 OMG, I forgot the turkey for Thanksgiving! OK, so I’ve never really been so forgetful to as to not have a naked, yellow-pinkish, featherless, defrosted bird in the house on Turkey Day. But there have been so many other things that I have sent family and friends searching for in cities where grocery stores close for the holiday. Now convenience stores may have milk and butter, but try to find a bottle of sage, thyme or nutmeg at these tiny shops. Buying aluminum foil or an extra pie pan can also be a challenge. |
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If I don't have it we don't serve it. The bigger problem is making something and then leaving it in the garage fridge and forgetting about it until the next day. That's when I call "do over"!
My Father used to bake around 130 Turkeys for thanksgiving and Christmas (Business). I worked there also and the smell permeated to my bones. I can't eat turkey to this day. That was 50 years ago. Give me a stuffed hamburger.
I've been cooking Thanksgiving dinner almost every year for 30 years,I can do it with my eyes closed....lol...I haven't forgotten anything for years,and I make everything from scratch starting the day before....but the first ten years or so, problems came up......so hang in there,people eventually you'll be perfect!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
butter and broth!
Never forgot ingredients. However, one year I did cook the turkey with the giblets securely tucked in their plastic bag in the neck of the turkey. I took everything out of the cavity to season the bird but completely forgot about the neck cavity. word to the wise, it does not ruin the turkey!!! The turkey was fine but I did throw out the giblets, no loss in my opinion. Never been a giblets girl.
Don't you hate it when people try to force you to take a recipe you didn't ask for? If the food was really delicious, we'll beg for it.
Turkey skewers and thread to tie the turkey closed
I forgot to invite any guests.
Damn, I was full; and I had leftovers that lasted until January!
We always forget to turn on the radio for "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie. It's tradition here. Thank you YOU TUBE for making Thanksgiving Complete.
I forgot to leave the deer stand last Thanksgiving. Instead I spent a lovely day with a few squirrels, some blue jays and three does who couldn't attract any of their boyfriends for me!
The NEW Oprahs BOOK Club.
I'm not lazy but I can't make gray if I had too...I do buy the jar gravy and everyone is happy with that.
Everything else is made from scratch. My Mom tried several times to teach me to make gray and it was awlful – hers was always delishous! lol
How about not worrying about the commerciality that is imposed on the holiday nad just enjoy your family and freins or whoever you may be with.
In-Laws didn't make GRAVY – who doesn't make GRAVY? Are you kidding? I looked everywhere in their little bitty town for GRAVY or mix or whatever! there was nothing in the house to make gravy with as they deep fried the turkey extra long to make sure it was done. (read dry) I keep gravy mix with me at all times when I go there for a holiday meal (there are REASONS for gravy mix sometimes) and they had that slicing dressing too, niice and dryyy...
Maybe it's because I had too many meals of bread and gravy as a kid, but this is one North Carolina boy who just does not like gravy. I can make it (and I do, when I make sauerbraten, because my wife likes it with that), but I don't bother at Thanksgiving because no one really cares... the turkey is moist and we don't serve white potatoes, so it's not needed.
I have been coming to this food blog for a while now but have yet to post anything. I love the columns and best of all, I love reading all the comments. It has me in hysterics most of the time. Keeps me coming back for more :D
Gravy mix? stuffing mix? What, people are so lazy or can't cook the simplest things anymore?
usually we ran out of eggs or milk i think but i nixed that problem when i transitioned to vegan lol i guess i'd have to say aluminum foil and pie/cake/roasting pans (the disposable kind)
To turn on the oven – raw turkey.....
Silly me for clicking the link and expecting to find an article
Year ago my Aunt (the ditsy one) was supposed to bring the turkey for our family Thanksgiving gathering. At 8am she shows up with this gorgeous 22 pound turkey, STILL FROZEN SOLID! Since it takes a couple of days in thefridge to thaw a bird that big we thought we were screwed. Luckily an uncle owned a Dairy Queen and had one of those new fangled "RadarRanges" and was able to thaw it in a couple of hours. We had a late, but very nice dinner that year.
