Pre-Thanksgiving check list

[maytagbear]

If you are hosting:

Do you have bathroom tissue for all the bathrooms?

Do you have Cascade(or whatever d/w detergent you favour)?

Do you have a selection of things to drink, including some things for the children, and for Uncle Henry, who finally, finally went through rehab this year?

Even though some stores, like Walgreens, for example, will be open Thanksgiving, it's nerve wracking and unpleasant to dash out for something required.

Are you allowing time for the turkey to defrost? Safest way, from a food safety standpoint, is to defrost in the refrigerator, which depending on the turkey's size, can take up to two days. The only other safe way is to totally immerse the turkey in cold tap water, and change it every half hour.

Roasting by temperature is far safer than roasting only by time. The instant-reading thermometers are the best, and they are not expensive. Should be 170F, between the leg and the thigh, without touching bone. Do not rely on the popup, if present. They are set to go off at 180F, which is too high a temperature.

Take the turkey out of the oven, let it rest at least 15 minutes, for the juices to redistribute. Carving it earlier than 15 minutes will cause all the juices to run out. Tent it with loosely draped aluminum foil.

Gravy...General Mills' Wondra instantised flour is the best for me to insure lumpless gravy. Careful, careful with adding salt. The turkey drippings are probably pretty salty to begin with. Taste and see.

If being a guest:

A few minutes early is generally better than a few minutes late. Key word is "few".

If bringing a host/ess gift, please do not make it flowers that need to be immediately put in a vase.
Decent quality chocolates, bottles of wine(IF they drink), a boxed set of pretty guest soaps...all are good choices. If bringing chocolates or wine, do say that they do not have to be served today, unless it is her/his choice.

A snail-mail Thank You note is lovely and not hard at all to do.

I am not hosting this year, and I have several invitations, and I have asked all those who invited me to let me wait until today to decide. When I have decided, I am going to call all of them to let them know whether or not I will be coming.

Love and laughter.....

Lawrence/Maytagbear

Happiest Thanksgiving to everyone here. Even if you are not from the States or Canada, it is good to be grateful now and then.......

 

[toggleswitch]

~A snail-mail Thank You note is lovely and not hard at all to do.

oh yes these are wonderful and much apreciated!

Yes in addition to these, valium and/or prozac for the adults and lots of cough-syrup for the children!

There is a REASON gay bars are at their busiest the Friday that is day after Thankgiving. Most of us have to see blood family!

 

[panthera]

Lovely list.

One thing to add.
Remember, your senior family members (they usually end up hosting it) have put an enormous amount of time, effort and money into this.
Not to mention their frequently achy bones.
So just for once, try to forget that your brother is a nazi, your dim-witted christianist, shrub-loving relations don't really know you well enough to justify their hatred of you.
And just enjoy it.
You won't have the nice folks in your family forever, regardless of whether they are blood relatives or the ones you were lucky enough to have made your family and friends.
Oh, and it might not hurt to think of both our and your brave troops stuck in the middle of nowhere, fighting side-by-side. They won't have the peace to fight with cousin Jimmy-Bob over the remote control and whatever our feelings on the matter, it ain't their fault.

 

[dalangdon]

I put my turkey on to thaw yesterday at about noon, because I want to brine it starting Wednesday morning (Plus, I had no freezer space). Do you think I started defrosting too early? It said allow 2-3 days on the package, and I wanted to make sure it was thawed.

 

[Maytagmom]

And be a perfect guest.....

Lawrence, you have everything covered!

Togs....nevahmind lol ;-)

panthera, I'm not in Hitler's Camp...will change heading. LOL

Dan, your Turkey should be fine, are you baking it in the Tappan?

I am having a loverly time here in Omaha, and the weather is great! But it's suppose to be bitter cold (at least for moi) Tuesday night.

I am in someone's home who is trying to sell the home and "entertain" a guest at the same time. Well it was sheer fun yesterday in Villisca Ax Murder House. Perhaps if your guests don't behave or contribute to the blessings we all share & remember this time of year,then I guess you could asks (axe) them then. LOL...bitter & ghetto* humour, sorry.

We are going out to get the rest of our stuff today, and visit another graveyard, lol. Fun Fun Fun..

Blessings to all,
C~

 

[veg-o-matic]

I find turkeys always take a lot longer to defrost than it says on the package, but YMMV.

