I posted about this in the Margarine thread but I'll document it further here.

The sweet potato part of a T-giving meal is to me, the least interesting part. The usual glop of pureed, brown sugared yams is too cloying, and nothing I've tried adding over the years-- curry, bananas, etc.-- had helped.

Last year I found a recipe in Camille Glenn's Heritage of Southern Cooking which called for baking the yam slices between slices of orange, about three layers each, and a little orange juice tossed in as well along with the usual brown sugar and butter. (Apparently a southern tradition.) Since the turkey was in the oven, I decided to try cooking these under the heating element in my combination microwave/convection oven/cooking vent.

Well, it was a bit of a disaster, as the heating element basically burned the top layer black before the rest was done. However, since everything below that was fine, I decided to try to salvage the dish (since I don't really care about yams that much anyway).

In fact, the orange flavor was overpowering, but once I microwaved another yam or two, and pureed the new ones together with what I salvaged from this dish, the proportion was right, the orange giving just enough of a citrusy sharpness to brighten up the yams and brown sugar and butter. So this year I set out to make the dish I liked from scratch:

Lay yam slices in a baking dish, dotted with butter and brown sugar, about three or four layers thick. Top with one layer of orange slices (unpeeled) and add a little orange juice to the pan. Bake at 350 until tender, about an hour or so. (I actually bake it before the turkey goes in, then set aside for later.)

Throw away the orange slices but reserve the juice in the pan. Puree the yams, adding as much of the butter/sugar/OJ as needed to taste to reach your preferred level of yammy sweetness. Now you can simply zap in the microwave closer to dinner, or I scooped it all into a smaller, higher baking dish, covered with a little more butter and brown sugar, and baked in the same oven as the stuffing that didn't get stuffed, putting it in right after the turkey came out, for about 45 min. or an hour.

I feel compelled to tell y'all about the stuffing I was, well, stuffed w/ when I was a kid.
My dad's family is British, and so grandmother showed my mom how to make her version of stuffing, which I hate. It's made of oatmeal, onions, suet, and probably chicken broth. It is very, very sticky. A lot of people who have had it at our house liked it, but I never have. (I definitely prefer the kind w/ sausage, sage, more what I think of as New England style stuffing.) Also, the leftover stuffing would be pan fried, sort of like a stuffing pancake if you will, along w/ leftover mashed potatoes and whatever green (now probably brown) vegetable is still hanging around. This is called Bubble n' squeak. Typically this would be served w/ pickled onions. How I hate British food
Really, my favorite part of roasted turkey is the skin! If it's done right of course the meat is good, but I'd rather have all the sides. Leftovers do not thrill me, especially turkey soup. Blecch. Just thinking of the smell of it makes me feel unhungry.

To answer the topic question, (I think): This year is our first year away from families and we'll be going to a friends' house. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm happily messing up my kitchen so I can bring dessert: pumpkin cheesecake and an apple-cranberry pie.

Happy holidays everyone

messycook wrote: Leftovers do not thrill me, especially turkey soup. Blecch. Just thinking of the smell of it makes me feel unhungry.

Oh man, I am so with you on this. I find turkey soup to be the worst. The Wife insists upon making it for reasons that escape me (though I feel it has something to do with the Women's Movement). I must leave the house during its preparation, and then forcefully request that it be kept on our back deck for the duration of its miserable tenure in our house.

I dream of a world without turkey soup.

Hammond

I KNOW!!!!!
Thank goodness I'm not the only one willing to "waste" the carcass.

HI,

After the first day of turkey sandwiches: toasted bread, sliced turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, I am tired of looking at turkey in the original state.

Some years ago, I started making Turkey Curry from Julia Child's Kitchen. It uses 6 cups of turkey, which usually accounts for a substantial portion of what's leftover. I throw in the gravy. I add lots of coconut milk and a tad bit of sugar. I doubt any Indian would call it their own, but it does fit our needs and pleasantly disguises the turkey.

Now we look forward to leftover Turkey instead of considering it a chore to whittle down.

Now if I could figure out what to do with leftover potatoes.

Cathy2 wrote:
Now if I could figure out what to do with leftover potatoes.

Hash browns and a turkey omelette. My traditional Thanksgiving Saturday breakfast.

HI,

STeve - Hashbrowns from leftover mashed potatoes? FYI - what I don't like about old potatoes is simply they don't taste as good as fresh potatoes.

Many years ago, when my cousins were younger, I made what I thought was a reasonable amount of mashed potatoes. Between 3 not so big guys, they took ALL the mashed potatoes planned for everyone. Now I just go overboard and make about 10 pounds straight off. They have cut back on their potato consumption, but there is always someone who wants to challenge this family story. So just to be careful, I still make too many potatoes because some years we still run out. I just have to have a backdoor plan if any should remain!

