller bird (no more than 12 pounds). There are lots of good sauces to inject the bird on the market or you can create your own. I cook 3 turkeys in less than three hours. They are so moist it almost falls off the bone. Make sure when injecting to use as few holes as possible and moved the (needle) up and down to get an even injection. It is pretty cool to watch the bird plop up when injecting
I saw someone ask about the wings - I have never had a problem with the wings burning. I also make sure to inject them as well

Getting hungry as I peck away on the iPhone - me thinks I need a turkey sandwich. Of course my sandwich looks like Dagwwood's as I put turkey mashed potatos stuffing cranberry sauce and drizzle it with gravy

Hope everyones Thanksgiving was special. Mine certainly was more so this year as I had a scare last week with a few days in the hospital

Thanks for the tips, Part! I wanna try it, perhaps in the Spring, to see. I have plenty of safe space outdoors. Hope your "scare" wasn't too serious, and that you had a great family Thanksgiving!

I'm enjoying all my kids being home at least for another day.

Guarantee that It will be the best turkey you have had - it's orgasmically delicious! just get a god fryer, prepare bird correctly and follow instructions. I know we men like to just take it out of the box and get going without looking at the manuals. You know there is a reason they put a warning label on the top ring of a ladder lol. Men are just wired that way

I am feeling better and had a wonderful Tgiving with family
I collapsed last week thought heart attack or stroke. Bottom line - no damage to the heart and thankfully no stroke (those that know where I am employed wil see the NOW funny irony if I did have a stroke)
Actually had heart failure - not in the fact that it stopped but insufficient to pump enough blood to brain my blood pressure was as low as 60/40 in the ambulance before they were able to stabilize and bring up in hospital
So after a battery of tests I was released after a few days and now have lots of follow ups etc

I will ask my priest for recommendations.


Wow, I really hope they find the cause (and I hope it's not the deep frying ) and it's not too serious! I'm surprised I haven't had any major issues with how bad I take care of myself {knock on wood} but I wish you the best! A friend of mine had bypass surgery in his 30's, and another had a stroke I think in his 20's or 30's -- both have fully recovered, but it's still scary as all hell. And why I keep pressing my luck is beyond me...

i have no idea

Thought I would resurrect this and see what the cooking plans are. JG, are you actually going for the fryer this year?? I'm hosting again this year, but more and more is being delegated out. My mom is doing all the green vegetables and my MIL is bringing pies and salad. My brother and SIL are doing the sweet potatoe pie with marshmallows and my other SIL is bringing cookies (it's really all we trust her with).

I'll be baking a cake for my MIL's birthday, and taking care of the turkey and all the goodies that go with it, as well as the mashed potatoes. For pre-dinner, Mr. Babe will make his delicious turkey pate`, and I picked up some nice frozen appetizers at Trader Joe's yesterday. In lieu of pumpkin pie, I also decided to try Trader Joe's pumpkin souffle.

Not this year, Babe... I never did do the trial run. My folks are hosting, and it's actually being catered as it's just too much work for my mom any more (tho I'm sure she'll make a side or two, and doctor-up whatever they get). My kitchen just isn't big enough to prepare such a feast.

$19.95/pp (6 of us) for a 16-lb bird, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes, green beans w/ almonds, rolls, apple pie... not too bad, and the place is pretty good.

While the food is important, it's more important to have the time spent with family....

Happy Thanksgving to all. I bought the Safeway Dinner, 1 Turkey,Dressing , Gravy , Spuds, Rolls, Green Bean Salad, Pumpkin Pie, $39.99 plus tax.

My SIL did that a few years ago when she was having a smaller-than-expected crowd. She ordered it from her local Shop Rite and said it was great.

Jeez... for what my dad's paying for 6... wow!

As for ShopRite, they just had a grand opening for a Super-Duper-OMG-WOW! ShopRite here a week ago, and I haven't been able to get thru the door yet! It's supposed to be AMAZING! and surely Foodtwown has been suffering (there was hardly anyone there the other day), and the local Pathmark was even non-chaotic the day before Thanksgiving. But the new ShopRite had cops directing traffic!! Can't wait to check it out...!

