Since I'm waiting to stick a batch of cornbread in the oven for tomorrow's dinner (you have to let the batter stand for 1/2 hour)...just thought I'd ask about who's making what to accompany the turkey!!

My sister is the traditionalist, making the same dishes annually: cauliflower casserole (with cheddar cheese & breadcrumb topping), sweet potato pie, stuffed mushrooms and a god-aweful thing called 'poch' (mashed potatos with turnips mixed in). She NEVER varies from these holiday favorites, and also handles the pumpkin & apple pies.

Me? I have some regulars myself, like peas & pancetta (Italian bacon), and my caramel pecan pie. But I like to search Bon Appetite magazine and find one or two new recipes for every holiday. Something new I'm trying this year is cauliflower in a lemon/mustard butter (picture looks YUMMY)!! Am also making two kinds of cornbread - sweet/buttery and corn & scallion muffins.

So...how about everyone else? Old favorites? New dishes?
Or a combination?



Apple

ps - all the above may soon be moot, because since beginning the topic I got a call from my sister that they're trying to get my mom to go to the hospital because her one eye is extremely red and painful and they're afraid due to her high blood pressure that she may be hemmoraging behind the eye (which the doctor said might happen). Right now mother is resisting getting checked...typical old person. To be continued.

You cook, Apple? You actually cook? Does the same person who cooks for you also ghost writes your posts?

Best wishes for your mom, Apple! I hope it's nothing serious... I'll say a prayer for her and hope all will be okay....!

My mom's cooking this year, so the extent of my contribution is bringing a pumpkin pie. I can't wait, tho -- I love when my mom does it, cuz she makes this AWESOME rice/sausage stuffing that blows everything else away!! It *really* is out of this world, and I wish she'd give me the freakin' recipe! And the mushroom pie - OMG! fuggedaboutit! Plus candied yams... baked yams... turkey, of course... canned cranberry "sauce" (gotta love the jelly!)... Literally one of my favorite meals of the year when my mom does it! Ooo, I'm excited now...! lol

For no special occasion other than I like to cook I'm making a mozzarella meatball bolognese. I make pretty fine meatballs anyway but I've never done them with mozzarella inside so I'm quite excited.

I hope things turned out alright with your mom, Apple.

As for what I'm making ......

I'm making plans to go to my sister's house and pig out!

I hope that everything going on with your mom turns out ok.


This year we are going to my brother in-laws house. However my wife and I will be making stuffed mushrooms, and also a meat stuffing, to bring over.

I do miss cooking the turkey though. Usually when I cook a turkey I start off by taking butter, which is in a semi-frozen state, and stick pieces of it all around the turkey under the skin. Then I will do an olive oil rub all over the turkey. After that I sprinkle it with some salt and pepper. Next I take Honey, and spread it all over the turkey. Then I drape the turkey with strips of bacon, form a tin foil tent over it ( never letting the foil touch the turkey) and put it into the oven. I keep the foil tent over the turkey for half the total cooking time. The bacon acts like a self baster. Then halfway through the cooking time I will take the foil off, spread some more honey on it and continue to let it cook, manually basting it every so often.


Now how many people here, especially Italians, remember their mothers or grandmothers putting an apple in the turkey's rear berfore putting it in the oven? The apple is supposed to draw any poisons that may be in the turkey, out of the turkey, and into the apple iteslf. I don't know if this is just an old italian wives tale, or if it really works. But to stay on the safe side, I follow grandmas advice and stick the apple up the turkey's rear anyway. Anyone else hear of this or do this when cooking a turkey?



Don Cardi

..... so anyway, I go out to THE bakery around here at 6:30 this morning. No matter that its a bitterly raw day (wind driven, cold rain). I plan on getting some holiday treats to bring to my sister's and to Lori.

OK... the bakery doesn't open 'til 8:00 but there is already a line of about 10 die-hards waiting. We all huddle together under a small awning to get out of the rain (and to share body warmth) until one of the workers comes outside to hand out numbers. Number in hand we all race to our own cars to get out of the weather.

So now I have an hour to kill.... I eye my cell phone and figure "what the hell... I'm up, everyone else should be, too". I call Lori asking if there's anything special she wants from the bakery. She asks which bakery I'm at and when I tell her she responds with, "Oh, J----- (Lori's little daughter, who is the sweetest thing you'll ever meet) doesn't like that place anymore. I don't want anything from there". My heart sank.

OK, that leaves my sister. I call her (luckily she was already awake) and tells me not to DARE bring anything because she wants to keep things light (calorie wise).

Now my heart is on the floor. I thought I was doing something good but.....

I came home empty-handed, but I made some sausage stuffing (which I just sampled). It won't win any ribbons but it's filling.

