****Official Thanksgiving Menu Thread****
 

So what's on the menu this year?

It's just me and my wife this year, so we won't be doing a huge spread. Thanksgiving Day is also my wife's birthday, and she wants me to do some duck. I'm thinking about getting some duck boobs and doing them sous vide. And with Thanksgiving and her birthday, dressing and mashed potatoes are non-optional, so we'll do that, too. Not sure what else we're doing, so I'm looking here for ideas.

As long as I get my candied yams with marshmallows and chilled cranberry sauce I'll be good.

My kids will be gone over the Thanksgiving Holiday again this year, so we typically cook Indian Cusine on the Tandoori. We have not came up with the menu, but I imagine it will be Lamb or Chicken, with some Naan and side dishes like Dal makhani, Chole bhature etc..

I love getting the Naan bread ready. I normally save half for the Tandoori and the other half I will just bake in the conventional oven with lots of Olive Oil and Salt, or my favorite lightly cooked onions on top with parmesan cheese.

Outdoor tandoori? Do you have a pic?

With the duck I would suggest Kartoffel dumplings instead of mashed potatoes. Best dish I had when I was in Germany, duck and kartoffel dumplings with duck gravy.

Turkey.

That sounds excellent, and I'll have to find a recipe and try them. But there is absolutely zero chance the wife lets me get by without making mashed potatoes.

Duck. Got 4 from my brother.

Havent figured out what else, yet.

How will you do the duck?

There are a lot of recipes out there if you google them. I also use this place http://www.germandeli.com/ for my German food fix. Reminds me I need to order some Bratwurst...

I havent thought that far ahead yet.

Probably just roast it with a little rub and baste it with butter.

You're useless to me.










;)

Because of military deployment issues, we're having 2 Thanksgiving meals this year. We had the first this past weekend:

Snacks (queso, salsa, hummus, chips)

Turkey and gravy
Ham
Garlic mashed potatoes
Portuguese stuffing
Asparagus
Pickled beets

Desserts (pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, tapioca pudding)


Since we're going to someone else's house for Thanksgiving #2 (on the actual Thanksgiving day) we're more at the mercy of others (I know there will be a turkey, but that's all I've been informed of so far). We'll probably bring a homemade clam dip, maybe some Brussels sprouts lardons, and probably a pie.


The duck idea sounds great, though.

I have to make stuffing for people that don't eat vegetables.

wtf is that? moist bread??

big ol' glass of cum

Classic menu.

Cut up a pound or so of carrots and another lb of parsnips - I like 'em cut into matchsticks, but 'coins' will work. I drop these in a big skillet w/a cup or so of water, bring to a simmer, cover and let them cook for 10 - 12 minutes or so until the water goes. When your water is about gone add half-a-stick of butter, a minced clove of garlic. I grind some fresh nutmeg over the veggies - quite a bit - and a pinch of thyme. Stir and cook these slowly another 3 -5 minutes then when ready to serve add a bunch of grated parmesan. My favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

Haven't decided what I want since more than likely it will be just me.

I've been there before because I mostly hate my family and I always end up going to the casino buffet. All the same traditional food, no mess, no cleanup.

I'm gonna be a rebel and have turkey and dressing and rolls and mashed potatoes and green beans and pumpkin pie.

I'm waiting for my invite to one of your houses so I don't have to do shit.

It's always great cooking for people who are extremely picky. :banghead:

You might try an oyster stuffing without the celery/onions/peppers/shallots, or a mushroom stuffing if they don't count mushrooms as vegetables.

If that won't work for them, make them a bag of Pepperidge farm dressing and tell them to kiss your ass if they don't like it.

Communists? Put some vodka in it.

As long as there is Turkey, mashed potatoes and apple pie I'm golden.

So... they won't even do dressing with celery and onions? I do a fairly basic dressing with celery, onions, and mushrooms, then moisten the bread with homemade chicken or turkey stock.

What if you shredded the celery and onions and cooked it down so that none of the texture was there? I'd think dressing without the bare minimum of flavor builders would be very bland...

I'm going to my moms, but I'm bringing my cranberry relish. fresh cranberries cooked down in water, orange juice, lemon rind, and sugar. The sort of crush it, add diced granny smith apples and chopped walnuts. It'd go great with your duck too. Nice acidity to offset richness of duck or turkey

That sounds pretty good. About what ratio do you use of cranberries to apples to walnuts? I imagine 2:1 cranberries to apples, with just enough walnuts to add some textural difference. Pecans would probably work really well in place of the walnuts, too.