I've forgotten small essentials, like oil or eggs. The big stuff is usually there, but inevitably there are always one or two tiny extras you manage to forget.
We always forget the onion soup mix for the onion dip! People get very upset if they're not provided onion dip.
If you need a dip,Jdizzle is available from 8:00 till noon on most holidays. After noon will be time and a half.
cranberries!
We forgot biscuits one year...my mom asked me to try to make some instead & they ended up like hockey pucks. We never forgot them again.
From the looks of it the Dallas Stars could use some of those.
Whatever is in the house on Thanksgiving morning is what we have. If something's forgotten, too bad. There are 2 days of the year where I refuse to shop (or send someone in my stead): Thanksgiving and Christmas. In my younger days, working through school, I was forced to work on those days in what I considered non-essential jobs, unable to be with my family (I lived several hours away). (Police, fire & medical being the essential ones). If no one shopped on those days, those people waiting on you would be able to be with their loved ones. Plan ahead and don't make it worthwhile for stores to be open.
Well said-Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family.
We are a very untypical family. NO cranberry sauce, no giblet gravy, no green bean casserole and no pumpkin pie. We do always have Turkey and dressing though. One of our turkey day staples is crab salad. Which it always falls on me to make and I inevitably forget the mayo. I only use Miracle Whip at home and the salad doesn't taste right using Miracle Whip. Only tastes as it should using Kraft Mayo and I always seem to forget to buy that one little small jar.
I thought I had chicken broth to make the stuffing – my sister made it and it turned out awful. Turned out I had BEEF BROTH. Ick!!
Butter.
O.K. But what about the extra hotdog buns?
Throw in the freezer and use for brats the next time you go tailgating...
Cranberry sauce – NEVER fails.
I can't remember forgetting to buy something important (and stores here are open until 4:00 on T-day), but, almost without fail, we forget to put a dish on the table that had been prepared ahead of time. Usually one of the salads, but once we forgot to put rolls out. Nobody noticed.
Our joke to our mom is always to check the microwave because she often forgot parts of the meal there, lol.
I usually make it a point to "forget" the green bean casserole in there!
My former mother-in-law, I love her still, made dressing you sliced! My own sweet Mother, God rest her soul, would ask if I were going to get my slice of dressing! Those were the days...
Oh, last year I forgot to pick up the in-laws from the airport.. They got P.O.'ED, called a cab and told the driver that I'd pay them.. When I refused (because they are stereotypical EVIL inlaws) and pretended not to know them, they were arrested and had a police station tv dinner turkey the next night. I don't think they're coming to town again this year, and the wife couldn't be happier. (she hates her parents too!)
What a funny story!!! Karma at it's best!
That. Is. Beautiful. They should have known better.
This year, we're going to rent out a party room for a Christmas family reunion and are tempted to "forget" to tell them we're not going to THEIR place in December. XD
Gravy and stuffing mix? Poultry seasonings? Canned Pumpkin? Don't people know how to cook? Whatever happened from scratch? Plus you will be free of all those chemicals and additives..ugh.
Mom forgot to defrost the turkey one year, we usually forgot to open the can of cranberry sauce (and would end up with three cans in the cabinet because it never got used), and one year for Christmas (I think), my sister put the fresh tomatoes in the freezer because she claimed she 'thought they went there'. I remain suspicious. I think we've also forgotten Pillsbury rolls/crescent rolls in the oven a few times, but no actual fires, just really dark rolls.
Ironically, we usually ran out of milk around the times the stores closed. Everything for the meal, check. Kitchen staples, oops.
My mom always makes the Thanksgiving dinner, she tends to run out of things she "always" has on hand. Like flour, butter, and shortening. Luckily my Aunt lives down the street and between the two of them they typically have everything for a meal.
I always have this conundrum during the Holidays-I end up with too much Rum and NOT enough EggNog. Kinda like 8 hotdogs and 12 buns.
Conundrum = popular OS Trek episode. Can you tell I'm a Trekkie yet?