Got to say , It was good no muss no fuss. Have plenty of left overs to make soup out of , sandwich's , but for the bucks good. The pie was a might small only 8 1n. LOL. Heard about those ShopRite stores and been in some good deal.

Spent about 4-5 hrs making the turkey stock today, and tomorrow will make the actual turkey/rice soup. Will post the full recipe when it's complete. It's gonna be goooooood!

Left over update... Everything gone as of lunch time today!

All this turkey talk is getting my juices flowing for Christmas. 4 weeks today till i can fill my boots as they say!!

I am also making Turkey soup but putting Grandma's homemade noodles, with carrots and celery. But that rice sounds mighty good.

Spent another 2 hrs making the actual soup today, after the 4+ hours yesterday. Sheesh! Here we go....

This is based on "Mom's Turkey Soup" but it was very vague (no quantities of anything mentioned), so I took a stab at it after looking at a bunch of different recipes and came up with my own, flying by the seat of my pants:

Day 1: Turkey Stock

• Remove all good turkey meat from the carcass
• Break up bones a bit and place in a roasting pan, with the skin and giblets (except liver) and roast in 350°F oven for 1 hour. [Optional]
• Meanwhile, go through the turkey meat and remove any fat, skin, cartilage and bones. The white meat came out a bit tough for the soup, so use sparingly or use for sandwiches. Place meat in a bowl and cover with chicken stock to keep moist. Cover and refrigerate.
• After bones have roasted, place into large stock pot or dutch oven. Cover with cold water by an inch. I used 64 oz cold spring water + 64 oz Swanson Organic Vegetable Broth (as it would expire in a few weeks). Add about 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar, and any drippings (about a 1/4 cup in my case) not already used for gravy.
• Turn heat to medium and add half a large yellow onion (quartered then separated), coarse chopped carrots (I used 2, could've used 3 or 4), 3/4 bunch of parsley (as is), 5-6 branches of thyme, bay leaf, 8-10 halved celery tops (or a couple celery stalks, cut in large pieces), about a dozen whole peppercorns, pinch dried tarragon, a sprig of fresh sage, sprig of fresh dill, 1-2 smashed cloves of garlic, and a few sprinkles of celery seed, and some Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (you can always add more later, so don't over do it).
• Heat until it's at a bare simmer (don't boil), skimming off any foamy crud that may float to the top. Check it every 30 minutes for the next 3 hours or so, when the meat falls off the bones.
• Let cool a bit, then remove bones and veggies and strain the stock through a colander (lined with cheese cloth, or use a mesh sieve) over a large bowl or pot. Pick through for good pieces of meat and add to reserved meat in fridge.
• Let stock cool for a while and skim off any crud on top. Pour into quart soup containers (I yielded 3 quarts of stock) and refrigerate.

Day 2: Turkey Soup

• Remove stock from fridge and remove solidified fat from the stock and KEEP. You'll use some in the next step.
• Put some turkey fat in the pot, and heat on medium. Add 2-3 cloves minced garlic, the other half of the onion (finely chopped), and 4-5 chopped carrots. Saute to let sweat until onions are softened and carrots are al dente. [Or you can skip this step and just cook the veggies in the soup itself -- it didn't seem to save any time]
• Add the stock one quart at a time (it will be congealed) and stir until loose. Add 1+ tbsp finely chopped celery leaves (or 1-2 chopped celery stalks), 2+ tsp chopped fresh dill, a sprig each of thyme and sage, 1/4+ cup chopped parsley, pinch or two of dried tarragon, a few grinds of poultry seasoning or a tsp or two of Bell's, and a pinch or two of Kosher salt and ground pepper.
• Cook with a bare simmer, do not boil.
• Meanwhile, prepare 1.5-2 cups of rice. I used Success rice, boiled in the bag for 8 minutes. [Or you can use noodles or Pastina, etc]
• Meanwhile, go through the turkey meat again (don't discard the chicken broth it's been soaking in). Feel and taste as you pull apart bite-sized pieces and place in a separate bowl. As I said, some white pieces may have become tough already, so just eat them now. When finished, strain the broth to be sure no small pieces of bone remain. Put turkey pieces back in broth.
• When the carrots and onions are cooked through (but not mushy), add the rice and stir.
• Turn off burner, and add turkey meat and its soaking liquid into soup.
• Adjust seasoning to taste -- mine was a bit bland, so I adjusted. It should be even better the next day, though.
• If not using immediately, pour into quart soup containers (I yielded 4 quarts of soup) and refrigerate.

