The 2014 Odd Thanksgiving Thread Our Daily Dinner

The 2014 ODD Thanksgiving Thread

notyourmomma 9 years ago
Post your 'must haves, want to try and wish I had never' dishes for Thanksgiving.
Our Canadian friends, please feel free to add you memories and dishes and join the discussion. This way Thanksgiving won't get lost in the daily threads.

I know that there are traditional dishes that can not be missed on the traditional table. I find that each year that there are those that want to buck tradition and change it up, often to the great dismay of others.

Since this is the day of Thanksgiving for the abundance we receive, time to be with family and friends, I'm taking squabbling OFF the table. Hopefully it will only be moderate gobbling.

Never will I ever, forget the Thanksgiving when my Memaw passed out face first in the bowl of mashed potatoes. Bless her heart, she had one too many 'Pink Ladies' before dinner. Creme de Noya and ? UGH. It was a memorable start to the meal.

I wish I had never tried the Dominican Republic specialty, Habichuelas con dulce. A sweet cream bean dessert, made with coconut milk, red beans and sweet potato chunks. Unfortunately, it was too reminiscent of the result of a night of heavy alcohol consumption. My guest insisted on leaving the large pitcher of this stuff at my home for us to enjoy. If you are brave here is a link: http://www.goya.com/english/recipes/habichuelas-con-dulce-sweet-dominican-beans
This version is shown blended, my guest did not blend her version and it was quity chunky.

First off, Turkey.
We have brined, we have not brined. We have roasted enormous whole turkeys, two smaller turkeys, smoked a whole turkey, cooked some in a cooking bag. Personally, my favorite method was presented by my beloved step-mother, Joyce. Long ago when first married and making her first Turkey, Joyce relied on the 'The Joy of Cooking' as her cooking bible. This particular edition was many years old and it said to keep a moist and juicy bird during the long roasting process, that the bird should be wrapped in a butter soaked muslin. (Early butterball basting technique, I believe). Joyce did not have cheesecloth handy but as a creative inventive cook, she took a brand new pair of her husband's cotton boxers and 'dressed' her bird in the butter-drenched drawers. Imagine the look on family when Joyce presented the bird for her first hubby to carve. Every Thanksgiving, we remember Joyce with love and tell the younger set, the story of the drawers.

My sister and I will be brining a small bird and cooking an extra turkey breast in the cooking bag. We like the extra white meat for sandwiches made with the little rolls from the Publix bakery.

I'll share more of our favorites, later.
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Good4U 9 years ago said:

LOL Tina, What great memories:) I remember my Grandmother putting lots of butter and strips of bacon on a turkey once. One story I was told about me, when I was maybe three? My Mom was getting the turkey ready and I asked her what she was doing. She replied "she was dressing the turkey". I said very innocently "when you are finished dressing it, can I take it for a walk"? I have bought big turkeys and small ones and have had bigger ones cut right down the middle by the butcher and done the dressing on the side wrapped in foil. One year my GF who lives on a farm asked Chris and I to Thanksgiving Dinner. Her father and mom were visiting her from quite a far distance and her dad insisted on cooking their turkey for them. Well thirteen or fourteen hours later it literally looked and almost exploded like the Griswold's Turkey:) Chris always calls it “The Year Without Turkey”. We tried to be polite which was hard to do while trying to swallow saw dust. Then the same year Chris went to his father's for Christmas dinner and his new stepmother had cooked her first turkey obviously b/c, she cooked it with the package of giblets in it! LOL Now you know why he calls it, “The Year Without Turkey”, poor guy:) In both Den and my families turkey dinner isn't complete without mashed turnips/rutabaga, dressing gravy mashed potatoes and another veggie on the side. Nothing extraordinary really. My Grandmother (Nanny) made great gravy with milk and flour and if the gravy looked too white? (I hate white pale looking turkey gravy to this day.) She would use a couple of black tea bags and make strong enough tea to make the gravy look browner and it always worked like a charm and you never tasted any tea flavour. Just a wee tip for anyone interested. My mind just went blank. If I can recall any other things out of the ordinary I will be back to check, more of your memorable moments though:)

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Joce, funny story on the "The Year of No Turkey". A turkey that looks like something the Griswold's cooked would be very very dry, indeed. Do you mix your mashed potatoes and turnips? or do you fix a bowl of each? I've never heard of darkening a too light gravy with black tea. My mom used to buy Kitchen Bouquet just for that purpose, to deepen and enrich gravies.

Now for more years than I care to count, we have always had creamed onions on the table. Those little pearl onions that are so difficult to peel and cook thoroughly. Finally we wised up on making them from scratch and decided that Bird's Eye frozen creamed onions were perfectly fine to be served at Thanksgiving. Having said that, the last three Thanksgiving dinners we spent together, we have forgotten to serve the creamed onions. They sit all alone in the microwave and no ONE misses them on the dinner table. Therefore, we are not going to make or purchase creamed onions this year. So sayeth the Queen. If my sister shows up with a box, she can take it back home.

