Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Next time, I’m doing it my old way.

I went to brine my turkey today. As I mentioned yesterday, I ended up with a 16.55 lb turkey for these festivities.

I wanted to do something simpler than last year’s brine, both in terms of set up & flavor. So, I went poking around. Like last year, someone at one of my other internet haunts recommended a site that I thought looked great. No boiling, clear instructions on just how much salt to use per gallon, instructions on time.

Basically, drop your turkey into your brining bag, dump in enough water to submerge (or basically so), then dump in the appropriate amount of salt. Brine for 12 – 24 hours. (Note, I do not have a bowl large enough, and they do recommend turkey in bag, then whole thing in bowl, THEN water and so on.)… Continue reading →

A funny thing happened on the way to the turkey.

Funny how things change.

So, I just posted a big ol’ thing on this special turkey I was planning on serving for Thanksgiving. A turkey that’s currently in my freezer. A turkey I am suddenly thankful I haven’t started to thaw yet…

You see, right after posting that, my guest list doubled. Which isn’t hard to do. Originally my guest list was two people. Then one of them asked if she could bring two more who weren’t yet in a Thanksgiving celebration. I said yes, then contemplated how 8.43 lbs of turkey seems too little for 6 people.

I mean, it’s really not. It just means minimal leftovers, which is also okay, if not ideal.

Then, on Twitter, a Twitter-only (so far) friend who had agreed to be a delivery point for a local farm said someone backed out on three turkeys, and she needed someone to take them off her hands.… Continue reading →

Let’s discuss Thanksgiving, shall we?

It’s kind of astounding to me that I’m on my second Thanksgiving with this blog. While it’s been (I admit) pretty dead this year (our wedding and honeymoon month of October is completely dead), I’m still thinking about it & considering it. I figure that I enjoy Thanksgiving so much, and I’m thankful for the urge to play games (see the whole challenge aspect of this blog) that now’s probably the time to breathe some new life into this thing.

So, for today I thought I’d share a bit of my Thanksgiving menu with everyone1, and ask what your Thanksgiving plans and/or menu are. Tomorrow, I’ll update with yet more menu.

Last year we bought a huge turkey from the folks at … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Turkey Brine and Pre-Roasting Prep

Okay, quick diversion from cookbook recipes into “recipes from my imaginary friends”.

Like so many folks, I spend some time around various internet haunts that are not, in fact, this blog. Crazy talk, I know, but it’s still true.

Awhile back I wanted to do Thanksgiving for the first time ever. I asked at one of those haunts and got all kinds of useful advice about what to do. In fact, I’d go so far as to say the folks there might qualify as “some of them.”:http://metacookbook.com/archives/146-75-Roasted-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Garlic.html

Anyway, one of “them” gave me this brine recipe, saying it was from “Alton Brown.”:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html I used it that first year, and I used it again this year. I’ll probably use it until eternity. Or I stop making turkeys.… Continue reading →

[74] Firm Cranberry Sauce

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

This Thanksgiving, there was great temptation to jettison anything I don’t like to eat. After all, I’m the cook. Also, there were only going to be four people eating. Finally, our guests would have NO IDEA what’s traditional and what’s not.

I’m telling you this because, yes, I was tempted to dump the cranberry sauce. It’s never been a Thanksgiving food I enjoy. Bill, however, wanted some and I’d bought a pile of cranberries for cranberry liquor (to be posted sometime in February), and had some leftover. Also, I wanted another recipe for this challenge. Man, that’s a song you all have heard before, eh?

I’m really glad I made it. It’s still not my favorite food, but I did enjoy this batch. Probably my tastebuds have matured and the added sugar helps.… Continue reading →