Friday Five: Thanksgiving (food) edition

Friday Five: The Thanksgiving (food) edition

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Deb

Last year’s altar for the Thanksgiving service

This week’s Friday Five is because of my preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner celebration, which here in the US will be next Thursday, November 28th. I hope our RevGals and Pals who are not in the US will play along, particularly as it relates to menus and food!
Be sure to link us to YOUR blog post by pasting your link into the comments.

1. Turkey: love it? hate it? self-basted? fry it or roast it? Tofu-turkey? Tell me more. (I’ve only had one roasted turkey come out totally delish so I’m fishing for your tips!)

Love it!  I will often roast a turkey when I am having folks over on days that are not feasts.  More than the dinner, I love turkey sandwiches and the sliced stuff you get from the deli doesn't cut it for me.   I am not hosting T'giving and probably never will because our house isn't big enough for the whole clan.  But for a small turkey of about 8lbs, I put a herbed butter underneath the skin of my bird--usually thyme or parsley.  Whatever I have left in the garden. And add either a lemon and onion, carrot and celery to the cavity.   I have been known to brine my turkey so that it stays moist. Turkey is one of the easiest things to roast.  I generally put it in a very hot oven (400F) for about 15 mins. and then lower the temp to 325 for the rest of the time.  I have also smoked turkeys on the grill.  They only take about an hour if you do it right.  Mmmm, smoked turkey is awesome.

2. Stuffing: bagged? homemade? sage? sausage? cornbread? oysters? nuts? Got any inspiration for

me?

Of course.  I love white bread stuffing.  I usually get Pepperage Farm herbed dressing and add celery, onion, slivered almonds, parsley, sometimes sliced water chestnuts, apple and a bit of wine, melted butter and chicken stock and make it pretty spongy so that it cooks nicely.  I go back and forth between stuffing the bird and not.  It depends upon how much time I have.  But I have found that my birds tend to come out dry when I stuff them because it take so much longer to cook a stuffed bird. 

 3. Cranberries: When we celebrated Thanksgiving in Europe one year, our French friends thought we were nuts to choose a very sour berry and then load it with sugar. (Let alone the stuff that comes out of a can in a blob of gelatinous ooze!) What do you do with cranberries?

I like Cranberries.  J loves jellied cranberry sauce.  I make a gelatine sauce with black cherry jello, cranberries that I have cooked for a bit in wine sugar, celery, and walnuts.  But I can't seem to sell the family on it.  Doesn't bother me--I love the left-overs!  I saw an awesome cranberry salsa that I want to try with whole berry cranberry sauce, cilantro,  onion, a bit of pepper ( I use poblanos because we are wusses at our house)
  
4. Potatoes: (Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew…) What’s your pleasure?

If I have enough dressing, I don't need potatoes.  But the family seems to have to have them.  I like mashed with sour cream and a bit of cream cheese with some chives from the garden.  I have often wanted to do a potato gratin but have never gotten to it.

5. Pie: I’m married to the Pie Man. Anything but coconut pie floats his boat. What do you make? (or buy?) Pumpkin? Pecan? Apple?

J. makes a mean Pumpkin Chiffon pie that is perfect after a heavy meal.  I prefer Pecan with Bourbon sauce.  I have never made a decent crust but I love to make pies.  I am going to work on my crust this weekend so that I can try out my new mixer on it.  Prayers appreciated. ;>}


Bonus:  Bourbon Pecan Pie

 

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

This is Paula Deen's recipe but mine is pretty much the same.  I sometimes add a drop of molasses.