So far, the sides are basic mashed white potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (gag me), broccoli cheese casserole (no green bean casserole), canned cranberry sauce (we love it) and a homemade cranberry relish with maple and orange. There is an order in for two kinds of dressing. We don't stuff the birds but cook it in a casserole. Some want Mom's souffle light dried bread dressing with onions/celery and giblets. Others are asking for a sausage dressing with celery and cornbread. If I don't make brussel sprouts in some manner, Fred and Liv would think I've gone nuts. Lastly, my BIL is requesting corn casserole. This is way too much. I must pare it down and see if I can get Allison to do the same. Otherwise, we will have to freeze most of it for another time.

Desserts are now a hot and heated debate. I like traditional pies, pecan, pumpkin or apple. They like cheesecake. Fred wants chocolate. This could get squabbly.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Mashed potatoes and mashed turnips are in separate bowls. The mashed turnips are mashed with some butter, a bit of milk or cream if needed and a bit of sugar, if they taste a bit strong. My Mom did those creamed pearl onions sometimes too. Good heavens sweet potatoes with marshmallows sounds like a dessert! I think it would be far to sweet for me. Do you have your recipe for cranberry relish with maple and orange posted?

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Simple Cranberry Sauce is my basic simple cranberry sauce. I just add strips of orange peel when cooking the cranberries.

This version is the one the family raved over, Kicking Cranberry Relish

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Lol on poor Memaw passing out in the mashed potatoes Tina :)

Cute turkey story Joce! Omg on the year without turkey!

We have a layout about like what you described Tina at my mom's house, except I don't think we have ever brined the turkey. My step dad is always in charge of the turkey and he has done it in a paper bag in the oven and also fried it. Last year he got this
http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/char-broil-the-big-easy-oil-less-propane-turkey-fryer/pid-408401?N=578846088&affcode=42&kwid=ps_cse&cid=PLA_014215156&affcode=42&kwid=ps_cse&cid=PLA_014215156&gclid=Cj0KEQiAs6GjBRCy2My09an6uNIBEiQANfY4zAKvIJwgHmqthMidkWBh5F9b8SQCEODwfMRJy-XJLv8aAv5i8P8HAQ&kwid=productads-plaid^78040231638-sku^014215156-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^45640956078
Sorry long link. It's an oil less fryer and it made the most delicious turkey ever! I'm thinking he will be using that every year :) We do the stuffing separate (my favorite Thanksgiving food) We don't have broccoli cheese casserole but we do do the green bean casserole. That's usually what I'm asked to bring. I've found a really good one not using cream of soups.

Now at my Dad's house it's always a little different. We have a baked turkey, stuffing inside. We have macaroni and cheese, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, and we ALWAYS have to have “Noodles”. Its a thing my Grandma made every year, homemade noodles cooked in a thickened chicken stock. SO GOOD!! My Grandma has passed away 9 years ago, but we have carried on with the noodles tradition :) For dessert it's always the usual pumkin pie, pecan pie and there is always a cream pie, either chocolate or lemon, or both :)

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

I saved that simple cranberry sauce recipe Tina. I think it will go over well with my family and will bring something new to the table, since we NEVER have cranberry sauce, canned or fresh.

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Lol @ Memaw passing out in the potatoes. That's too funny. And forgetting the creamed onions three years in a row. Love it.
And Joce poor Chris on his year with no turkey. :)
I've never had fried turkey, Michelle.

Very traditional fare at our gathering most of the time. Tina you ain't just whistling dixie about some attitudes toward anything new. My poor mom would work herself to death to have everyone's favorite only to have to listen to snarky comments from my dad on the new dish she would try each year. It's our 2nd year without Mom. Thanksgiving was harder than Christmas last year. Sigh. We usually have a crowd. My dad's brother passed away at age 42, leaving one in college, a freshman in high school, and a 2 yr old. His wife passed three years later. So those cousins have always been more like brothers/ sister than cousins, and they often bring their families to my parents' house on holidays. If we are all there I think it totals 24?
Not sure any cousins are coming this time, though.

