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Thread: things you've done at thanksgiving

  1. #1

    things you've done at thanksgiving

    My ex MIL was the 2nd worst cook on earth, beat out for number 1 by her daughter, my ex wife. However, I love to cook. So every thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and Easter, I ended up cooking for a truck load of in-laws that I did not care for. The thought southerners were stupid and despised every thing southern. I got tired of dried out breasts and got some cider and injected the breast. and made the turkey in the smoker. It came out heavenly. However, I also poked the skin full of holes and managed to put kernels of popcorn under the skin. Looked like it had warts. Then for the stuffing, traditional for them is mashed potato and sausage with celery and some spices. My ex parents would not eat sweet potatoes, so I left some sweet potato skins on the counter in plain view but actually put enough baby strained carrots into the stuffing that it looked orange. I made corn bread muffins, another thing they would not eat. Instead of pumpkin pie, I got a sweet potato pie, and for breakfast I fried up some Virginia dry cured ham slices and made grits and red eye gravy. After about 20 to 25 holidays of them coming to constantly want special food made, they never came back.

    One year, after I married my second wife, we made the turkey on a spit over a camp fire. slathered with Chinese plum sauce as it neared done. Sweet potatoes in the coals to cook and a Dutch oven with raised yeast rolls. A huge kettle of cooked apples for dessert, That was probably one of the best Thanksgivings we ever had. It was about 65 degrees out and so we ate at the picnic table.

  2. #2
    Here, we split the cooking. On Tuesday afternoon, late, I boil a BIG (10 gallon) pot of collards. On Wednesday AM, distribute them to some widow friends who LIKE collards, and keep some for our dinner. I raise my own collards, so I have plenty to share. Tuesday, during the day make a couple of apple cakes and two Japanese Fruit Pies. Wednesday afternoon, brew ice tea, brine turkey, wash sweet potatoes, boil and peel eggs for dressing, giblet gravy, and deviled eggs. Make sure turkey roasting pan is cleaned after a year of storage. Wife mixes up dressing, minus the fresh eggs, and cooks black eyed peas. Wednesday night, make cranberry relish in food processor, using fresh cranberries, navel orange and chopped walnuts. Thursday, 5:00 AM get up and put turkey into oven, then boil and peel sweet potatoes. By 9:00 AM, turkey is done. Around 10:00 AM, cook sweet potatoes, peel potatoes for mashed potatoes. Wife has tables (plural) set and dishes on buffet by then, and starts dressing. About an hour before dinner, dressing goes into oven, and mashed potatoes are made, along with giblet gravy. Because of our large family, we serve buffet style. This year there will be less than twenty people, but in the past we have had as many as 30. We've always had open dining at our house, neighbors who just moved here, family friends, and my former wife along with wife's former husband. Until my wife's father's death six years ago, we did something that not many ever get to do. We sat FIVE GENERATIONS at the table for Thanksgiving. After dinner, the General, as in General Electric does the dishes. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
    Last edited by Bruce Wrenn; 11-21-2022 at 11:49 AM.

  3. #3
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    Based on the current weather forecast it looks like my Thanksgiving plan is to install a mini split, since that's the only day that is supposed to be above freezing and not raining. Not the most festive thing to do, but I'm thankful for the weather break.

  4. #4
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    At one time Thanksgiving was always at my folks house. With five boys in the family it was the biggest family and the largest house to host aunts, uncles and others. My mother died a few years after I married Candy. My father always missed the large Thanksgiving gatherings. So one year Candy & I decided to fix dinner at the old homestead.

    One thing that became a traditional hit was the eggnog, nonalcoholic, I would make. One Thanksgiving when I was employed in public transit I took a gallon and paper cups around to all the people I knew who were working that Thanksgiving evening. In the following years many of the people wanted me to do that again or give them the recipe.

    The other was somehow we always managed to burn the meringue on the lemon meringue pies.

    My dad moved to the Olympic Peninsula a few years later. Candy & I drove up to his home near Sequim, Washington (pronounced skwim) and fixed a Thanksgiving dinner for him and his friends. This was kind of strange after I figured out who all the guests were. One was the woman my dad wanted to marry and he was chasing her when he moved to Washington, another was her husband and the third was another man who was courting her between the time when my dad was her significant other and when she married. Amazingly they were all good friends.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a great and Merry Christmas into the New Year.

    If any one wants it, I will post the recipe.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 11-22-2022 at 6:27 PM. Reason: fixed some wording
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
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    The vast majority of Thanksgiving holidays in recent years are spent with a meal at a close friend's house with their extended family of which we are considered to be part of, but "family from other mothers", as it were. That's true this week, too. Last year was the only one we didn't do that because of high risk during the pandemic for many folks who would otherwise be attending and they did not hold the event for that reason.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post

    If any one wants it, I will post the recipe.
    OK, we're asking.
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 11-22-2022 at 8:00 PM. Reason: fixed quote tagging

  7. #7
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    In my family, we have the tradition Turkey etc but the event that we all look forward to takes place the following Saturday. It’s called the Mac n cheese smack down. We have other families over and everyone brings their favorite macaroni and cheese. We usually have 8-12 entries. Everyone votes using a variant of ranked choice. You rank the entries 1-n where 1 is your favorite. The ranks are added up and the entry with the lowest score wins. We also let the children vote.

