Thanksgiving (US) 2023

[Katie Meadow]

14 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I had such an epiphany maybe half dozen years ago when I stood tall and announced, after some 50 years of hosting, "I have cooked my LAST turkey!"  .

I declared the same, several years ago. So my husband does the whole job, including gravy! I'm so happy to give it up. The truth is, excluding what my mother always referred to as "the Pope's nose," turkey bores me to death. Although my husband's gravy is to die for on mashed potatoes. As long as I am in control of the potatoes.  

 

We did however totally give up on stuffing the bird. We used to make a giant amount of chestnut and bread stuffing, using the better part of it for vegetarian stuffing cooked separately. For many years there were grandparents (husband's parents), four siblings plus spouses and five cousins. Now it's a tamer affair. The cousins are spread out over the country and often go to their respective partners' families for the holiday. The only new generation is my daughter's twins, and they all stay in Atlanta and do it up with friends. This year will be the largest group since before the pandemic and everyone will be a grown-up, including some of my sister-in-law's boyfriend's relations. Hopefully his nephew will do a repeat of his fantastic mac n cheese, which was never a part of Thanksgiving for my family or my husband's family and for which I am eternally grateful! 

 

Edited because I thought I was in the Thanksgiving thread!

Edited November 10, 2023 by Katie Meadow (log)

[rotuts]

my mother also used the term ' Pope's nose '

 

i learned some time ago you  could make excellent stuffing ( a favorite of mine )

 

outside the bird.  it was a cooking // travel show w Bert Wolf I think , traveling across Canada

 

 at some sort of very large resort , they did thanksgiving ( CANADA ) in large proportions for the

 

guests , and the stuffing was made in large pans .  the secret :  turkey stock .

 

Ive done it that way ever since , and at least 2  X proportions .

[Margaret Pilgrim]

+1 on stuffing outside the bird.    Two casseroles, in fact, one for the table and leftovers and one for son to take home.   Which calls for rivers of gravy for TD and two households' leftover stuffing. This year= ham plus stuffing, mac and cheese, roast yams and roast carrots.    Chocolate cream pie for dessert.   

 

My parent would faint at how far from the tree we've fallen re TD menu!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Forgive and allow me to repost Mary Risley's classic (albeit bawdy) video on How to Roast a Turkey. 

[rotuts]

w my 4 x plain turkey stock Ive made via the iPot 

 

Ive made turkey stuffing in the past , w either no turkey , or SV'd // Fz vac'd 

 

turkey , any time I felt up to it.

 

 

[liuzhou]

The term 'Pope's nose' has been around since the 18th century. One of my favourite books is Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd third edition published in 1796) which defined it as  "Pope's Nose, the rump of a turkey." Also known as the parson's nose.

 

My father used the term  - to my mother's annoyance, She agreed with Grose that it was vulgar, despite her being a good god-fearing athiest.

Edited November 10, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[heidih]

You enablers Getting ready to call round to see turkey prices. Neice will not be back in US until 24th but I may do one just for the carcass stock and dark meat. Coyotes and raccoons can have the breast

[rotuts]

@heidih 

 

use the breast meat in the stock .

 

press out all the jus , all of it

 

then give the remaining solids to the coyotes.

 

they won't mind 

[heidih]

21 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@heidih 

 

use the breast meat in the stock .

 

press out all the jus , all of it

 

then give the remaining solids to the coyotes.

 

they won't mind 

Oh I do ;

[BeeZee]

Nobody in my family likes dark meat, so I always cook a bone-in breast and manage to keep it moist (probably because it doesn’t stay in the oven as long as the whole bird). This year I am also going to make a roulade with a boneless breast, as well. I have decided to offload the stuffing to my sister this year. Veg will be roasted butternut squash with apples.

[C. sapidus]

3 hours ago, BeeZee said:

Nobody in my family likes dark meat . . .

 

Interesting - opposite here. I keep looking for mutant 8-legged turkeys with no breast.

 

At our house Mrs. C cooks the proteins. Bird is usually capon but probably not this year. She might ask me to partly smoke the bird on the Weber bullet for her to finish in the oven. We shall see. She also makes steelhead or salmon with a maple-soy glaze (nephew's favorite). In-laws contribute mashed potatoes and stuffing.

 

I cook the veggies. Vegetarian sis always requests palak (saag) paneer - I hope to successfully make my own paneer this year. Other staples include Brussels sprouts braised with lemon and cream, green bean salad, braised carrots (sometimes with endive), and Bourbon sweet potatoes with orange sauce. Haven't decided whether to shake things up this year.

 

Before dessert, if the weather cooperates we walk through the historic district downtown. Not sure what to make for dessert this year - baklava is popular, but I have been hankering for flan and Mrs. C makes killer fruit crisps.

 

After the feast and cleanup, Mrs. C makes a big batch of stock with leftover bird parts.

[Katie Meadow]

Like @heidihI'm in it for the carcass. And the gravy, primarily so I can use it to flavor a turkey pot pie, which to be clear,  I make with chicken. The turkey white meat, wing excepted maybe, is a bore. I give chunks of the breast away to guests, who are thrilled to have it. Win win!

[lemniscate]

The meat entree for our Thanksgiving is yet to be decided.

 

But, going against the conventional theory of "never try a new untested recipe for a family gathering",  I'm making a medieval blood sauce  with the ancient sweet spice flavorings and seeing just how far I can push the boundaries.

 

I have pig blood I sous vided previously in the freezer.  

 

At least there will be something to talk about outside of politics and religion 🙃 at the table.