We'll have a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, Mac n cheese, stuffing, cornbread dressing,
My Moms Turkey Gravy
Dads Sweet Potatoes
My Dads Slaw
(Never a holiday or any other family meal that my dad hasn't made slaw in my whole life!)
Biltmore House Citrus Cranberry Relish
Grandmothers Famous Cranberry Bread
Deviled eggs (my brother won't let me in without them)
Rolls, pecan pie, pumpkin pie
Moms Fresh Apple Cake With Caramel Icing Or Cream Cheese Icing
Plus whatever cousins bring if they come. Too much food!! But, dad won't hear of eliminating anything. Lol
My son will want
Creamy Cheesey Broccoli Casserole
And the grand kids love fruit salad. Ay yi yi! Lol

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

LOL @ your Mom passing out in the bowl of potatoes Tina. That's hilarious. I ADORE brining and it was GR that taught me about it as I'd never heard of it before. Those little sliders sound superb. Please pass one NOW! :) I'm with you gagging on the sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Bleck. What was Tyler's favourite part of the Thanksgiving meal?
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Decorating is an important part of my celebrations and I'm good with changing up the appy's, soups, veg and desserts but the entree itself is pretty much set in stone. Roast Turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy. It just wouldn't be 'the' meal without that.
As nice as it is to be invited to someone's home for Thanksgiving you are indeed victim to whatever they put in front of you and I can totally feel for you Joce and Chris and your "Year without turkey". :)
Macaroni and cheese as a side at Thanksgiving is one I haven't heard about Michelle but I'd be all over that. Jim doesn't like macaroni so I really never have it. Cool on your Grandma's noodle tradition. So it'd be served like a soup?
And Mac n' cheese at your household too Lori! I gotta maybe start making my own little casserole dish full. :) Hugs on your Mom. I love "My Dad's slaw". Haven't made it in forever. Thanks for the reminder. Devilled eggs ROCK! Did you see the new recipe I tried recently?
Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs
I could just eat a platter of them all by myself. (Can you hear arteries thicken?)
A thing that I remember about Thanksgiving as a kid was how very busy my Mom always was. We always had a linen table cloth. Mom would cook the meal and serve it and play hostess but she was up and down so often that she really didn't get much of a chance to properly eat her plate. So after dinner when everyone else had moved into the living room to let everything settle, you'd find her out in the kitchen A) cleaning up but B) nibbling on Turkey bits and leftovers. Back in the day the salt shaker naturally accompanied the turkey platter. Dessert then would be a pie. Butterscotch or pumpkin. Jellied cranberry sauce from a can, pickles, canned beet cubes, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes and sometimes brussel sprouts. (GAG)
The best Thanksgiving Dessert I ever remember making was a Pumpkin Roll with cream cheese filling. Jim's not a dessert fan so unless we have company we don't bother with it. I also made a Pumpkin Latte one year and kept it warm in the crockpot and that was well received.
Here's a couple of recipes I'd love to try out but haven't yet.....
A cheese tray in the shape of a Turkey
http://www.bloglovin.com/viewer?post=1899773645&group=0&frame_type=a&context=&context_ids=&blog=4526&frame=1&click=0&user=0
Pumpkin Spice Blossom Cookies (Have never been able to find the right flavour of Hershey Kisses yet)
http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com/2010/10/25/pumpkin-spice-blossoms/

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

No traditions to speak up. Growing up it was just my mom me and my sister. So she would just invite whatever stragglers she could come up with. Mom wasnt close to her parents and I never really saw my dads side.
I usually host thanksgiving. This years menu is escarole soup, deviled eggs, turkey getting a fresh one from work. And stuffed shells. SIL is making a salad, green beans, squash and some sort of dessert. My sister will do the mashed potatoes and a desert. My mom is bringing canoli from a bakery.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Your menu sounds great Laurie! Jim and I bought a fresh turkey once and never again! It was so expensive and we really couldn't afford it at the time.(Plus it was HUGE) I honestly could not tell the difference even though everyone says you totally can. Pass me a small Butterball on sale for $1.99/lb and I'm a happy camper. :) Yum on Canoli.

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Janet those eggs sound very interesting! I've never had anything different from the traditional deviled egg. Even though I've seen a few I'd like to try. I have the same memory. Mom never sat down to eat with everyone else. Until the last year or two. Then everyone made her. :) She was set on the good linens and china. And with all that food, I spent most of my adult Christmases and Thanksgivings in the kitchen cleaning up instead of visiting. More people pitch into help each year but you can only get so many in the kitchen. Lol. The Mac n cheese always shows up because the kids will eat it. Just saw the comments about marshmallows on sweet potatoes. I personally don't care for them any way you fix them (even though I have a few recipes posted that I make cause other people like them. I NEVER taste them. Lol). Anyway, my brother loves them, but he always takes the marshmallows off, he says they "get in the way". My biggest memory of holidays with the cousins is everyone would go out in the yard and play football in the afternoon. Old and young. Well, all the men and all the kids, that is. :)

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Laurie cannoli sounds like a good addition to the menu. Yum yum! I've never had a fresh turkey.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Thanksgiving was sometimes at one or the other grandparents farm, with a bunch of relatives, or later, when families expanded, at home. We had the traditional turkey, Mom's oyster stuffing made IN THE BIRD, cranberry sauce (homemade), green bean casserole ala Campbells mushroom soup recipe, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and topping, mincemeat pie, rolls with lots of butter.

