What's on your Thanksgiving Menu?

[TheCookie]

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings

My girlfriend loves having a lot of her friends as well as family over for Thanksgiving. To avoid interfering with folks’ family plans she does her dinner the weekend before the holiday. It’s mingling, drinking, snacking, helping, then a sit down dinner for about 25 people.

Turkey

Roast Beef

Salmon

Baked Penne

Mac & Cheese

Potatoes au Gratin (mine) & Dressing

Yams

Green Beans w/Smoked Turkey or Ham

Greens w/Smoked Turkey

Spicy Braised Cabbage

Root Vegetables

This one is from a recipe in A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook. I’m not joking.

I’m sure there were some good desserts, but I was too stuffed to even take pictures let alone eat them.

Such a good time!

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2nd Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving - Family Time

For the last few years we’ve been combining our family Tday with my husband’s cousins’. It’s a chance for everyone to get together and celebrate at what was once their grandma’s house, but now passed on to a 3rd generation.This is more of a casual, open-house kind of thing, but just as big (about 30 ppl). It’s really lovely. They always have a ton of food (cooked and catered). And best of all, they live 5 minutes away from us.

Gumbo as an Appetizer

The man of the house’s one dish. Loaded w/Crab, Shrimp, Chicken Wings, Sausage & Okra, nice heat. I eat mine without rice.

My Contribution of Potatoes au Gratin

5 lbs of potatoes and the only leftovers are the one plate I hide for my uncle’s breakfast.

No photos of the whole spread this year, just my plate

We took our desserts to go - Sweet Potato Pie, Pound Cake, Pecan Pie and More.

Talk about “buffet pants”… indeed!

[catholiver]

WOW!!! Was the first one all catered and not served at home?

[TheCookie]

Believe it or not, almost all the food in the first photos were her recipes prepared by her and her minions (kids, nieces, nephews, daughter in-law). Not shown was a Corn Salad they brought down after I took snaps and a different kind of Greens brought by a friend. Au Gratin was made by me, Cabbage by another friend and I’m sure someone brought a couple of the desserts, but that’s it. There was so much food that she didn’t get mad when her son suddenly remembered he forgot the Honey Baked Ham in his freezer. We ate in the member’s room of her townhouse (3 long tables). She’s a terrific cook and her man practically lives in the gym.

[catholiver]

That’s just incredible! I think we’re coming to LA next Thanksgiving! That way no doggy bag needed

[TheCookie]

So cute.

[catholiver]

“Hairy Red Dog” who loves all food that I’ve given him.

[attran99]

I am hungry all over again for Thanksgiving! Two Thanksgivings and two very lovely potatoes au gratin you made! Lucky you.

[TheCookie]

Thanks @attran99!

You may need to avert your eyes soon. The grass is always greener on the other side and after reading about everything y’all were cooking I was craving Tday dinner at home, most specifically leftovers! Leftover hot turkey sandwiches, cold turkey sandwiches & lotsa’ mayo, ham sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, turkey/dressing/mashed potato hash, turkey soup… okay you get my drift. Anyway, I bought some stuff for our own mini Tday meal. Oh and @chinchi, Whole Foods did indeed have the thighs! TBC…

P.S. I’m tackling goose next @Emglow101.

[TheCookie]

The Grass is Always Greener, After Thanksgiving Meal

Yes, yes, Thanksgiving is over. I almost put this on What’s Cooking?. But since we discussed and shared tips here here is where I’ll put it.

@Nemroz’s Famous Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast

Notice my trimming is not as good, but I did manage to get it off the bone with little trouble.

I let Kerrygold make the compound butter for me.

Seasoned with - avert your eyes @robert - pinch of urbani black truffle salt, ground sage and ground black pepper. I used very little salt and none on the inside. The breast was having separation anxiety @emglow, so l let the skin lay next to it in the pan. It came out like cracklin’ jerky.

In lieu of applewood smoked bacon I used uncured bacon, smoked paprika and apple slices.

It was a very good first effort. I could have taken it out a little sooner and I wish the bacon got a little crispier, but it was moist and delicious. You’re right about trying to stuff it next time @Nemroz. I thought the same thing when I saw the green, herby swirls inside. You’re right too, @BubblyOne, it makes a great presentation when sliced. I will definitely make this again.

The Much Talked About Thighs… With Skin

Lemon juice, grated peel, cracked black pepper, truffle salt.

I put everything under the skin and didn’t season the top.

I roasted it covered, low and slow in a little liquid, then uncovered on high-temp at the end. I was worried about this one, but it was perfection and the skin was super crispy.

Stockpot full of stuff

Stockpot full of liquid strained from the stuff. Flavor!

Gravy

Stock, drippings, sautéed and chopped chicken livers, smashed soft caramelized apples from the turkey roasting pans, ground sage, black pepper. I thought about adding white wine, but I was too busy drinking it.

Aren’t these pretty?

I usually make these with a tad of - water, olive oil, butter, brown sugar, sherry vinegar, rosemary and a light or dark molasses, but the store only had blackstrap molasses. How big a difference could there be? A lot. I won’t make this mistake again or will use waaay less. Garnished with chopped carrot leaves instead of parsley.

Barely Mashed Potatoes

I need a ricer, but they were good anyway.

Spicy Sausage Cornbread Dressing

Instead of spicy sausage I bought plain (unformed, no casing, pork sausage), store-bought jalapeño cornbread & plain cornbread, sriracha pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sweet dried cranberries, olive oil, onions, garlic, celery, rosemary, sage, crushed red pepper, turkey stock. It was to die for the next day - liquids moistened the cubes much more and the top got extra crispy. I am from now on going to do this as a make-ahead dish.

Butternut Squash

The only fail. I think they were too old. They took forever to bake and never got creamy.

I’m a sucker for Pillsbury Biscuits & Crescents

I didn’t reinvent the wheel here, just a few of your Tday regulars made with thought and care… and nothing cheesy. After making two big pans of Potatoes au Gratin for two separate Tdays I was done with cheesy.

So, I think I’m good here. Scratched the itch and will be satisfied with someone else making my only Tday meal next year… maybe. Thanks for the tips y’all.

[Nemroz]

fuckin hell yea, cookie!!! looks great

[TheCookie]

2019 FTC Potluck Meet-up!

[Nemroz]

down

[thechez5]

Post your cooking endeavors more often, please.

[TheCookie]

Sweet! I will.

[catholiver]

And if there’s ever a potluck I hope I’ll get an invite to fly down for it. (Can you imagine what THAT would be like?!?!)

[TheCookie]

Wild!

[robert]

Those thighs look great.

@TheCookie

avert your eyes @robert - pinch of urbani black truffle salt

I like artificial truffle flavor. I just won’t pay $21 for a 3.5-oz. jar of artificially-truffle-flavored salt because Urbani added two grams of freeze-dried black summer truffles.

[catholiver]

Imagine the fussing over who had to bring the “leafy green vegetable”???

[TheCookie]

Thanks. I know, I know, but it lasts a long time.

[CeleryVictor]

That all looks fabulous, Cookie. I’m envious!