 Okay – David Gergen has walked by our desks like, eight times, Roland Martin is sporting an extra-festive ascot and Ali Velshi has cruelly rebuffed our festive wild boar bacon bourbon brownies (we're chalking it up to his being Canadian - we shoulda gone with moose). It's unmistakably Election Day here at Eatocracy HQ and while we must remain politically neutral (though we're very entertained that Sandra Lee just might end up wreaking her tablescapes all up in the NY State Gov's mansion if longtime beau Andrew Cuomo emerges victorious), we are, above all, for the Party of Deliciousness. Cast your vote for truth, justice and...uh...Tryptophan and we'll scare up recipes for crowd faves as Thanksgiving impends. |
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Thanksgiving menu, Jamaican-american style– Turkey(obvi), Roast Beef, Rice&peas, Cornbread souffle, Mac n' cheese, Stuffing, Rolls, potato salad, Pumpkin pie, Apple pie, and ice cream.
Good stuff.
I was never into turkey(shock, no?), unless there's alot cranberry sauce on it. So I just stick with the roast beef– love that stuff.
Anyway, happy thanksgiving y'all.
Turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, black olives, cranberry still in can-shape (its a tradition with us too!) green bean casserole and my manly man food masterpiece: broccoli, cheese and rice casserole (cooked with cheeze whiz and topped with Velveeta!) The only day of the year I will ever put a cheese "product" down my gullet. Pies, pies and more pies for dessert, – wait 3 hours, put out the crusty rolls and leftovers and repeat! Waddle to bed. Literally dump it all in a big soup kettle the next day (except for the pies, of course – they have all been eaten!) for Thanksgiving dinner in a bowl – heaven.
Pumpkin pie must always be served... but my favorite pie to have at Thanksgiving is pecan. Slices of both, please!
Same here.
Pecan pie is my favorite desert. Problem is, it runs out fast around thanksgiving. -________-
My family meal is an absolute feast of fat, calories and carbs from the turkey to the stuffing and rolls and devilled eggs to the cranberry sauce to the whole milk/ flour/sliced boiled eggs/turkey grease and giblet gravy but we never have pecan pie because it was deemed to have too many calories.
For pie, we always have three, pumpkin, apple and chocolate pecan.
We firmly believe in the 1:1 pie/guest ratio! We have apple, lemon merengue, egg nog, custard, pumpkin (made from the Halloween pumpkin), mince meat (made with moose) and pecan pie (substitute mac nuts for pecans). We also have my nephew's annual request for Mississippi Mud Pie, introduced to us by my friend from Georgia. Yes, this is waaaaay too much pie for after such a heavy meal. Obviously it is meant for the rest of the weekend. For those who scorn the idea of mincemeat, make sure you are basing your opinion on the real thing. That mince stuff you buy in frozen pie form, is NOT mincemeat pie. Of course, there are those who think pie with meat in it is weird, but it is to die for. I can't wait until Thanksgiving!
I didn't vote the turkey question - there was not a vote for both white and dark - I love the whole bird. My wife bakes three pies every year. Pumpkin for her, Lemon Meringue for me and Chocolate for our adult son who lives with us.
The majority of people who take this poll are liars. They SAY they prefer pumpkin pie, but on Thanksgiving the apple, berry and lemon pies always disappear first. So all you people who claim to prefer pumpkin: this year, hands off the fruit pies!
Hey – there really are those of us who love pumpkin pie! Indeed, for my birthday (which is in March) I don't have cake... it's a pumpkin pie for me (even if neither of our daughters can make it home and I have to make it myself). At Thanksgiving, I will sample a bit of the pear / cranberry pie as well, though. But with anywhere from 23 – 28 people for Thanksgiving dinner, our younger daughter will make three pumpkin pies and two each of the pecan and pear / cranberry ones... enough for everyone to have a bit of each if they so choose, and leftovers for the next day.
A native New Englander, last year we had a wild turkey. A little stronger tasting meat, but not gamy. It went over big with sage and onion stuffing, yam casserole topped with ground walnuts and brown sugar, butternut squash, baby brussels sprouts. Nobody wants rolls or salad. Cold cranberry relish and cooked cranberry sauce with a hearty slug of rum. Pecan pie with whipped cream and mince pie with hard sauce. Sometimes we have plum pudding, but the relatives who loove it went to another relative this year. For the children, I had ice cream in molds like turkey. I am getting very nostalgic and hungry right now. I live alone now and friends usually adopt me so I miss getting this kind of meal now. And always bring a bourbon pecan pie and a bottle of riesling for evryone to enjoy.
Stuffing is inside the turkey because the action of stuffing is going inside the object. Dressing is covering the outside of the turkey. Logic says the actions done to the turkey is stuffed inside and dressed outside.
I cook my turkey with baby carrots, cut up potatoes and cut up onion around it in the pan. You have to nuke the carrots and potatoes for about 8 – 10 min to get them started, though. They are soooooo good cooked like that...especially covered in gravy! An easy side dish! I cook the stuffing in the bird, green bean casserole (a recipe that's little different from the usual recipe), a very yummy cranberry relish and homemade cranberry sauce and lots of gravy. If I'm really into it, I make some sort of sweet potato casserole, too. I try different ones...some with marshmellows, some without. For dessert, pumpkin pecan pie or pumpkin cheesecake.
