Thanksgiving 2026 Thread

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DAYS TILL THANKSGIVING: 329
DAYS TILL NOVEMBER: 304
DAYS TILL THE BERS: 243

Happy New Year! Today folks we move along and see that we have 329 days remaining until Thanksgiving, 304 days left until November and 243 days to go until The Bers. We move along in a new time of year as we begin our Winter Wonderland, and this first day of the year is a Milestone Day as we reach the Arrival of January. It’s Thursday folks so time for our Weekly Countdown till Thanksgiving. It now stands at 47 weeks. Some nice progress here into the 40s now and for the first time ever in this thread I can say THIS Bers and THIS November and THIS Thanksgiving. That’s what we’re looking at in those 3 counts above friends. No more next year. All 3 of those will happen in the current calendar year. It is amazing to be in a new year, and I hope you are all getting off to a good start. I hope your day starts off right and that you have fun today with your family and friends. No matter if your plans are laid-back or busy. Mine is a little mixture as I’m going to visit my friend and his kids for a couple of hours. And then home to chill a bit and have a nice family dinner (steaks) tonight. The holiday season may end today but those of us who love the holiday season keep it alive all year long. Have a great New Year!​
 
We're having a big New Year's Dinner today, and honestly with having Sparkling Ciders and Ham and stuff, It's going to channel up a lot of Christmas Vibes. I love it.

All of our beloved Holidays we can now speak of in the present. I love it.

47 weeks to Thanksgiving, I'm loving that too. Just honestly getting out of the 50's is so huge.
 
DAYS TILL THANKSGIVING: 328
DAYS TILL NOVEMBER: 303
DAYS TILL THE BERS: 242

Happy Frigid Friday! Today folks we move along and see that we have 328 days remaining until Thanksgiving, 303 days left until November and 242 days to go until The Bers. We move along in our Winter Wonderland with our next milestone arriving in 3 days. It will be the 300-Day Marker till November. What? Can you believe that friends? We will suddenly be staring at our 2nd of 3 countdowns leaving the 3’s already. Of course, The Bers countdown is never in the 3’s which is such a great thing about being such a big fan of The Bers. They are such a huge and long period of time and cover from late summer through early winter. It’s amazing how long they are and how much stuff is stuffed into them. It’s Friday folks so time for the first Fun Fact Friday of the year below!​


While a 1621 feast is famous, Thanksgiving wasn't a federal holiday until President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it one in 1863, following decades of calls from writer Sarah Josepha Hale.

I always liked Lincoln for his cool hat and beard but now I have another reason to like him. It’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving as not being a federal holiday when it’s the biggest day of the year. Have a great Frigid Friday!​
 
As promised, here's my review of the HEB Cajun Turkey that we had for our Bers' End Feast.

1767372204639.png

With the price of our beloved Popeyes' Cajun Turkey creeping up year after year, we've started looking for alternatives. Since I haven't been brave enough to try and smoke my own turkey yet, this HEB turkey seemed to fit the bill as it was 1) fully-cooked, 2) cajun, and 3) around $20 bucks cheaper than the Popeyes turkey. The question was if it would be just as delicious at the lower price point. This would be a test for our Thanksgiving next year.

I proceeded to ignore the directions on the package and prepare this bird the same way that I prep the Popeyes turkey: Place the bird on an elevated wire rack in a roasting pan and pour in a cup of chicken broth, affix a stick of butter on top of the breast, tent tightly with foil, and place in the oven at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours. (Ironically, this was pretty close to the original HEB instructions, but I always ignore the Popeyes' instructions for their cajun turkey because it dries out the bird almost completely. HEB knows what's going on.)

Then remove the foil, add more butter, and let sit uncovered in the oven for another 15 minutes.

The result was a decadently juicy turkey with plenty of pan drippings to use for gravy. Slicing into the breast yielded a mouth-wateringly moist piece of meat. Now, all that was left was the taste test.

As of the first bite, I thought this turkey was everything I'd hoped for. The meat was still juicy and hadn't dried out, and there was a small kick of cajun spices at the end. I love cajun spices, and I love spicy food, so this was no problem for me.

Unfortunately...

My wife and kids took a few bites and all had to get milk. The heat was too much for them. Determined not to let a turkey go to waste, I plowed on.

By the time I got around to trying the dark meat, which was less spicy than the breast, I felt sickeningly bloated. That's when I realized that, unlike the Popeyes turkey which I could eat for hours on end (not literally), this HEB bird was a sodium bomb. Whatever they'd injected it with was just too much. And because the turkey was so loaded, so was the resulting gravy that I'd made. Pouring a spoonful of gravy over the meat just intensified both the heat and the salt. The heat wasn't a complaint, but the salt definitely was.

Ultimately, I sliced up some of the breast and saved it for sandwiches this week, but we collectively decided that this was a one-and-done. Promising at first, but our search for a Popeyes' alternative continues.
 
Escalation said:
As promised, here's my review of the HEB Cajun Turkey that we had for our Bers' End Feast.