Isn't that the one where their menirues are wiped clean my an alien and Warf thinks he is the captain?
Sorry, meant "memories" and "by."
...and that's a problem?
Should I take this problem to OPRAH?
Make it so.
Keep some extral coca cola around as a means of making use of leftover rum...
And the whole concept of "leftover rum" just sounds...weird. Like "too much bacon" or "extra beer"...:P
Trekie cool, but meant its not a problem having excess rum.
my mom DID forget the meat one Easter though, and we went to the store , the only thing we could find was smelt fish, no lie, I will never forget this
Cranberry sauce...
Oil for the turkey fryer.
Did You bring me back anything from lunch? C"MON MAN!
I think Jdizzle is taking a looooong Friday lunch.
I did. No boss. Beat the Saints in wild card game on Madden 11. Bitches. Crabtree tore it up.
I live near = @ home lunches.
Has anyone seen or heard from my Brother from another Mother-The Jdizzlle McHammerpants? Effective Monday-Nov.22 2010 his picture will appear on all Chocolate Milk cartons in the Tri-State area-don't want to scare the white milk cows with his picture, this close to Thanksgiving. Any info is appreciated.
I make everything from scratch as both my parents taught me. I also make my own cranberry sauce. It's easy. You just follow the recipe on the back of the pkg only instead of water I use mixed fruit juice or orange juice. Gives it that little zing. I always have to make a double batch cause in our family is is considered an entree' LOL. I also make my pumpkin pie TOTALLY from scratch from pie pumpkins I have grown myself, cooked and frozen until it is needed. My brother in law has a theory. When choosing a wife give a pumpkin to your top two women on your list. If one comes back with a carved pumpkin, tell her thanks for the memories but.... And if the other one comes back with a pie she is a keeper for life. He is always telling me I am a keeper.
Everyone have a fantastic Thanksgiving!!!
CRAP!!!! This is what my wife did this year for Halloween – looks like I chose the wrong girl. http://tinypic.com/r/2iiae4o/7
I've never made a turckey for thanksgiving. Instead, 7 years ago in college I started a yearly tradition of making a Turducken on the day before thanksgiving for friends and family. Day before, so that my friends still in college could still attend and then have Thanksgiving with their families. It's a great event! I proposed to my now wife during my annual speech every year before carving the "bird"
Turducken: A chicken inside of a duck inside of a turckey with stuffing in between all the birds. It has evolved along the years to include a cornish game hen inside of the chicken, and the whole thing covered in a bacon weave blanket!!
I need one of those blankets-King size bed would be great.
Don't the birds fight when you try to put them together?
Haha they would but they have no bones...
ROFL
My brother in law had that issue. He tried Viagara and it worked great...:P
Evolved? Ha ha, it has devolved from it's medieval origins – and some guy in Kentucky or where ever is claiming he made it up!
the cranberry sauce. I always make it ahead of time and it usually sits in the fridge. But mine is so good that we remember it by desert and put it on the pie
a wonderful cranberry mold! also cranberry nut bread – a sweetpotato souffle that really is more of a desert, yummmmm!
Remember the difference between desert and dessert – deserts are dry and full of sand and desserts are nice and have an extra s because you're always wanting extra – also, desserts is stressed spelled backwards.
http://amzn.to/aV2dQa Funny, touching, memorable short Thanksgiving stories about holiday disasters, family & friends.
bah humbug
Now XMAS is not until next month. Turn that frown upside down.
ok
Thanks to you and SLT for taking care of TT this morning. How did it go at Dr.Crackurback?
I, too have forgotten whipping cream. At my house we must have two kinds of cranberries, hot rolls, and please
don't forget sausage for the stuffing and fruit salad.
Sausage in fruit salad?
I think she meant that they forgot the ingredients for the fruit salad but her sentence was structured very well. lol
You're obviously not familiar with sausage plants. Nothing like a juicy kielbasa straight off the vine. :)
I have forgotten cranberry sauce. Rarely make it myself (although I have), and usually buy a couple of cans from the grocery store. Forgot it one year and we all really missed it.