    Then our two dogs vote. We put a very small amount of each entry in tiny dishes. I made (gosh, 10 years ago!) a long frame with a screen top that we put over the row of dishes. We release a dog and let them sniff. We pull the dog back, remove the cover and release the dog. Our dogs are discriminating. They will skip around and not go for what’s close.

    This all started almost fifteen years ago when we were talking with some friends about foods we grew up with. The conversation turned to Mac and cheese. As we shared recipes, we all thought they all sounded pretty good. So we decided to have sort of a tasting dinner. And the smack down was born. The rules are that the primary ingredient involve pasta and cheese. Beyond that, do what you want.

    Because voting is ranked choice, I learned early on that, to win, you try to be everyone’s second choice. Straight up Mac and cheese will win every time.

    My mothers recipe won 7 or 8 times. Sadly, Kraft stopped making bricks of their Old English cheese and I’ve floundered ever since. I recently learned that Sysco in Canada sells slices of Old English but I haven been able to find a way to get it.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post

    If any one wants it, I will post the recipe.
    Quote Originally Posted by John Ziebron View Post
    OK, we're asking.
    Here it is. Some caveats, be ready to stand at the stove an stir for a long time when cooking the scalded milk & egg yolk mixture. You do not want it to cook too fast and get lumpy. No one likes eggnog cottage cheese.

    During the process, for me, remove the chalaza (each of two twisted membranous strips joining the yolk to the ends of the shell) from the yolk. These can become lumps.

    This can take two days due to cooling the 'custard' (egg & milk mixture). Also somewhere I read salmonella can't survive in the egg whites for more than 24 hours.

    A couple of Dutch ovens work great to rig up a double boiler:

    Dutch Oven.jpg

    We have 5qt & 2.5qt Dutch ovens. Other pots will also work.

    EGG NOG
    Ingredients:

    4-Cups whole milk (scalded)
    10-eggs separated (any yolk in the whites and they will not whip properly)
    3/4-Cups sugar (1/2 cup and then 1/4 cup.
    1/2-tsp salt
    1-Cup heavy cream (whipped)
    Vanilla to taste
    Nutmeg
    Optional: Rum or Brandy

    Procedure:

    Scald the milk, be careful not to burn. This is done by heating the milk to a point just below a boil. It must be stirred constantly, when it starts to form a layer of bubbles, and the surface looks satin like, remove it from the heat and set aside.

    In the top of the double boiler combine 1/2-Cup of sugar with egg yolks. Set the heat to below a boil. Slowly stir in the scalded milk. Stir constantly making sure to drag the spoon across the bottom (a wooden spoon with an end flattened at an angle works great), until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon lightly. It is better to do this with the heat too low than too high. This can take a lot of patience. Remove from heat and chill thoroughly, in the refrigerator over night is good.

    When the yolk mixture is chilled, add salt (1/2 tsp.) to the whites and beat until thick, gradually mix in the sugar (remaining 1/4 Cup). The thickness of the whites is what determines the texture of the finished drink. It can vary from a delicate smooth texture to thick froth. This is a time when having two mixers is very handy. It is best to use a ladle to transfer the whites into the yolks. this helps to make sure all the whites get whipped. As the whites are being poured into the yolks, fold the mixture. If using an electric mixer use on the lowest setting. If further whipping of the whites is needed be sure to wash the beaters if they have been in contact with the yolks.

    Whip the cream to a consistency to match the egg whites. Blend in to the mixture. The mixture can be chilled in a freezer for an hour, and then set in a refrigerator until serving time. When serving take care to remix as the ingredients will separate. this is done easily with a ladle picking up some of the beverage and pouring it back into the mixture and repeating until it is of an even texture. This evening at our Thanksgiving dinner (this was a over a decade ago now) one of the Grandmothers who only speaks Finnish got very excited after tasting the Eggnog. I have no idea what she said, but I was told she enjoyed it very much.

    enjoy,

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    ... Optional: Rum or Brandy ....
    My Great Aunt always claimed you needed both, plus bourbon, to be safe because you can never be sure the eggs were properly cooked and killing any germs was important.

  10. #10
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    Sadly, Kraft stopped making bricks of their Old English cheese and I’ve floundered ever since. I recently learned that Sysco in Canada sells slices of Old English but I haven been able to find a way to get it.
    Do you resally need 45 pound bricks?
    Bill D.

    https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-English...9216026&sr=8-2
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 11-23-2022 at 10:19 AM. Reason: fixed quote tagging

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