Yummy time of year for me especially !!!! Ah the wonderful memories of a happy childhood that has grown with each passing year. Now in my early 60's, I can say with out missing a breath or heart beat. Turkey, with stuffing on the inside, lumpy mash potato's with some roasted garlic, yams or sweet potato with marsh mellows and pineapple rings, real cranberries cooked and served cold. A wonderful pumpkin pie along with a fresh cup of coffee afterward or a glass of cold milk. Your choice. All with family and friends. That is a happy Thanksgiving Day.
A retired US Army veteran
Dark meat please with mashed potatoes, greens, string beans, cornbread stuffing, oyster dressing, sauerkraut, mac & cheese and sweet potato casserole. Oh and I forgot the other meats: ham and sometimes spare ribs! Yum!
Dessert includes a Junior's cheesecake, a butter pound cake, chocolate cake and several sweet potato pies!
Ah the holidays! Starts with a beautiful, perfect meal that I have gotten up at 4:30am to start for the last 20 years – gone in 10 minutes by extremely hungry and crabby relatives who skipped breakfast and are already seated as I'm still cooking the gravy. The characters already in place: the relative who refuses to make her mashed potatoes at home and obviously needs occupation therapy to learn how to handle my blender without splattering sour cream and butter all over my ceiling. The relative who saves up every inappropriate remark in his head for the last year to let em all out at once. The other relative who once announced his vasectomy in response to "what's going on since we saw you last".
The brother with his new girlfriend who will go running for the hills after spending 5 hours with my family. Then...the one who has 5 glasses of wine before anyone else. Invariably ends with a) argument b) broken ankle on my front steps c) both. Gotta love it.
THIS is why we stayed away from my wife's family at Thanksgiving (or any other holiday) when we were first married... that plus the fact that her sister was the hostess, and – poor girl – she not only couldn't cook worth a &@%^, she wouldn't let anyone else help. (I'm glad I got exposed to that the Thanksgiving before we were married! Of course, my wife never learned to cook either... their dear mother was an exceptional cook but she never taught them how.) So this Thanksgiving will mark my 33rd Thanksgiving as chief cook, although this will mark the third year now it's been in our younger daughter's kitchen in Virginia, with her and her husband doing much of the work. But there will be plenty to feed, what with our other children and their families coming from all over the country and a number of other relatives who live near our daughter... the current guesstimate is somewhere between 23 and 28 for dinner, a far cry from our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife in a two-room apartment... but hey, we had leftovers for the next two weeks!
A long way indeed! A family patriarch that can cook? You have a lucky family – enjoy that pumpkin pie, you've earned it!
Angie,
Now that sounds like my family thanksgiving dinner lolol. Happy Turkey Day All :-}
You too? I suggest we all sneek a little snooker of a fine red while the bird is cooking and raise a glass in a silent toast to all the long-suffering cooks of Thanksgiving morning – I'll be thinking of you all. I personally will never be able to look at a bag of frozen peas (yes, it was a very detailed announcement) without thinking of the vasectomy incident!
I'm weird, I'm not really into Thanksgiving. I don't really like Turkey, I HATE stuffing and gravy and sweet potatos. However, I do love fresh biscuits, simple veggies and the PIE... i much prefer Christmas dinner... bring on the HAM
We usually have turkey (I prefer dark meat), sometimes a baked ham is also cooked, with some dressing (cornmeal based) with some giblet gravy on top of that, some canned cranberry sauce, some mashed potatoes (maybe some lumps and/or skins in it) or homemade mac&cheese. For greenery, we usually have cut green beans and/or turnip greens. All of this of course, with dinner rolls. Lastly for desert, it is usually pumpkin pie or pecan (we pronounce it pee-can) pie. Usually the pecans are from our family's pecan orchard. Typical south Georgia Thanksgiving food.
Peanut butter cream pie, oh yum. and fresh cranberry salad – Ground fresh cranberries, dices fresh apples, diced bananas, walnuts, sugar, and fresh whipped cream. Best side dish ever with turkey, beats regular cranberries hands down.
Best turkey I've ever had – deep fried – OMG – it was to die for (and it will probably kill me with all that fat it was dipped in)
I've been deep frying turkeys for years, after injecting cajun spices and rubbing the skin with same. This year, trying a new oil-less cooker that says it uses infrared heat. Add a li'l ham, macque choux, oyster dressing, something green, some cranberry sauce, a couple pies, wine, some football after and a whole lot of being grateful for a chance to have a day like that once in a while. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy all the holidays, folks.
I want to come to your house for TD :)
Last year we got our pumpkin as the first course – I made pumpkin soup for the appetizer, and our dessert was a roasted sweet potato cheesecake :) The cheesecake was good but the pumpkin turtle cheesecake I brought to the Halloween party last week was a bigger hit than the sweet potato cheesecake last year. I like to offer a mince pie as well, although some years I'll make a French apple pie (so-called by Betty Crocker, it means instead of a top crust it has a crumbled streusel-like top above the apples).
Are you kidding me? Sweet potato pie all the way....
no contest.
topped off with an eggnogg latte. YUM!
We always have turkey, ham,dressing and pot pie and quite a number of sides. Oh and homemade cranberry sauce.
Pot pie is a favorite of ours and something our Mother did and now is carried on. Too many desserts to mention, but always pumpkin pie.
They left off my favorite dessert, Mincemeat Pie. That is the best pie hands down!
Thanksgiving dinner for family at my house this year. As I've done in recent years, I'll be following Alton Brown's recipe for brining and roasting my turkey. It's the best. Look for Alton's recipe at foodnetwork.com. And check your TV listing's for his Good Eats holiday episode, "Romancing the Bird". Educational and totally entertaining.