View attachment 174226

With the price of our beloved Popeyes' Cajun Turkey creeping up year after year, we've started looking for alternatives. Since I haven't been brave enough to try and smoke my own turkey yet, this HEB turkey seemed to fit the bill as it was 1) fully-cooked, 2) cajun, and 3) around $20 bucks cheaper than the Popeyes turkey. The question was if it would be just as delicious at the lower price point. This would be a test for our Thanksgiving next year.

I proceeded to ignore the directions on the package and prepare this bird the same way that I prep the Popeyes turkey: Place the bird on an elevated wire rack in a roasting pan and pour in a cup of chicken broth, affix a stick of butter on top of the breast, tent tightly with foil, and place in the oven at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours. (Ironically, this was pretty close to the original HEB instructions, but I always ignore the Popeyes' instructions for their cajun turkey because it dries out the bird almost completely. HEB knows what's going on.)

Then remove the foil, add more butter, and let sit uncovered in the oven for another 15 minutes.

The result was a decadently juicy turkey with plenty of pan drippings to use for gravy. Slicing into the breast yielded a mouth-wateringly moist piece of meat. Now, all that was left was the taste test.

As of the first bite, I thought this turkey was everything I'd hoped for. The meat was still juicy and hadn't dried out, and there was a small kick of cajun spices at the end. I love cajun spices, and I love spicy food, so this was no problem for me.

Unfortunately...

My wife and kids took a few bites and all had to get milk. The heat was too much for them. Determined not to let a turkey go to waste, I plowed on.

By the time I got around to trying the dark meat, which was less spicy than the breast, I felt sickeningly bloated. That's when I realized that, unlike the Popeyes turkey which I could eat for hours on end (not literally), this HEB bird was a sodium bomb. Whatever they'd injected it with was just too much. And because the turkey was so loaded, so was the resulting gravy that I'd made. Pouring a spoonful of gravy over the meat just intensified both the heat and the salt. The heat wasn't a complaint, but the salt definitely was.

Ultimately, I sliced up some of the breast and saved it for sandwiches this week, but we collectively decided that this was a one-and-done. Promising at first, but our search for a Popeyes' alternative continues.
Click to expand...
The secret to a smoked turkey is that you smoke it for like 2 or 3 hours and move it into your oven to finish cooking. I NEVER would smoke one completely... I have smoked well over 100 turkeys and they can only take on a certain amount of smoke. Even with a water pan full and fruits in it you will end up with a dry turkey.
 
And.....speaking of eating, I came across this interesting Youtube video telling the favorite food of each president. Not sure how accurate it is, but it's very interesting.


I couldn't start this thread until the first of the year. There was just too much going on and I didn't want to take away from Christmas, but I'm ready now. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because most people in the US and Canada celebrate it, although on different days. It's a universal way to give thanks and enjoy the company of others.

I always go over the top and over the budget, but I've never been sorry. My niece and her husband have spent the last two Thanksgivings with me. The first, because their Winter home was destroyed by the hurricane in 2024 and the second because "they know where to find the best food" to quote my niece's husband. He takes pictures of everything and sends them to all his friends. They plan on joining me again next year.

We had a cold snap this week. Not enough to turn the heat on but enough to wear a sweater when I went out. It's on a warming trend, but it's Florida so January and February can be freezing or hot enough to swim and go to the beach. You just never know.

Our snowbirds are starting to arrive, so the condo is busier than normal. They will stay until May, then go back. Some do fly back and forth all year so it's always nice to see them at cards or in the pool.

Well turkey friends, I hope you all have full bellies in 2026 and always remember those who don't.
 
Edge612 said:
It amazes me how Thanksgiving feels like yesterday YET with the amount that happened during the holiday season it feels like a lifetime ago!
Click to expand...
It feels like yesterday to me, too. Christmas was a blur.
 
DAYS TILL THANKSGIVING: 327
DAYS TILL NOVEMBER: 302
DAYS TILL THE BERS: 241

Happy January Weekend! Today folks we move along and see that we have 327 days remaining until Thanksgiving, 302 days left until November and 241 days to go until The Bers. We move along into the 3rd day of our Winter Doldrums with our next milestone arriving on Monday with the 300-Day Marker till November. It’s Saturday folks so time for the 1st half of our Quiet Weekend Period. We are in a great spot right now to begin the year with all the excitement that we have, and I hope you are all getting ready for the big weekend ahead. These 2 weeks always feel so weird to me. Christmas Week and New Year’s Week don’t feel normal at all. And then things really settle in next week for the 50-Week build back to the big 2 holiday weeks again. A full slate of a full year to build back to that crazy 2 weeks we have just endured. The cool thing is this year we’ll have almost all our holidays falling on Fridays/Weekends/Mondays. No middle of the week holidays which I’m not a huge fan of. I hope you are all doing well turkey friends. I hope you are enjoying your day and that you had a great New Year’s Week. There are still Christmas lights to look at outside so let’s take a look when we’re around the neighborhood. Have a great January Weekend!​
 
Edge612 said:
There are still Christmas lights to look at outside so let’s take a look when we’re around the neighborhood. Have a great January Weekend!
Click to expand...
With the break in the weather starting tomorrow through next weekend I am guessing lots of the Christmas lights and decorations will be down early this year.
 
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