US Thanksgiving 2021

[heidih]

1 hour ago, Orbit said:

It will be just the two of us, so I'll be roasting a chicken on a bed of potatoes, carrots, onions, and parsnips. We'll be having deviled eggs, chicken gizzard dressing, candied yams and some neglected, as yet to be determined, vegetable.

Since you already have carrots and parsnips I's favor a tangy slaw with your comfort menu.

[gfweb]

Son and DIL were over for  a pre-thanksgiving as they'll be in TX on the real TG.

Roast chicken, gravy, au gratin potatoes, sprouts and apple crisp.

Close enough!

[Orbit]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

Since you already have carrots and parsnips I's favor a tangy slaw with your comfort menu.

 

Thanks for that idea, I think it would be perfect! I forgot to add that I'm making a pumpkin pie (hubby's favorite).

[Kim Shook]

I am feeling terribly overwhelmed with dealing with packing up Jessica, moving her (and the grandkitties) into our house and into a storage locker and still cleaning her filthy apartment right now and can't believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK 😳.  Unfortunately, we got no invitations, so it will be here for the three of us.  And with my dear, but steamrolling, daughter there is really no scaling back.  She swears that she'll be in charge of many of the dishes, but I know what that means: my kitchen destroyed and Momma to the rescue every 5 minutes while I'm trying to cook what I've been assigned.  

 

What I can remember is: turkey breast, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, relish tray, mac and cheese, @Shelby's cucumbers (the sour cream ones), yeast rolls (Sister Schuberts have been deemed acceptable, thank God😁), pecan pie (Mr. Kim chose that).  There may be more that I've forgotten.  One nice thing is, without guests we can do a fairly late (7-ish) meal and spend the morning in our pj's watching the Parade and Dog Show!  

[blue_dolphin]

38 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

I am feeling terribly overwhelmed with dealing with packing up....

I need a good sigh emoji.  None of those offered to me capture the empathy I'd like to convey!

[Kim Shook]

Turns out I did forget some things: deviled eggs, corn pudding, and cranberry sauce.  Listen, y'all.  I'm all vaxxed and boostered up.  If I run away, will you hide me and feed me a little dressing and gravy?  😄

[blue_dolphin]

Now I know!  It wasn’t a sigh emoji I needed, @Kim Shook, it was a hug! 

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

I am feeling terribly overwhelmed with dealing with packing up Jessica, moving her (and the grandkitties) into our house and into a storage locker and still cleaning her filthy apartment right now and can't believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK 😳. 

 

I feel your pain. I moved my kid last month: two days of helping her move herself, her (four!) cats and my sluggish son-in-law, and then one final day of helping her clean the old place. Also I footed the bill for her two younger cats to be neutered, which was a prerequisite for getting into the new place. Ugh.

 

In our case it was after Thanksgiving, though, and having our meal together was never - so to speak - "on the table."

[ambra]

13 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

many of the dishes,

I hear you! For the past few years, my family --alone because of the pandemic -- couldn't find a single dish they were willing to give up. I hope it will all be wonderful and delicious and as stress-free as possible, Kim!

[Katie Meadow]

I feel for you @Kim Shook.  But my Thanksgivings only get better the more I give up. If my husband hadn't taken over the job of turkey I swear I'd be happy enough without it. Get some weed dummies and settle back on the couch and eat whatever comes out of the kitchen.

[Shelby]

After a lot of thought, we made the decision that we are not going to attend Thanksgiving at the in-laws.  It's a lot of people in not a big enough space to be able to be apart enough.  They didn't have it last year so that made it easy to decide lol.  Sigh. I don't think my in-laws are very happy with us right now (or maybe it's all in my head)--which kind of surprised me...and maybe we are being overly cautious....but I was going to be very nervous about being inside and Ronnie agreed.  We will see how Thanksgiving goes I guess and then make another decision about Christmas.  Anyway,  I'm going to make the bread that they always request and take it over early on Thanksgiving Day.  We will stop in and see my mother in law, too, and wish her a happy day before the crowd gathers.

 

So, it'll just be the two of us.  I ordered something fun and got it yesterday--if we had decided to go, I would have made it over the holiday weekend or saved it for Christmas maybe.  It's bar-b-que from Joe's Smokehouse in Kansas City.  Yes, we could make all of this ourselves, but we would never make all of this to have all at the same time...so it'll maybe be a BBQ Thanksgiving.

 

 

It all came frozen solid as a rock and is in the freezer as we speak.  I don't know that we will decide to make all of it or pick and choose.....it will certainly make more than one meal.  It comes with a handbook that tells you the best ways to reheat everything.

 

 

 

We could also change our mind and make a traditional turkey.  The grocery store had them on sale for 59 cents a pound if you bought 25 dollars worth of other groceries.  Limit of two...so one is in the freezer and one is thawing out to be brined.

 

Anyway, side are TBD.  Stuffing for sure.  Deviled eggs for sure.  I want gravy...so that means mashed potatoes but twice baked might be good with the BBQ.......  veggies are up in the air depending on what needs to be used up around here.  I ordered some extra things from Misfits and Imperfect with Thanksgiving in mind just in case.

 

I'll report back when things firm up lol.

[rotuts]

@Shelby 

 

""   one is thawing out to be brined.  ""

 

check your bird carefully

 

many in that price range are brined

 

the salt hold water , and tips the scale 

 

in favor of the vendor.

[Katie Meadow]

3 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I feel for you @Kim Shook.  But my Thanksgivings only get better the more I give up. If my husband hadn't taken over the job of turkey I swear I'd be happy enough without it. Get some weed gummies and settle back on the couch and eat whatever comes out of the kitchen.