Pecan pie for me please! And it is pronounced Pe-Kan'
The only kind of pie I like is Sweet Potato Pie. I only get it like once or twice a year but its my favorite!!!!
sweet potato pie for sure....green bean cassarole definitely......dark meat and chunky mashed potatoes and some yummy stuffing with giblet gravy. my mouth is already watering for this thanksgiving dinner:-)
I agree with one of the other responders to this article, sweet potato pie has more flavor than pumpkin, second choice pecan.
I, unfortunately, do not eat Turkey (or Ham for that matter), so I just chow down on potatoes, veggies, and bread stuffing for Thanksgiving. Then on to the Pumpkin Pie! <3
How could they leave PECAN PIE off the survey?????
Where's the mincemeat pie? Pumpkin is good, but it's gone in a day– no one eats the mincemeat but my dad (well, not now, he's deceased), me, my son, and all my Brit friends. Add some French vanilla ice cream or hard sauce (imported Nestle's cream, whipped in a cold bowl) and it's magnificent with coffee and brandy.
I discovered Toll House pie about 25 years back and it was a favorite of my former in-laws and I make one of those as well, if requested. I learned pie-making from my mom many, many years ago.
I'm not prejudiced, I love 'em both equally......white , dark , variety is the best!
Best thing at our house on Thanksgiving is the next day's lunch. Dagwood-sized turkey sandwiches and Mom's homemade turkey noodle soup with just a splash of cider vinegar. I know it sounds weird, but it makes all of the difference.
The flavor is in the dark meat.
Stuffing and dressing are two different things. Dressing starts off as a liquid that is baked into a solid whereas stuffing is just moist bread cubes that might be baked. I've seen dressing being poured. It was batter-like and the finished product was sliced like brownies. I prefer stuffing.
As for the desserts or sweet potatoes. I'll take them any way!
I love having an "over the river and through the woods" Thanksgiving for my children and grandchildren, complete with hayride after lunch. I'm cooking for 15 and have already begun. I make almost everything ahead of time and put it in the freezer so I'm not exhausted on Thanksgiving Day. Our menu is turkey, ham, collards, peas, carrots, dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows), and fruit salad. For dessert, pumpkin, pecan, and mincemeat pies. Can you tell we're southern?
What time we eatin'? I'll be there around lunchtime, and I'll bring mashed potatoes.
Anne, could you make that 16? and I will bring my mother's lime cottage cheese jello salad. That has to be the most delicious salad I have ever had.
I'm all for thanksgiving day, but my favorite is the next day when you get to slap all the cold leftovers between two slices of soft bread. I actually look forward to the day after more than the day of.
YES! Brie and turkey sandwiches with a little gravy, spicy mustard, and cranberry sauce....heaven.
Pumpkin pie is almost always on the menu, but so is a chocolate-bourbon pecan pie. That's my favorite...
James can you post that recipe? Any thing that has bourbon in it has to be good! Is that like a derby pie?
Cheesecake!
By the way, the white meat of the turkey IS moist, juicy, and flavorful if the turkey is brined first. It won't dry out, even when it's left over, if you brine it before you cook it. I learned that from Alton Brown. (Thanks, Alton!)
Sweet potato pie, please! Pumpkin and pecan follow closely behind.
And I ONLY like canned cranberry sauce! Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce, NOT whole berry! I love the taste, the texture... everything about it!
You and our older son... we've tried to break him of the habit, but no luck so far, and since he's 30 now I don't think we're likely to :-(
Just to clarify... I'm talking about the cranberry "sauce", not the pies :-)
Every family has one who prefers the canned sauce. Amy, I guess you're our "one"!
Yes Amy, there is just something about opening that can of cranberry sauce and slicing it up on the dish :-}. I want Thanksgiving to get here Now lolol ohh I love EggNog......spiked of course with good ole Kentucky Bourbon and a little rum please.
We always have buttermilk pie (and Pecan, but I don't do nuts!) at thanksgiving. YUM!
A delicious poll!
Either white or dark Turkey meat is fine with me, but how come we're almost 100 posts in and not one person has mentioned Turkey Gravy – the sauce of life!!! On the bird, on the stuffing, on the lumpy potatoes, about 1/2" deep in the plate is how I want it so I can sop the excess up with a big fat homemade hot cross bun!!!
Turkey gravey! Made with the delicious turkey drippings. Spooned over delicious dressing. It's way too long 'till Turkey Day...
Cutting the toenails on a 9 month old is an exercise in getting kicked in the face repeatedly...
So is our political process, or being a Buffalo Bills fan...
My fav is mince pie, but since I am the only one (the ONLY one! On both sides of the family!) who likes it, I always end up with pumpkin. Sigh!
No pecan pie as a choice? Maybe it's just because I'm from the south, but I've never heard of Thanksgiving without pecan pie.
Whoo boy, what a lot of turkey questions to vote on! Anyone want a dressing recipe? Dressing since stuffing can lead to icky food poisoning. Anyway, it is yummy, been making it for years:
Two bags of your favorite brand of "stuffing" bread cubes
2 Cups Homemade Turkey Broth (accept no substitutes! It will taste like it was cooked in the bird. Use turkey parts and make it well before the big day)1 C. chopped white onion, 1 C. chopped celery, 1 C. chopped brown mushrooms, 1/2 C. chopped shitake mushrooms, 1/4 C. finely chopped roasted plain almonds, 1/2 stick of butter, melted, 1/4 C finely chopped FRESH sage (fresh herb is important), 1 level tsp. poultry seasoning, 1 level tsp. finely ground black pepper. Mix it all up, put it in a pyrex baking dish, cover with foil, bake at 375 for about an hour. Pull the foil back and give it 10 more minutes for a bit of a crispy top. BTW, IMHO Turducken is not that big of a deal.
