2009 T-Day Turkey??

[Sean Malone]

So what's your turkey method going to be this year? Trying something new? Deep frying? Grilling? Roasting? Brining?

I'm roasting a whole turkey and doing a breast as a roulade with a cranberry/apple stuffing.

Post up your menu!

[tllips]

Alton Brown's Brining and Roasting. Although, against my better judgment, I have to stuff the turkey (to maintain marital bliss in the household), so I am also following Alton's lead and pre-heating the stuffing components going in the bird.

[Michaelhatesfans]

I have two simple rules for Thanksgiving/Xmas.

1. Don't **** with the turkey.

2. Don't **** with anything.

No beer cans, deep fryers, or anything else funky. Norman ****ing Rockwell, okay?

You want to try out the Jamaican Cranberries with the Middle Eastern flair that you saw on Martha Stewart? See item number 2.

We'll put up with Grandma's adventures in Jell-O because it's Grandma.

Happy Holidays!:thumbup:

[dando]

Alton Brown's Brining and Roasting.

Aye. :thumbup:

Stuffing on the side, green bean casserole, yukon gold mashed, some sort of roasted veggies, sweet taters and cranberry sauce of some sort. The fun this year will be to make it veggietard :gomer: friendly since we're hosting the SIL from NYC. Gonna be a tough holiday this year with the FIL passing away ~2 weeks ago. :(

-Kevin

[extramundane]

Gonna be a tough holiday this year with the FIL passing away ~2 weeks ago. :(

I feel you on that. Dad was scheming to cook up one hell of a turkey this year before getting sick. It's gonna be small this year, just the mother, the Missus and myself. A friend of Mom's is dropping off a cajun-spiced fried turkey breast tomorrow, I'll whip up some mashed potatoes, stuffing, baked mac & cheese and green beans + fatback.

And we shall honor Dad's memory by eating ourselves into a turkey coma, drinking too much Maker's Mark and watching the Lions and Raiders get pounded into goo. Or at least that's what I'm going to do. :thumbup:

[Napoleon]

So what's your turkey method going to be this year?


Air mail (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FXSnoy71Q4&feature=PlayList&p=549D42319D7EC826&index=0&playnext=1)

[dando]

drinking too much Maker's Mark

The is no such thing. ;) And I'm with you on that. Like the quote goes from Christmas Vacation:


Clark: Our holidays were always such a mess.
Clark Sr.: Oh, yeah.
Clark: How'd you get through it?
Clark Sr.: I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels.

:D

Sorry about your loss. Feels like I lost a dad, too. :(

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

Nappy, my favorite sitcom episode of all time! :thumbup:

As for dinner, I think Dando and I are using the same playbook.
Brined Turkey (stuffed with apples, oranges and onions), sausage dressing on the side, mashers, green bean casserole, roasted veggies, sauteed carrots with ginger. Zinfandel and turkey go great together. The experimental recipe this year is mashed sweet taters and bananas (food network). My favorite is the turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce sammy later in the day! Giants/Broncos on the tube Thursday night.

[TKGAngel]

Grandma cooks for 20...god bless her. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed turnip, corn, coleslaw, rolls & butter, and pie are all on the menu. She handles the big stuff, the kids and grandkids bring the accessories - pie, rolls, pop, wine, etc. I already have my tupperware container ready for leftovers.

[Sean Malone]

Nappy, my favorite sitcom episode of all time! :thumbup:

As for dinner, I think Dando and I are using the same playbook.
Brined Turkey (stuffed with apples, oranges and onions), sausage dressing on the side, mashers, green bean casserole, roasted veggies, sauteed carrots with ginger. Zinfandel and turkey go great together. The experimental recipe this year is mashed sweet taters and bananas (food network). My favorite is the turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce sammy later in the day! Giants/Broncos on the tube Thursday night.

I saw that sweet potato and bananna recipe on there the other day.Sounds interesting. The turkey roulade I'm doing is a Ina Garten recipe.

