Thanksgiving Menu Planning NOW?

[GingerMel]

This weekend I made a Thanksgiving-type casserole that I saw in the latest EveryDay Food magazine. It's basically ground turkey casserole that has sage, craisins, celery, onions, and good bread. It's amazing. I real hint of Thanksgiving during October. I looked for the recipe online so I could post it to you guys but I guess since it's in the current issue, maybe it's not on there. I can try to take a picture of it tonight and post it in the morning. Also, it was super easy to make.

Although I am going to my inlaws for thanksgiving this year,I do want to pass along the recipe for roasted turkey from Alton Brown! thanks for posting it it looks delicious!

Dude...it is OUTSTANDING.

 

[bigbearfla58]

Yes I make my sauce now and put it up in mason jars and don't open it up until Thanksgiving Day.

 

[bigbearfla58]

I have to ask does the rest of your family KNOW you want to try some NEW dishes? Thanksgiving is all about TRADITION and remembered flavors. Get 10 new recipes and have what I call my side dish supper where you invite over a few good friends or loved ones and make 5 new dishes and get honest reactions to them before serving them on Thanksgiving Day.

 

[Kimothy]

This thread is getting me SO EXCITED for Turkey Day!

Okay, so while my mom's mashed potatoes are A-MAZING, she can't make gravy to save her life. Usually, we get gravy from Boston Market but this year, my first sister (4 years younger than me) and I have decided that we don't want to do that anymore (their prices have gone up and whatnot).


Anyway, does anyone have a homemade (and easy) gravy recipe they'd be willing to share? I'd really appreciate it! :served:

 

[bigbearfla58]

I just have to laugh because making gravy is so easy! Here's how you make it. Before the turkey is roasted set aside the neck and giblets, heart and liver. While the turkey is roasting make a basic turkey stock with celery, carrot, onions. (use nice big chunks here no need to dice them) and you can add some thyme or 1/4 cup of white wine (up to you) rinse the giblets and cover with 2 quarts of water. Put the pan on the stove bring it to a boil. I add one big tbs of black pepper to my stock. You can use less or just leave it out. When it comes to a boil reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 hours. After two hours take it off the stove and strain out the vegetables and reserve the stock. I always make the vegetables my cooks treat.

After your turkey is all roasted remove from the roasting pan cover it with foil and let it rest for 35 -- 40 minutes. Put the pan back on the stove or use any 6-8 quart sauce pan. Heat up the drippings from the turkey. While that heats up use any 1 quart mason jar and pour in one cup of turkey stock and 4 tbs of flour. Shake that jar to combine flour with the stock. By shaking the stock and flour you avoid getting any lumps in your gravy. When the drippings are boiling pour this into the pan. When this gets as thick as you want it turn off the heat and pour into your gravy boat. You can also add one cup of white wine or some fresh thyme to the gravy. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Julie]

I have to ask does the rest of your family KNOW you want to try some NEW dishes? Thanksgiving is all about TRADITION and remembered flavors. Get 10 new recipes and have what I call my side dish supper where you invite over a few good friends or loved ones and make 5 new dishes and get honest reactions to them before serving them on Thanksgiving Day.

My family isn't big on tradition when it comes to Thanksgiving. Ever since I came home from culinary school a few years ago, my family expects the unexpected with me. I know the general flavors of what each one in my family likes and doesn't like, and I just build up from there. At the dinner table, the only thing that has stayed the same through the years is the mashed potatoes and my grandpa's dressing. Everything else changes from year to year.

 

[bigbearfla58]

My family and my dinner have been locked in tradition for many years. And nothing has changed for many many years. In the past I tried to introduce a new dish or flavor profile it started World War Three. Now when I find or create a new recipe I test it out on friends and serve it after Thanksgiving and before Christmas.

 

[Kimothy]

soooo.......does someone have a gravy recipe that doesn't involve the insides of the turkey? :wink:

 

[GingerMel]

Here's the gravy recipe that I use. I make the stock that morning typically, just as bigbearfla58 said. It's SUUUUUPER simple. I use frozen turkey carcasses from previous chickens and turkeys that I've made as well as the giblets.
http://www.marthastewart.com/337170/cider-gravy

Okay, so while my mom's mashed potatoes are A-MAZING, she can't make gravy to save her life.

That's hysterical. My mom isn't the best at it either. It's pretty much the jarred, crummy stuff..just reheated. I took over the Thanksgiving duties three years ago and I'm not giving them back.

I have to ask does the rest of your family KNOW you want to try some NEW dishes? Thanksgiving is all about TRADITION and remembered flavors. Get 10 new recipes and have what I call my side dish supper where you invite over a few good friends or loved ones and make 5 new dishes and get honest reactions to them before serving them on Thanksgiving Day.

This is a FANTASTIC idea. I am absolutely going to do it.

Yes I make my sauce now and put it up in mason jars and don't open it up until Thanksgiving Day.

Interesting. That's really cool!