I'll know better tomorrow if it's worth it all -- but I'm sure some improvements can be made. For instance, more onion (only had 1 large) and more carrots (only had 5 medium-sized carrots on hand), and possibly more herbs, etc.

It's a work-in-progress, but good, though!

Looks darn good hope the seat of your pants weren't in it . Thanks for sharing.

I like to have plenty of gravy on Thanksgiving, so I make stock with the neck. I just put the neck, some onion, celery, salt and pepper in a pot of water and let it simmer for at least an hour or so. Makes a nice amount of stock and then I can add that to the drippings when I make the gravy.

Pretty late to the party, but this is what I did on Turkey Day.

Happy Halloween .

And it wasn't raw? More golden next time

I thought it looked "raw", too.

Is that the neck in the roasting pan? (Just curious - I usually use it for soup.)

Signor V.

Or is he happy to see you?

Well, I admit that was my first impression...

Proving, once again, that SC rushes in where Vitelli fears to tread!

Signor V.

Temperature dictates, not how golden it is. I've messed around with using things that accelerate browning but I can taste them and I really like poultry skin. I manipulate the bird some while it's roasting, but I've really just gotten too lazy to keep flipping the bird at different angles to get it browned all over.


Sure is. I use it to add to the pan for gravy time and I like to pick the meat off and eat it anyway.

I've never used any sort of "accelerant" (read: gasoline? ), but I do cook the turkey part way under a "tent" of aluminum foil. Can't imagine what sort of product people might use to artificially speed up the skin's browning.




Never, but never feed me a straight line like that!

Signor V.

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, just thought I would resurrect this thread. Anybody planning anything unusual this year? Anyone deep frying their turkey?

We're doing two turkeys this year, one frozen (purchased last night) and one fresh (to be purchased today or tomorrow) with a double recipe of stuffing, sweet potato pie with marshmallows, baked white potatoes, broccoli and fresh bread from the local bakery (challah and rye). We'll start with a nice salami board, some cheeses and my husband's delightful turkey pate.

We are putting off thanksgiving dinner till next weekend when my hub and my son come down to Becky's house to see the baby.

our turkey is almost done defrosting, and its taking a bath in the brine later today. the brine consists of cold ice water, enough to cover the bird, equal parts sugar and salt, some bay leaves, and whole peppercorns. i usaully go by taste, but around 3/4-1 cup each of the salt and sugar. 24-48 hours in the brine makes all the difference in the world, it adds a nice subtle flavor, but more importantly leads to a much moister bird. just remember to thouroughly dry the turkey before roasting.

forget those stupid pop up indicators that "tell" you when the turkey is done. if they even work at all, that bird will be history by that time. spend a few bucks on an instant read therometer. around 165 in the deepest part of the thigh is about what your looking for, and remember let it rest tented with foil for at least a good hour before you go slicing into it, otherwise all your hard work will be for nothing. i take the whole breasts off, seperate the drumsticks and thighs, and do the same with the wings. i take a few minutes and pull the leftover meat off the body, not much as i'm pretty good. i throw it in a stock pot, add onion, celery, and carrots, and cover with cold water. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for around an hour and boom, homemade turkey stock. perfect for gravy/soup.

for the gravy, i pour all the juices out of the roasting pan into a cup, allow to seperate, and remove most of the fat. i heat the pan up, and deglaze with white wine, scraping up all the brown bits. i add the stock, as well as the original juices from the pan, and let it bubble away for a while. check the seasonings, add more salt/pepper. near the end, i add a whole lot of fresh chopped sage, thicken with a roux, strain and done.

i always make this drink on thanksgiving, not really traditional by thanksgiving standards, but its my tradition. add ice, around a shot or so of vodka(maybe half that if pizzaboy is there, as i'm sure we have all had to deal with drunken relatives that screw up the whole meal before ) top with a few splashes of pineapple, shake,strain, and serve over more crushed(not cubed, very important) ice. add a twist of lime, and top with sprite/7up, or even seltzer if you like things less sweet. goes down easy, livens up the day!