Now we usually have it at our daughter's home. She roasts the turkey, makes garlic mashed potatoes, a green bean casserole with cream-of-NOT-mushroom-soup (they hate mushrooms), and tries a couple different stuffing recipes always outside the bird, and rolls fresh from the oven. I bring pumpkin pie and maybe a cherry or apple pie (they hate mincemeat so I will have one at home or bring home leftovers for Wayne), cranberry sauce (recipe was always on the bag of Ocean Spray cranberries, (no orange peel b/c she has allergies to citrus), and sweet potatoes WITH MARSHMALLOWS. I may bring a bottle of wine this year, also. Her kitchen is very small (no dining room) so it is creative to seat the 6 of us and manage to serve the food. Cleanup is easy - oldest GS has the task of loading the DW -- ha ha - and it is only the pans to wash. Sometimes we celebrated it on a different day depending on her work schedule, but since she changed jobs that is seldom an issue.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Lori, I will make your dad's sweet potatoes this year for the family requesting marshmallows. I'm making a 9 x 13 pan and will do half with marshmallow and the other half with a thyme struesel topping and then let the sweet potato team chose sides. LOL
Big hugs on your memories of Mom, and those first holidays are the hardest. Hold tight to the memories. And yes, my Mom was up and down all meal too. I think Mom's are hard wired to be fussing at holiday suppers.

Janet, it was my mom's mother who nose dived in the potatoes, not mom. Mom would never have a sissy Pink Lady drink in her hand. Mom would be sipping champagne. We always asked stragglers to the table and when they asked what could they bring, Mom told them two bottles of cheap champagne.

Michelle and Joce, on the simple cranberry sauce, use real maple syrup, not the imitation stuff. It is great at its simplest, but then I can never leave well enough alone which is why I added the strips of orange zest and sometimes a piece of cinnamon stick or vanilla pod seeds.

Laurie, love your menu too. Cannoli would be a huge hit here and stuffed shells, but my family would ask when did I adopt an Italian heritage? LOL

We always used the 'good stuff' to set the table. The fancy tablecloth and linen napkins, mom's pretty china and silver (never to be seen again thanks to the theiving interloper in our lives) and using all of Pop's Polish crystal serving pieces. We finally gave up on glass champagne glasses after too many mishaps and broken flutes during our afterdinner games of cutthroat Uno.

The guests who don't cook would wash the dishes. They always shoved Mom out of the kitchen and handwashed her china. I had to laugh when my niece would bring her tupperware and fill it up to brim. Mom always wondered where were her leftovers? Mmm, Kelly helped herself, mom.

I've never had a fresh turkey either. Give me the free one from Olivia's work. A brine can fix many things with a cheap bird.

Tyler's favorite part of dinner was actually not the food. He loved having his Nana (my mom) lean over his plate to give him gravy and part of her well-endowed anatomy would be next to his adolescent face. His eyes would widen and he would laugh at his brush with a boob. Since he always had mashed potatoes, he was not into them at Thanksgiving. He loved Nana's souffle-type dressing, the gravy, the sweet potatoes, minced turkey, Mississippi mud pie or pumpkin filling. We would play as a team in Uno and I would hold the cards up for him and he was included in the hollering, yelling and moaning over the card game. He would laugh hysterically when someone knocked over yet another glass of champagne while trying to make someone "draw four". When he would get tired, his daddy would set up a comfy pallet of blankets in the guest room and we would find Fred and Tyler snoring and hidden away from the crowd.

We never made deviled eggs for Thanksgiving, it was always more of a summer appetizer for us. The smoked fish spread with crackers, hot sauce, onions and pickles is required. It is just the right kind of nibble while you are fussing with the rest of the meal. Mac and cheese was not part of big meal usually, however I did buy a pan of 7 cheese mac and cheese from a co-worker at Broder to serve one T-day. It was soooooooooooo rich. Talk about hardening of the arteries.

Love all the memories and recipes shared here. So much fun. I love ya'll.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Interesting on the Oyster stuffing Karen. I LOVE Mincemeat pies and raisin pies. My Mom used to make those alllllll the time. My parents only bought a dishwasher when I moved away which put my nose out of joint! :)
Thyme streusel topping....OMG Tina you're killing me. I might even try them with that on top. Just a little at first. :) Oh sorry, got it wrong about your Mom vs. your Grandmother. LOL @ two bottles of cheap champagne. Love it. Very sweet memories of Ty's Thanksgiving. :) Lovely.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Just remembered.....you're not a 'too hot/spicy' person are you Lori?