&&&

Mike G and those orange sweet potatoes sound excellent. I might integrate them into the sweet potato dish I prepared last year. On a rectangular pyrex dish, I put 1-2 layers of marshmellows, followed by the seasoned mashed sweet potato (I will likely substitute your approach), then a pecan praline layer on top. This dish was winner because it accomodated many tastes in one dish: those who want it plain took the middle layer, those favor marshmellows took from the bottom, praline on top and after a while they simply took it as-is.

I know your sweet potatoes are excellent as you stated them. They will probably become a weeknight dinner sidedish. Though for Thanksgiving, we will go the full gild the lily treatment.

Thanks for the ideas!

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

STeve - Hashbrowns from leftover mashed potatoes?

You didn't say mashed potatoes. In that case, turkey croquettes.

SteveZ wrote:turkey croquettes

When I was in Home Ec in Mrs. Fritchie's class (Yes, we all recognized what her name rhymed with), we had a film strip on how to make a cream sauce. The one variation I have never made was suitable for croquettes: 4 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour, salt to taste and one cup of milk. Croquettes has that marvelous ladies who lunch type of feel, though I have never made any.

For at least a month after this film strip, we had creamed vegetables with every meal so I could practice. I still consider that class one that has proven useful as time evolved.

Cathy2 wrote:

SteveZ wrote:turkey croquettes

When I was in Home Ec in Mrs. Fritchie's class (Yes, we all recognized what her name rhymed with), we had a film strip on how to make a cream sauce. The one variation I have never made was suitable for croquettes: 4 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour, salt to taste and one cup of milk. Croquettes has that marvelous ladies who lunch type of feel, though I have never made any.

For at least a month after this film strip, we had creamed vegetables with every meal so I could practice. I still consider that class one that has proven useful as time evolved.

Try dicing the turkey, mixing in the mashed potatoes, seasoning to taste (maybe adding some kind of binder like carem, cheese or an egg...or not). Shape into croquettes, roll in breadcrumbs and deep fry till golden. No cream sauce needed.

I have finalized our menu. Assuming that everything goes off without a hitch, I am serving the following:

Individual Porcini Mushroom Tarts

Oyster Stew

Bay-Leaf Scented Spoon Rolls

Quince and Cranberry Compote

Cornbread-Sausage Dressing with Madeira

Heritage Turkey with Giblet Pan Gravy

Yokon Gold and Fennel Gratin

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

Haricot Verts with Carmelized Shallots and Cipolline Onions

Wilted Escarole with Syrah Vinaigrette

Now, I don't expect this to be easy. We are celebrating the day at my Uncle's place, in Orland Park. This will require me to make a number of things, at least partially, in advance, and the balance to be made in the kitchen of a relative stranger.

Thankfully, dessert is my mother's department. I am fairly certain that, in honour of her two siblings that will be present, she's making their mother's acclaimed pumkpin pie. I have heard murmurs of homemade cinnamon ice cream, as well. Me, I'm not saving room for dessert. There is only one thing that I would really want, and so far, my mother has not commited. I only have room for her "Apples in Three Part Harmony," which involves an apple and calvados cake, homemade calvados ice cream, and apple "balls" braised in calvados-apple butter.

Erik "B/D/S/" M.

Looks like a great menu Erik. I unfortunately will likely be eating Stove Stop stuffing and green bean casserole. The things we do for in-law harmony. My mother-in-law is NOT a good cook and we do our best to move any cooking away from her house. To avoid hurting her feelings, however, we have to have some of the holidays there. I guess since I'm having three dinner parties in the next four weeks, in addition to making much of our Christmas dinner in New York, it won't be that tragic. Fortunately, she has ceded dessert making to me. This years items are a pumpkin-walnut cake with brown sugar frosting and an apple galette. Your description has inspired me. I had been on the fence as to whether to make an ice cream or simply whipped cream. I think a creme fraiche ice cream is in order.

A lot of Italian-Americans grew up having schizoid Thanksgivings and I did too. Since the holiday is a purely American one and one with a rather set basic menu, my relatives felt they had to accept that they had to make some things for the dinner that weren't typically Italian holiday food, and thus turkey with stuffing and sweet potatoes and creamed onions and pumpkin pie, etc. all made their way onto the table. Some of the dishes were adapted somewhat (with mixed success), some weren't. Now, my paternal grandmother was a genuinely great cook with a broad knowledge of Italian cooking and her own personal and very inventive takes on some traditional things, but on those occasion when she made the Thanksgiving dinner, she invariably massacred the poor turkey. DRY. VERY DRY.