My recipe is very close to yours, I also add cup of cooked wild rice and gibblets. It give the dressing a special taste.
My cats are soooo spoiled–they get the gibbies! Wild rice would add an excellent flavor, will try this year. Goldie, you rock!
That recipe sounds really good, 4U Mister. I printed it out and will try it sometime. And Goldie, adding wild rice sounds good, too..I also added that to the recipe copy. My kitties and doggie get the gibbies, too.
I feel kind of left out that I detest pumpkin pie so much.
BTW, it's called "stuffing" for a reason–to stuff the turkey with it. "Dressing" is something you put on salad.
Oh, and the dressing has to have oysters in it. I can't wait for Thanksgiving now!
I love the dark meant! It's got all the flavor and isn't dry and gross. My inlaws (I love 'em but this made me SPEECHLESS), actually THREW OUT the dark meat until I came along! My first Thanksgiving with them I was like "where's the dark meat?" and MIL was all "oh it's in a ziploc to give to the dog later". !!!! So I rifled through it and got me some dark meat. The look on my face had to be priceless; to me it was like blasphemy! Dark meat is now served along with the rest of the meal now :-)
White meat, because it complements the sides better than the more aggressive dark meat.
Stuffing and dressing should be different, since they'll cook at different rates and have different textures.
I'm always perplexed as to why sweet potato pies are overlooked. It's made from something that can be enjoyed by itself, has a great/smooth texture, pairs well with many other sweets, and is a nutritional powerhouse.
Thank you Sandy! - it won't ever be pee-can to me either. That's just whizzing in a small container.
My family is from Texas and we never say pee can. We had to live is South Carolina for a while in the early 60's. Some areas still had outhouses. The neighborhood grocer told my Dad that he had pee cans on sale. My dad replied with a very serious face "We are lucky enough to have indoor plumbing." The man got really flustred.
I'm from Georgia and everyone in my family says "Pi-cahn". We've never said "pee can". Some of my family says "taters" and "maters" and "nanners" and "sammich" instead of potatoes and tomatoes and bananas and sandwich, but we never say "pee can". LOL
Brine your turkey for 18 hours before roasting or smoking...you've never had a moister one and it will convert all of your dark-meat lovers into white-meat lovers. Trust the Lennymesiter on this one...
Preach it, brother Lenny! ;-D
Killing animals to eat isn't necessary. How many of you would have the "Courage of Your Convictions" to kill the animals yourself? My parrots, dogs and cat aren't food. Yet, to some uncivilized, they are :~{
Alright, all you macho carnivores, send all your heartless puns.
I am not a "macho carnivore", I am female for that matter. However, I have hunted deer for venison for my family. We are also planning on raising pigs next year so we know where more of our meat comes from. Some animals were given to us for companionship, and others to feed us. And no I don't take the deer to a processor, we do it all ourselves. I get greater satisfaction doing that, than buying it at the store actually. Certain animals were meant for food. Animals eat other animals, why can't we eat animals too?
Our family is lucky enough to live close enough to the country that we have worked out some barter arrangements with local ranchers/growers. Every year we help raise several animals, that we then help to kill, and process. In exchange we get a freezer full of meat, and the local farmers market gets cheaper organic meats because the rancher hasn't had to pay processing fees.
I've also always been very adamant that my children know where their food comes from. When they go to the store and see a beef roast, they know it's come from a cow, and likely a cow that was treated far less humanely than the cow we have a similar roast in the freezer from.
As a result of growing up this way, my children are far less squeamish about food and where it comes from than I am.
Killings animals to eat IS necessary if you like to eat yummy meat! ;-)
You would think that after 20,000+ years, a human would know the difference between a "companion/partner" animal (dogs, cats etc),domesticated livestock (cows, chickens etc), and "prey" animals (wild animals that are hunted for food).
If you cannot understand such a simple, basic premise, I can't help you...
Nothing "macho" about it. Human beings are omnivores. That has helped us survive and prosper as a species on this planet. Yes, it is possible to survive without eating meat, but why would I want to go against thousands of years of evolution? I come from a family that has a history of hunting and I learned how to butcher the animals we kill from a young age (most recently a buck we caught several weeks ago, made some great chili using the deer meat I brought home). I'm not a squeamish person, nor am I deluded into thinking that meat in the grocery store just magically appears on the shelf. But I also don't project human emotions onto my food and don't feel guilty because something else died in order to sustain my life. Do you think a lion feels guilty sinking it's teeth into a gazelle's flesh? It's the way the world works and has been so for as long as there has been life on this planet.
Sweet potato pie - has more flavor than pumpkin.
Dressing/stuffing is all the same to me; I just don't want mushy dressing. By the time gravy gets on mushy dressing, it's just nasty. My mother used to try sneaking little pieces of turkey liver into the dressing to get it past me. I'd dig 'em out and give them back to her. Liver and oysters are NOT food to me.
We used to have mincemeat pie, but it was always a bit of a leftover for several days. When I was very little, we'd have rhubarb pie, but I haven't seen that in years.