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Karen, love mincemeat pie!! Janet, the thyme streusel is so good. No one else eats mincemeat around here. I won't make a whole pie for me.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Karen, my Grandmother on Dad's side LOVED oyster stuffing. We made it with soda crackers, butter, black pepper and cream.

Okay, has ANYONE made crockpot mashed potatoes?

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Michelle, your grandma's noodle dish, would it be similar to a chicken and flat dumpling? Like Bob Evans instead of the puffy dropped biscuit type? It sounds delicious. What else does your dad use his oilless fryer for? I saw one on HSN the other night and the idea of not having to buy gallons of peanut oil would make me try a fried bird again.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Janet, after one monumental Thanksgiving (26 people, 8 of them kids) Mom had 32 empty Champagne bottles in the trash. She also had people crashed out (passed out more likely) all over the house. She got up and made bacon, grits, eggs and lots of hot coffee for everyone. No one went Black Friday shopping that year.

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Tina your Thanksgivings always sound like so much fun! I hope to do that with my kids and grand kids eventually! No alcohol at my parents' house. Although princess had taken to bringing a bottle of wine with her the last few years and mom would have a glass when everyone had gone and she was ready to relax. And I love the stories about your Ty Guy. :)

Oh Janet, you are right about the not hot stuff with me. Bryan will do it, but not me. And no sweet on my meat. He will do that too.

Karen we don't have enough seating either. We can get 8 at the dining room table, put the little kids in the kitchen, and everyone else piles in the living room. It's nice to not have to worry about work schedules. When Christmas or Christmas Eve fall on Wed or Thurs, Bryan has the exact same schedule as Thanksgiving. He's on night shift the night before and Thanksgiving, and again Christmas Eve and Christmas Night. Not unusual for us to celebrate on a different day.

I'm trying to decide how early I can do green beans and baked Mac n cheese. Something will have to be done Tuesday night. It will take me forever to peel and slice 2 dozen eggs. Which will have to be done Wed night. I would never get it done Thursday morning. Has anybody used a big ziplock Baggie in place of a pastry bag to do the deviled egg filling? And if so, is it really quicker than two spoons?

And does anybody use the insulated carrier with their Pyrex or other baking dishes? Is it worth the investment? I have an hour travel time, so it probably won't stay hot anyway?

Tina I am totally using your gravy idea! Could I make it a couple days in advance? I don't have a thermos to put it in, but I'm thinking mason jar.

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Oh Tina, meant to tell you that I'm excited about you making my dad's sweet potatoes. The cousins et al really like them. They "fight" over left overs. I am interested to hear their reviews.

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

And for those who partake of sweet potatoes, here are a couple more recipes
Chipotle Honey Sweet Potatoes
( from my Biltmore House Cookbook)
Likkered Up Sweet Taters
Sweet Potato Pie From The Tomato Head

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

My family always come with their Tupperware to bring home leftovers. I bought everyone cheap Christmas ones at Walmart after Christmas one year. They know if they don't bring it they don't get leftovers lol
I've never had a fresh turkey. I know the one they are giving me is 15 pounds which isn't really big enough for my crowd I don't think. That's why I am doing the stuffed shells and soup.

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Cosmicmother 9 years ago said:

Lol, love the" passed out in the mashed potatoes" memory Tina! And the drawers, lol, too funny! I have one memory of Thanksgiving I'll never forget, I will set the scene:

I was about 15 yrs old and spent many days and nights at my best friends house, so it wasn't surprising for me to be there on Thanksgiving. There was the parents, uncle, grandparents, sister and me for dinner. All us girls were helping in the kitchen while the men were in the basement stoking the wood stove and having many a drink.
Their father was rather a large boisterous man, with an extremely high pitched cackling laugh, you always knew when he was drinking as he got louder and louder. As dinner got close he kept harassing us to eat as I think he hadn't eaten all day. The mom told him to stay downstairs until she called him to eat. Us girls got the table dressed, the side dishes on the table and Grandpa was carving the turkey. The mom called her husband up for dinner finally and we all sat down to eat. A quick Grace was said and when we started to pass the sides we realized we forgot to put out serving spoons! Well, the dad being very intoxicated and extremely hungry, stood up and yelled about where the *bleeping* utensils were and said *bleep* it, and preceded to take his large hand and shoved it into the center of the mounded bowl of mashed potatoes, plopped a large handful onto his plate and was very eagerly licking his fingers! We all stared at him in shocked silence, I looked around the table to see what my friends reaction might be as I wasn't sure this was normal in their household, and I started to smirk and everyone at the table burst out laughing!! Thankfully it turned out like that because it could have ben an awkward night, lol. A Thanksgiving I have never forgotten!