@TKAngel - she's cooking for 20!!! I couldn't imagine. I'm cooking for 9 and am stressed over it!

[TKGAngel]

I saw that sweet potato and bananna recipe on there the other day.Sounds interesting. The turkey roulade I'm doing is a Ina Garten recipe.

@TKAngel - she's cooking for 20!!! I couldn't imagine. I'm cooking for 9 and am stressed over it!

She has two ovens to cook from, and does a lot of pre-prep work. About the only catastrophe I can remember occurred last year when she was peeling the turnips and the bowl tipped over onto the floor. She discovered the dog really likes turnips after that one.

[dando]

Nappy, my favorite sitcom episode of all time! :thumbup:

As for dinner, I think Dando and I are using the same playbook.
Brined Turkey (stuffed with apples, oranges and onions), sausage dressing on the side, mashers, green bean casserole, roasted veggies, sauteed carrots with ginger. Zinfandel and turkey go great together. The experimental recipe this year is mashed sweet taters and bananas (food network). My favorite is the turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce sammy later in the day! Giants/Broncos on the tube Thursday night.

Unfortunately I haven't had time to catch the Foodies Turkey Day shows this year. I generally like to try to use one or two new recipes from them. Altho the past couple of years have been repeats. :saywhat: From the bits of the shows I caught this year, they look to be new shows. Of course the epic fail was my turkey smoking disaster of ~4 years ago. It was too damn cold outside for the turkey to smoke properly on the grill, and to cut it up cook it on the stovetop. :gomer: :shakehead :irked:

-Kevin

[Michaelhatesfans]

The turkey roulade I'm doing is a Ina Garten recipe.

"Ina Garten Davida, baby... don'chu know that I love you...."

Try getting that out of your head on Thursday!:p

[Sean Malone]

"Ina Garten Davida, baby... don'chu know that I love you...."

Try getting that out of your head on Thursday!:p

:D

[Don Quixote]

I'm cooking for 9 and am stressed over it! See Mark, Maker's for stress relief. :D

[Don Quixote]

"Ina Garten Davida, baby... don'chu know that I love you...."

Try getting that out of your head on Thursday!:p oohhhhh you bastard.... :D

[Sean Malone]

See Mark, Maker's for stress relief. :D

My favorite line when people ask what we're having for t-day dinner..."A beer in one hand and a shot in the other".

Funny thing is....I'm not kidding. LOL!

[RaceGrrl]

This is the first Thanksgiving my mom is hosting since Dad died four years ago. We've bounced around in the past few years but she felt like she was able to host again this year. She'll roast the turkey and cook the green beans; I make homemade noodles; and the brothers and their families will bring mashed potatoes, rolls and pumpkin pie. I may have to make brownies or some other dessert because I don't like pumpkin pie unless my mother in law is making it.

Then it's time to gather round the Black Friday ads and plan our shopping strategy. :)

[TrueBrit]

What? No-one is having TurBriskefil?;)

[oddlycalm]

We'll put up with Grandma's adventures in Jell-O because it's Grandma.
That's mighty liberal of you. :laugh:

oc

[dando]

We'll put up with Grandma's adventures in Jell-O because it's Grandma.


Spmqbs8YCW8

:D

-Kevin

[dando]

Nappy, my favorite sitcom episode of all time! :thumbup:


http://www.hulu.com/watch/322/wkrp-in-cincinnati-turkeys-away

http://www.strangecelebrities.com/images/content/103511.jpg

:D

Of course the Cheers Thanksgiving food fight ranks right up there. :thumbup:


gV-LsMhSbCE

kNzos1xpr4E

Z8GSKBc9UFY

-Kevin

[stroker]

^ Man, I knew there was a reason I always like Jan Smithers more than Loni Anderson.

I wish she'd done more after WKRP.

[dando]

^ Man, I knew there was a reason I always like Jan Smithers more than Loni Anderson.

I wish she'd done more after WKRP.