Pecan Pie. And please don't call it Pee Can, for obvious reasons. It is pronounced Pahcahn. The Pecan tree iis the state tree of Texas.
Mince meat pie for me.
While I do love turkey, my family switched to Prime Rib a couple Thanksgivings ago. Hey, it only comes once a year, you might as well indulge a little!
No turkey...... yuk, either chicken or ham. yum yum
My sister-in-law cooks the bird and everyone from several families brings side dishes assigned by my sister in law plus some add-ons. Last year I added what proved a major hit: Traditional English Cauliflower Cheese, recipe at: http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-english-cheddar-cauliflower-cheese-gratin-216237 (see my note on the recipe site for cooking tips). My assigned dish was Polish kielbasa and sauerkraut which I make by adding 1/2 cup apple sauce [the secret ingredient], 1/2 tbsp honey or sugar, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, and 2/3 lb of cooked and cut-to-bite size kielbasa to each pound of sauerkraut – then adding just enough water so it can be simmered for half an hour. I place each dish in a 12"x9" disposable lasagna pan and heat it for 20 min, if necessary, in the host's oven. It's then served right in the lasagna pan.
My family are stuffing whores! We stuff the bird with a bread stuffing, and have at least 2 others on the side, one witih sausage and the other is what ever the person brings. We don't care, as long as there is some left over for the turkeycranberrystuffinggravy sandwiches that we have later. I also make a pumpkin cheese cake with maple whipped cream, and oatmeal raisin molasses cookies. Let the food comas begin!
The best bite of Thanksgiving food is the first taste of the stuffing out of the bird, right out of the oven. We stuff the neck end as well as the cavity (I guess that's the neck end where the big flap of skin is!) and when the turkey is deemed to be officially coming out of the oven, my sister and I fight over who is going to get the first taste. The stuffing baked in the neck end is cut out in one big clump. This makes crispy skin covered stuffing... I'm salivating already.
Hey Yum, your dinner sounds a lot like mine!! ENJOY LOL
Appetizer: assorted soft cheeses and a salmon mousse, served with crackers.
Main course: Turkey – two 20-pounders, stuffed full of a mix of white, wheat and pumpernickel breads with chopped onions and a variety of herbs and spices, and a third 20-pounder that has been smoked. (Personally, I'll have a thigh from one of the stuffed birds.) And to settle the wing argument above: while (as a Southerner) I will agree that they are technically white meat, around our house they join the dark meat from the neck and all the other assorted odds 'n' ends from the bird in the soup pot; they never get to the table.
Side dishes: Yams and apples (with walnuts), three kinds of cranberries (cranberry-orange relish, whole berry sauce, and – gag – canned cranberry "sauce" that one member of the family insists on), mashed potatoes, whole green beans (NOT a casserole), and carrots.
Dessert: Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and a pear pie that has a few cranberries in it as well.
Sounds like you found my menu.. sans the salmon mouse! We do the multiple cranberries also, yep... that one family member!!! I have green beans, I also have to do that nasty green bean casserole.... for the other "one"in the family. We do Pumpkin, Pecan, Cherry and apple. We used to do mincemeat but, my dad was the only one that ate it. Enjoy the holiday!
We shall! The salmon mousse is a relatively recent introduction, courtesy our younger daughter's mother-in-law, but most everyone enjoys it. With our family scattered all over the country (we have four children in four states and three different time zones) everyone gathers at our younger daughter's house now because it's (a) closest to a major Amtrak hub and major airports and (b) has the largest kitchen, and for us it's only a four hour drive. The only things that I have to make any more are the roasted birds and stuffing and the yams and apples, our daughter and son-in-law take care of the rest.
what is turducken ?
A turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken – all deboned, usually with the exception of the turkey legs and wings.
My favorite part of the Turkey is the last part over the fence. My wifes Grand Mother used to try to get to the tail before I did, but usully there was enoug for both of us.
LOL My grandmother used to threaten bodily harm to anyone that touched the "Boomie" as she called it. hahahahahah
My grandma liked that part the best too – funny how old people liked that fatty stuff so much. I think people who grew up pre-WWII didn't get as much fat in their diet as we do now with all our fast food, junk food and industrialized meat farms.
Anyway – that part of the turkey is also known as "the Popes' nose". Primarily among us WASPs I'm sure.
Apologies to my Catholic friends, although I think I actually first heard it from a nun.
: D
It is VERY nice to hear people talking about and looking forward to something joyous for a change. I cook for my family every year and I love it! I am taking Thanksgiving Eve off this year so I can get all my prep done and just throw stuff in the oven Thanksgiving morning. I prefer dark meat BUT the white meat is really good also. I baste the bird in butter (for flavor and to get the skin really brown and pretty), then I put the bird in the roaster breast down in the pan and cook at 450 for about 35 – 40 minutes, uncovered. It can be a bit hot and messy but afterwards turn her right side up cover, and roast. The white meat is sooo juicy and it stays that way for a few days so you don't need a bunch of mayo with sandwiches. A tad extreme but works everytime. OR you can just buy the roasting bag to seal in juices but I find that you don't get the same nice color that way. HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!
OH MY FREAKIN GOD....THANKSGIVING IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!! I am starting my fast now so I may fit all of the above mentioned items into my stomach accompanied by a nicely chilled German Riesling! If I could have a second stomach inserted for that day, believe me I would! Bring on the Turkey Day!
