Since it's coming up...what's the one Thanksgiving dish you MUST have?

What dish in it's absence would just ruin your Thanksgiving? Mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries, candies yams, pecan pie?

They all rank up there for me but I guess the most important would have to be the turkey...then the pies

open bar...must have.

the only MUST have i really need for thanksgiving is family and friends! Having lived all over the country i have had every thanksgiving meal variation imaginable -vegetarian,turkeys-roasted, fried ,split grilled and bonless,venison,lobster,---and they were ALL good! I LOVE Thanksgiving!! An anthropologist friend of mine describes it as a "magical ceremony designed to bond family and friends together" All in all a wonderful holiday !

Give me the bird! ( hmmm... maybe I ought to rephrase that. )  

We will be having Thanksgiving at our house this year and most likely will have in excess of a dozen family members. Our record number is 18 plus extras showing up after dinner. When I was a kid my parents once had 29 family members for Thanksgiving. The turkey is the must have for us.

As the senior family member now I kind of think it is my role to host Thanksgiving. However, the next generation is starting to take over. It felt strange going to a niece's house last year. After this year my wife and I might not mind going out instead of hosting. But we should use our completely remodeled kitchen at least once for Thanksgiving.

We took our whole family (8 of us) to Washington DC 6 years ago and ate in at the Sequoia restaurant in Georgetown overlooking the Potomac. That's when we learned we were going to be grandparents for the first time. That was the first time I ever had Thanksgiving outside of a home.

Now that we have grandkids we are traveling more for Christmas. This year we will be going to Washington DC again.

For a traditional Thanksgiving meal, the one culinary must-have for me is chestnut or oyster dressing with gravy. That's the organizing principle of the whole meal.

Coming in a close second is some kind of pie, but nothing specific. Mashed spuds or celeriac or yams or such is next. Turkey is much loved, but I can do just as well with duck or goose or even a nice chicken.

It rarely happens that my Thanksgiving meal isn't traditional, but when it does happen, tamales are involved. That's good comfort food, too.

Cat friends by the bay are a must. They get the dreaded leftover turkey.

Well, that's a tough one. I'm not sure whether it would be the patty melt or the chili.

Michael Hoffman


Well, that's a tough one. I'm not sure whether it would be the patty melt or the chili.

what about the salami sandwich with the dog on your pheasant hunt!!!???

Thanksgiving is not complete without Bobbi's & Rachel's dinner rolls.



Three Four dozen may just be enough ... for the five of us.

tiki

Michael Hoffman


Well, that's a tough one. I'm not sure whether it would be the patty melt or the chili.

what about the salami sandwich with the dog on your pheasant hunt!!!???

That's a take-along. The patty melt and bowl of chili is Waffle house fare for me on Thanksgiving, after a morning hunt. Tomorrow, by the way, is opening day for pheasants here. I've already made the sandwiches. Unfortunately, I'll be hunting tomorrow without my dog. She's not up to it any longer. But I did make her a sandwich, and I'll feed it to her when I get back.

Packer/Lion football, a few beers, family/friends.......ALL GOOD!!!!!!!!

my favorite holiday! what's not to like? food and the ones you love (not always the same as family ;-)) paring it down to the bare minimum would be sage dressing with butter, celery, onions, chopped tart apples and blueberries, gravy and cranberry sauce. the last can be made from cranberries, fresh lemon and sugar or the jellied canned stuff. due to cosmic convergence either is acceptable.

further question: midday meal or after 5:00?

Michael Hoffman

tiki

Michael Hoffman


Well, that's a tough one. I'm not sure whether it would be the patty melt or the chili.

what about the salami sandwich with the dog on your pheasant hunt!!!???

That's a take-along. The patty melt and bowl of chili is Waffle house fare for me on Thanksgiving, after a morning hunt. Tomorrow, by the way, is opening day for pheasants here. I've already made the sandwiches. Unfortunately, I'll be hunting tomorrow without my dog. She's not up to it any longer. But I did make her a sandwich, and I'll feed it to her when I get back.

sprry to hear your hunting companion wont make this year--but have great day oif anyway!

The stuffing, INSIDE THE BIRD, not dried out from having been cooked in a baking dish.

appycamper

further question: midday meal or after 5:00?

You know, that's something I always ask people. My family usually starts at 2pm-3pm and I get a lot of weird looks. It makes it easier for everyone's "other" families that they have to visit with too. Plus you don't have to starve yourself for so long before

Further question: What's your favorite leftover and do you cook more of it just to have it for the week following Thanksgiving?