And I always liked Marianne better than Ginger, too. :D

-Kevin

[SteveH]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1213/1427495191_5e2b8df0e1.jpg

better than a picture of Flavio in a thong ;)

[Michaelhatesfans]

^ Man, I knew there was a reason I always like Jan Smithers more than Loni Anderson.


:thumbup:

And with a name like yours, no one is doubting your sincerity.

[Michaelhatesfans]

And I always liked Marianne better than Ginger, too. :D

-Kevin

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[SteveH]

:thumbup:

And with a name like yours, no one is doubting your sincerity.

:rofl::laugh::rofl:

[Sean Malone]

Marianne and Jan FTMFW. :thumbup:

gooble gooble.

[cameraman]

And I always liked Marianne better than Ginger, too. :D

-Kevin

+1

[Don Quixote]

+1ditto, Maryanne and Baily by a wide margin.

[chop456]

Frying one and grilling another, provided the new gas line gets installed before Thursday. Otherwise, both will get fried.

Drinking Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome while sitting outside supervising the bird.*

And I get to work both Thursday and Friday. :gomer:




*Avoiding her family

[Ankf00]

rented a house in Humboldt County, near Lost Coast and all that jazz, stopping by oyster farms on the way up, if can find some atlantics going to make oysters gilhooley for lunch (the best oyster dish on the gulf coast, clear lake, holla) http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Oysters-Gilhooley

will also make an oyster soup as first course

Oysters Rockefeller Soup
Serves 12

1 Stick butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped shallots (around 6)
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 all purpose flour
2 cups whipping cream (hot heavy, not half n half)
2 cups chicken broth
32 ounces of fresh oysters, liquid reserved after draining. You can use jarred oysters if you can't get them fresh. If oysters are big, cut into 1 inch pieces
Creole or Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 9-10 ounce bag of spinach
1/4 of Pernod or other licorice flavored liquor (you will keep this stuff forever but it does make a big difference in the outcome)
Bottle of Clam Juice

Melt 6 T of butter (reserve 2 from the stick) in large heavy pot over medium heat. Saute celery, shallot and garlic until tender (5 min). Add flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor. Slowly whisk in cream, broth and reserved oyster juices. Add creole seasoning and Tabasco. Simmer until thick and smooth. (Can be made the night or day before up to this point and put in the fridge. Return to simmer before continuing)

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and toss until wilted but still bright green (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.

Add oysters to simmering soup until edges begin to curl (about 3 minutes). Add Pernod and spinach. Thin with 1/4 cupfuls of clam juice until flavor is noticeable but not over the top. Season with salt and pepper and serve as a first course.

if I can't get atlantics, it will just be kumamotos to excessively snack on all day while prepping dinner. apparently Humboldt Bay fishermen are who first brought kumamotos stateside.

There's apparently a boatload of chantrelles growing around the property so sis & her bff have a hard on for making a chantrelle stuffing. I have a feeling there will be no cornbread/oyster stuffing, in which case I might have to choke a bitch...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/Ankf00/DSC03088.jpg

14lb'er in apple juice brine tomorrow, possibly w/ 3 bottles of zatarains crab boil. Breasteses covered in ziploc ice bags to keep initial temp down since breasteses finish before the legs, then I think will cover in bacon for self-basting + tasty bacon to snack on all day + covers breasteses to keep them from becoming too dark, I dunno, we'll see...

It won't top last year's tday tailgate for the aggy game, though. That has become gold standard.

[emjaya]

rented a house in Humboldt County....

Hmmmm. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_County,_California#Marijuana) ;)

Nice looking place.

[pchall]

This will be the first major holiday without my dad. Mom's been downsizing everything in her life since last April and the holidays are not exempt. A smaller Thanksgiving dinner is not a problem for me since it is not really biggie for me. I will stick to my guns about Christmas, though. My dad loved his Christmas tree and I will find one and trim it myself on Christmas eve just to do things the way Clayton liked one more time.

