Thanksgiving USA 2020

[Kim Shook]

Is anyone getting a start on US Thanksgiving yet?  Day before yesterday, I started roasting some turkey necks and veg to make stock for gravy:

 

 

After roasting in the oven, I transferred to the IP along with some low sodium packaged chicken stock.  Resulting stock:

That roasting pan made 2 gallons of stock.  This is the darkness I like in a roux for gravy:

I think that the light above my stove top makes things look orange.  It wasn’t orange – just a nice medium brown.  Finished gravy with some of the neck meat added back in:

So: 6 necks=2 gallons of stock.  One gallon of stock=2 quarts gravy.  I’ve got a gallon of stock in the freezer (divided) that I will use for Xmas gravy and 2 quarts of gravy in there for Thanksgiving.  There will be 4 of us for Thanksgiving and 3 for Christmas.  Think we have enough? 

 

Speaking of enough – we found turkey parts at Wegmans – packages of bone-in, skin on breast halves and legs (2 per package).  So, I bought 2 packages of each, rubbed with poultry seasoning and pepper and vacuumed sealed them.  They are now in the freezer and we’ll decide later on how many to SV for Thanksgiving:

 

I cleaned out my potato/onion/pots & pans cabinet and am now eyeing 3 enormous sweet potatoes and thinking I’ll make my mashed sweets tomorrow.  They freeze very well, I think. 

[MokaPot]

2 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

So: 6 necks=2 gallons of stock.  One gallon of stock=2 quarts gravy.  I’ve got a gallon of stock in the freezer (divided) that I will use for Xmas gravy and 2 quarts of gravy in there for Thanksgiving.  There will be 4 of us for Thanksgiving and 3 for Christmas.  Think we have enough? 

 

Pretty amazing to get 2 gallons from 6 turkey necks (plus your vegetables).

[Kim Shook]

2 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

Pretty amazing to get 2 gallons from 6 turkey necks (plus your vegetables).

I was really surprised.  I just put what I thought would be the right amount in the IP - which turned out to be half of that roasting pan - and filled it with low-sodium cartons of stock.  I figured I could just reduce it down to the flavor I wanted.  But I tasted it right out of the IP and it was GOOD!

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

Pretty amazing to get 2 gallons from 6 turkey necks (plus your vegetables).

 

I imagine the roasting adds mileage. She is a pro at this technique. My problem is the local markets don't stock stock parts - this is breast land! I can order through the butcher guys.  My friends and I have arrived at the conclusion that this may be virtual Zoom Thanksgiving.. Nobody is sick (grateful) but too dicey. I am thinking a roasted turkey stock turned into a soul warming soup (love soup) with craisin cornbread on the side.

Edited October 20, 2020 by heidih (log)

[liamsaunt]

I will have five at my table this Thanksgiving--just the people who live in my house.  My parents and brother are also in a quarantine pod at their house, but my niece is coming home from college (to my house) the Friday before Thanksgiving so we cannot risk getting together with them and potentially exposing my parents to covid.  This is sad because normally my Mom, sister and I all cook the meal together.  My Mom makes the gravy, and it is so delicious.  I am going to miss it this year.

[Allura]

Looks like this will be the very first time my husband I cook Thanksgiving dinner and it'll just be the 3 of us at home (us and a 9yo). We subscribe to Home Chef, and they're offering a pre-cooked breast and recipe/ingredients for sides. I think I'd rather roast a bird but we have a very small fridge & freezer and I don't know that we actually have the space. And I'm not sure I'll find a bird small enough. Kicking around either a chicken or maybe a bone-in breast. Definitely want mashed potatoes, (fresh) green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. And gravy. Maybe an apple crisp for dessert. Not sure I have the ambition to make stock for gravy. 

It's going to be a hard year for us. Normally we go to the in-laws, but our state requires quarantine from their state. Plus the cousins would all have to stay home, etc after so it's just not worth it. On my side, there's too many high risk people to eat together. There will likely be a video call between everyone. Making the best of it, and at least we don't have a 4-5 hour drive each way this year.

[Kim Shook]

Thank you to @liamsaunt and @Allura for bringing up something that a LOT of us are going to be struggling with this year - being without our extended family/friends for the holidays.  We'll have Mr. Kim's mom here for Thanksgiving - masking  and distancing.  We'll drop the masks and keep the distance when we eat.  She's really behaving herself (except when her youngest son visits from out west - and that isn't until Christmas), so we aren't worried about her.  But we'll miss being with the folks we usually see.  For me, there's the added situation of this being my first Thanksgiving without my mother.  She loved Thanksgiving dinner and I know it will be a hard day for me.  

