How do you spend Thanksgiving?

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I'll be doing Thanksgiving this year. It'll only be four of us--Mom, my brother, my niece, and me. My brother just got separated, so he and Emily will be coming over.

Mom doesn't cook any more, and Jim (my bro) couldn't cook his way out of a paper bag, so, being the Responsible One, I'll be playing host.

Don't have anything extravagant planned--turkey breast, stuffing (not as good as my Dad's, but I'm getting better), mashies, green bean casserole, maybe sweets (I don't like 'em, but Mom does), and pumpkin pie for dessert. Also making a cherry pie for Jim since he likes it so much.

Oh, and cranberry sauce. With the ridges from the can. Dad would always make fancy-schmancy homemade cranberry sauce, but I think it's not official without the ridges.

Gravy. I've only made it twice in my life. Two years ago, it came out so well that I could have served it as a beverage.

Last year wasn't so hot. First off, it was alarmingly grainy. Dunno why, but it had a certain grittiness that was most unpleasant. I figured I could strain it and save the day. 'Course, I couldn't find the sieve, so I had a brain flash and cranked the mess through the flour sifter.

You'd think that if gravy has to be forced through a sifter, you should just plain give up, no?

Anyway, it ended up tasting like sewage. Gonna give it another go this year, but I have Backup Gravy, just in case!

veg
 
Well I am just happy the we have snow here in Iowa... and I hope it stays all year!!! Thanksgiving day here will be a work day. It has gotten to be tradition that I put up all the Christmas decorations on that day. So my partner and I will work all morning at that. Then will have a friend over for cornish hens, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean caserole, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. The will cook extra's and take plates of prepared food to some friends that are shut in's. We are not left over lovers so the cornish hens work out great...Mark doesn't like to cook, so he will decorate the tree while I cook in the afternoon...
 
Gravy Memories....

For years and years, my mom would make a perfectly nice Thanksgiving dinner for twelve or so. But every year my grandmother (her mother-in-law) would come out to the kitchen at the last minute and insist on making the gravy. She made AWFUL gravy - just terrible - and my mom would have to swallow hard, and carry it into the dining room as something she made.

This went on for a hundred years or so, with mom getting bolder every year: She started making a point of saying thing like "And here's Helen's gravy!" But finally it got to be too much, and she started substituting the "grandma gravy" for something that more closely resembled real gravy.

Because of this legacy, I either make really, really good gravy, or something that looks like something out of a slop bucket. :-)
 
Gravy

Veg, its taken me LOTS of practice, but I have pretty good luck with gravy these days, so maybe I can help you.
For thickener I use 2 tbs each flour and cornstarch. Add about 1/4 cup cold water and wisk til smooth.
Add about 1/2 cup potato cooking water to the pan juices. When adding the thickener to the pan juices, make sure the pan juices are boiling. As long as you have one hot and one cold, you will never have lumpy gravy. Use a whisk to mix in the thickener, and as soon as all has gone in reduce the heat to low.
If you ever do have lumpy gravy, smooth it in the blender.
Happy cooking!
 
So much to be thankful for......

On Thanksgiving week for the past 14 years, I would go to the homeless shelter with my partner and cook my tits off for all of those that had nowhere to go on Thanksgiving. We served the meal at 1:00, again at 3:00, and finally again at 6pm. Then I would run over to my sister's home around 7:30 and have Thanksgiving with them. (and yes, I would let someone else do the cleaning up at the shelter, since I had been cooking durring the week) My sister, ever graceful, would hold her Thanksgiving dinner until 8pm so that I could join in the festivities. (her timing was never very good, and a lot of years we ended up eating turkey jerkey!) Over the years, I have met many people in that shelter that I still stay in contact with, that have become lifelong friends. Now that I have moved, I really miss the time I spent in fellowship, not only with the other shelter volunteers, but with some of the nicest people that were momentarilly down on their luck. I've been very lucky throughout my life, and for that, I am ever grateful. We all have so much to be thankful for that I hope we never forget to stop and count our blessings. I hope you all have a most wonderful Thanksgiving. Mark Lightedcontrols
 
It's been at least 18 years now, since we moved here, that we've even celebrated Thanksgiving, not knowing many people and both our families being on the other side of the country. When we were in Vancouver though we'd always play host to "orphans" Tday and Chrismas dinners.
BTW T-day in Canada is in October rather than November.

Now here's some more tips like Jeffs above for perfect Turkey gravy, much similar to what Jeff has said above but I substitute potato starch (hard to find sometimes) instead of corn starch or flour and blend it well with the cold water.
Now for the most important part!!!!! next to always keep stirring and don't let it burn
Add a couple of tablespoons powdered or about 3 cubes of "CHICKEN bouillon" to the gravy to flavor it up. No one will have a clue.
 