I'd like your method here, man.

I'm thinking about switching it up a bit, using tart cherries in place of the cranberries as cherries are a classic pairing with duck.

Oven bag turkey!

Bingo. When you're a guest in someone's home, you eat what they are serving.

You boil your ribs, too, don't you?

I use the cooking bag, always makes for a moist bird?

R8ers says it's the only way to go!

You'd better run. Run fast, run far. Run silent, run deep.

Tentatively on the menu for us:

Ethiopian Duck

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy

Collard greens w/ neck bones


Also, we have an orange tree in our back yard with probably 300 oranges, just now ripening. So, we will pull off about 20 oranges, squeeze the juice, get some decent champagne and make mimosas for breakfast and during the cooking process.

We live in Charleston, South Carolina with some pretty good cuisine.

Oyster stuffing is sooooo beyond me (Sorry mommy) although I love it. I'm doing an apple/bacon stuffing and still telling them to kiss my ass.

I think my family bastes its turkey in Vodka. My first Thanksgiving with this family the police came and picked me up from dinner. Just for some drunk questioning about a bad bad man and I was home an hour later, but it's tradition here. Someone goes to jail for something. It's really not a big deal, it's like Andy Taylor arresting you and your mother bringing you dinner in the pokie, but still... Costs like $75 a night!

Flame away, my wife dosent cook, I take the easy way out. Never had any complaints.

I like the bags. I don't have to ever look at my turkey and they come out so juicy. Just tell them you have a big dick and they'll go away.

Don't think that will work on CP, everyone here is hung to their knees. :thumb:

Post from last year, plus a few links to previous years.



Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast

oven roasted turkey
sausage stuffing
mashed potatoes and gravy
sweet potatoes with little marshmallows
green beans with bacon and onions
cranberry sauce from the can, perfectly decanted to preserve the rings

Pumpkin pie with real whipped cream for dessert

I'll make the same jokes every year:


"Don't add much water to the stuffing or it won't be bone dry!" (reference to Woody on Cheers)

As I put the sausage in the stuffing: "Let me give you some sage advice"

"This pumpkin pie recipe has been in my family for years" (she brought the recipe to our marriage).

About halfway through cooking the turkey: "Honey, you want a bite of turkey?" Then she'll yell back "You'll get worms!".

Great holiday.


http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?p=9138449

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/archi.../t-152831.html

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/archi.../t-175094.html

I think my family bastes its turkey in Vodka. My first Thanksgiving with this family the police came and picked me up from dinner. Just for some drunk questioning about a bad bad man and I was home an hour later, but it's tradition here. Someone goes to jail for something. It's really not a big deal, it's like Andy Taylor arresting you and your mother bringing you dinner in the pokie, but still... Costs like $75 a night![/QUOTE]


omg!! i truly feel sorry for you. and i don't even know ya!:thumb:

The family is going to my aunts house this year but I will cook a turkey just for leftovers. That said this is what we traditionally have;

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Broccoli rice casserole
Green bean casserole
Turkey and noodles (I'm making this)
Jello salad
Cranberry relish
Rolls
Desert - cherry pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and several others?

I'm not positive yet, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to add bacon-wrapped scallops as one of my bring-alongs to the family Thanksgiving. It's such an easy item to make, and gets so much praise, that it's basically stealing compliments, but we haven't had them in a while and I like to have an option besides chips and dips for pre-meal snacking.

For the turkey I soak a cheesecloth in wine and butter overnight. Then the next morning I rub butter and herbs on the turkey and cover it with the cheesecloth.

Green bean casserole.

I think I'm making a mac and cheese side. And an apple cobbler for dessert, with ice cream. And I'll buy a pumpkin pie.

Picking the turkey up on Tuesday. I brine then smoke.

We are trying a new pie this year.

A grape pie we saw on Food Network. It looks ****ing good.

And I've never been a huge turkey guy, so ham is included with us to go with the rest of the traditional fares. Boo me if you must.

This used to be my avatar! ROFL

I usually do the turkey while others handle the sides. I used to brine and roast it, but the last 4 years I've been frying them. The only problem I've had with frying was the first time I cooked a turkey at the in-laws house. They live at 8500 ft elevation and it took about 20 minutes longer to cook. Only we didn't find that out until after we cut into it and found that the juices were NOT clear. Good thing they are pretty laid back people.

Alton Brown recipes always are.