I use a combination of homemade and pre-packaged. For the important stuff, it's all home made, but I'll admit I use pre-made dinner rolls (Sister Schubert's,) and chicken stock (although this year, I made my own stock and froze it last week. It's easy to make and far superior to any store -bought concoction.) I also have used a pre-packaged stuffing (dressing for you southerners,) - Williams Sonoma Foccia Stuffing. It really is quite good and is so close to my from-scratch version that it's just not worth the extra effort to do my own.
I second the store-bought chicken stock. I always plan on making my own, but it never works out....
Ummm hate to tell you this but stuffing and dressing are two completely different things. We NEVER stick dressing in the turkey. That is just disgusting. I'll take good ole southern dressing over stuffing any day of the week. Stuffing is WAY to dry for me.
Hmm... the one complainer about my stuffing (my wife) always says that it's too moist, she prefers dressing that's been dried like a brick in the oven. But then again I always have a nice moist turkey too (and I do NOT brine it... just stuff it and keep it tightly covered until it's done... easy to check now with a probe thermometer).
Cranberry!
Cranberry sauce! ...or I find an expired can from last year :-(
I always forget the cranberry sauce. Even if I remember to buy it, I usually forget to serve it. I think it may be intentional, though I love cranberry salad, what I forget is the chilled canned and sliced cranberry sauce my dad loves...ugh!
Enough shortening and butter for making pie crusts (we make our pies early Thanksgiving morning, so they can cool while the turkey is roasting). And, two years in a row, back about 20 years or so ago: heavy cream (for making the whipped cream).
Heavy cream – forgotten numerous times for Thanksgiving or Christmas. In our family we ONLY do the real stuff. I was amazed this wasn't listed above but many people don't know you need it!
That's because the pressurized cans (which at least are real dairy) and the fake stuff in the freezer are what most folks grab nowadays (although I suppose a generic "whipped cream" entry would have covered all the bases). Like you, though, we cook... about the only prepared foods we use are the canned pumpkin (we've experimented with cooking fresh pumpkin, and we don't like the texture as much) and good store-bought bread for the stuffing (although my wife and our daughters do bake bread and dinner rolls to serve).
We forgot the butter one year too. By the time we realized it, several stores were closed. I went to 2 stores before trying the Walgreens across the street, and thankfully they were open and had 2 pounds left.
No option for "nothing"? I can't think of anything we've forgotten recently and most of the stores are open late wednesday night and open Thanksgiving morning (particularly the liquor store which is usually what we need more of).
One year my cousin decided day of that he wanted cheesecake for dessert. We had a pretty fun little road trip to the open grocery store 3 towns over but it wasn't like we didn't have anything else for dessert.
cranberry sauce!
the retards travel the severly retarded pare dice cook im going to the casino
Meet ya there reatard. Whaaaaat! Heeeeeeeey!
Place $5.00 and a carrot on black #7 for me.
And the lazy don't use punctuation, lol.
Oh yum, I did that last year – hit the casino buffet for turkey day.
But then I had no leftovers so not doing that this year.
blue laws govern the sales of alcohol (also cars, but I don't know why)...CO just repealed them in 2007, and it is WAY more convenient. I have a friend who used to be a big time boozer, and he used to tell me about having to lay in a supply on Saturday so that he could get through to Sunday.
In some places they prohibit the sale of almost anything. As I said in a reply to another person above, they're unconstitutional, but we haven't managed to get them all off the books yet.
Actually, it's not uncostitutional. The first amendment reads "CONGRESS shall not make any laws respecting AN establishment of religion..." (emphasis mine) And the 10th amendment gives authority to the states in making laws that are not already addressed in the constitution. So, since alcohol sales are not spelled out in the rest of the constitution (except for the ammendment on prohibition that was later repealed), then they are not up to the federal government. It is not congress who is making the blue laws, so congress is not violating the first amendment, nor are the state or local legislators because the 10th amendment gives them the power to regulate commerce within their jurisdiction.