Not lumpy

Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping I'll turn in a good performance this year.

Just to clarify, last year's gravy wasn't lumpy; it was grainy. And gritty.

Have you ever mixed concrete? That's the approximate texture. Color, too, now that I think about it. The odor was definitely turkeyish, though with a top note of sewer gas. I think it set off the carbon monoxide detector.

Everything else was good, so I didn't feel too bad.

veg
 
Hmmmm I think we'll all pass on your gravy Veg.. LOL
Using flour can make a gravy lumpy and/or gritty if it hasn't cooked properly, that's why all great cooks use corn or potato starch. And mix it well with the cold water first.
If you insist on flour though I don't know why you would, get out your Oster blender, and liquify a couple of tablespoons in a cup of water first, then if you have an electric stick blender you can use that on the stove top right in the roasting pan. It's called living (cooking) better electrically.
Use the potato water and chicken bouillon!!
 
As festive as Christmas is, Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday. Why? Because it is the one day when I really feel there is unity, even for a short time. Everyone is celebrating the same thing at the same time with slightly different ethnic twists.

For those of us who have lost loved ones in the past few years, it is never the same again. At some point during the meal you look around the table and no matter who is there, you still get that same pang as you realize the people who spearheaded those holiday dinners and taught us the traditions we observe are not there anymore. It is one of the few times when the loss is palpable.

This year as always, my sis and I will have the holiday with our childhood friends, the three siblings who lived next door to us for over 40 years. They are all married with their own families now, so there will be a good 15 of us at table. It is only natural since our parents were best friends forever. Their mother passed only a year after mine, so it is particularly important for us to be together.

Now for the menu. The host sibling and wifey will provide the turkeys, one deep fried and one roasted, as well as the sausage and sage stuffing. Next sibling will stay at our house with her husband and kids so starting Wednesday afternoon, the kitchen will almost be like it used to be. Together, we will prepare the turnips (gratineed), corn pudding, creamed spinach, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower (served at room temp tossed with pine nuts and olives in a lemon and olive oil dressing), glazed carrots and the apple crisp. Can't forget the mashed potatoes either!

Keeping my mother's tradition, I alone will prepare her candied sweet potatoes (incredibly decadent with a butter and brown sugar syrup flavored with vanilla and orange rind - but no marshmallows). I will also make her sausage and cornbread stuffing to ensure that I have some leftovers of my own and her cranberry/apple/orange sauce. Much as I loved her tradition of a lasagne course before the turkey, it is just too much food. However I am resurrecting a tradition that I couldn't do since she died and that is make her chicken soup with escarole and little meatballs. That started every holiday dinner from the time I could remember and for some reason, that is the one thing I couldn't make myself do after she died. Perhaps it is because it is the one thing that I remember watching her do so patiently and lovingly. So this year, I will get my kosher chicken parts (lots of backs, wings and legs make the most flavorful broth - of course some breasts too) and roll the 100 or so little meatballs (a loathsome task, but very necessary). I will skim the broth faithfully and defat properly and make sure to strain the results through a chinois lined with three layers of damp cheesecloth to ensure an absolutely clear broth. And I will try to remember that when I recreate these dishes just as she did, she is still somewhat close by. And finally as if there wasn't enough, I will make my mother's cream biscuits (so good the next morning toasted)

Several naps and outdoor walks later we will bring out the leftovers...... All in all a fine day

Oh, yes, I will also bring the fire extinguisher just in case things get hairy with the frying.....

And my sister who can't cook a lick, will bring the wine
 
Gravy

just like dressing, there are probably 100 variations on how to make gravy.

Veg, you can practice that gravy before hand if you like. Swanson chicken broth makes a marvelous gravy with the introduction of the thickener as previously described. Its also low fat too.
You can buy the broth pretty cheap, about $.60 a can on sale. I make this gravy when I make fried Chicken.
 
Where's the (prime GRADE AA) beef?

Angus said:

Together, we will prepare the turnips (gratineed), corn pudding, creamed spinach, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower (served at room temp tossed with pine nuts and olives in a lemon and olive oil dressing), glazed carrots and the apple crisp. Can't forget the mashed potatoes either!

These sound great. I would love some recipes. May I request a huge favor? ([email protected])
 
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

I have a great make ahead mashed potatoes. They can ben either made the morning of or the night before. They are a true hit with family and friends. I also have a sweet and sour (mostly sweet) carrot casserole. If you would like, send my you e-mail address.

Ray
 
Ray, I would love to have them as I am sure many others would too, might be easier for you to just post them here. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving. Terry
 

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