Pie Lady wrote:Beats me. I need a green side that isn't asparagus, heavy on carbs or fat. Kale salad is sticking out right now. I'm up for suggestions.

I may also make whoopie pies to go with the pumpkin pie. We might be serving my parents dessert so I might as well go whole hog.

Roasted B. Sprouts w/ Balsamic?

I loved Kenji's version of creamed spinach, makes a great green veg.

If you smoke your turkey, some nice vinegary greens–collards, mustard, beet or a mix–would go nicely.

Geo

Turkey's just a plain roasted version this year for sammidges. But that spinach thing looks delightful...I might make that too!

Oh if only Mr. Pie liked rapini.

I was going to suggest creamed kale or creamed swiss chard (my current favorite) but figured the fat content would be too high.

Oh, yes indeed, rapini would be a most excellent call, PieLady--redolent of garlic and olive oil, ummmmm! Bean's swish (!!) chard is a nice idea, too. I've got a nice recipe from epicurious for swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts that has been really popular in our house.

Geo

bean wrote:I was going to suggest creamed kale or creamed swiss chard (my current favorite) but figured the fat content would be too high.

Not if you make it with fat-free evaporated milk. I've still got some Swiss Chard growing ... you may have inspired me for a way to use it.

For the last few years, Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Toasted Hazelnuts has been a big hit at my Thanksgiving table.

There's a bit of blue curled Scotch kale in my garden, and if I can find it under the snow I'll harvest it on Wednesday for a Tuscan kale salad (with toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a dash of crushed chili). Supposedly the cold will trigger a deep sweetness to the kale that is absent during the warmer months.

I usually stick with the family favorites (dry brined roasted turkey, sausage and wild rice dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, pie), but I also slip in something new each year for fun. This year, I'm going with a cranberry curd tart (even if you wouldn't make it, you owe yourself a click through for the beautiful photo).

My menu has come together:

Dry-brined turkey breast
Bread dressing with dried cherries, Granny Smith apples, and pecans
Mashed potatoes/gravy
Asparagus with Meyer lemon hollandaise (was going to roast Brussels sprouts, but they had gorgeous asparagus at Treasure Island today, and I have half a dozen Meyer lemons on hand, so. . . )
Wisconsin cranberries with pecans and brandy (my traditional theft of the Treasure Island specialty)

Dessert will probably be pumpkin ice cream with salted caramel sauce.

HI,

I am considering going retro with our turkey stuffing:
- bread broken into small pieces by hand
- onions and celery cooked together until softened.
- Lots of poultry seasoning, salt and fresh pepper.

This is pretty much the dressing we had until I hijacked Thanksgiving when I was 13 or 14 years old. Mom, Dad and my next youngest sister will recognize this. My two younger sisters will not remember the experience.

Regards,

Well I went to the new Fresh a Farms on a Golf today in Niles.

I said I was contributing Reinhart's cornbread and Ottolenghi's spicy Moroccan carrot salad. But I bought a bunch of other things that took my fancy so let's see what else I make.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

I am considering going retro with our turkey stuffing:
- bread broken into small pieces by hand
- onions and celery cooked together until softened.
- Lots of poultry seasoning, salt and fresh pepper.

This is pretty much the dressing we had until I hijacked Thanksgiving when I was 13 or 14 years old. Mom, Dad and my next youngest sister will recognize this. My two younger sisters will not remember the experience.

Regards,

I never feel the need to change from this--to me, this recipe IS thanksgiving. I have no taste for it any other time of the year but starting about tomorrow, I'll be very much looking forward to Thursday and this simple stuffing. Enjoy!!

Cathy2 wrote:This is pretty much the dressing we had until I hijacked Thanksgiving when I was 13 or 14 years old.

While I love classic Thanksgiving bread stuffing, made one just last week at Barn for a Friendsgiving, our family tradition was, is and always will be a non traditional brown rice stuffing.*

80% cooked brown rice, sauteed onion/garlic with s/p olive oil/butter, ridiculous amount of sauteed sliced mushrooms plus sauteed celery and straight from the can sliced water chestnuts. Combine ingredients, add turkey stock, dot with way too much butter and bake at 350 until top is crisp.