Interesting....I'm from Texas where they do not sale alcohol on Sunday except for beer and wine in non-liquor stores after 12noon, but had never heard the term "blue law." Thanks for the info!
But at least you can take a gun to church in Texas.
Shotgun Shells Only-We may make exceptions with a name like that!
I haven't ever forgotten the turkey, but I have forgotten to defrost it. D'oh!
Good God it's a meal like any other. Being thankful is the important bit. Stop gratifying the meal
We are sorry Aimee! We let it get out of hand with the dancing Birds on the trampoline.
The meal's dead. It's hard to, er, 'gratify' the meal at this point.
After moving from New York city to a small suburb, we were stunned to learn that stores here closed early before a big holiday and that my state still had blue laws. We spent our first Christmas in our new home dining on frozen mozzarella sticks and leftovers.
I'm not sure what blue laws mean, but I noticed that Starbucks will be open this Christmas.
The blue laws in VA used to make business close on Sunday.
Sorry guys, I keep forgetting to take your names out of the Name box.
Laws that require stores to be closed on Sunday and other Christian holidays – a clear violation of our Constitution, but still on the books and enforced in some areas. (Stores that choose to be closed – that's their business; it's the laws requiring it that I have a problem with.)
I'm such a stooge.
Blue laws also prohibit businesses from selling certain items on Sunday. When I was a kid you could not buy the following items at the grocery store on Sunday: beer, dog food, tennis balls...among other things.
I was very glad when the Blue Laws were abolished in Virginia.
I hear ya Amy. My first trip to CA I was shocked that they sold booze on a Sunday,In the Grocery store no less. Will never happen in Texas.
yeah, but at least Texas has drive thru liquor stores!
Agreed and if their Not drive thru some of these drunks in the Houston area make 'em that way!
Really? Man, I find through many-a-move some states are like different countries. MN will sell beer (not liquor) on Sundays but only 3.9, WI let people smoke in bars (until July), and my great state of Alaska still aloows smoking in bars outside of metro areas (the bars there are also open until 5 AM).
The "great state of Alaska" probably doesn't have enough doctors and/or heating pads to treat all the cases of frostbite and hypothermia if people were forced to step outside to smoke.
Ack! No book of Cathy comic strips!
I was thinking the same thing, this is the only other plac eyou will ever read that word.
That's the worst comic strip ever. Not even sure why Charlie Brown was funny. I never found it to be.
Forgetting the "formal" invite for grandma even though its assumed she will come each year, and does, but has to be formally invited.
Hear that!
So I don't forget, putting on the shopping list: fresh poultry seasoning. It sits on the spice shelf all year, don't really use it except on Turkey Day.
Shoulda let me know, I've got 5 bottles of that stuff sitting next to the 3 fruitcakes from 6 yrs ago.
I use that to enhance grilled chicken. Works well, especially if you cut it with montreal seasoning for poultry.
Apply it (hard for me to type this)...liberally :P
"We'll hello there little chicken, how yo doin'?"
I hate it when people get political on a Food Blog!LOL
Damn politics!
Montreal Steak Seasoning on a grilled T-bone = heaven. Nay, Pleasure Town. MMmmm.
do what I do and make your own. Not difficult and it uses up older spices so you can keep fresher ones around.
I cant stand gravy mixes, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mixes, etc. God people, stop bein lazy at least one time a year and make some real food.
Amen, Shawn! Those things aren't that hard to make, anyway!
I agree...who uses mixes on Thanksgiving? Glad I'm not at their Thansgiving table!
Unfortuantely my in-laws. I'm slowly teaching them how to make fresher food, but some things are hard to change, like the gravy from a paper bag that you mix with water or milk or whatever. At least the stuffing is homemade, and so are the potatoes so it could be worse. But they do tend to use cheese like velveeta for their casseroles and other processed foods that I wouldn't typically eat.
Amen!
i agree the only thing i dont know how to make is stuffing, unfortunately mine comes from box but everything else i make!!
@ Manny ~ Homemade stuffing is easy! Here is my BASIC recipe for a 20+ pounds bird:
2 packages of cubed stuffing or cut old bread into cubes and bake in oven at 250 degrees on cookie sheets for an hour or so to dry out.
