1st Thanksgiving dinner

cubby said:

 Clean out frog; 

I need to know more about this.

this is my go to sweet potatoe casserole and even though it is a cooking light recipe it is divine and rich.

http://www.cookinglight.com/m/entertaining/holidays-occasions/sweet-potato-casserole-recipes/streuseled-sweet-potato

mjh said:

cubby said:

Clean out frog;

I need to know more about this.

Me too!

As far as sweets for a crowd, I cook and mash the sweets, mix them with eggs, butter (this is optional, which I found out one year when I forgot it--the difference is in the richness of the dish), brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg. The dish is very forgiving. You can't really get it wrong.

Saw this article with turkey tips from Maplewood's Rick Rodgers. I always cook the turkey in an inherited dark blue speckled turkey roasting pan. Interested to see that he gives a dark pan credit.

http://www.today.com/food/thanksgiving-turkey-tips-cooking-juiciest-tastiest-turkey-ever-t56781

soresident said:

Saw this article with turkey tips from Maplewood's Rick Rodgers. I always cook the turkey in an inherited dark blue speckled turkey roasting pan. Interested to see that he gives a dark pan credit.

http://www.today.com/food/thanksgiving-turkey-tips-cooking-juiciest-tastiest-turkey-ever-t56781

I wish I had the pan - dark blue and speckled - that my mother used for the turkey throughout her adult life.  She wasn't that great of a cook, to be honest, but the T-day turkey was always delicious.

I have no clue what happened to it.  

marylago said:

mjh said:

cubby said:

Clean out frog;

I need to know more about this.

Me too!

Me too!

What is wrong with me?!

FRIG

cubby said:

marylago said:

mjh said:

cubby said:

Clean out frog;

I need to know more about this.

Me too!

Me too!

What is wrong with me?!

FRIG

It's Thanksgiving. Who has time?!

Agree about getting a fresh turkey.  To tell the truth, I don't see any difference from a frozen one once it's cooked, but your fridge isn't monopolized by the turkey for days, and you don't have the experience of getting it out on Thanksgiving only to find it's still frozen inside.  So call King's (or wherever) and order one the size you want, to pick up on Wednesday.

What time do you serve?

Seven p.m.

This has always been helpful for me.

http://www.flylady.net/d/flyladys-kitchen/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-menu-mailer-part-1/

This was originally a document with 4 parts; its all on the webpage now.  Near the end is a Thanksgiving Timeline.

We've always done mid afternoon. 2:00 or 3:00. 

marylago said:

mjh said:

cubby said:

Clean out frog;

I need to know more about this.

Me too!

There is nothing worse than a dirty holiday frog.

I believe they mean a flower "frog", used to arrange flowers . Many types.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=flower+frog

This is the sweet potato recipe I make every year and my family loves it: http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-potato-yam-casserole-with-marshmallows-104150

(It's VERY sweet ... almost like dessert.)

Tried a new Recipe for anyone who wants a twist on a traditional Cranberry sauce.

2 lbs. Cranberries

2 Cups Sugar 

1 Tbsp Grated Fresh Ginger

2 tsp Chili Powder

1.5 Cups Apple Juice

Put it all together in a big pot and cook on medium-high heat stirring occasionally until the cranberries have popped.  Chill for a couple days for a tasty sauce with a spicy twist.

sac said:

This is the sweet potato recipe I make every year and my family loves it: http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-potato-yam-casserole-with-marshmallows-104150

(It's VERY sweet ... almost like dessert.)

This sounds good and easy @sac thanks !

Jeff Handy-that cranberry recipe sounds wonderful!!!  I have just added it to menu.  Thanks!  beege

Thanks, Mod and jr for the recipes.  They look great! I might make one of them for my own Thanksgiving dinner.  However, somehow I missed your responses  and had to pick something right away so the ingredients could be ordered.  Here's what I ended up with--will be making it on Monday.  Hope it turns out OK.   http://www.marthastewart.com/336694/sweet-potato-casserole

I'm not a big fan of marshmallow topped squash, but I think the kids will go for it.

FYI, we bought our frozen turkey Thursday at the new Stop & Shop for $0.59 lb!! It was $8.50. 