I just  could not let that typo stand. My original post said "dummies" instead of GUMMIES!  Despite the obvious, it was the doing of spell check! I'd have to consume a lot of edibles before I couldn't spell that word. 

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, Katie Meadow said:

I just  could not let that typo stand. My original post said "dummies" instead of GUMMIES!  Despite the obvious, it was the doing of spell check! I'd have to consume a lot of edibles before I couldn't spell that word. 

Well, it makes sense either way 🤣

[Katie Meadow]

@Shelbyyou are a forgiving and kind soul to make your in-laws bread for Thanksgiving dinner even though you will not attend. And five years ago, before xmas dinner after the election of he who shall not be named I never imagined my relatives would have a political argument during a holiday dinner (and we always talk politics), but two of my favorite people ended up in tears. Now the nephew responsible for that miserable event has apparently refused to be vaccinated. Several of us made it very clear that we would not attend if he was there. I don't feel the least bit guilty. There will be be five of us this year, all of us having spent the last two years in an abundance of cautious isolation. Anything less seems like lunacy.  

[heidih]

@Shelby Putting yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable on Thanksgiving - no no no - you made the sensible choice. Your Joe's selection looks like fun. Will await reports eagerly.  We are forgoing our friend Thanksgiving - too many not properly vaxed or around unvaxed. I can not afford to get sick on top of my other issues.  My son will be working or helping with community feeding hungry event. The current situation with my 99 year old is difficult to put it mildly so I may indulge in enjoying what you all post and just make something nice for myself.  Cooking for them is a set up for frustration. 

 

Anyone doing a wild rice dish especially with harvest from Native Americans? Like this  https://nativeharvest.com/products/manoomin-wild-rice

[NadyaDuke]

Turning to the eGullet brain for help with something that may be obvious to others but not to me. We're not making turkey, but smoking a prime rib. However, we'll still have mashed potatoes. I'm worried people will miss the gravy. Smoking doesn't lend itself to drippings. How can I gin up a beef gravy? I have some veal demi-glace in the freezer, when I overbought for another project - is that my secret weapon here? Should I roast bones and do a make ahead? I make gravy like every other year for Thanksgiving - it's not something I do enough to have enough experience to improvise. 

 

Rest of menu for the curious: stuffing rolls (rolls with stuffing in them, delicious and a way to work in stuffing/dressing), green beans with bacon and shallots, three pies and a cheesecake.  Apps TBD other than our annual purchase of Royal Mix nuts from Sunnyland Farms. Cooking for 9 this year. 

[Norm Matthews]

Several years ago, we started rotating who cooks the family's Thanksgiving meal.  This year it is my nephew's family that will be hosting it because last year was his turn and it was cancelled.  I always make a small second Thanksgiving meal the next day for the two of us just so we have some "left overs"  I was asked to bring a pumpkin pie, one other pie of my choice to the dinner at Ryans. Besides the pumpkin pie I found some Oregon tart cherries at the store.  They have been hard to find since I have been back in Kansas City and they are my favorite, so I'll make a cherry pie and an apple crisp to take over for them. For our dinner the next day, already have a turkey in the freezer and have made some cranberry sauce.  I have made a cranberry chutney for years but last year I tried a new cranberry sauce and we both really liked it (and it is easier to make too).  I picked up some stuff to make dressing at the store today. I plan to make the cornbread and yellow cake mixed together for one of the breads.  I found a recipe for gravy that I made back in 1984 and it was a hit.  I expect to make that again to see if it is still as good as I remember.

 The rest of the menu is still pending.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Norm Matthews]

@NadyaDuke I have never made a gravy for rib roast.  Seems to me that an Au Jus or even a steak sauce would be a more likely fit.  That demi-glace would make a nice base for a gravy if that it what you want though.

[AlaMoi]

when the pots and pans are flying and there's no time . . .

 

I cheat.  a packet of McCormicks beef / brown gravy mixed with a packet of mushroom gravy.

I keep dried morels - so usually I'll boil-then-steep a batch, let the mushroom liquor cool, use that vs. water.

 

here's a trick for the mashed potato - make them up as usual (butter+milk..)

stash them in a warm to hot oven (250-350) for 20-30 minutes.

it does something akin to letting meat rest - really good results.

[heidih]

19 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

when the pots and pans are flying and there's no time . . .

 

I cheat.  a packet of McCormicks beef / brown gravy mixed with a packet of mushroom gravy.

I keep dried morels - so usually I'll boil-then-steep a batch, let the mushroom liquor cool, use that vs. water.

 

here's a trick for the mashed potato - make them up as usual (butter+milk..)

stash them in a warm to hot oven (250-350) for 20-30 minutes.

it does something akin to letting meat rest - really good results.

I'm worse - Campbells Golden Mushroom soup + juices from rested meat and maybe some 1/2 &  1/2 to thin.

[NadyaDuke]

Ha! My husband doesn’t like mushrooms so I never think of those options. However, having caught up with the thread I’m thinking of throwing some crispy shallots on top and calling it a day.

[NadyaDuke]

@Annie_H I hadn’t heard of Mama Stamberg’s relish but it’s now on my menu. Seems like the horseradish will make it good relish for roast beef and the cranberry will be a nod to tradition. Bonus points that I can make it this weekend and freeze!

[Norm Matthews]

5 hours ago, NadyaDuke said:

 

At the end of this recipe for standing rib roast is a recipe for gravy that might work for you.  https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/prime_rib/

[NadyaDuke]

Thank you, @Norm Matthews!