I used to travel through Finger Lakes wine country for work. They used a special grape that was only available a short time of year for pies.Small farm houses would have wooden signs for grape pie so I stopped on my way home from work. Aunt Bee is sitting on porch and tells me to come in the kitchen.
As she boxes up my pie I look to the pantry. No spices or dishes in the pantry. It is filled from floor to ceiling with AMMO.
All neatly arranged by caliber Aunt Bee had enough ammo to take out a small town.

Not on my menu is my delicious green beans in Shallot vinaigrette with toasted almonds. My wife insists on having that nasty ass soggy green beans in cream of mushroom soup with boxed fried onions. Yech.

Tofurkey!!
Posted via Mobile Device

Can't stand the guy but he sure knows his shit.

I was hesitant, but saw it after he made it. OMFG.

The final menu at the Me Boy! household:

Sous vide duck breast with a cherry & granny smith relish
Savory sweet potato mash
Traditional dressing
Green bean casserole
Dinner rolls
Pumpkin pie

Green bean casserole here as well. +1 for you, sir.

Update:

Cinnamon rolls are ready for the oven in the morning

Sausage stuffing is made
Sweet potatoes are boiled and ready for oven
Pumpkin pie is cooling

And I added a curve ball this year. I was reflecting on the Indians who were absent from the first Thanksgiving, namely those from Asia whom Columbus had mistakenly believed he had found on his first trip west. Should they not also be represented at our table? With this inspiration I decided that a cranberry chutney would be served along with our traditional jellied cranberry sauce.

1-inch piece fresh ginger

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1-pound can cranberry sauce with berries

1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)

ground black pepper

Cut ginger into paper-thin slices, stack them together and cut into really thin slivers.

Combine ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar and cayenne in a small pot, and simmer on medium flame about 15 minutes or until there are about four tablespoons of liquid left.

Add can of cranberry sauce, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a simmer. Simmer on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.

Cool, store and refrigerate.

Actually, the inspiration story is a complete fabrication. I heard about this on NPR yesterday from Susan Stamberg and thought it sounded interesting.

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/26/247363...cranberry-dish

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
pumpkin pie
Cheesecake

I started prep tonight. I made two variations on cranberry sauce for the duck. One is a raw cranberry and gala apple relish (uncooked, cranberries, a gala apple, some sugar, some orange zest and juice, a touch of salt); I also made a cherry and granny smith apple (chunky) sauce (sweet cherries, granny smith apples, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and a touch of salt, cooked until it started to thicken). Those are done and in the fridge. I think I'll prep the veggies for the dressing and the green bean casserole tonight, and get the duck breast ready to drop in the sous vide. Then tomorrow, all I'll need to do is assemble.

Turkey and stuffing, honey mustard glazed ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, twice baked potatoes, macaroni salad, pasta salad, garlic bread, cornbread, spinach dip in a sourdough bread bowl, assorted veggies (broccoli/cauliflower/cucumber/carrots) with ranch/onion/chipotle dips for them, apple pie, pecan pie and some high end soft drinks. I think that's it.

Skipping the green beans because we have too much food already. Skipping the yams because they're gross and nobody likes them.

Waiting till 10am till the buffet opens...

did a trial run before tomorrow. these are awesome. bacon wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese with a maple glaze

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...psc9276f1d.jpg

Can you smoke duck?

Well, at least the bacon sounds good.

This. However replace Apple Pie with Chocolate Pudding for me.

I'd just like one week where I eat only what you cook.

Turducken

Breakfast - Bloody mary and grease (a tri state special) pork roll egg and cheese

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Beverage
https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...86044642_n.jpg


Thanksgiving dinner

Filet Mignon on the grill along with the regular Thanksgiving day food


https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...18086059_n.jpg

I'm making bacon explosion again this year by popular request. My Daughter in-law is doing the rest

So apple fritters and Fluffernutter krullers?

Seriously, that's very kind, thank you. But it's not like this often. :)

I believe I have successfully engaged my sister-in-law to make the mashed potatoes this year. :grovel:

Melt the butter in before you add the cream or milk. The fat will coat the starch in the potatoes and help create fluffier, creamier spuds.

My mother-in-law uses skim milk and margarine.

The secret is having ANYBODY ELSE make them. :#

:eek:

But she makes them from scratch, so they're runny AND lumpy.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_myX5Q4qMDh...1246871683.gif

This makes me hurt. Kinda like my FiL. He does a full turkey spread with all the fixins... and powdered, just add water gravy.