The day after Thanksgiving I will be in the Columbus area where my son is spending the holiday with the grandparents on the ex's side. A visit to COSI with James in the morning and Slate Run Farm in the afternoon if the weather holds. If not then that is extra time in Grandpa Jim's workshop designing and building a popsicle stick bridge for his Webelos Engineering Activity. Here's hoping he's picked the Subdivided Warren truss from the .pdf I sent him instead of something even more difficult. Knowing my kid he'll want to do a Camelback Pratt truss for the coolness factor. Oh, well. I've got about a 48 hour window to guide him through building a test section of the truss of his choice and pass on as many gluing and joinery tips from my years of model aircraft crashing as possible. Then he goes back to Wisconsin to complete the project with only e-mail, telephone, and digital pix consultation.

[Don Quixote]

^^^ Sounds like a pretty good holiday weekend to me Pete. Geeky bridge building exercises are the best. We made a k truss rr bridge that looked great, but it didn't fare too well under load.



There's apparently a boatload of chantrelles growing around the property By all means go into business. I picked up a small package of these in the local market yesterday and promtly set it down when I saw that they were selling for $25 a pound.

[KLang]

Plain ole roasted turkey this year. Not bothering with the brine, I just don't taste a payback for the effort. Going to try a simple Herb and Citrus recipe from Giada I caught last week on one of Food Network's holiday reruns.

[Sean Malone]

Plain ole roasted turkey this year. Not bothering with the brine, I just don't taste a payback for the effort. Going to try a simple Herb and Citrus recipe from Giada I caught last week on one of Food Network's holiday reruns.

Mom emailed me yesterday to say "Make sure your turkey isn't self basting. If it is you don't want to brine it as it will be too salty.".

[dando]

Mom emailed me yesterday to say "Make sure your turkey isn't self basting. If it is you don't want to brine it as it will be too salty.".

If you buy a frozen bird from the market, that's likely what you'll get. They inject those birds to plump them up. 'tis why I pay a bit extra for the roaming, steroid free, etc. birds from our local meat shop. :thumbup:

-Kevin

[oddlycalm]

Strictly traditional around here this year. Oven roasted Shelton Farms heirloom turkey, Yukon Gold mashers, sage stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, brussel sprouts, whole berry cranberry sauce from local cranberries, dinner rolls and crusty artisan bread for the stuffing from Marsee Bakery. The Jell-O is white grape made with selzer water with seeded chardonnay grapes and not meant to appeal to young kids or grannies of which we have neither. ;) Wine for dinner is Kramer Pinot Gris and for dessert it's Sea Mist cranberry which I've never tried before.

oc

[dando]

The Jell-O is white grape made with selzer water with seeded chardonnay grapes and not meant to appeal to young kids or grannies of which we have neither. ;)

But what about cats? :gomer:

fs_BU8vgiVQ

:D

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

I call bs, I think they put tuna in the jello. :gomer:

[Brickman]

Strictly traditional around here this year. Oven roasted Shelton Farms heirloom turkey, Yukon Gold mashers, sage stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, brussel sprouts, whole berry cranberry sauce from local cranberries, dinner rolls and crusty artisan bread for the stuffing from Marsee Bakery. The Jell-O is white grape made with selzer water with seeded chardonnay grapes and not meant to appeal to young kids or grannies of which we have neither. ;) Wine for dinner is Kramer Pinot Gris and for dessert it's Sea Mist cranberry which I've never tried before.

oc

You ever smoke your turkey??

Since we are going elsewhere I was thinking of trying it this year. (miss leftovers)

[Ankf00]

If you buy a frozen bird from the market, that's likely what you'll get. They inject those birds to plump them up. 'tis why I pay a bit extra for the roaming, steroid free, etc. birds from our local meat shop. :thumbup:

-Kevin

that, should look for "minimally processed" "natural" "no additives" on the label.

nothing with "8% solution" or something like that

[Ankf00]

You ever smoke your turkey??