Here at work, we had our Thanksgiving dinner last Friday and made one of those infamous "Two-Hour Turkeys." Delish. I'm only doing a pair of breasts this year

(Pause while Toggle's brain kicks into high)

so not sure if the technique will work.

As for a nice, handwritten snail mail thank you, I agree with the sign on the paper store near Keith's office: "If your mother raised you right, you need thank-you cards."

veg

 

[jmirawm]

ALL DONE !

Night before Thanksgiving - Remember to set alarm and meet family at The Cracker Barrel by 10:45am. <p> Note to self - Might be nice to drop a thank you note to sis, who started this family tradition 3 years ago.

 

[maytagbear]

Also, I

have found that mashed potatoes stay nicely warm in a sprayed, pre-heated slow cooker. Melt the butter in the HOT milk. A Pyrex measure in the microwave does this well.

L/Mb

 

[perc-o-prince]

Do you think I started defrosting too early?

We usually have something like a 16-20# turhey, and I take it out on Sunday every year. On T-day, sometimes there's a bit of pitted ice in the middle, and I have to run cool water in sometimes to get the gizzards out, but I wouldn't risk taking it out any later for that size.

In this case, size IS everything!!!

Chuck

 

[panthera]

i get the joke

Don't sweat it, Princess B.
Decided to pass the thought on, 'cause I remember the desperation of several threads around Thanksgiving and Christmas the last coupla years....We can't do anything about the blood relations, we're stuck with them (pity Tante Lucretia move back to Italy) but we can do something about ourselves.
My own family situation is no secret to folks around here; holidays are a horrid source of frustration and terror for me. Instead of enjoying the last few years I will have my parents, they are a battle with my fundamentalist Christian, ultra-right wing nutjob relations.
The family emergencies of the last two years weren't even enough to get them to rally 'round.
So I have taken the position, a good defense is a strong offense. I no longer rise to their bait, I let myself be insulted and castigated...bite my tongue and tell myself, it just isn't worth it. The moment my parents are gone, I never have to see them again. But these last few holidays are going to be pleasant memories and experiences for my parents if it kills me.
Gosh, sorry for the novel. Just wanted you to know that I am anything but politically correct...I lived in a trailer park from the seventh ring of hell for a couple years while studying in the US.
Kept a wolf (the real thing) and a 12gauge next my bed.
Loaded.
(The gun, not the bed).
(But sometimes the wolf, she liked her beer.)
Oh, not to change the topic, but if you are going to defrost the turkey in advance...either use Lawrence' cold water method or make sure it can't dry out in the refrigerator. Those two days in 0% have a lot to do with why some turkeys are shoe leather from the get go.

 

[dalangdon]

Maytagmom, unfortunately the Tappan is out of commission. The oven got really sketchy. BUT I will be preparing the feast using a fabulous pair of Frigidaire wall ovens and a gas Thermador cooktop.

Enjoy Omaha, CB and Vilisca. If you end up anywhere near Fairmont Park in CB, you are right in my old neighborhood

 

[toggleswitch]

~I'm only doing a pair of breasts this year.

WHAT? No pierogi and kielbasa surrounded by a bed of sauerkraut?

 

[perc-o-prince]

Those two days in 0% have a lot to do with why some turkeys

Actually, it's about 4 days at +/- 38 degrees. And the bird should be left well-sealed in the thick plastic wrapper. Haven't had one dry out yet!

Chuck

 

[panthera]

I meant

Zero percent humidity. Sorry bout that!
But in a plastic bag, no ho-ho.
Um, isn't 38°F a bit high?
We run about 35-36F° in our refrigerator.

 

[toggleswitch]

For our international friends, the menu is dictated by tradi

So what is the most diffent dish served at your Thanksgiving table?

 

[runematic]

I have my bird in the brine since last night. I'll throw it on the charcoal smoker thurs about 7am and let it go about 6 hours. I'm not going to do a true smoke at temps of 2-225*, instead it'll be closer to bbq'ing at about 275-300*.

If you've never brined your bird, I highly recommend it. They come out juicy every time. (oh & I think I'll be brined too. I have my case of Yuengling Premium on ice! We are only doing a small holiday this year, dad, mom, 1 of my brothers & I, nobody else. F'em. Nah, just kidding, everyone else is out of state at inlaws/other relatives.)