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!!
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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