[gfweb]

Sous vide the breast for a decent texture

[heidih]

51 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

The meat entree for our Thanksgiving is yet to be decided.

But, going against the conventional theory of "never try a new untested recipe for a family gathering",  I'm making a medieval blood sauce  with the ancient sweet spice flavorings and seeing just how far I can push the boundaries.

I have pig blood I sous vided previously in the freezer.  

At least there will be something to talk about outside of politics and religion 🙃 at the table.

I like your approach.

Plan an InstaCart order next day or so. Checked turkey prices. 79 cents per pound - one only at that price. Like you can't circumvent that. May risk letting the shopper select. The acorn squash I bought while back were horrid - stringy/tasteless. So may risk a different squash. Just me as everyone has "issues" this year. Some people make life harder than it needs to be.

[dans]

8 hours ago, BeeZee said:

Nobody in my family likes dark meat, so I always cook a bone-in breast and manage to keep it moist (probably because it doesn’t stay in the oven as long as the whole bird). This year I am also going to make a roulade with a boneless breast, as well. I have decided to offload the stuffing to my sister this year. Veg will be roasted butternut squash with apples.

 

I was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at a relatives house a few years ago.  I had a great time but when it came to dinner, all that I could find was white meat.  There were enough people that the hosts cooked 2 turkeys.  I finally spotted some dark meat and asked for it to be passed to me. It turned out that only 3 people of of 20+ ate the dark meat.  I was horrified when I heard that 3 legs were put in the compost.

[heidih]

37 minutes ago, dans said:

 

I was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at a relatives house a few years ago.  I had a great time but when it came to dinner, all that I could find was white meat.  There were enough people that the hosts cooked 2 turkeys.  I finally spotted some dark meat and asked for it to be passed to me. It turned out that only 3 people of of 20+ ate the dark meat.  I was horrified when I heard that 3 legs were put in the compost.

I am a dark meat person. Denied my whole chidhood as "fattening". Sick people. I'd clear table and sneak it in kitchen. My local Ralphs Kroger often sells parts this time of year - legs and thighs packed separately. Good prices. Also necks. Whitebread community but the "help" who shops is often Latina or Filipina.

 

[Laurentius]

On 11/9/2023 at 5:41 PM, liuzhou said:

In fact most, if not all, meats are better.

I mostly agree, although turkey done in a traditional way, with trimmings, once or twice a year, is something I look forward to.

 

I also like Club sandwiches occasionally, and have yet to find a satisfying alternative to turkey meat.

[heidih]

The first meal I ever cooked for hubbie one was slow roasted turkey legs. I worked around the corner so came home to check. So good, Started my cooking adventures. My nstaCart turkey idea was a bust. NO I do not want a breast roll  

[Shelby]

20 hours ago, gfweb said:

Sous vide the breast for a decent texture

Yes.  This.

 

During pandemic I roasted a turkey quarter and sous vide the breast.  

[liamsaunt]

I dislike turkey, and don't eat it at Thanksgiving.  I have no problem cooking it for others though.  This is the second year that I have to cook the entire meal at my house and then transport everything to my Dad's.  It's not ideal, but my Dad's pretty much housebound now, and he doesn't like to have people over for as long as it would take to cook the entire meal at his house.   Last year I tried the Ina Garten method for make ahead turkey, cooking and carving the turkey at my house, resting it on the gravy and then flash reheating it at my Dad's. Ina Garten's make ahead turkey

 

It was fine, but my brother was disappointed that I brought it over already carved.  This year I am going to try and transport the whole bird over there, counting the drive over as the resting period (we only live 15-20 minutes apart).  I have two turkey roasters available to me, so plan to swap the cooked bird into the cool pan for the ride between houses.

 

Other dishes are dressing (cooked outside the bird), mashed potatoes, butternut squash, a cauliflower gratin for myself and my niece to share (she doesn't eat turkey either), green beans, and cranberry sauce. Oh, and turkey gravy of course. 

[Smithy]

11 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

...plan to swap the cooked bird into the cool pan for the ride between houses.

 

Sorry, but why? It seems that would cool things more than necessary. Is it a safety issue?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Flying in the face of all safety advice, my parent used to cook a large unstuffed bird and drive it some 2 hours to a relative's home.    Probably over a dozen times.    No casualties.

[liamsaunt]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

Sorry, but why? It seems that would cool things more than necessary. Is it a safety issue?

 

I am nervous about putting a large roasting pan fresh from the oven directly into the trunk of my car.  I do not have any cooler or other item large enough to put it in, so it would be sitting right on the trunk surface.  I normally transfer the turkey to a large platter or cutting board for the rest period, so this is not much different, to my mind.  I'm open to another idea if you have one though!

[chromedome]

31 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

 

I am nervous about putting a large roasting pan fresh from the oven directly into the trunk of my car.  I do not have any cooler or other item large enough to put it in, so it would be sitting right on the trunk surface.  I normally transfer the turkey to a large platter or cutting board for the rest period, so this is not much different, to my mind.  I'm open to another idea if you have one though!

Just wrap it in a blanket or a couple of towels (natural fabric, some synthetics are pretty melt-y). I've done that many times, and it works fine. If you have any cheap ratchet straps (the kind used for securing a load in your trailer or pickup) you can put a small one around it to keep the lid and towels in place, or use bungy cords if that's simpler. I suppose a piece of rope or a spare belt would do the trick, too (on the way home from a holiday meal removing one's belt is a great relief, but that doesn't apply when you're just going there).