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Shona, the mashed potato fist is funny. I'm glad it ended in laughter. I've had someone say "bleep" a few times at Thanksgiving too. Usually over "where is the gravy?"

We have a few singles invited over from Olivia's work. Don't have a final count yet, but I'm fine with adding people who are away from family. Sharing and giving is the name of the day.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

LOL @ the 32 empty Champagne bottles Tina. Now THAT'S a party! :)
NO ALCOHOL AT YOUR PARENT'S HOUSE Lori? OMG. I might die. I think a flask would totally be in order. :) Your mention of a separate kids table makes me grin as I totally remember that growing up too. My parents had a card table that Mom would dress up with a table cloth as well and we kids all loved having our own place. :) Used to do that at the cottage in later years too.
That's nice you're getting a free turkey Laurie. With shells and soup it should be perfect.
Oh my goodness at your friend's father's behaviour Shona. That would have been awkward for sure. You also reminded me that growing up it was indeed all the women in the kitchen before during and after dinner while the men relaxed and imbibed separately. Always hated that. Jim and Benjamin have always helped me out and then we all relax together. As it should be IMHO. :)
You're absolutely right Tina. "Sharing and giving" is the name of the day. Nice.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Okay, anyone made crock pot mashed potatoes?

Lori, I'm glad to have your dad's recipe to try, now as long as I add marshmallows to the list.
Stuffing/dressing, do you use stale bread or cornbread? Sis is having a change of heart on the dressing. She may just make her own recipe.

Janet, my mom used to dress up the kids table too. I sat at the kiddie table a few years to keep Olivia in check.

Jellied or whole cranberry sauce at your house?

Do you carve at the table or do you carve in the kitchen? Anyone use an electric knife?

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

My everlovin' husband has informed me that he wants the TURDUCKEN of desserts this year. The 12 inch tall 23 lb. Pumpecapple pie cake. A pumpkin pie in a spice cake, a pecan pie in a chocolate cake and an apple pie in an apple spice cake, each layer frosted with cream cheese frosting and garnished with chopped pecans and caramel. You can BUY one for $175.00 dollars and ordered five days in advance. In his mind this settles everyone's preferences in one piece. I do believe that is a month's worth of calories in on dessert. Would you make one?

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

LOL TIna!! Since I don't like pumpkin anything that would knock me out of dessert. But I guess I could pick out the layers I wanted! :) I think that one would be a No for me.

OH Janet, believe me, if I didn't have an hour drive each way I'd take my flask. I will settle for knocking back a few when I get home. Bryan will be going to work, so I will be alone Thanksgiving evening. But, it was that way before the kids were grown, too. When we finished at Mom's I would take them to their Dad's parents, so I'm used to it. I will just settle in and watch tv or something. There's a big hulabaloo about stores being open on Thanksgiving, and people want to boycott those stores. Having worked retail for 20 years, I get it. I would hate working. The other side of that is...if I'm going to be sitting home alone Thanksgiving night...it sure would be a good time to get out and get some shopping done. lol Hil is working til 530 on Wed and has to work again on Friday, so that's too quick for her to come in. Sure do miss that kid.

I've never made crockpot mashed potatoes, Tina, but I'd give it a whilrl! Had potatoes served form a crockpot at a friends house and they were yummy. I don't know if she just did that to keep them warm, or if she made them in it. They had layers of real, crisp bacon peices and shredded cheddar between them!! YUMMY!
I'd forgotten about that...CRAFT.

I think Mom used part cornbread and part stale white bread in her dressing. Her stuffing was pepperidge farm stuffing mix, mushroom soup, water chestnuts, turkey broth, and I forget what else. Cooked inside the turkey. One of my favorites. :)

Cranberry relish at our table, with fresh cranberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, pecans, and orange liquer. (Recipe above).

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

That is crazy about the Pumpecapple cake Tina! I have never heard of it! My mom did announce to me that next year she would like to try the Turducken with me. Sounds like a challenge!! Anyone ever made one before?

Ouch on no alcohol Lori :( BOOOOO!

Lol at the your friends drunk Dad Shona! Haha I could see my Stepdad doing something like that :P

MMMmmm I love mincemeat pie too Karen! I tried it for the first time last Thanksgiving, and it was DEEEELICIOUS! The ONLY way I have ever enjoyed raisins.

We usually have deviled eggs out on Holidays too Janet. Love the turkey cheese tray!

