Thanksgiving dinner planning

[rangerdog]

Its not to early, here's how I think I will roll for my posse of ~17 adults and 7 kids...

Hors d'œuvre
Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham
Fried Turkey
Smoked Turkey
Brunswick stew
Mashed Potatoes
Gravies
Cranberry Sauce
Corn Bread Dressing
Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
Succotash
Seven Layer Salad
Waldorf Salad
Breads
Desserts

[Roadie]

If you could just add 2 adults and 2 kids, that'd be greeeeat.

[rangerdog]

Originally Posted by Roadie

If you could just add 2 adults and 2 kids, that'd be greeeeat.

Must add two more turkeys to the shopping list...

[Roadie]

Originally Posted by rangerdog

Must add two more turkeys to the shopping list...

I'm so glad you said "shopping" and not "guest".

[rangerdog]

Originally Posted by Roadie

I'm so glad you said "shopping" and not "guest".

With you two I better get more beer too. Lots more.

[RCIAG]

Ugh. No clue what we're doing this year. Hopefully just me & the hubby & a turkey I bought a few months ago.

[rangerdog]

RCIAG I have to plan in advance. I have family members coming from overseas.

[Singing in the Drizzle]

I will most likely cook a turkey and take it down to the in-laws to eat. They try and cook a turkey every year with not much success and being from Thailand, not much knowledge on how to cook it in the first place.

So I will end up having turkey with traditional Thai food for Thanksgiving.

[Roadie]

Originally Posted by Singing in the Drizzle

They try and cook a turkey every year with not much success and being from Thailand, not much knowledge on how to cook it in the first place.

Turkey is my favorite thing to cook because it's so dang easy. Follow the instructions. Do not deviate. Perfection. What are they doing wrong?

[Sue Bee]

I saw an article about heritage breed turkeys and how much better tasting they are, I thought that would be good to try. Then when I priced them locally ($7.00 a lb), I thought that Trader Joe's Empire brand brined never frozen kosher turkeys would be good enough, in fact, somewhat fancy.

But maybe I will do a couple of ducks instead.

[Sue Bee]

Originally Posted by Roadie

Turkey is my favorite thing to cook because it's so dang easy. Follow the instructions. Do not deviate. Perfection. What are they doing wrong?

I would disagree heartily. Turkey is very easy to do badly, mainly because the breast cooks more quickly than the dark meat, and can become dry and crumbly. Brining helps a lot, so does spatchcocking (and spatchcocking makes for easier serving later), but a lot of people love the whole turkey presentation. There is deep frying, which I won't attempt, but what an amazing outcome, probably the tastiest, other than smoked turkey.

I usually just go for the brining, and roast the thing. Tender, juicy and tasty.

[NayShel]

I'll probably do the usual turkey dinner and invite the grandparents-in-law over. Along with the turkey we'll have stuffing (Stove Top turkey flavor), squash, GmaIL's mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and gravy. That's usually plenty for the 4 of us. I'd love to invite BIL and his GF but our dining area is too small for more than 4 people. Maybe I'll make a chicken dinner with the fixins for Christmas and have them over...

[Roadie]

Originally Posted by Sue Bee

I would disagree heartily.

Wow. I burn water, so I'm surprised that I can superbly cook a turkey with little or no effort. I just figured it must be pretty damn simple, if I can do it consistently well

Now that I have this knowledge, I'll probably screw up Thanksgiving, though.

[AnglRdr]

Originally Posted by Roadie

Turkey is my favorite thing to cook because it's so dang easy. Follow the instructions. Do not deviate. Perfection. What are they doing wrong?

I never had a problem when following the directions on the bird, either. But I do like to deviate, and have found that brining makes it ssssssooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better. (You don't even have to change the way you roast it, either...just let it hang out in some icy salted water overnight.)

[Sue Bee]

Originally Posted by Roadie

Wow. I burn water, so I'm surprised that I can superbly cook a turkey with little or no effort. I just figured it must be pretty damn simple, if I can do it consistently well

Now that I have this knowledge, I'll probably screw up Thanksgiving, though.

I wasn't there, but there is a (I.L.) family story where a turkey was placed into an electric roaster that wasn't working, and no one noticed until dinner time, when the raw turkey was uncovered.

Now, how does one not check the turkey, and not notice a lack of delicious roasting turkey aroma, I have no idea. But then again, that isn't a poorly cooked turkey story. But trust me, the person in question has ruined a great many of the magnificent birds with the oven on.

[Errata]

In recent years we've had a big traditional dinner with lots of guests, but this year that isn't happening, and it's only going to be a few people. So I've made reservations at a resort for a Thanksgiving Day Champagne Buffet. By mid-November all the good places will be completely booked for Thanksgiving. So planning is officially done. All the traditional foods and more, with none of the stress. The downside, of course, is no leftovers.

[FrogFeathers]

After eight years of doing my own thing for Thanksgiving (meaning we were too far from family to make a regular thing out of it), I spent fourteen years being the pie-baker because my parents' home was where the family gathered. Mom would do the turkey and other relatives would bring different side dishes. Then a few years ago it became just my parents and my brood (with the occassional drop-in guest of a single cousin or two). Mom would do nearly everything and I'd bring rolls and the pies.

This year, I have to do everything except for the potatoes. Then we get to haul it all to their house. Mom isn't able to do it this year and Dad refuses to do the "big cooking" at their house because they're leaving on their "big trip" the day after Thanksgiving. They can't come here for the big meal because of Mom. She's still using a walker and wouldn't be able to get up the steps into our house, much less the fact our only bathroom is up a flight of stairs.

So, I'm following Mom's plan... no deviation from her plan because she's been doing it nigh on 40 years now and it hasn't failed yet.

[RCIAG]

Originally Posted by rangerdog

RCIAG I have to plan in advance. I have family members coming from overseas.

I totally understand, I start Halloween in the summer.

When I KNOW I'm having lots of people for Thanksgiving, I'm the same way. I'm just hoping I don't have a lot of people this year.

At least as of 2:30PM EST Oct. 21, 2009, I'm not.

[rangerdog]

Originally Posted by RCIAG

I totally understand, I start Halloween in the summer.

When I KNOW I'm having lots of people for Thanksgiving, I'm the same way. I'm just hoping I don't have a lot of people this year.

At least as of 2:30PM EST Oct. 21, 2009, I'm not.

I know. I get the occasional Naval Academy Cadet or Soldier/Marine at the last minute...

[Dr. Dave]

Originally Posted by rangerdog

I know. I get the occasional Naval Academy Cadet or Soldier/Marine at the last minute...

Midshipman.

Carry on...