Since we are going elsewhere I was thinking of trying it this year. (miss leftovers)

if smoke, do it in an Al pan so you can keep the drippings, do the backbone side up first so it can darken then flip it. when the breasts get to the color you want loosely tent in foil so they dont come out charred.

[extramundane]

You ever smoke your turkey??

Dad always used to smoke one on an ancient Weber kettle grill and to this day those were the best tasting birds I've ever had. I was probably 10 or 11 before I ever had an oven-baked turkey for Thanksgiving.

I highly recommend it. :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

You ever smoke your turkey??

Since we are going elsewhere I was thinking of trying it this year. (miss leftovers)
Sure, but not for a holiday dinner. I don't like the texture of the skin on a smoked bird. The meat texture is also more dense than a roast bird which is great for sandwiches, burritos, salads, pasta etc., but not for holiday dinner. I generally do them in warmer weather and vacuum pack and freeze a bunch.

The pic is of a frozen Norbest hen I got on a store freebie. I stuffed it loosely with apple, onion, garlic and fresh sage (all tossed afterward). This is what it looked like 2hrs in. I've done them on the meat hanger over the pizza stone/heat deflector and on the grill over same. The pizza stone keeps them from getting too dark so I don't turn them. The pan is just to avoid cleanup as there is not enough juice lost in the ceramic cooker to do anything with. Cook time depends on turkey size and I let the BBQ Guru pit controller run the cooker until nearly finished then ramp down and dwell at the finished temp until I'm ready to take it off. This bird went around 7hrs @ 250F.

oc

[Don Quixote]

OC, that is a thing of beauty. :thumbup:

[Ankf00]

I think it moved.

[Sean Malone]

What's that thing plugged into it, is that like a potato battery turkey? :D

That smoker is shweeeeet!!

[miatanut]

Sure, but not for a holiday dinner.

The smoking guru doesn't smoke the Thanksgiving bird. :confused:

Always my biggest BBQ event of the year. I'm not interested in turkey cooked any other way.

[dando]

The smoking guru doesn't smoke the Thanksgiving bird. :confused:

He's too busy with his jello. :gomer:

-Kevin

[pchall]

But what about cats? :gomer:

-Kevin

Cats are just a waste of fur and skin that could have been better used to make a dog. :D

[G.]

oven-roasted bird, sage-sausage stuffing, glazed ham, 3-bean casserole, toasted asparagus, mashed, something with sweet potatoes (dunno, Mrs. G.'s got that one covered), lettuce-cranberry-walnut-pear salad with balsamic vinagarette dressing, the usual.

Smaller crowd this year. Had I known, I would have tried a local live bird of the genetically pure race. :D :p Place raises heritage birds down the road.

[SteveH]

mmmmm ready for the day, making the preparations now

traditional all the way around

Anyone have a shortage of pumpkin pie filling this year?

Was reported on Chicago news that Libby's had none in the area. And the report was correct, none at the store. Luckily we had a can in the pantry.

[Napoleon]

Anyone have a shortage of pumpkin pie filling this year?

Not in my grocery.

[SteveH]

Libby's grows pumpkins in Morton IL (close to Peoria). When harvest came so did heavy rains, too wet to harvest before the pumpkins rotted. My sister inlaw in Traverse City saw a shortage there also. She bought the last can early last week.

I like pecan pie better, anyway. :)

[dando]

Reports the turkey was in the brine ~9am today. All shopping completed before the mayhem ensues later today. :D

-Kevin

[stroker]

Anyone have a shortage of pumpkin pie filling this year?


Yes, it's a national situation.

[Napoleon]

Libby's grows pumpkins in Morton IL (close to Peoria). When harvest came so did heavy rains, too wet to harvest before the pumpkins rotted. My sister inlaw in Traverse City saw a shortage there also. She bought the last can early last week.

I like pecan pie better, anyway. :)

I wish I knew this a week ago, I would have bought up all the cans at where I go and sell them on e-bay.