I just made spicy red pepper cranberry relish -- similar to jeffhandy's but with two jalapeños (sugar, ginger, lemon juice, cayenne, salt, simmer until it's jelly.) It's not too sweet and has a nice bite.

I also used the Roasted Turkey Stock I froze last week to make Make-Ahead Gravy and got four cups. It was really undersalted but I figure I can adjust when I heat it up in my mini Crockpot, which I bought three years ago and have never used. Better check it to see if it works. There was a chili in the stockpot, but you can hardly tell.

And I bought wine. I went out to the Gary's in Madison and joined a tasting with actual Gary himself, who had three kinds of Pinot Noirs to try. I liked one of them, and I snagged a wacky white blend for my mother, because I'm not serving chardonnay, sorry. In honor of @hankzona, I asked for a sparkling rose for my sister, who adores dry rose but may never have had a sparkling one. And a couple of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, one of which went nicely with a steak this evening, and college son/foodie had an interesting observation about the aftertaste. And then he cleaned up the dishes. 

So I didn't stick to my resolution to serve American wines for the American holiday, but I'm happy with everything i picked.

(ETA: I fixed the link to the cranberry sauce I used. I think the one marylago mentions below is cranberry sauce with chiles.)

Ooh! j_r, while I thought jeffhandy's recipe looked fabulous, yours is right up my alley! Gonna have to try it...

valley_girl said:

Oh, and you gotta play "Alice's Restaurant" as your guests arrive!

+18:34

if you get a frozen turkey, be sure to check the cavities for organs sealed in plastic. I made that mistake the first year. And allow about three days to defrost it.

My favorite sides are so incredibly easy. I cut up butternut squash into small chinks, toss it in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast it. While it's still hot I toss it with dried cranberries so they plump up again and drizzle with a little maple syrup. If I feel ambitious, I garnish with candied spice walnuts.

I have come to love steamed green beans with butter, salt, and minced fresh garlic. That's a new addiction for me.

My traditional relish is whole-berry cranberry sauce (yes, from the can) with grated fresh ginger and orange zest. Let the favors mix overnight, so make a day ahead of time.

My stuffing is just Pepperidge Farm cubes from the bag, but I add sautéed onion, celery, and carrot bits, as well as organic chicken stock and butter.

This year I might try mashed potatoes whipped with a little pumpkin purée.

This recipe is yummy!

Praline
Sweet Potato's

3 Cups mashed sweet potatoes, about 2 cans..29 oz
ea.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

1/2 cup butter MELTED

Mix all ingredients and pour into a shallow 2 qt. casserole
dish...long and shallow works best, or 2- 9 inch pie plates

                                                                    TOPPING

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup butter softened NOT melted

1 cup chopped pecans

With a fork, Mix topping until crumbly and sprinkle over sweet
potato's mixture

Bake at 350 30 to 40 minuets. Can be made ahead...makes 2- 9 inch
pie plates or 1 2qt 2 inch deep casserole...watch closely while
baking.

Tarheels-- did you have to buy anything additional to get the $.59 per pound price on turkey?  Was it a Butterball?

Thanks everyone! Below is my menu. I've bought almost everything. Let me know what, if anything, I am missing.

Fresh Turkey (have an herb butter recipe I will use, along with lots of broth)

sausage stuffing

Sweet Potato casserole

garlic-whipped mashed potatoes

gravy, thickened with cornstarch 

brussel sprouts with bacon and onion

green bean casserole

cranberry sauce, pickles, olives

pasta dish (for the teens)

Starters: cheese & crackers, italian meats, shrimp from Freeman's

Dessert: pie, ice cream, blondies

Lots of prosecco, riesling, beer, apple cider

valley_girl said:

Tarheels-- did you have to buy anything additional to get the $.59 per pound price on turkey?  Was it a Butterball?

I just looked at the circular. It looks like it's the Stop & Shop brand frozen turkey, $0.59 a pound with a $25 purchase. http://stopandshop.shoplocal.com/StopandShop/BrowseByPage?storeid=2686107&promotionid=120740&promotionviewmode=1&pagenumber=1&listingid=0&sneakpeek=N&redirected=1

I guess I need to get myself to the store either today or early tomorrow ... sigh!  (I dislike shopping more and more as time goes by.)