The most striking feature of Thanksgiving dinner to me was, however, that the turkey and trimmings element of the meal was not the real core of the meal. Rather, the whole thing was just grafted on to an Italian holiday meal; in other words, the turkey appeared as one extra secondo with a whole bunch of contorni. Antipasto, pasta course, usually with lasagna, then multiple secondi... It was all insanely excessive.

At some point, my mother put her foot down, insisted we have Thanksgiving at home, banishing all of the Italian stuff. We made a very traditional menu and took care not to dry out the bird. And ever since then, I've really enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner.

That being said, we will have pasta tomorrow but for lunch, before having a modest turkey-plus-trimmings meal in the evening. Pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage, parmesan and crushed walnuts.

Antonius

MAG wrote:Looks like a great menu Erik. I unfortunately will likely be eating Stove Stop stuffing and green bean casserole. The things we do for in-law harmony. [...] I guess since I'm having three dinner parties in the next four weeks, in addition to making much of our Christmas dinner in New York, it won't be that tragic.

My mother is the only other cook in our family, and she can only be troubled to think about dessert. She is the type of person that "backs into" a restaurant meal, by deciding what she is going to have for dessert, first. So, anymore, if I don't volunteer to do the lion's share of the work, the occasion will not be anything like what I have planned. Plus, it is, like, one of the two times a year that I actually make "American food," so I splash out.

MAG wrote:Fortunately, she has ceded dessert making to me. This years items are a pumpkin-walnut cake with brown sugar frosting and an apple galette. Your description has inspired me. I had been on the fence as to whether to make an ice cream or simply whipped cream. I think a creme fraiche ice cream is in order.

Now that sounds great. I will have to tell my mother about the creme fraiche ice cream, especially. A year ago, she got aDeLonghi IceCreamery and I am not sure if she has ever turned it off.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Erik M.

Now that sounds great. I will have to tell my mother about the creme fraiche ice cream, especially. A year ago, she got a DeLonghi IceCreamery and I am not sure if she has ever turned it off.

I would be very interested to hear of her other flavors. I too have been on an ice cream making bonanza. The most recent and most interesting flavor being olive oil, which was paired with a pumpkin-pine nut cake that was out of this world. I used an extremely fruity olive oil from South Africa available at Zingermans, which I highly recommend. Others were lemon verbena, strawberry rhubarb ripple and peach honey.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Is anyone out there still looking for last minute menu ideas?

If so, how does this grab you?

Erik M.

Antonius wrote:The most striking feature of Thanksgiving dinner to me was, however, that the turkey and trimmings element of the meal was not the real core of the meal. Rather, the whole thing was just grafted on to an Italian holiday meal; in other words, the turkey appeared as one extra secondo with a whole bunch of contorni. Antipasto, pasta course, usually with lasagna, then multiple secondi... It was all insanely excessive.

At some point, my mother put her foot down, insisted we have Thanksgiving at home, banishing all of the Italian stuff. We made a very traditional menu and took care not to dry out the bird. And ever since then, I've really enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner.

Antonius

Do you say that because you *wanted* a real Thanksgiving me, and were otherwise fulfilled by other Italian holiday meals? 'Cause otherwise, your Grandma's dinner sounds (with some imagination utilyzed) wonderful.

I am pretty sure, growing up, the sweet potatos at Thanksgiving could have just as easily been tzimes. On the other hand, the Rosh Hashanah meal was kinda like Thanksgiving with chicken soup and chopped liver.

What I miss/want/try to imitate with our Thanksgiving meal, is the sense of luxury that I read about in Christmas dinners, especially say French or Italian dinners. To me, Thankgiving is our one chance to have a really luxurious dinner. The problem is, I am invariably stymied by a multitude of factors.

For instance, as I have commented before, what really appeals to me about Tru are none of the course per se, but the mirgandaise or after dinner treats. They are also the prime reason I'd like to go to Alain Ducasse. Yet, after shelling out all sorts of money on Thanksgiving, the CQ will not let me splurge on the candies. So, I ask others to get. And while one could easily get some cool, say pate de fruit at Vanille for not *that* much money, my cousin will bring, like Costco's chocolates from around the world.

Then, there's the wine. Again, someone in our house feels that if we are hosting and such, we can save *our* wine for another time. Again, I'd like a fancier wine than we end up with (which more often than not is that certain wine that comes out just in time for Thanksgiving...)

Or a nice cheese course or...

OK, off to dry the turkey, who knew.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:Then, there's the wine. Again, someone in our house feels that if we are hosting and such, we can save *our* wine for another time. Again, I'd like a fancier wine than we end up with (which more often than not is that certain wine that comes out just in time for Thanksgiving...)