PS, I was in the grocery Monday night and they still had a big stack of cans. Must be everyone around me likes pecan pie better (I know I do).

[extramundane]

Whipped up a baked mac & cheese w/ 3-cheese béchamel and andouille & 3-mushroom stuffing last night. Hitting the road in about 40 minutes (wish us luck), then tonight it's mashed yukon golds, fresh-cut green beans slow-cooked in andouille & fatback and utter failure at recreating Grandmother's yeast rolls.

How the hell none of the breadmaking gene possessed by both maternal grandparents made it to me is a mystery.

[KLang]

Turkey stock simmering on the stove now.

Hey anybody want any pecans? Gotta bumper crop in the yard.

[dando]

How the hell none of the breadmaking gene possessed by both maternal grandparents made it to me is a mystery.

Bread making skillz are the most rare of all. :eek:

-Kevin

[dando]

Hey anybody want any pecans? Gotta bumper crop in the yard.

Yes. Do you deliver? :)

-Kevin

[Ankf00]

Humboldt's off, first guy up there reported major water pressure issues. A handyman showed up yesterday with an open can of beer and a Harvard sweatshirt, no progress as of this morning.

Boo. Hiss. :mad:

[Don Quixote]

You don't need any stinking water pressure!

[dando]

You don't need any stinking water pressure!

4fyS5CLBgyM

:gomer:

-Kevin

[Sean Malone]

Reports the turkey was in the brine ~9am today. All shopping completed before the mayhem ensues later today. :D

-Kevin

4 hours of shopping yesterday = complete. Been cleaning since 8:00am today, just finished. House full of inlaws in T minus 35 minutes. Commence drinking. :)

[cameraman]

A family wide contest to see who can throw up the most:irked:

Thanksgiving with the stomach flu, just wonderful. :yuck: Literally.

[Napoleon]

Commence drinking. :)

You wouldn't happen to be Irish, would you/ ;)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

[Gnam]

Over the river and through the woods in T-3hrs.

Chefs may get all the glory, but operational support is where it's at.
Tables, and chairs, and dishes...holiday party roadie, holla!



Wonder if FTG shows at the fambly dinner? :tony:

[dando]

A family wide contest to see who can throw up the most:irked:

Thanksgiving with the stomach flu, just wonderful. :yuck: Literally.

I did that ~3 years ago. The wife suggested it might have been from pre-Thxgiving festivities, but my stomach suggested otherwise. :gomer: :yuck: Good luck. :(

-Kevin

[dando]

4 hours of shopping yesterday = complete. Been cleaning since 8:00am today, just finished. House full of inlaws in T minus 35 minutes. Commence drinking.

Dude, I can do both....clean and drink. :D Three floors vacuumed, kitchen cleaned, laundry done, basement/man cave cleaned up. Check. :thumbup: Waiting for the wife to arrive and complain. Check. :gomer: :saywhat: Bourbon on ice. Check. :thumbup: Life is good. :D

Happy Thxgiving, y'all. (even Ank) ;)

BTW, I hope Elmo is enjoying his Thxgiving in WDW. Bastard. :gomer:

-Kevin

[oddlycalm]

He's too busy with his jello. :gomer:
Dude, I'm not even allowed in the kitchen when the Jell-O diva is building it. Some nonsense about unsolicited advice... :D

oc

[nrc]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We're thankful that you still come to visit even though Champ Car has been gone for a while now. Have a safe holiday.

[Sean Malone]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We're thankful that you still come to visit even though Champ Car has been gone for a while now. Have a safe holiday.

Is that an invite to dinner? We're on our way!:D

[Indy]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Great dinner with loving family for us. I truly feel thankful for the blessings I enjoy. May all of your days be so good.

[pchall]

Bread making skillz are the most rare of all. :eek:

-Kevin

I can make pizza dough and great soft pretzels. A loaf of bread is beyond me.