[Toliver]

I normally go down to my brother's home for Thanksgiving but I am thinking twice about it this year, given the Pandemic.

I haven't broached the subject with him, yet, but time is ticking away so I have to tell him sooner rather than later.

Extended family members, who just got back from driving around the US (during a Pandemic? Really?  ) will be there, as well.

I may wait until Christmas to make a trip down to his home.

I've never missed a Thanksgiving spent with my family but this year is very different than any year before. I guess there's always a first time. 

 

 

[Nyleve Baar]

Canadian here. For the first time in over 40 years we had to cancel our usual Thanksgiving-of-Multitudes. I even had to dis-invite our son as he's a filmmaker and was working on a big shoot with lots of people. We had two other couples over for a very small Thanksgiving dinner that was nice-ish. But not right. Worst part of it is that there were no crowds to eat the day-after-leftovers so I ended up feeding stuffing to the chickens. Which is completely tragic.

 

NEXT YEAR. Dammit.

[gfweb]

We'll have kids and d-i-l as usual. They'll get tested first. An elderly friend will probably give it a miss this year.

 

Preliminary menu, turkey w SV breast, roasted legs, gravy from stock made from last years turkey...au gratin root veg....cranberry...stuffing...sprouts.

[MetsFan5]

It will just be my husband and I. My parents have made it clear they’re uncomfortable coming to our home or vice versa and I get it. Plus my dad’s allergic to all forms of poultry. 
 

 

  So turkey probably won’t be on our menu. I think we will depend on the weather and our local butcher. If the weather is nice, we will smoke and grill. If it’s not? Well there’s a ton of football games so I’ll try out my air fryer wings, puff pastry pizza with some bacon wrapped scallops and some type of potato! 

[ambra]

I do a big Thanksgiving every year for locals and transplants alike. Over 20 people. I usually make the basics (turkey, stuffing, mashed) along with lasagne, crudite', fennel, apple and arugula salad and an apple crisp. We also always do a "new oil" tasting (with fett'unta and black kale crostini) with 4-5 oils from different areas of Tuscany (we have a slight obsession). Then I have people bring things. Whatever they want. Including bottles. One of our friend groups is full of wine professionals/educators or certified sommeliers so we usually open a ridiculous amount of wine, usually blind. No one gets drunk, mind you, it's just a tradition and a chance to taste all together. 

 

This year we aren't doing it. My son is especially heartbroken. But I promised him we'd try a Thanksgiving in Spring party, if all goes well. We will do a small Thanksgiving, for just us, but I'm not sure what to cook yet. I don't want an 8 kg turkey for three people. I'm not a fan of the breast. Here you can only get it skinless and boneless and I'm not good at cooking it. It's usually dry. 

[Toliver]

16 hours ago, Nyleve Baar said:

Canadian here. For the first time in over 40 years we had to cancel our usual Thanksgiving-of-Multitudes. I even had to dis-invite our son as he's a filmmaker and was working on a big shoot with lots of people. We had two other couples over for a very small Thanksgiving dinner that was nice-ish. But not right. Worst part of it is that there were no crowds to eat the day-after-leftovers so I ended up feeding stuffing to the chickens. Which is completely tragic.

 

NEXT YEAR. Dammit.

Rule #1: When guests leave, they take some leftovers home with them. Period. Buy disposable containers to make it easier.

Rule #2: My mom always made faux TV dinners with leftovers which we kids were thrilled with.

Rule #3: Freeze what you don't think you can eat and eat it some other time.

Rule: #4: Repurpose the food. I have a friend that would shred the turkey into the stuffing and stirred in the green beans, all served with hot leftover gravy on top...a sort of casserole that used up 4 food items at one time. Consider it a challenge to your food sensibilities to create new dishes from the leftovers.

[heidih]

8 hours ago, ambra said:

This year we aren't doing it. My son is especially heartbroken. But I promised him we'd try a Thanksgiving in Spring party, if all goes well. We will do a small Thanksgiving, for just us, but I'm not sure what to cook yet. I don't want an 8 kg turkey for three people. I'm not a fan of the breast. Here you can only get it skinless and boneless and I'm not good at cooking it. It's usually dry. 

