Turkey and ham will be moved to the fridge tonight to start thawing (I hope Ivylad can make room!) and green beans and egg nog will be picked up tomorrow. (Maybe eggs too, I don’t know how many Ivylad used for omelets this morning for him and Ivygirl.)
Going shopping for non-perishables tomorrow. I’ll get produce on Sunday, and start some cook-ahead items Monday. Turkey pickup is Tuesday!
Turkey in the snack fridge, ham in the big fridge. I believe they will be thawed by Tue-Wed, right? Right? :eek:
I did have a bit of a scare…there were two Target bags in the freezer, and I grabbed one, thinking it was the turkey. Then I was pulling out the ham and thought, “What the hell? That’s the bag with the turkey in it?” It turned out the bag I had pulled out, thinking it was the turkey, was instead a bag full of chuck and sirloin, that Ivylad uses to make hamburger.
I’m glad I caught that…I would have screamed like a banshee Wed night to get the turkey from the fridge only to find out it was nicely thawed chuck and sirloin.
This morning I will be giving blood (they’re giving away $10 Publix gift cards, plus it will be my second gallon) and getting the green beans, egg nog (I will have to beat Ivylad away from that with a stick) and the pears for the ham.
I’ve got a question about thawing the turkey.
The SO and I will be cooking a turkey on either Friday or Saturday; most likely Saturday. It will be brined first, of course.
Will it thaw in time for brining on Friday night if it’s taken out of the freezer on Wednesday afternoon? We can either take it out of the freezer Monday morning or Wednesday afternoon (complicated schedules, long story, don’t ask).
Can I brine it if it’s still partially frozen? I’m assuming that even if it is still partially frozen, sitting in the chilled brine with thaw it the rest of the way.
Bib I’d take it out on Monday and refrigerate it. Especially if it’s a big turkey.
I’m hosting TDay at the cave this year. That means I get to cook the turkey. Others will bring other stuff. Except, I also shall make the dressing, gravy and some collard greens. I make good cornbread dressing (the way Og intends it to be!) and giblet gravy. The collards are because I must have ‘em and I’m gettin’ me a big mess (that’s the way collards are measured) of fresh ones from a friend who has a huuuuuuuuge patch. WOOHOO!!!
Here’s hoping Siam Sam does not explode from the excitement before TDay. 
And Bibliocat, if that doesn’t finish the job there are typically instructions on how to cold-running-water-thaw your turkey in a sink that are provided with a turkey. Check the Butterball website if you can’t find them.
To other readers - I should emphasize regarding my Tuesday-pickup of a turkey that I mentioned above, I’m getting a fresh turkey. Please don’t cut it close if you have a frozen one! And don’t thaw on the countertop, you’re just asking for nasty bacteria production. Thaw in the fridge or using cold running water.
My secret boyfriend, Alton Brown, says if you must thaw a turkey quicker, put it in a five gallon bucket with icy water and put it in the bathtub. You will be changing the water frequently, hence putting it in the bathtub.
Aren’t collard greens rather bitter?
I got the green beans…now I will anxiously wait until Tue night to make the brine.
twiddles thumbs, taps foot impatiently…
Not if you cook 'em right. I put about a teaspoon of sugar in the water right before I put the greens in, then I turn the heat down to low and let 'em simmer cook for about 45 minutes. They always turn out tender and tasty. Plus, it is better to use hamhock. I’ve gotten way away from my southern roots of using pork to season veggies but greens, well, they just need the hamhock. Oh and make sure they are throughly washed. Some people chop the leaves but I’m of the tearing by hand l into small pieces kinda like how one would tear iceberg lettuce for a salad school.
- And now that it’s Sunday (over here), I can say it’s “this week.”
Okay, after checking with the SO, and finding out that the turkey does not weigh a mere 12 or so pounds like he thought (it’s a 20-pounder!), it’s been decided I’ll bring it home in a cooler with me Monday morning. It will have plenty of time to thaw in my fridge, and be ready for brining Friday evening.
Yay! Brined turkey! And plenty of leftovers!
I’m getting ready for Thanksgiving. I bought $100 of stuff, and got a free 12-pound turkey from Fred Meyer. I have an 18-20 pound fresh turkey on order, so that’s the one I’ll cook. So I’ll have another turkey in the freezer for another day. There are a few odd things I need to pick up, but they can wait. After getting the bulk of the groceries I didn’t really feel like going to CostCo for the coffee I like, and I don’t drink milk so I’ll wait for a few days before I buy some.
Since my guests have a 10-hour drive Thanksgiving Day, The Feast will be Friday. For dinner Thursday I’ll roll out some pasta dough and make some cheese raviolis with the pierogi form. A bit of sauce, some garlic bread, some salad, and I’ll call it good.
We will be hosting the yearly “Orphans and those who wish they were” T-Day dinner. We give out a standing invite to anyone we like that if they want to avoid their relations, they can say they already accepted an invite to our house.
Looks like we will be hosting 15 folks, bringing 18 dogs this year! What a riot! We do it pot-luck style, though - someone else even orders, picks up and delivers the bird the day before so we can cook it.
This holiday can be kind of funny - my partner is an avowed introvert, but absolutely LOVES having the house stuffed to the rafters for T-Day, so we do it up grand.
I’m already [del]stuck[/del] committed for this year, but next year I’m coming to your house!
Oh, God, how fun are you!
I poked the turkey and ham this morning…there’s a small but noticeable give, so they are in the thawing mode. Whew. Should be ready by Tue-Wed.
I couldn’t help but think of American Pie.
Aren’t there laws against that in Florida?
Doug at Bourbon Street has posted the menu for Thanksgiving. It’s here. This is an all-you-can-eat buffet, and each year I always waddle out of there a few pounds heavier than I did going in. 
You just can’t find stuff like this the rest of the year.
Is it possible to sample even a morsel of the entire menu? :eek:
The dogs outnumber the people?! You fool, have you seen the end of A Christmas Story?
I just went out and bought everything else but the full turkey, the green beans, and the fresh herbs. The full turkey (as vs. the turkey breast that’s in the freezer) is fresh, and on order at a local grocer.