Mrs. L.A. requested sweet stuffing, so instead of Italian parsley and sage sausage, I’ll add dried cranberries.
I’ve decided to bake only one pecan pie. Since I can’t find sweet potato pie here – which is problematic because I likes me some sweet potato pie – I’ll bake one myself.
And we’ll have leftover red velvet cake. Today is Mrs. L.A.'s birthday, so I scampered into the kitchen as soon as she left for work and baked it. (Unlike the pies, which I’ll make myself – except for the Marie Callender’s crusts – the cake is from a box and a can.)
Since two of my brothers and their wives and kids (two each) are in the area, it’s a “traditional” family thanksgiving at our childhood home, where my mother still lives; turkey, mashed potatoes, probably some green beans and cranberries of some sort, and it wouldn’t be a family dinner without a first course of tortellini in chicken broth.
Compare this to last year, where I ended up cooking dinner (well, lunch) for myself and my mother (without telling her in advance, mind you), and learned a lesson about what happens when you pre-cook a boneless turkey breast and then slice it and try to cook it again.
This year, we got a Butterball turkey that doesn’t need to be defrosted, still cooks in 3-4.5 hours, in the bag, and comes with gravy. Yay, because that all sounds easy and making gravy fucking sucks.
Besides that, I’m making corn- and white-bread stuffing, cranberry-orange relish, green beans, a sweet potato dish involving bacon, pecans, carmelized onions and orange juice, mac and cheese (only because one of the guests likes it- mac and cheese on Thanksgiving can kiss my ass), deviled eggs, rolls, and pumpkin cheesecake. For the first time ever, no mashed potatoes.
It’s over, and we followed the plan to a T. We had thought maybe we’d go to the cinema afterward but soon abandoned that idea. We rolled our overstuffed selves home and collapsed in bed. After a couple of hours napping, we watched Interstellar, which we missed when it played here last year. Now it’s after 10:30pm, and I’m envious of all you over there who have yet to start your meal. But ours was really, really good. Hope yours is too.
Just to add, the wife and I have shared a couple dozen Thanksgivings by now. Our first was at the Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu. Will never forget that one. Buffet in the open-front restaurant by the beach, with a nice view of the ocean. That was her first Thanksgiving, and it’s one American tradition she definitely enjoys. Although she’s still so stuffed right now, she swears she may never eat again.
Well, my Thanksgiving plans fell through for today, owing to the youngest daughter of my hosts falling victim to the flu. The invitation still stood, but I chose to opt out as this is a busy time of year for me and I can’t take the chance of going down for a couple weeks with the flu. Didn’t get my shot this year, so odds didn’t favor my chances.
That’s ok. I just shifted gears and have a little Cornish Game Hen defrosting. I’ll throw together some dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, steam some broccoli and add a nice little side salad. A nice quiet holiday with just me and the Dachshund.
I’m invited to join friends for another dinner tomorrow, so I’ll get my socializing in then.
Traditional here… apple pie is in the oven, and pumpkin pie is ready to go next. Potatoes are ready to boil and be mashed. Dressing was prepped this morning and the turkey breast was seasoned. I’ll get the grill going in about an hour for that. Rolls, green bean casserole, salad and gravy are all just waiting their turns as well. The wine just needs to be uncorked.
Kids are home from college, and I’m sitting on the couch watching basketball during a lull in the cooking… I know, it is supposed to be football, but my daughter knows most of the guys on the team… we’ll switch to football soon.
I didn’t really do anything for Thanksgiving but I did take advantage of pumpkin and cream cheese holiday sale prices. I made this last night and I think it’s wonderful. I used half pumpkin pie spice/half cinnamon and skipped the nuts, sprinkling a little reserved crust as topping. Go with the salted pretzels and crush them fine.
I had a four hour window to pick up the turkey from the farm (they have to give time slots to control parking). I wanted to go early, but my gf asked me to wait until the last minute. Guess why?
she wanted to avoid handling a turkey that was potentially room temperature.
The pies are done. I’ve dried the turkey with paper towels. The stock looks like I can use it for the stuffing. I should give it a taste. Seems like I’ve been cooking nearly five hours. Oh, wait. There’s a reason it seems like it…
And… The turkey is in the oven. The electronic meat thermometer is in the meat, and two mechanical thermometers are in the stuffing. Extra dressing went into an oven-safe soup bowl (one of those with the handles) and into the toaster oven.
The turkey was really moist and good, and seriously the easiest part of the whole dinner. I took it out of the freezer and the outer bag, put it in an electric roaster, and took it out 4 hours later. It didn’t even make a mess in the roaster- that didn’t even need to be washed! It wasn’t gourmet, but it was definitely suitable and well worth not having all that extra stress when I had so many other things to make. Will buy again.
It’s just my wife and I so we usually get a turkey breast. But this year we could get a whole turkey on sale for less money than to buy just a turkey breast; so I cut it up, cooked just the breast and froze the rest. Baked in a browning bag with carrots, served with brown rice and homemade gravy.