Okay I went a little backwards there lol!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

I've never tried potatoes in a crock pot. It'd be handy if it worked though wouldn't it! I always use regular whole wheat bread for my dressing. Doesn't even have to be stale and never is actually. I think corn bread is quite a U.S. thing and I don't think many Canadians make it or eat it on a regular basis and I've never seen a dressing made with it. Neither Jim nor I like cranberry sauce so we don't use it at all. My Mom just used to serve the stuff from the can. And infact, most of the vegetables on the table would have come out of cans and just been warmed up.
LOL @ you Tina sitting at the Kiddy's table to keep Liv in check. I'd always thought that an electric knife would be cool but never got around to buying one. A PUMPECAPPLE PIE CAKE? Never heard of it. And since I'm too cheap to buy a fresh turkey I certainly wouldn't be paying $175.00 for a dessert. :) And no, I wouldn't make one either. Too much work and it would all go on my hips in an instant.
Ya, I forgot about the driving part Lori. You're right. Re: working on Thanksgiving. When I was at the Hardware store the owners would decide on which Statutory holidays it would remain open purely based on money. They would staff the store with a majority of part-time workers, who I guess perhaps were appreciative of the money, but I'm with you, and I think it's awesome for businesses to just 'close' and let their employees celebrate with their families. I think the biggest argument was always on Christmas Eve and what time to close the store. The other Manager and I would always push to close at 3, 4 p.m. at the absolute latest, but the owner would always want us to stay open 'til at least 5. It was a killer. Glad I don't have to fret over that stuff anymore.
That's too bad Hil won't be able to join you for Thanksgiving. When will you get to see her next? Christmas?
I think it was on GR that I first learned about a Turducken Michelle. I've never tried it.

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kimmer 9 years ago said:

Banana Pudding! Has been a tradition in our family since day one. Michael insists on it, Karli bathes in it (lol), little boys just love to place the vanilla wafers while making it. Little boys I say, Ben almost 19, Cayce 15. Actually Cayce has taken over making it the last few Thanksgivings. He will, must to my displeasure, will not be here this Thanksgiving. He will be in North Carolina with his father. But that's ok. They don't get much time to spend together. So I am actually please about that and he wanted to go.

Funny story............
The last "major" family Thanksgiving we ever had. Was at our house, as usual. Forty people, 4 turkeys, 3 hams, unbelievable amount of side dishes, unbelievable amount of desserts, every kind of bread or roll and a partridge in a pear tree. Thank God for double ovens! At the time I owned a huge house with a huge dinning room that could hold said amount of people.

Two turkeys were done the day before, hams too with the exception of 2 honey baked hams brought by guests. Thanksgiving table(s) were decorated and set delightfully! When dinner began.....all sides, which my goodness we had every vegetable imaginable represented were so carefully placed in serving dishes of threes thru out the table that went on and on. Breads in place. Turkeys and hams had been carved accordingly in the kitchen. Well, we all sat down to eat...........and........gee we had a lot of sides and breads......but where was the main course! LOL, those of us in the kitchen were so worried about the amount of sides we had to get to the table we completely forgot to serve the plated turkey and ham! There it sat in the kitchen! Turned out to be such a hoot! We did get that main course to the table and all was enjoyed. The few of us that are left from that time still have a laugh about it. That was the last big family Thanksgiving we ever had. Fitting for my family. Miss all of those that were there and are no longer here..........

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

KIMMER! A pleasure to see you in this one. :) Hope Cayce has a great time in North Carolina. Banana pudding for Thanksgiving eh? Never heard of that as part of the tradition to this point. :) Thought of another pie my Mom used to make at Thanksgiving. Butterscotch. A Jello Butterscotch pudding put in a homemade pie shell and then she'd cover it in meringue. I never liked meringue when I was a kid and I'm not keen on it now either although I like the hard meringues you bake in the oven. LOL @ the Turkey and Ham still sitting in the kitchen while everyone sat down to eat. :)
Thought of another thing my Mom sometimes served at Thanksgiving. Corn pudding. Gross. Bleck. It was just nasty. And cubed beets in sauce from a can. :)

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Kimmer, banana pudding is so Southern. Angie, my nail artist friend, took a huge Paula Deen banana pudding to her in-laws and they turned up their nose over her high-falutin dessert. She was going to take it home because they dissed her dish and suddenly her MIL said, "don't you dare take it, we love it." Aw, love Cayce and his cooking. He might just be our own Master Chef, Junior.

Janet, we are going to have corn pudding on the table. My BIL loves it, as does my niece.
The menu has been finalized and it is totally too much food for the number of people we have coming for dinner. I'm telling everyone to bring take away dishes for the leftovers.