*Technically casserole if not in bird.

My local turkey farmer has had no problems so bird will be dispatched Tuesday, I will pick up Wednesday.
Stuffing is a simple unseasoned BrownBerry cubes with leek, celery, white pepper, thyme and sage, unsalted chicken stock. No brining, butter rubbed, herb crust. Simple.
Everything else is made from scratch including the pumpkin pie crust(lard rendered from our last pig).
I do use Libby's canned pumpkin after doing a comparison one year with my own roasted pie pumpkin and finding no difference other than stringy texture.
My wife has her family recipe for fresh cranberry sauce.
Hopefully someone will bring Pecan Praline pumpkin ice cream from Kopp's!
I used to get my fresh turkey from John's Live Poultry as they will start dispatching the birds Tuesday.
Most of your 'Fresh' turkey's are in the 'pipe line' for awhile.
My local farmer also will be doing Mallard's and geese the following week so our XMAS dinner is already decided!
I would prefer Muscovy's but he is comfortable doing what he and his father before him did for decades.
We have known the family for over 40 years. and there is real comfort in the relationship.
Unfortunately the supply is small and there is no spare birds this year.-Richard

My wife's family has requested roasted veggies this year, to include yams/sweet potatoes. Yesterday I found some wizzard local parsnips, beautiful things; got a couple turnips, and some nice super-golfball-sized boiling onions. Any other suggestions? How would you suggest roasting them? I'm new to the dish, as you can see!

TIA!

Geo

Geo wrote:My wife's family has requested roasted veggies this year, to include yams/sweet potatoes. Yesterday I found some wizzard local parsnips, beautiful things; got a couple turnips, and some nice super-golfball-sized boiling onions. Any other suggestions? How would you suggest roasting them? I'm new to the dish, as you can see!

TIA!

Geo

Geo,

The yams/sweet potatoes will roast much quicker than the parsnips/carrots, etc, so cut the yams in larger pieces than the harder veggies. Toss with olive oil and herbs and roast in a single layer at 425. After 30 minutes, stir the veggies and continue roasting until done.

I make this dish all the time. I've also included zucchini, garlic cloves, and pretty much any other veggie that looks good.

Yes, butternut squash fits into the same category as the yams/sweets potato. I like to add those, rutabaga and fresh rosemary to the concoction also. Good stuff.

And I forgot to mention Brussels sprouts. Cut some of those in half and throw them in, too.

tcdup wrote:Canned pumpkin pie filling also likely to be scarce this Thanksgiving, due to rains in June that wiped out some of the crop.

Woodman's today (Monday before Thanksgiving) had no shortage of any brand or size of canned pumpkin or flavored pumpkin for pies.
There simply is no truth to the above!-Richard

Thanks for the good ideas Steve and puckjam! I glanced briefly at the sprouts yesterday, thinking "maybe..." Now for sure they're in. Squash is excellent idea. Different sizes is obviously on point. Some garlic is obviously indicated as well. Rosemary sounds nice, esp. since I've got some still alive in the herb garden.

Folks, I've just browned four backs, four necks, and started the turkey stock! Let the holiday begin!!

Geo

Geo wrote:Thanks for the good ideas Steve and puckjam! I glanced briefly at the sprouts yesterday, thinking "maybe..." Now for sure they're in. Squash is excellent idea. Different sizes is obviously on point. Some garlic is obviously indicated as well. Rosemary sounds nice, esp. since I've got some still alive in the herb garden.

Folks, I've just browned four backs, four necks, and started the turkey stock! Let the holiday begin!!

Geo

Good ol' carrots work too, as do turnip and rutabaga or even kohlrabi. Perhaps obvious, but leave the garlic cloves in their skins and pop them after roasting. They only need about 30 minutes or so, so add them later if you are roasting longer.

Made my turkey stock last weekend, and it's tucked up in the freezer for use on Thursday. Making our usual: turkey roasted with bacon, rice/wild rice/mushroom dressing, pureed rutabaga with crispy shallots, roasted Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and maple syrup, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce; guest is bringing a sweet potato casserole of some sort. In addition to my cousin's wonderful cherry pie and pumpkin bars, I'm making a Vaguely Reminiscent (mocha pie as served by the Medici in Hyde Park). We have to have some chocolate at our house. Appetizers are simple--deviled eggs and some Marcona almonds.