 

[snowytree]

I am excited only one more month! I made 2 sweet potato pies yesterday....and my kids and husband were like can we eat one?, and I said no, not until Thanksgiving...I know, I'm so mean. LOL:wink:

 

[Holiday]

Look above & you will see that I posted how my 1 sister always makes the pumpkin pie & another sister always makes the mashed potatoes...Well...I took the plunge & sent out the email inviting my family over for Thanksgiving! 41 people & it sounds like even the ones who normally can't make it, can make it this year! YIKES - awesome! The emails are flying in. My sil offered to bring pumpkin pie. My oldest sister ALWAYS makes the completely from scratch pumpkin pie. :lol: So my oldest sis said she would make mashed potatoes...my next oldest sister ALWAYS makes the mashed potatoes. Oh, it's all messed up this year! Ha ha ha! (kidding - it will be fine! Just kinda funny...) My oldest niece is bringing mac & cheese & a chip dip. Another niece is bringing buffalo chicken dip, I'll be making sweet potato souffle & whatever else we "need" - still waiting on lots of respnses. I love, love, love hosting Thanksgiving but the only downfall is not being able to put up my tree the Friday before Thanksgiving - which means I will put it up the Friday after Thanksgiving & that cuts into my black Friday shopping time. Ah well...it is what it is! :> Let the fun begin!

 

[bigbearfla58]

I live here in South FL and am not familiar with your strange northern ways what on earth is burn n serves? and I always use my giblets to make my turkey stock while the turkey is roasting as they turn up the flavor volume. After the stock has cooled I cut them up and feed them to my cats Sugar and Beta. This is their Thanksgiving treat.

 

[GingerMel]

I am excited only one more month! I made 2 sweet potato pies yesterday....and my kids and husband were like can we eat one?, and I said no, not until Thanksgiving...I know, I'm so mean. LOL:wink:

How do you make pie and keep it a month ahead of time?!? I need to learn some tricks from you guys. Do you freeze it?

41 people & it sounds like even the ones who normally can't make it, can make it this year! YIKES - awesome!

I have to tell you, that would excite and scare the crap out of me. That's a lot of help though! I bet it will be super fun, albeit slightly stressful.

 

[snowytree]

Gingermel I just bake it, let it cool completely( so no to much condensation will form...put foil on it, wrap it up in freezer bags, and it works for me everytime! Some pies though you shouldn't do it on like ones with any kind of cream cheese, sour cream, etc.

 

[GingerMel]

Can you fit the pie in a freezer bag? Do you cut it up?

You guys are so interesting.

I do all this stuff within a day of Thanksgiving and apparently I need to get more into canning and freezing!

 

[snowytree]

Yes I can fit it into a freezer bag usually. But if you can't just get some larger bags, that should work fine too. Any bags will do..main thing I find is to make sure that the pie is sealed well with foil.

 

[whitney37354]

I live here in South FL and am not familiar with your strange northern ways what on earth is burn n serves?

I'm not sure, but to me "burn n serves" would be the rolls that you find in the bread section of the grocery store that you just heat & serve. If you aren't watching your time, they will be "burn n serves"!:razz:
If I ever have to be in charge on a holiday meal plan, we'll have turkey sandwiches for Thanksgiving with canned cranberry sauce! I do not cook. Not because I can't, but because I never learned. After being married for two weeks, I realized that I couldn't even heat up a can of soup to please my picky DH, so I decided to not even try. If I did, he wasn't hungry or that wasn't what he wanted.

I can make a mean grilled cheese sandwich & some chili, so that's usually what I serve to the rare guests that we have over. If it's warm weather, DH will grill a hot dog for them!

For DH's family: his mom cooks breakfast on Thanksgiving morning: ham, scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, bacon. DH makes pumpkin pie & we eat it after breakfast! He only makes pies for Thanksgiving so it's a treat.

For my family: Mom usually cooks the meal, my sister & SIL bring desserts, & I am put in charge of bringing soft drinks---see how much faith they have in me? I have brought green bean casserole the last few years; I can make that! BIL is great at smoking a turkey, so my sister can be in charge when she needs to. They have the largest house & we all gathered there last year & might do that again this year since Mom is still recovering from her knee surgery.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at our first house the first year we lived there. My mom brought the turkey. I did the veggies & rolls. My grandmother brought her pumpkin roll. We already had the house decorated for Christmas because we knew none of them would be back before Christmas. We had a small house, so the older adults sat at the dining room table, & the rest of us sat at a card table in the living room. Good times!

 

[sugar142286]

My family goes to my mom and dad's every year and my parents cook the same thing every year by tradition - turkey, filling, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry salad, rolls, and corn. We will also have pumpkin pie and a pumpkin roll. It's always delicious!

 

[bigbearfla58]

Thanks for the explanation -- I must confess years ago as a new cook I did not set the timer burned the rolls just a few times (cough cough). Today I make up the frozen dough ahead of time freeze it, thaw it out and bake them off last minute. They are now legendary in my family.

 

[GingerMel]

Well, it's definitely time to get the menu planning kicked into high gear as it's just over two weeks away.

Anyone with a Kroger nearby...I found something called "Culinary Stock" instead of chicken broth (Kroger brand so not very expensive) and it's actually got a decent flavor. It's a lot thicker than regular chicken broth. You should check it out if you're not going to be making your own stock for gravy and whatnot.

Uuugh...I gotta get to planning. I had all these grand plans for mapping things out and knowing early what I would need to buy and make ahead of time but it seems that time is running out for me! Yikes!!!