You have quite a bit more to be thankful for this year, Mig. Enjoy.

Sounds like a great dinner, SB.

I'll have the traditional turkey dinner at my mother-in-law's around 1 pm. There'll be twelve of us there, eating roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes,corn and green beans, topped off with pumpkin pie, nut bread, pecan pie and pumpkin roll.

Around 5 pm my family will go to my pare nts', which is 15 minutes from my MIL. They will have already finished dinner as they eat early with my sister and her family , my uncle aunt and grandmother. But it will be time to dig into the leftovers. I'll have turkey sandwiches, stuffing, haluski and more desserts.

Late at night we'll return to my MIL's where I'll make another plate and start eating again.

Use some leftover veggies and make some "bubble and squeak" Kly....

Start a new Thanksgiving family tradition

I think I'm doing the Paul McCartney thing this year,
but God I'm gonna miss it.



https://twitter.com/PaulMcCartney/status/270894890739720192/photo/1

I love McCartney, but I can't give up my butterball.

That's right. Let it be!

Still some time away but you're gonna get dumped on with snow the following Thursday, klyd. You read it here, first.

Your butterball must be a crystal ball. But enough about your balls.

If I may expand the Thanksgiving topic a bit, one of my great memories of Thanksgiving was 2007 when I took my daughter, who was 10 at the time, to Lake Scranton, a rustic 4-mile path around a lake. We had time before dinner, so we walked, collected leaves, skipped stones, marched across a fallen tree, and had a squirrel follow us.

The stuff that great memories are made of.

Having a small Thanksgiving this year just me, my brother and my parents due to their health issues. Won't be traveling to the in-laws Thanksgiving extravaganza.

I wish you and your family well. May you all enjoy the day.

Got my sausage for the stuffing and the second turkey is in the fridge. A total of 37 lbs. of bird this year. My brother calls me every day and asks if I've caved yet and started making the lasagna. I told him no more pasta!

Only 37 lbs?!? What if Frankie & Delores drop in and they bring Cousin Tony and Uncle Sal?!?

I did have an Uncle Sal, and believe me, he could have eaten at least 30 pounds of the turkey!

Sounds like you better get working on that lasagna, Babe!

My niece was a vegetarian but she ate turkey. She said anything that was so stupid that it didn't know enough to lower it's head to keep from drowning in the rain deserved to be eaten.

NO PASTA! I did a pasta station a few years ago - 3 lbs. of penne with a choice of four cheese, vodka or marinara sauce. Never again.

I always cut a couple of oranges in half and put them in the cavity of the poor bird. Citrus ensures moist and tender meat if cooked properly. We rarely do in the cavity stuffing. I also put carrots, celery and onions in the pan while roasting - all natural flavors can't be beat! I would like to hear any other "tricks" youse guys use...

Since I do cook my stuffing in the cavity, I won't be able to try that orange thing. I do take my neck and put it in water with celery and onion to make turkey stock. I add that to my drippings to make sure we have a TON of brown gravy. You can never have enough!

Has anyone tried placing bacon on the turkey when they bake it? I heard that adds a nice flavor.

That must be something to see. Do you keep your hair dry?

I'm quite the contortionist am I.

YUMMY

We did, years ago, but not with turkey. We laid strips of bacon over the breasts and legs of Cornish game hens (secured with toothpicks, IIRC). I think the process is called "barding" and it actually did impart a nice flavor to the birds.

I would imagine that it would take quite a lot of bacon to do justice to a turkey, but the resulting flavor would be very interesting.


Signor V.

We put bacon on our turkey at Christmas. Delicious!!

All this turkey talk is making me crave Christmas......

We used to do this quite a bit when I cooked in the Navy. We draped bacon over pork roasts, roast beef and just about any kind of poultry cooked low & slow. It is definitely a game changer and boosts flavors to the next level. Add carrots, celery & onions for natural great flavor as well.

BTW - I heard stories on the radio today about Turkey cooking nightmares. A gal called in and said that her sister-in-law's turkey is terrible year after year. Later, she elaborated by saying she soaks the bird in a salt water brine for 12 hours... no kidding the bird is terrible - salt naturally extracts moisture thus causing the turkey to be dried out and have an overly salty taste!

Mmmmmmmm.... bacon!

Now that is a true work of art!