One of my absolute favorite things on T-Day is to roast the neck(s) under the turkey. Let it stew in the fat and juices. Take it out when the turkey is done and add a bit of salt. The meat is tender and has the best taste out of the whole turkey. The marrow is good also. Just clean bones when I am done. Great appetizer. I usually go hide so as not to let people know how much I dig the taste. I had to fight for it with my family growing up, but the kids are just discovering it and I buy extra now as I would never give mine up. Enjoy.

Heh-heh, clever Puckjam.

Me, I take the meat from the necks and backs that I use for stock, pull it with forks, add some turkey fat and butter and:

WALLAH! (as my American students say : ) I've got turkey rillettes. Ummmm.

g

budrichard wrote:

tcdup wrote:Canned pumpkin pie filling also likely to be scarce this Thanksgiving, due to rains in June that wiped out some of the crop.

Woodman's today (Monday before Thanksgiving) had no shortage of any brand or size of canned pumpkin or flavored pumpkin for pies.
There simply is no truth to the above!-Richard

Since over 90% of the canned pumpkin crop comes from Illinois and they report crop issues. I think it is true, though something that will be a problem later. You may not easily find pumpkin next spring. There is a thread on this board of people seeking pumpkin when there was a crop issue. They needed it to feed their dogs who had dietary challenges.

Regards,

OK, here's yet another question: how big a cookie, etc. pan will be needed for my spatchcocked turkey? It's going to be a c. 12-lb bronze, Since I've never spatchcocked a turkey before, I'm pretty well oblivious of what its size might end up being.

Finished simmering the turkey-parts stock. Stripped the meat from the necks and backs. I'm planning to make turkey rillettes from it--tastes pretty good as is, already!

Geo

Hi,

I use a half-sheet pan to cook my turkey with a rack inside. I have also used the broiler pan with the tray out with a rack. If your bird happens to extend out, maybe a bit of foil to direct the juices back into a pan.

I stopped using the roasting pan long ago when I realized it blocked skin from getting crispier. I do have my priorities!

Regards,

Tnx C2--I'll head for B,B & B tomorrow to get me a big ol' sheet pan. I totally take your point that high sides on roasting pans--unless you have a correspondingly high rack--end up steaming the bird. That's a no-go.

Geo

"There is a thread on this board of people seeking pumpkin when there was a crop issue. "

I remember it well!
Whether true or not, it led to 'panic' buying but there was still pumpkin to be had.
This year, there is no problem with supply unless Woodman's just happened to 'corner the market' but that's not true as the pumpkin was on sale price.
I'll bet a 'dollar to a donut', I find no problem next spring finding canned pumpkin.
So because there was one year when supply got low, every year someone has to make the pronouncement that pumpkin may be in short supply.
I merely Posted an actual observation, "had no shortage" rather than a supposition, "likely".
Now, tell me which Post has the facts?
In the future I will keep those observations to myself.-Richard

Puckjam wrote:One of my absolute favorite things on T-Day is to roast the neck(s) under the turkey. Let it stew in the fat and juices. Take it out when the turkey is done and add a bit of salt. The meat is tender and has the best taste out of the whole turkey. The marrow is good also. Just clean bones when I am done. Great appetizer. I usually go hide so as not to let people know how much I dig the taste. I had to fight for it with my family growing up, but the kids are just discovering it and I buy extra now as I would never give mine up. Enjoy.

Hilarious! Growing up my parents would buy necks and roast them. All of us adored them. This practice stopped once my father heard of birds being given shots of some sort by neck. It was a sad time for us as we went back to whole birds or if they were feeling awesome just legs and wings. No one wanted turkey breast in my family.

Geo wrote:I'll head for B,B & B tomorrow to get me a big ol' sheet pan.

Not sure what BBB sells, but full size sheet pans, 18" x 26", do not fit in most, the majority of, home ovens. Half sheet pans, 18" x 13", are what you want.