Pecan Pie duh!!!
Sweet Potato Pie for sure.
Sweet Potato-Pecan pie all the way baby!!! I can't believe you all left it off the list! What an injustice!
Just immediate family for our Thanksgiving this year – we can't afford to travel to the west coast to be with the big get together.
I'll make the turkey the way I always do – roast it breast down surrounded by carrots, celery, and onions for the majority of the cook time, and then in the last 45 minutes flip it over so it's all golden brown. The only thing that gets stuffed in the cavity is butter, garlic, salt, and fresh herbs.
Stuffing is always better when made separate from the bird, and it has to include sage sausage. Yum
Potatoes have to be chunky (skin on even!) and mixed with half and half and lots of butter!
And there is *always* apple, pecan and pumpkin pie for dessert
home made pecan pie and chocolate pecan pie....any mashed potata is fine and dressing is dressing as long as it is not store bought in a box
2nd the Pecan Pie!! It's just not "the holidays" without it.
I need to add this: I erased my browser cache and came back and voted several times for dark meat.
White Meat. Dark Meat. All will be carved.
Meatless stuffing with extra celery, onion, and carrots. Also, a Tofurkey filet for me. A veggie side dish like roasted asparagus, as well as a spinach side. I don't mind what others at the table eat, but as a vegetarian, I look forward to this all year! I make a great low calorie pumpkin pie as well.
Hate dark meat, only eat white meat. My husband doesn't care too much about turkey, he rather have fish or seafood.
How unamerican!
What is it with you and the Unamerican????????
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie for dessert – oink oink!
We only started having turkey last year. Before that, my husband forbade me from making turkey because mine always turned out as dry as the Sahara! So my kids grew up with the traditional Thanksgiving Alaskan King Crab Legs! Then last year, my DH decided he really wanted turkey. So I went looking for a recipe. Thank the stars for Alton Brown. His brined turkey recipe is fantastic! Now my kids are upset because we have turkey instead of crab legs.
Finally, no repub/democrat comments on a message board, I love it!! I vote for both white and dark, why the heck not?! Can't wait to over-indulge and watch some football!
Don't forget that green bean casserole!
Yesssssssssssss.
no kidding! how did they leave that off of their list??
I simply have to say that all you poeple that voted for "white turkey meat" above are simply stupid and trying to cram your agenda down my throat. I've had YEARS of white turkey meat, and it hasn't made me thinner like the advertisements claim – which is deceptive at best. Ideally, you would want to make a turkey that had *all white meat*, and no legs at all, which is unnatural and goes against God's will. I voted for dark turkey meat, and I know all other real Americans will do the same.
You're an idiot. You are going to say if you choose white meat that your not a real American?
D, please check the batteries on your irony meter.
That's right. Real americans love the dark meat. Anyone who prefers, or even tolerates, white meat, is a commie who wants to see starving mothers waiting in line for welfare cheese. Dark meat is red white and blue, and tastes like apple pie. White meat is french.
Have southerners never heard of mince pie ? no New England table would be complete without one garnished with a bit of rat trap cheese.
Mince pie was a favorite of my grandmother. No one else in the family could quite develop a taste for it, though it was a standard at the dessert table for years after she died.
I find baking the turkey with no stuffing, and no cover for the first half hour to an hour, then covered the rest of the time, locks the juices in the bmeat and the white meat is just as tender as the dark meat. I was totally surprised the way my mom-in-law made it !! it was like deli meat... incredible...
no-bake pumpkin cheesecake.
Is dinner ready yet????
What is chess pie?
A pie that tastes like Jesus made it, that's what.
Thats what i'm wondering, maybe they mean a cheesecake.
Chess pie is similar to a pecan pie – without the pecans. You can make regular flavor (very similar to the pecan pie w/o the nuts) or chocolate, lemon, etc. Google chess pie – there will be some good recipes. And they're soooooo easy.
What about "both" for white or dark meat?
The term "both" would imply tollerating at least two viewpoints which, as you may or may not know, is very unamerican.
Chess pie is a simple pie with a custard filling. Legend has it a man was serving it at a southern diner, and when someone asked what it was, his reply was " 'jess pie"
Peanut butter pie (for those who are peanut butter tolerant) one brick philly cream cheese softened, one cup P.B., 1.5 cups conf. sugar, 8 ounce tub cool whip, blend all, pour into graham cracker crust, freeze (over night if you can) enjoy (rich rich tasty tasty)
crunchy or creamy? I'm saving this one for later.
Thanks for the recipe.
Turkey stick (Go Red Wings!)
Not really on the list, unless it was intended to be covered by "nut", is Pecan Pie!
I'll be watching the Texas A&M/t.u. game. Whatever my bride serves will be most welcomed, as will the warmth and companionship of friends and family. However, NOTHING is as good on Thanksgiving as beating the heck outa t.u.!
Hook 'em! ;-)
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, And it's goodbye to A & M . . . !
Hook 'em Horns!
I really don't understand why so many people like white meat. It tastes like dry cardboard. Sure, you can put stuff on it to make it edible, but why not just eat moist, tasty dark meat in the first place? With garlic salt, of course...
If the white meat is that dry then you aren't cooking it properly. My turkey is NEVER dry. (Keep it covered and brown it at the end of the cooking period, rather than at the beginning.)
My wife and I always make love on thanksgiving.