After all the other usual items (I usually do the turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes... in fact, noone else is allowed to do the potatoes), I have to have spinach with a liberal dousing of cider vinegar. The vinegar runs over to the stuffing, potatoes, and gravy, and I love the way the flavors work together.

I also just started to enjoy cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving dinner over the past 2 holidays. After trying a few kinds, I've settled on the jellied sauce in the can, still in it's canned shape in the dish. Fantastic.

turkey gravy - over rice topped with green peas, and a little gravy drizzled over the dressing.  

JR - those dinner rolls look wonderful.  Can you post the recipe?

BelleReve

JR - those dinner rolls look wonderful.  Can you post the recipe?

Or better yet...put a batch in the post to me

appycamper

further question: midday meal or after 5:00?

Eating the main meal late doesn't allow enough time to build an appetite for the late evening turkey-stuffing-cranberry sandwich, so I always lobby for the earlier sitting.

cavandre, I knew I liked you...now I know why

Funny about the open bar. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays I seldom imbibe.

Since your asking what I want, The TURKEY of course!!! Washed and rinsed in Cognac.  Then these sides for sure, besides others!!!

Mamma Stamberg's Pink Cranberry Sauce.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4176014

I also make the Jack Daniels Cranberry Sauce recipe I posted on another topic.
 
Polish Cooked Vegetable Salad
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Salatka-Jarzynowa-Polish-Vegetable-Salad-m485747.aspx

White Castle Stuffing
http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/recipe_list.asp?section=recipes&type=DINNER&recipe=9

And the Ol no. 7 yams recipe by Paula Deen I posed on another topic.




 

1. The oyster from the turkey (both if I get lucky)

2. Stuffing (made with giblets and ground pork)

3. Creamed onions

4. Cranberry orange relish with walnuts

I'm a big fan of really good stuffing but 98% of the time it lets me down. Does anyone have a truly fantastic recipe?

fabulousoyster

White Castle Stuffing
http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/recipe_list.asp?section=recipes&type=DINNER&recipe=9 

I wonder how that would taste using Jimmy Dean sausge & biscuits instead of the White Castles?

 
 
Do you want to keep stuffing separate or in the bird.
Either way, this is a great basic stuffing and if you want, you can leave
out the cranberries.  I would not leave out the apples.
 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sausage-and-herb-stuffing-recipe/index.html
 
 
You can add a tsp or two of Bell's Poultry Seasoning to it if you want, but I find the sausage has
enough seasoning.  There is a nice stuffing recipe on that box too.
There is also a great Premium Cracker Stuffing recipe on the box of those crackers.
 

 Well, then, it would not be a White Castle Stuffing.
Jimmy Dean and biscuits would be fine.
 
I think celery or fennel make a stuffing delicious.
If you don't like celery, use fennel, the white part only.

BelleReve


turkey gravy - over rice topped with green peas, and a little gravy drizzled over the dressing.  

JR - those dinner rolls look wonderful.  Can you post the recipe?

BelleReve,

My wife's dinner rolls are from Fannie Farmer's Baking Book.  They are a bit sweet and have a very soft texture.

1-1/4 cups milk, warmed
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
4 TBSP butter, softened
1 package dry yeast
1 egg, slightly beaten
3-1/2 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400F.

Stir the warm milk, sugar, salt, and butter together in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle on the yeast, stir, and let stand to dissolve.  Add the egg and 2 cups of the flour, and beat vigorously for a minute or two.  The add enough remaining flour to make a manageable dough.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Place in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in bulk.  Punch down and form into rolls, let rolls rise and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 24 dinner rolls.

For the rolls, my wife and/or daughter cut the dough into 24 equal pieces.  They take each piece and rolls it with their hand into a long sausage shape, then wrap the dough around itself into a knot.  Voila!

tiki

Michael Hoffman

tiki

Michael Hoffman


Well, that's a tough one. I'm not sure whether it would be the patty melt or the chili.

what about the salami sandwich with the dog on your pheasant hunt!!!???

That's a take-along. The patty melt and bowl of chili is Waffle house fare for me on Thanksgiving, after a morning hunt. Tomorrow, by the way, is opening day for pheasants here. I've already made the sandwiches. Unfortunately, I'll be hunting tomorrow without my dog. She's not up to it any longer. But I did make her a sandwich, and I'll feed it to her when I get back.

sprry to hear your hunting companion wont make this year--but have great day oif anyway!

The day was pleasant; bright, cool, not too breezy. But It wasn't much fun. Yesterday was the first time in many years that I went bird hunting without a dog. I really missed Ruby.
 
But, when I got home I gave her her salami and cheese sandwich out in back, and I think she forgave me for going pheasant hunting without her.