I'll be at my daughter's house, but I am doing the cooking. Usually by Thanksgiving I am looking forward to preparing the meal. I must admit, I pretty much make the same fixins' each year. Yams, as well as mashed potatos/gravy, baked greenbean/mushroom side dish, dinner salad, and I always make a cranberry/strawaberry jello that my son-in-law really likes.

I made a couple pumpkin pies, and both my girls will be making a dessert as well and an appetizer. Of course the appetizers are always a must as well. My sons-in-laws prefer the standard cheese/crackers/sausage/chips/dip. My girls and I like stuffed mushrrooms, fried/breaded eggplant/floured & fried caulifour.

I always tell my girls, bring lots of containers to bring leftovers home in. There's always way to much food, but I'd rather have it that way. I'd be concerned if someone took the last piece of turkey. I'd wonder if everyone got enough to eat. Of course, that's never happened thankfully!!

TIS

Apple, my prayers with your mother. Hope it is not serious.

My stepmom is making the classic stuff; turkey and dumplings, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, cornbread, canned cranberry sauce, and pumpking pie.

The fun starts when you see what everyone ELSE is bringing.

**EDIT**
I hope everything is ok with your mom, Apple. I'll say a prayer for her.

My daughter is hosting dinner. But she has everybody bringing something. She's kind of cheap in that way. But it will all be good and it's nice to have almost all the kids around. I just wish one of my daughters would have stayed. She moved back to Oregon a couple weeks a go. She's my favorite.

Have a good day.

I think it's fine to bring something. I always brought something when I was invited to my -in-laws or wherever. I know when my kids were little, I made everything. Now, they always want to make something, and it's really nice having them make some desserts, appetizers, or side dishes. It cuts down on the work for me. Although, I always make the main course. Probably because I enjoy making the main dish more than desserts, which is most likely because I like to eat the main course more than I do desserts.

Olivant, I can imagine how you must feel not having "all" your kids with you on the Holidays. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your day.

TIS

Hi, guys...mother's fine right now. Thanks for all your kind thoughts. She did make it over today, er eye IS red on the side closest to her nose. Could be a popped blood vessel.

DC, as my mother grew up with Italian parents I asked her your question about the apple up the turkey's ass (!!). She does not recall her mother doing this but got a good chuckle out of it. Am sure somebody used to, back in the 'olden days'.

Dinner is about 10 minutes away...talk to you later!!!

Apple

Apple, Glad that your mom is doing well.

SC, How could you just drive away from the bakery?? I would never have that kind of willpower!!

I hosted dinner. We made a turkey and a turkey breast. The turkey was stuffed with sausage and three loaves of stuffing bread. My one sister-in-law brought two sweet potatoe pies with marshmallows, my other sister-in-law brought two huge trays of cold antipasto. Plus for starters we had black olives, mozzarella with tomatoes and roasted peppers, and a hot crabmeat spread. Oh, and Mr. Babe started us off with his famous turkey pate.

Also, with dinner there were string beans, broccoli and asparagus and white baked potatoes for those who don't like sweet, plus mashed turnips. And I went to the bakery and got a loaf of rye and one pumpernickel/rye that were so hot I couldn't have them sliced.

Then for dessert, we had apple pie, pumpkin pie, and three birthday cakes, home-made cookies, plus assorted nuts and fruit and chocolates.

I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it...

Hell, I'm getting hungry again just READING about it.

C'mon over, SC. Not many leftovers, but enough...

If you didn't live so far away I'd be on my way.

What are a few bridges between friends?

You're all making me hungry again. But I cannot even look at another piece of turkey.

Chinese food anyone?


Don Cardi

That's funny, DC. My mom goes out every Friday night with the ladies from her senior center. They just made plans to go for Chinese food. She's sticking me with the leftovers!!

Am I the only one who loves leftovers from Thanksgiving??

I could eat it for days -- and then on to the homemade turkey soup and/or turkey salad!!

We've got lots of leftovers in the fridge. Am currently online looking for a decent recipe for turkey hash. Haven't yet found anything I'm crazy about...will probably wing it along with whatever else I've got on hand.

Apple

We had our dinner today. I'm already looking forward to the turkey noodle soup. I already made the broth out of the bones. Yum-Yum.

Mig,
Do you also use the neck to make your broth? I do make a stock with the neck, but I use it make sure we have tons of gravy, and not for soup.

A woman after my own heart. Screw the leftovers and on to chinese! Tell her that I'll meet her around 6:30ish. And the Blue Hawaiis' are on me.


Don Cardi

I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving leftovers. Cold turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving night; turkey noodle soup from the carcass the next day.

My favorite is a turkey divan pizza, made with broccoli, cream of cheddar soup and cheddar cheese and a few other ingredients.

Bake Beans on Toast,with lots of red sauce

I can give you the recipe it anyone wants it.