Good for you!
yearly thing?
tofurkey. put it in a deep pan, surround with potatos, carrots, onions, and celery. drizzle with olive oil, then some salt and pepper. yum! we have one of these for thxgvg and xmas. stuffing made with vegetable broth, vegan collard greens, sweet potato cassrole with crunchy pecan toping, and pecan pie.
Have you ever had the Field Roast? I was thinking of trying that this year. We also like Quorn. Mashed Potatoes. Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Corn and stuffing. YUM!
By the way, how long do you bake the Tofurkey for? Collard greens sound good too
My sister makes an Apple/Cranberry Pie that will knock your socks off! It has become my favorite, closely followed by Pumpkin and the Pecan. All with a dab of Cool Whip tho.
I prefer dark meat, but white is good too. Especially for the turkey sandwich later that evening! Thanksgiving ROCKS!
Oh, and if anyone wants to invite me over for oyster dressing, I'll gladly accept. My family refuses to have it. Dang fools!
Two years ago, my wife and I "inherited" Thanksgiving dinner for the family. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond everyone elses control, it will just be immediate family.
And now i'm hungry.
I'm amazed at how close the white/dark meat poll is.
We are having 4 pies this year – apple, chocolate cream, pumpkin, and pecan! So I couldn't pick just one. Delicious pie – nom, nom, nom.
mmmmmmm... Thanksgiving. SO Excited.
By the way, why is their no choice for both White and Dark meat? Why do I need to choose between the two? This is 'Merica! I will have both types of meat, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
We should start a new political party here in the US. Our platform will be "White meat or dark meat? Eat what you want?"
I like white and dark meat. (who is that picky). TURDUCKENS are awesome, learned how to make them while in NOLA. Also what about the veggies, i love Collard Greens, mix vegies, and turkey salad. All in all I hope everyone eats some great food.
Give me the oysters and the back side of the thigh, and you can keep the rest.
Boil the potatoes until they are done and the boil them some more. Mash them with a little of the potato water, then whip them with an electric beater adding whole milk until they are smooth. Finish with lots of butter, and salt. Yeah, it'll kill you eventually, but it is awfully good....
Sweet Potato Pie is the dessert of choice...VERY close in flavor to a Pumpkin Pie but more of a southern tradition. Last year did away with the "whole" turkey and just bought a turkey breast; no, not a uni-boob turkey...it was basically a turkey with the back end cut off. I don't eat dark meat so it saved me from watching the dark meat sit uneaten in teh fridge.
+1 on the sweet potato pie. I didn't have pumpkin pie until I was 14 years old and thought something was a little "off" with the pie that year. That was my introduction to pumpkin pie. Not bad, but I definitely prefer sweet potato pie.
Black lace nylons.
Now I'm diggin' that.
LOL, the image of a turkey wearing black lace nylons......
Dark meat tastes WAY better to me then white meat. It seems much more tender and moist. I guess white meat is the more healthy way to go..but hey its thanksgiving! I always get way more sides then I do meat. Turkey doesn't really get me excited...stuffing and sweet potatoes (no marshmellows, just butter and brown sugar mmmm) do though! Oh and my mom's chocolate pie is heavenly!
Dark meat all the way. I have to have at least one chess pie during this season.
White meat, silky smooth, internal stuffing, cream pie cuties!
For the first time ever, we are going out to dinner on Thanksgiving. After working all week I usually get up at 5:30 am and put the turkey on, but not this year for a change. i want to be able to actually enjoy the time with friends and family and not be in the kitchen.
I love to cook, but I need a break...no marshmallows on the sweet potato pie please...and I hate pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce...but I can eat me some dressing! Cornbread dressing is the best, nothing fancy like oysters or raisins or anything strange!
We always do it up big for Christmas dinner so I will cook for that holiday...
White meat turkey, dressing on the outside (in the south, its all dressing), mashed potatoes with a few lumps, canned cranberry sauce (so you can see the ridges – its tradition!), with marshmallows on top and CHESS pie....also pumpkin pie... :)
Our family is very large so we usually have a turkey and a ham which works out for me as I'm not a big fan of turkey. Most of these questions didn't really apply as most of the foods listed are ones we don't eat (and some I've never heard of). I still really want to try a turducken but I don't think that'll be this year.
We don't do turkey. Haven't for years. We do store-cooked chickens. Much better, assuming you get it from the right store, and it takes almost no time to make. :-D
One more thing. Given that the bird takes almost no time to make, there's more time to make side-dishes and deserts!
Actually, I find turkeys most easy to make! And you can't beat the way the house smells on Thanksgiving with the turkey, the pies, the sides.......YES!
i agree with valerie completely. cook the tukey! In the house! So the house smells good! WHich makes my happy!
We'll be tail gating at the UT/A&M football game for Thanksgiving. It's a good chance to fry up a turkey! And before anyone asks:
1. Yes the horns aren't doing too great this year. But loyalty is loyalty.
2. If you do fried turkey correctly it's not greasy at all. Nice and crisp on the outside, but juicy on the inside!
Oh, and my husband likes to end the evening with a glass of egg nog. Kicks off the next season, kind of like Santa at the end of the Macy's Thanksgive Day Parade. (And he really loves egg nog.)
Santa Claus is a liberal stooge who promotes the attitude of entitlement and who believes in exporting jobs to elves instead of hard working Americans.
Oh yea...... nothing like a stiff egg-nog with a great bourbon in it to kick of the season! A family favorite of ours. A toast to you and yours on Thanksgiving... ENJOY!!
