Lets talk turkey (Thanksgiving Thread)

[Giggly]

What do you usually have to eat on this day? If you're cooking, what are you making?

Please share any yummy recipes here too.

 

[Haight]

For me, it's all about really good gravy.

Everything else can be fixed with the really good gravy.

 

[prplchknz]

hmm turkey-preferably dark meat

mashed potatoes

cranberry jello salad with pecans apples and celery inside

stuffing

gravy
green bean casserole
corn pudding
sweet potatoe casserole
pumpkin pie
rolls
wine

 

[CzeCze]

Fuhgetabout Turkey. Or Tofurkey. Or Tudurcken.

It's all about HAM!!! On the bone!!!! Yumyumyum.

One reason I could never be a true vegetarian.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I usually sit myself in front of the TV for football overload and either order a pizza or cook a steak. I don't live near my family and I don't enjoy most of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, so this is what I really enjoy doing.

This year, though, I'll be attending a vegan Thanksgiving at a friend's house. Should be an experience.

 

[miss fortune]

I don't like turkey, stuffing or sweet potatoes, so the usual thanksgiving foods are my nightmare feast.

I eat the mashed potatoes, gravy and fresh vegetables from the vegetable tray. Occasionally, my family will be nice and make me ham...

 

[Atomic Fiend]

For me, it's all about really good gravy.

Everything else can be fixed with the really good gravy.

This is true.

 

[nightning]

Mashed potato with gravy.

As to the turkey... I like the stuffing more than the meat. But I'll take white meat with gravy if you leave off the cranberry sauce.

Speaking of which, who likes cranberry sauce? I found that it never goes well with the gravy.

 

[prplchknz]

I like cranberry sauce then again their's very few things I don't like. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to food.

 

[Anja]

I make everything from scratch for this holiday. Get out the silver, china, crystal, linen, buy some cut flowers.

The menu stays pretty much the same.

Hot olive cheese balls

Turkey and cranberry sauce
Bread, onion sage dressing
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Cheese/carrot casserole
Relishes including home-canned pickles
Brussels sprouts, sometimes green beans
Wild rice casserole for my vegetarian SIL
Twenty-four hour fruit salad with cooked dressing
Salad composee of romaine with blue cheese, red pears, pomegranite seeds, croutons
Oatmeal clover leaf rolls

Pumpkin pie and rhubarb or apple pie with whipped cream

I've been making turkey for decades and tried every method known to man. The best? Brine it first. Stuff and put in oven at 450 degrees for half an hour, then turn oven down to 325 degrees to finish. It'll be good and juicy.

This year one of the local grocery stores has a deal, buy a ham and get the turkey free so I may do that.

 

[Giggly]

I've been making turkey for decades and tried every method known to man. The best? Brine it first. Stuff and put in oven at 450 degrees for half an hour, then turn oven down to 325 degrees to finish. It'll be good and juicy.

Agreed. I've cooked a whole turkey three times. 1- brined and oven roasted, 1- fried, and 1- oven roasted not brined. The brined oven roasted turkey was by far the best.

 

[Anja]

There's one method I haven't tried yet and that's deep-fried. I've heard those are very good. I'm hoping someone who does it will post here and tell us the tricks.

Did you deep fry yours?

 

[Magic Poriferan]

This is what my parents would make:

Turkey with stuffing. Mashed potatos, with biscuits and gravy of course. Beats. Sweet potato mallow. Deviled eggs. And variably, some other meat may be involved, for instance, we'd often eat venison for the holidays.

Let me also say that smoked turkeys are way better than the usual kind. They're also better than ham.

 

[Atomic Fiend]

Gobble Gobble.

 

[prplchknz]

Gobble Gobble.

Gobble?

 

[The Ü™]

The movie Australia is coming out on Thanksgiving. And it is, no doubt, going to be a turkey.

 

[ygolo]

I'm vegetarian through Dec. 26th, do probably some Dhal.

 

[violaine]

The movie Australia is coming out on Thanksgiving. And it is, no doubt, going to be a turkey.

eww yeah, I was considering seeing this but looks pretty bad...

EDIT: ...sorry Baz.

 

[Giggly]

There's one method I haven't tried yet and that's deep-fried. I've heard those are very good. I'm hoping someone who does it will post here and tell us the tricks.

Did you deep fry yours?

Yeah. It was alright, I'm not real crazy about it but I learned the hard way not to fill the deep fryer more than half way with oil.

Also, you're supposed to use peanut oil because of the higher smoking point. It's amazing how quickly it cooks too.

Edit: Just to add a few more tips.

- Might seem obvious but it doesn't hurt to state that this should be done OUTSIDE on pavement, not grass.
- It's really important that the oil be very hot before you insert the turkey because the temp of the oil will drop a lot once the turkey is inserted, so use a thermometer to measure it.
-Be sure that the turkey is completely thawed out, not at all frozen or it will cook too unevenly.
- You obviously can't stuff the turkey beforehand.
- The extremities (i.e. legs, wings) will be much crispier than the rest.

If anyone needs a recipe and more detailed instructions, please feel free to PM me and I will share.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

The movie Australia is coming out on Thanksgiving. And it is, no doubt, going to be a turkey.

Bite your tongue! Baz Luhrmann is a genius.