1/2 the giblets that have been simmered the night before (save water) for a few hours then chopped fine (other 1/2 goes in the gravy)
Put those 2 items into a large bowl, then:
Melt 2 sticks of butter in frying pan.
Chop up 1 medium onion and throw in pan. Saute until soft and clear. Pour over the cubed bread & giblets.
Add 1 Tablespoon sage, salt & pepper and 1 beaten egg.
Start adding the water from boiling the giblets. Keep adding and mixing until you end up with stuffing that you can form into a "softball" with your hands and it will stay that way.
Stuff bird and continue on! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I love Stove Top! Don't let the food snobs get to ya. you can add anything you want to it to make it your own.
Hey T ~ Stove Top is served in my kitchen year round and I don't add anything to it! Great stuff. I only make homemade stuffing for Thanksgiving.
people who don't know how to make them or who don't traditionally eat these things. My family immigrated, so we don't typically eat mashed potatoes or gravy. I started looking up recipes and buying cookbooks and have started changing the habits, but when you don't know, you go with what you see. (plus when my family first immigrated, we were poor, so those mixes were generally cheap) don't be so quick to judge people as being lazy....
Actually it's nice that you're trying to adapt an American holiday tradition to your family. But that shouldn't mean that you have to have only traditional Thanksgiving foods–include your favorites from your culture. That's how it's always been. Anglos got the turkey and many of the other traditional foods from Native Americans at the first Thanksgiving.
everything is only from scrach over here! maybe that's why i consider Thanksgiving as my favorite!
I try hard not to make anything instant regardless of the occasion. If it is some big event you can guarantee I'm making it from scratch. I'm one of the few 20 somethings out there that seems to appreciate real food. How many people can say they baked a cake from scratch? Or that they used home grown herbs when cooking dinner? Everything these days seems to come out of a box or a can. It is all pre made, pre packaged and loaded with garbage no one should eat.
I can. I make everything from scratch. Not just for Thanksgiving but all the time. That being said, this is a big holiday and some people get flustered so doing "semi-homemade" is perfectly alright. People are coming to see you and not some fancy shmancy meal. If all you feel comfortable with is ordering a pre-made meal from the grocery store and reheating it then that is what you do and nobody should make you feel that you're doing something wrong.
Video camera tapes for "Naked Grilling"!
How about "Naked Deep Frying"? =0
While watching the Cowgirls. Not the team, the cheerleaders.
Oh Yea and Frozen drinks that have to be shaken while jumping on the trampoline!
"naked"
Last Thanksgiving, my roommate and I were in charge of making the dessert–a pumpkin roll. My mom and I discuss the roommate and myself making this (at my parents house) several times over the weeks preceeding Thanksgiving. I never once asked for the ingredients or the recipe. Mind you, we were just MAKING the roll... We are all excited about making the pumpkin roll on the day of Thanksgiving at my parents house. The day of, we go over excited for the feast and of course making the roll. I ask my mom, "We are ready to start making the pumpkin roll. Where's the stuff?" My mom replies, "Uuh, weren't you supposed to bring that?" Considering I'd never made one before other than at my parents' house, with their provided supplies, I'd assumed my roommate and I would continue the tradition. My mom assumed that we'd make it at home and bring it with us... Luckily she had a "ready-no-bake cheesecake in the pantry.
My family always forgets the cranberry sauce....Never fails!
Mine too!! (maybe it's the name...)
Are you sure they forget it or is no one willing to take the blame for remembering the nasty stuff?
squash!
I forgot canned pumpkin for the pumpkin pie I was going to make. I had to run back out to the grocery store at 10pm (barely made it in and out before they closed) so I would have the pie for the next day.
Every year I make cranberry compote for Thanksgiving, and every year I some how forget to bring it to where ever my family is having their gathering. Hopefully I won't make that mistake this time!
Every freakin' article on this blog is spammed by this guy flogging his "politically incorrect" cookbook. Don't buy from spamming sociopaths.