As long as he waits until after midnight, that's fine. Anyone who starts in on christmas before thanksgiving is over and done with is a commie. Especially those retail businesses that had christmas going before halloween this year. If you are showing jingle bells before halloween, I will turn around and walk right back out of your store, I don't care if I have to drive an hour to get the thing I was shopping for.
Ohhhh, fried turkey is the best. Never had a juicier piece of turkey in my life. Just be careful and don't burn down the stadium!
Hook 'em Horns!
And thumbs-up to egg nog any day, any time of year! I've had my first quart already, just before Halloween!
You go girl!!!!!!
Tyler, I don't know where you are from or where your turkeys come from but in the north and the south wings are WHITE meat.
Incorrect. Only the breast is white meat.
WIngs are dark meat...
After some quick research I see that you're right. Most people consider the wing to be white meat (but definately not all). You have to admit though that the wing does not taste like the white meat of the breast. It also cooks more like dark meat does.
My order of parts:
1) Wing
2) Thigh
3) Drumstick
4) Breast
I work in the turkey industry....wings are definitely white meat....
And for anyone that doesn't know the difference between white and dark meat.....white meat (the front half of the bird, breast, scapula, tenders, wings) are basically parts that don't have as much blood flow as dark meat (thighs, legs).....just a turkey tidbit!
Turkey tidbits are my favorite leftovers....:)
Dark meat, particularly the wings, are the best part, and no one can convince me otherwise!
Also, I've never been one for marshmallows on my sweet potato caserole, mine has a top crust of pecans, maple syrup, and brown sugar... YUM!
Now you're talking, so good!
Tyler, I'm with you on the toppings!
Love the wings, but they are white meat.....
Sweet potato casserole? put in the pecans, the pineapple and the brown sugar and butter, southern style! then you can put the marshmallows on, and scrape them off if you don't want them!
Our favorite? cranberry relish: frozen fresh cranberries, green apples, fresh navel oranges, and just enough sugar to take out the major pucker (plus a can for the wimps....)
Blessed Thanksgiving, don't call it turkey day! the last true holiday that hasn't been overly commercialized
@sharon, really? I always thought wings were dark meat too... oh well, I like both anyway ; )
I'm going to have to try that!
After taking anatomy and physiology and working with cadavers, I swore I'd never eat the dark turkey meat again. Looks exactly the same!!!
As the turkey dark meat, that is.
Actually my most favourite part of the turkey is the neck lol Love pumpkin but hubby doesn't so we don't and "stuffing" inside the bird, gives it more flavour ;) One year I cooked the bird breast-side down as per one recommendation, the juiciness and flavour of the breast meat was awesome! Still I prefer the skin to be brown and crispy cause I love that part as much as the neck :)
I love Thanksgiving. I love all the food that everyone makes, as we all bring a dish to my grandmother's house who cooks. I can already smell all the food. Good food, beer and football, you can't go wrong there.
I agree with you, The smell of all of the food cooking is wonderful. Family, friends and yes even football can't think of a better way to spend the day.
I am going to make turducken for the first time this year! Super excited to try it. I don't get to make thanksgiving dinner, as my parents and grandparents still enjoy that practice, but I love to cook and bake, so I am having a few of my friends over two weekends before for a pre-thanksgiving dinner. :)
Good luck with the Turducken! My personal recommendation is to check with someone who has made it and find out any special things to look out for. Also, if you plan on having stuffing INSIDE the chicken, I would recommend using a lower temperature and cooking for longer time to ensure the stuffing gets properly cooked (a must with giblets!). Of course, this means you are going to be spending more time basting to keep the turkey from drying out. I have had this wonderful meal before, and when done correctly is a gastronomic experience worth the effort (well, at least someone else effort)!
Plan ahead for this as it is time consuming but worth it. Prep the stuffing the day before if you can. I cooked it on the grill indirect heat.
What is a Turducken?
A chicken that is inside a duck that is inside a chicken. You cook all 3 together and the fats and tastes from each meld into a potentially heavenly taste. Particularly for the chicken! (IMO)
Correction: A chicken that is inside a duck that is inside a turkey
A chicken stuffed in a duck that is stuffed in a turkey. :)
It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey, all de-boned of course. Tur(key), Duc(k), (Chic)ken. :) A hopefully wonderful experience for me soon! Thanks for the tips everyone! Anyone have tips for flavoring if I choose not to do stuffing (most likely)?
had a cousin that had ordered turdunken and made it one year. they put sasage or something in between the different birds. it was the nastiest thing i've eaten!!
any food with "turd" in its name sounds heavenly :D
Man that's an old Colonial-era recipe! I'd love to try some....it's like a 3-bird Ho Ho! LOL
Turducken are awesome and good luck! I order them when I need one. But I live close to Louisianna too.
I have made many....Brine your turkey. and duck at room temp for 2 days +-. Prep all birds the night before and cool....Assemble the turducken 14-16 hrs before you want to eat it...cook it at 550 for 15-20 min just to set the skin, then lower to 180 and cook until the center reads about 160. yea I know...that is low...tell the FDA to cram it, 160 is fine as it will fo to 165 while it rests and it will not be dry...good luck, it will be great, just don't cook it too hot and DO NOT OVERCOOK IT...really...don't do it, if you go to 180 as recommended it will be like eating three layers of sawdust.
Thats a lot of work, have the butcher de-bone the birds... it will save a lot of time.
i had a turducken at a friends house last year, and i was good...it was my first time ever having 3 flyings animals in my mouth at once