 

Oh please not the dreaded turkey breast roll!  I read a take on roast chicken being done as Pandemic comfort food at the newish Winner in Brooklyn, NYC: a plump quality hen salted,  smoked lightly, then spatchcocked and roasted. The drippings basting small potatoes. Kind of a traditional yet festive sounding prep of good portions for 3. .

Edited October 22, 2020 by heidih (log)

[Duvel]

I am not sure about a turkey breast roll, but turkey leg roll (first SV, then deep fried) is a truly remarkable item: easy to prep, forgiving in the making and very satisfying to eat. 

[JeanneCake]

We did a turkey breast roll one  year (in addition to the roasted bird.)  I'd wanted to try this recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Melting Pot cookbook; it was rolled with proscuitto, herbs and something else.  I remember it being delicious but we didn't end up repeating it for Thanksgiving; we had it a few times at Easter alongside  lamb.  That brings me to another food memory - the sausage bread from the Silver Palate cookbook.  I used to have to make several - one for my mom, one for my best friend's husband and one for us to serve.  It calls for an insane amount of herbs (chervil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, fennel, basil....) and some smoked mozzarella along with sausage.  I always had to add more sausage to satisfy the masses.  Maybe I'll surprise the husband and make it this year

 

 

[ambra]

21 hours ago, heidih said:

 

Oh please not the dreaded turkey breast roll!  I read a take on roast chicken being done as Pandemic comfort food at the newish Winner in Brooklyn, NYC: a plump quality hen salted,  smoked lightly, then spatchcocked and roasted. The drippings basting small potatoes. Kind of a traditional yet festive sounding prep of good portions for 3. .

😂😂😂 So you agree!!  But that does sound like a really good recipe.

[Katie Meadow]

Wow, this is going to be a memorable Thanksgiving by virtue of subtraction. For 40 or so years I've done the holiday with my husband's family; a big crowd. Not gonna happen this year, at least for me. My husband is weighing the pros and cons of making a turkey for the two of us; he's embraced the job for years since half his relatives are vegetarians. Seems insane to me. I like to pick at the crispy skin when the bird comes out of the oven, but turkey meat is just meh. I am however a carcass junkie. There's something addictive about turkey broth. I don't even like all the traditional sides. I go for the company and my SIL's apple pie. Maybe an apple pie is in my near future. One pie for the two of us means we definitely will get pie for breakfast. Silver lining! The bar is low these days.

[BeeZee]

Since it will be just my husband and I, most probably, figuring I will get a bone in turkey breast. We both like turkey, so I won’t mind the leftovers (in smaller quantities). 

[kayb]

I'll just have the daughter who lives with me and the one who lives nearby, her hubby and her son. Third daughter, SIL and two kids won't be here. I already have my turkey, a 14-pounder. I may try my luck at cutting it in half, if I can manage to make it not look like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre victim (chickens I can do, but I'm less confident on turkeys),roasting half for T'giving, and smoking the other half for Christmas. 

 

Traditional sides, just not as much of them. Dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, mac and cheese. As Child B and her tribe will not be here, we do not have to have a green thing.

[heidih]

8 minutes ago, kayb said:

I'll just have the daughter who lives with me and the one who lives nearby, her hubby and her son. Third daughter, SIL and two kids won't be here. I already have my turkey, a 14-pounder. I may try my luck at cutting it in half, if I can manage to make it not look like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre victim (chickens I can do, but I'm less confident on turkeys),roasting half for T'giving, and smoking the other half for Christmas. 

 

I have only halved a turkey twice. Once with a sharp cleaver borrowed from Taiwanese neighbor and done on outside chopping block (less mess), and one with really good poultry shears cutting either side of backbone. On the cleaver - ya gotta go for it with a firm bold strike otherwise the horror movie torn meat starts. Both were successful. You can do this!

[TdeV]

On 10/22/2020 at 1:16 PM, Duvel said:

turkey leg roll (first SV, then deep fried) is a truly remarkable item

 

Duvel, please say more about this.

[Duvel]

12 minutes ago, TdeV said:

 

Duvel, please say more about this.

I use pretty much ChefSteps recipe, but I prefer rosemary as the herb and omit the Activa RM (works pretty well without) ...

[btbyrd]

Pulling out the tendons is tedious but worth the effort.

[Kim Shook]

Mr. Kim found a small container of cranberry sauce in the freezer that I made in March!  Score!  I noticed that I had 3 huge sweet potatoes in the bin the other day and went ahead and cooked and seasoned them and stuck them in a ziplock bag for Thanksgiving.  Still so much to do.  I can't seem to get motivated.