You know, Rob, that it is perfectly acceptable when presented a bottle of wine by a guest to not open the bottle, but to save it and offer something from your own collection. That is actually truer to the tradition than opening a bottle that is brought into your house at the last moment.

Vital Information wrote:Do you say that because you *wanted* a real Thanksgiving me, and were otherwise fulfilled by other Italian holiday meals? 'Cause otherwise, your Grandma's dinner sounds (with some imagination utilyzed) wonderful.

It was just that it was two meals in one and therefore too much -- the turkey part, which is the distinctive element of Thanksgiving, came after a huge antipasto course* and a meaty, cheesy pasta course* and it was impossible for me and pretty much everyone else to show the restraint needed to still be able to enjoy the rest of the meal. It was like eating a big Italian sub, then a couple of helpings of lasagna and THEN turning to turkey and trimmings, with a baked ham on the side.

In restrospect, I really marvel at the excess of it all. Anyway, I like being able to focus on a more traditional American Thanksgiving dinner and keeping the full-blown Italian holiday meals for Easter, New Year's Day, Christmas Eve (the seafood blow-out)... In my parents house and since I've been on my own, Christmas Day we do a pretty traditional Alsatian/German feast.

Time to get back to the kitchen...
A

* typically including all or almost all of these: fresh and smoked mozzarella, basket cheese, provalone, mortadella, prosciutto, salami, sopressata, olives, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, eggplant alla scapece, giardiniera, stuffed mushrooms.

* lasagna filled with little meatballs, sausage, ricotta, scamorza, etc.

Antonius wrote:Christmas Eve (the seafood blow-out)...

I think once T-day is wrapped up, we must go straight into a Christmas Eve/Christmas thread. I have a friend who does the big Italian seafood blow-out. I'd like to eventually hear about yours.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I think once T-day is wrapped up, we must go straight into a Christmas Eve/Christmas thread. I have a friend who does the big Italian seafood blow-out. I'd like to eventually hear about yours.

Regards,

Definitely!
I am one of those people who firmly resists starting Christmas too soon...
BUT, it's never too early to start planning a holiday feast...

A

I got to experience the kind of Italian-American Thanksgiving Antonius describes a few years ago when we were invited to a dinner out in the Chicago suburbs. Our friend, the husband of the family, is Mexican American, but at this occasion he was outnumbered by his Italian-American wife and her many relatives. Dinner started with lots and lots of antipasto, plus guacamole. The primo was huge servings of orrechiette with tomato sauce in which the meats of the secondo had been cooked. There was a long, leisurely break between primo and secondo, during which I whispered to Antonius,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I've been in far away and lonely places when it was Thanksgiving. I've always found a turkey, even if the local bird was an anemic 6-8 pounds, and created a holiday wherever I was. So I am quite sensitive to people alone or just as bad: two people and a turkey. Thanksgiving is community and sharing what you have and, along with the 4th of July, my favorite holiday.

Whenever I can, I also include a pair of recruits from Great Lakes Naval Station. You may do the same by contacting 847/688-2405 or 847/688-5670.

A few things to keep in mind:

- You can invite a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 recruits
- You collect your guests from 7:30 AM until 9 AM. They must be returned by 8 PM.
- You must live within 60 miles
- It's not stated on the form this year, however your recruits will be advised to accept no liquor or change into civilian clothes.

These guys are in basic training, they haven't seen television or read a newspaper, they've had politeness drilled into them, they are thrilled to be off base and in your home.

Many years ago, they promised more recruits than they had. So we found ourselves with two musicians from the Navy Band who were pulled from rehearsal to come home with us.

Cathy2,
I read this in today's Sun Times and thought of you.
www.suntimes.com/output/brown/cst-nws-brown16.html

Kim,

Thanks for thinking of me and of those sailors.

Come hell or high water, we will have our names on the list next year for Thanksgiving. My niece, fully remembering our NOT having recruits this year, will drag me out of bed to be there earlier next year.

Since Christmas is usually spent with other relatives, we've never done the Christmas invitation. There must have been some communcations snafu when 300 families don't come to collect their sailors last Christmas. Heck, they didn't have enough sailors for Thanksgiving though there many of us still there to collect them anyway. Too bad they felt compelled to cancel the Christmas visits, the road to h*ll is paved with good intentions.

We'll keep our fingers crossed for next year.

Cathy2 wrote:Come hell or high water, we will have our names on the list next year for Thanksgiving. My niece, fully remembering our NOT having recruits this year, will drag me out of bed to be there earlier next year.

And just why is your niece so interested in young sailors?