Don't forget Kramer's advice... "You've got to baste!"

Basta!

Despite my brother's constant reminders that there was no pasta, the day was a success. We had a cold antipasto of prosciutto, salami, breadsticks, sopresata, cheeses and turkey pate. We lost a bowl and a platter to breakage, but considering that we had three tables with three separate serving sets for turkey, stuffing, two kinds of cranberry (fresh and jellied), sweet potato pie, baked white potatoes, green beans, broccoli, gravy, three different breads and butter, not bad.

For dessert, we had two chocolate cakes, two pumpkin pies, an apple pie and an ice cream cake. My house is in shambles, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm thankful for family and friends.

That's a great dinner, SB. I hope you let your brother know that there's no room for pasta on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Right now I'm in the process of making a giant pot of turkey barley soup from the meatier carcass of one of the turkeys my mom cooked.

It's a long-running joke in the family. My relatives always made pasta first, usually lasagna. I did it, too, the first few times I had Thanksgiving, but was sick of nobody having room for the turkey.

Well done. The turkey is the star of the day.

That's what I did last year, and, apparently I never posted that it was just eh (kinda tasteless) after 6+ hrs of work. I'm looking for a new recipe this year, which I'll probably do on Sunday, if anyone has any they're willing to share...

P.S. This year it wasn't catered; there were just 4 of us. My mom started everything as usual -- the turkey, her awesome rice/sausage stuffing, her mushroom pie (to die for!), her gravy, candied sweet potatoes (she enhanced), plus pre-made mashed potatoes -- and then I finished everything off the last couple hours, then carved and served. Just like the good ol' days.

JG, I'm very confused about this recipe. I've heard lots of people say they make soup from the turkey carcass, and it makes no sense to me. What makes good soup is the gelatin in the bones. Once you bake it, the gelatin is gone, so I imagine that it would be a bit bland.

We use the neck to make stock. We simply simmer the neck with a couple of stalks of celery and a couple of onions that are quartered, along with some salt and pepper. After simmering for an hour or two, it's delicious.

I was thinking the same thing about roasting the bones, Babe. I don't plan on doing that again -- I got that from a different recipe. I'm going to work on a new batch this weekend. Tho my dumbass threw away the neck after my mom picked the meat out of it for the gravy.

I made my turkey soup from the carcass yesterday. I separate the larger pieces of meat before boiling the frame. My mom had given me about a pint of drippings, which I refrigerated and skimmed before throwing it in.

After about 45 minutes I removed the frame and bones, skimmed the fat, added salt and pepper, and then put in chopped onions, carrots, celery, cabbage and potato. I brought it to a boil and added barley. After 30 minutes I simmered it and added the turkey pieces.

It's better today than it was last night.

After reading all these turkey stories I'm ready to bring on the HAM...

I have a huge spiral sliced ham in my garage refrigerator. I'm not sure when we're going to make it, but the bone will be used for ham and bean soup.

Kly I might drive out to your area probably past there shoot some Clay Pigeons

So, what time is dinner? Did I hear you invited the entire BB over for some Turkey soup. We're on our way. I'll be there in about 3/4 days, the rest of the gang much sooner.


TIS

Still some left and you're welcomed to it. I have a stromboli ready to go in the oven for the football game tonight. The soup is very good, but I need a little break from it.

But I'm not into sports. Can we watch Lifetime Television for Women instead?


TIS

Umm...okay, sure. Why not.

Geez, you're so agreeable.




TIS

I don't know, TIS. That sounded more like Frank Pentangeli's, "Yeah! Sure!"

Ha ha ha! You're right!


TIS

I'd set up a second tv, but if Notre Dame falls behind, you ladies may have to excuse some questionable language.

Speaking for us Thanksgiving virgins, a week today i will be getting ready to tear up some turkey and drink some beer. Just got to let he fat fella in the red suit do his business first

I thought it was time to revive this thread. It's almost time to feast on some dark meat pulled from the thigh of the chubby bird.

Fried turkey!!! MMMMMMMM!!!

Sweet potatos served blended and covered in marshmellows, my favorite after the turkey and stuffing.

As I comment on this thread every year, I am jealous, still 20 days before I can pull any meat off the fat bird.....

I am like one of Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of the bell