[dando]

Dinner was a success. :thumbup: Up until 4am talking about future Xmas plans with the in laws from NYC. :saywhat: I'm getting too old for dat shizzle. :(

-Kevin

[Ankf00]

had tday in the city since Humboldt fell through, although tday with running water is much nicer than tday without so I don't feel too bad.

all of my experiments this year went well, fry-bake method for cornbread, stuffing bacon/herb/citrus puree underneath turkey skin, new gravy recipe

big sis and her lawyer bff tried to argue about how turkey wouldnt be done w/in 4 hours, no way, except it was done at 2h45min

omg what are you doing with that skillet full of bubbling oil, omg it's going to spray everywhere, cornbread batter spooned in without event or injury, comes out perfect

what are you doing measuring dried goods in a liquid measuring cup (no measuring cups in that person's house, had to make due w/ a nalgene)? they're not the same, the volumes are different because of the weights of liquids and dried goods are different, the dry measuring cup is an approximation of the weight, fluid oz and dry oz. go into williams sonoma if you dont believe me, oh right, now you're going to google, typical, dried stuff weighs different, i'm telling you, it's to simulate the weight

^^^ if this makes sense to you, it's because you're a lib arts from elite uni turned lawyer. it also means you have no bloody concept of mass, density, weight, volume, and the definitions of each :)

then there was everyone freaking when they saw 2 sticks of butter tossed into the roasting pan to deglaze and start making roux... "omg this gravy is so good"


I win. Overeducated hippie SF foodies lose. I take my meager victories where I can with this group :D

[oddlycalm]

Overeducated hippie SF foodies lose.
Trust me dude, they don't all reside in SF. Some folks are strictly eaters and you let them peak behind the curtain at your peril. :D

They don't want to know that delicious holiday meal (or restaurant dinner) had 4000 calories, most of them from fat. They don't want to know that the "best chicken they've ever eaten" was actually rabbit and the "red snapper" was actually pond raised talapia. Seeing an heirloom turkey with it's darker meat, dark yellow fat, and missing the that genetically enhanced balloon breast of an agribiz bird, may upset them. They will never believe that a spatchcocked 20lb. turkey draped over a mound of dressing will cook in just 1.5hrs. Almost none of them want to meet their dinner while it's still alive, so always schedule any necessary murdering accordingly.

Worst of all IMO are bakers that don't really cook. Baking is chemistry and you have to measure and follow the recipe or it's crash and burn, for cooking not so much. For bakers watching someone cook without bothering with exact measurements and temperatures and tasting and adjusting seasoning on the fly drives them to harsh dialogue. Best tactic is to engage them in an activity elsewhere or, failing that, get them too drunk to stand. Banishment from the kitchen may be inevitable in some cases but it's always best to leave the knives in the drawer in the interests of familial bliss...

oc

[Don Quixote]

Great story Ank, and I feel your pain. I wait until certain family members leave the room before adding (dumping) many of the ingredients into the mix. I have never thought of it before, but I think oc has it nailed with regards to cooks vs bakers. I am definately the former, and I am surrounded by the latter. And at the end of the day its "how did you get the turkey to taste like that?", "what is that spice I can taste", etc etc. I never give up the secrets because they will decide they don't like it.

The biggest success from yesterday was the dressing, which will be in the rotation from now on. I used to just add sauteed onions and celery to the batch, along with sage and italian sausage. This year I added carrots, red peppers, anaheims, jalpenos, corn cut off the cob and black beans. But the secret ingredient was about a cup and a half of chopped kale, which added a distinctive but unidentified flavor. Total luck on my part, but you know what they say about blind hogs. Also, the sweet potato w/ banana recipe was very good, even to those that normally don't try sweet potatoes. Also, I regret to say that I drank way too much wine, you know, steady intake for a loooong time. :thumbup:

[Don Quixote]

Forgot to ask, Ank, no arsters?

[G.]

Ank

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Great story!