Deviled eggs per Lori tradition (Tina)
Fish Spread from Ted Peters, with pickles, crackers and hot sauce (Allison)
Roast Turkey with herbed butter (Tina using Michael Symon's recipe)
An extra roasted Turkey breast (cooking bag method Allison)
Giblet Gravy (Tina) shhh, splash of sherry and parsley for freshness
Dressing (out of bird) made with cornbread, celery, onion, souffle style ala Mom (Allison)
Sweet potatoes with marshmallow, half of the pan with struesel (Tina)
Mashed buttermilk chive potatoes (Bobby Flay) Tina in crockpot
Roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon and balsamic vinegar glaze(Tina)
Broccoli cheese casserole (Allison, All Recipes)
Vidallia onion bake with jalapeno peppers and cheddar cheese (Tina from Cooks.com)
Creamed Cornbread casserole (Allison All Recipes)
Salted crescent rolls (Pleclare)~Fred
Cranberry Jellied right out of the can~Fred
Cranberry Chutney with Grand Marnier (Tina)
Jamaican Rum cake with glazed pecans (Tina)
Apple cranberry tart (Tina)
Pumpkin cheesecake (purchased)
Cinnamon ice cream (Tina) egg free
Bourbon whipped cream (Allison)

Blonde sangria (Allison)
Spiked apple cider (Olivia)
Champagne (Olivia and guests)

We have at last count 13 adults (seven family and 5 invited singles) and one toddler. What an upside down year for us, we are getting old. Our nieces have grown up enough to be heading off to a boyfriend's house and it is a year of change. Usually it is the reverse, more kids and fewer adults.

Cousin Rick used to send my niece Kelly a Turducken. He spent huge dollars on this luxury. No one had the nerve to tell him that we didn't like it. Kelly is traveling this year for Thanksgiving to her dad who is ill. Cousin Rick offered to send us a Turducken, we politely declined. I told Cousin Rick let's do crawfish when he visits us in March. He loves a low-country boil and let's just change the gift of food to something he loves as well, when he is here.

Happy Thanksgiving my ODD friends, may your turkey be tasty, the gravy be hot and the moments spent with family and friends be priceless.

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

Lol jellied cranberry out of can (Fred)

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sparow64 9 years ago said:

Oh yeah Janet. Working on Christmas Eve is always an issue. I'm so happy to not be in retail these days. :) I will see Hil for Christmas, hopefully not after like it was last year.

Hi Kimmer! LOL@ forgetting the ham and turkey. My mom was always forgetting something and its rubbing off on us, we forgot to put the dressing on the table last year. Found it when we were washing the dishes. Love that Cayce makes banana pudding. We have that at Easter.

Janet My exMIL used to make that same butterscotch pie for the kids dad. It was his favorite. I don't like meringue either. I had a friend that used to make chocolate pie and shed put marshmallow cream in her meringue...now THAT I liked.

Tina I'm honored that you are making Dads sweet potatoes and also adding the deviled eggs. We have both at every holiday. OH. EM. GEE. on that feast your are having. Wow!! Sounds fabulous. Love that Fred is making the canned cranberry sauce and the crescent rolls. :) I haven't had Pat's crescents in forever. I think I just added that to my supper menu for tonight.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

How does one lose a tablecloth? I have been through the linen closet twice and the Turkey day tablecloth has vanished?

I have all my prep done. The floors are a disaster and will need a major cleaning. We have rearranged all the foods and things that need chilling are chilling. I"m so tired. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

I have to laugh because that massive menu above has had enough additions to make the excess formidable. There are meatballs for appetizers, spinach artichoke dip added to the mix. And we have a sausage cranberry stuffing too. The cake is done, the pie is done, the brussel sprouts are clean. The smells have been intoxicating all day. I'm happy to say we did well with eggs for brekkie. And a can of clam chowder for supper. The cabbage and corn beef will be tomorrow's reheat.

I love Thanksgiving because it is a non-secular meal shared with friends. There isn't an agenda other than sharing with friends and family the joys of life. I'm ready to call it a night.
Again, may your turkey be juicy, the stuffing full of flavor and gravy hot. Hugs dear ones.

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NPMarie 9 years ago said:

Gosh, I keep forgetting to reply to your ODD Thanksgiving thread Tina...better late than never:)

We will be hosting Turkey day here with my family..I'm roasting a stuffed 20 lb bird for pleeeeenty of leftovers to send home with them:) Basic menu, mashed potatoes & gravy, fresh green beans, deviled eggs, stuffing & rolls. pumpkin pies..also will have a bowl of cottage cheese and fresh pineapple:) I have served green salad in the past, but no one bothers eating it:)

Wishing all of my friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

What a great idea on the low country boil when Rick is in town Tina. That is a HUGE feast you guys are making. Lucky dinner guests! Do tell us where the table cloth turns up if it does. :)
Your menu sounds wonderful Marie.

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Tablecloth was in the china cabinet drawer. But then it was too short for the table with the extra leaf. So, it is the big burgundy cloth and it will have to do.

For the record, don't bother with a turducken, the stuffing is yucky.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

No leftovers to speak of here except we did bring a bit of turkey home. Daughter is the only one who eats cranberries in her family but we left in anyway so she will chow down happily over the next few days.

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