[extramundane]

Bread making skillz are the most rare of all. :eek:

-Kevin

Both the maternal grandparents had 'em ('course, he was a baker by trade post-WWII, so that helped), my mother kinda has 'em. Me? It's just going to waste everyone's time and piss me off, so I rarely bother anymore. I gave it a shot the other night, but it didn't turn out well. They worked OK for sopping up redeye gravy this morning, though.

[Ankf00]

Forgot to ask, Ank, no arsters?

na, supposed to head to the north coast tomorrow though (was supposed to do today but it was raining), will give you a heads up on that experiment...

[TKGAngel]

I think ank just broke my brain with the measuring cup thing.

Grandma sent me home with leftover stuffing and rolls, both of which made a very nice afternoon snack.

[Sean Malone]

The measuring cup thing started back in the 70's with 'home ec' teachers in middle school's across the country. It's the only thing I remember from that class, oh, and the green fuzzy dice pillow we made. :)

Great post ank!! I read it 3 times!:D

[chop456]

Our neighbor is a great home-ec style "cook", but take the cookbooks away and she'd starve to death. She's always aghast watching me cook. "How do you know how much is in there?" :laugh:

[TKGAngel]

The measuring cup thing started back in the 70's with 'home ec' teachers in middle school's across the country. It's the only thing I remember from that class, oh, and the green fuzzy dice pillow we made. :)


That explains a lot. I never took home ec in either middle or high school (middle-to-late 90s). Darn Catholic schools making sure that I could pray in multiple languages, but not making sure I could bake a cake.

[pchall]

^^^ Sounds like a pretty good holiday weekend to me Pete. Geeky bridge building exercises are the best. We made a k truss rr bridge that looked great, but it didn't fare too well under load.


Wound up doing a simple Warren truss bridge with the trusses from halved popsicle sticks and the rest from whole ones. It ought to do well for strength/lightness and have a pretty good coolness factor since it looks a lot like an actual RR bridge near his grandpa's house. Destructive testing on Monday evening at his pack meeting. The bridge will have a useful life of 54 hours or so. :laugh:

I bet the winning bridge will look like a fine example of Soviet Brutalism in its design.

[racermike]

Cooked 14lb bird this year, doing the fast/hot method. Seasoned inside of bird with butter/garlic/onions. Put bird in roasting pan, surround with a lot of carrots and onions, and then bake at 500 degrees for 2 hours.

Let it sit for 20-25 minutes, carve and serve.

Was on one of the best turkeys I have ever cooked. Absolutely perfect.

[Ankf00]

Wound up doing a simple Warren truss bridge with the trusses from halved popsicle sticks and the rest from whole ones. It ought to do well for strength/lightness and have a pretty good coolness factor since it looks a lot like an actual RR bridge near his grandpa's house. Destructive testing on Monday evening at his pack meeting. The bridge will have a useful life of 54 hours or so. :laugh:

I bet the winning bridge will look like a fine example of Soviet Brutalism in its design.

hah :thumbup:

[stroker]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Great dinner with loving family for us. I truly feel thankful for the blessings I enjoy. May all of your days be so good.

Roger that!

[SteveH]

Cooked 14lb bird this year, doing the fast/hot method. Seasoned inside of bird with butter/garlic/onions. Put bird in roasting pan, surround with a lot of carrots and onions, and then bake at 500 degrees for 2 hours.

Let it sit for 20-25 minutes, carve and serve.

Was on one of the best turkeys I have ever cooked. Absolutely perfect.

Interesing, never heard of that. Did ours in a cooking bag and it came out just fine. Same sized bird, about 2.5 hours at 350.

[cameraman]

Wound up doing a simple Warren truss bridge with the trusses from halved popsicle sticks and the rest from whole ones. It ought to do well for strength/lightness and have a pretty good coolness factor since it looks a lot like an actual RR bridge near his grandpa's house. Destructive testing on Monday evening at his pack meeting. The bridge will have a useful life of 54 hours or so. :laugh:

I bet the winning bridge will look like a fine example of Soviet Brutalism in its design.

Take some toothpicks and a drill an pin every joint. You might just win...