Countdown: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a little over 4 weeks away, and I'm already in planning mode. Yesterday I tried out a pecan pumpkin cheesecake. I'll be testing more recipes, and ripping out magazine pages for menu and decorating ideas. Is anyone else in the full holiday swing? How far do most people plan ahead? Any fantastic ideas?
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26 Comments:
I'm checking out some new recipes for desserts and sides but I'll probably end up making the old family favorites to avoid a riot. They don't mind new dishes for Sunday dinners but holiday meals have to be traditional.
NanaJoie at 7:42AM on 10/20/07
I'm starting to ponder my menu, starting with which soup I want to make. Tomato & Fennel from Les Halles is very good; I made it last year and it may be worth repeating. The new Gourmet has a recipe for Pumpkin, Roasted Corn and Lemongrass soup that sounds delicious. Haven't figured out the appetizers and the main meal yet. I won't be doing turkey! My nonconformist soul demands something different. Probably for dessert I'll make my favorite Tarte Tatin.
ride&cook at 8:25AM on 10/20/07
Well, there are some things that we simply must have on the table, of course. About 10 years ago, I got smart and made a master menu of the basic items, a shopping list for that stuff, and a prep list and schedule and stored it on the computer. So that makes it easier. (I went from being a single mom of two to being a matriarch with 8 grandkids, more if you count what I call the double-steps, my husband's daughter's stepchildren. There was a sharp learning curve there.)
I would never NOT make the family dressing, and I once did a radio op-ed piece on Thanksgiving sides, saying that I felt sorry for folks who didn't have family traditions like that. Got a scathing comment from a listener who said he wanted nothing to do with the family he was raised in, including their food, and HIS Thanksgiving dishes were delicious. Some trauma there, obviously....
lemons at 10:31AM on 10/20/07
I have a few staples from which we never sway. I'd rather have too many choices than to leave out someone's favorite.
Maple Brined Turkey (Most likely purchased from Fresh Market and brined at home)
Gravy
Bread Stuffing
Corn Pudding
Sweet Potato Gratin
Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce
Biscuits
Apple Pie with RLB Cheddar Crust
Cheddar Crust "Cookies"
One other pie - last year it was Dorie Greenspan's T-giving Twofer Pie
May even revive my brother's favorite Spinach/Sausage/Rice stuffing. I haven't made that in years.
I can't even relay what a kid I become at this time of year.
chiff0nade at 11:38AM on 10/20/07
I'm doing a different countdown...Scheduled to work at the hospital on Thanksgiving. We are provided with a "free" meal (oh, was I the one who said free is always good--ha). We usually have a choice of turkey or beef entree along with sides & dessert. Actually, working holidays are rewarding...patients & visitors are appreciative, the atmosphere is quiet & calm, too. All you SE fans can send me some leftovers...the above comments sure sound tasty!
JEP at 4:05PM on 10/20/07
JEP-I'm sure everyone would love to send you leftovers, as you are such a nice part of SE. We all give thanks to you!
Mich23 at 4:35PM on 10/20/07
Lotsa years working holidays at both small private and large university hospitals. My kids grew up knowing you could have your holiday and mom working too. Sometimes we did Thanksgiving the Saturday after. (Fed a number of house officers, too.) You're right about it usually being calm, too - although when it's bad, it's really, really bad, it seemed like.
lemons at 4:35PM on 10/20/07
lemons- Thanksgiving is just an excuse to be with your family and friends, and it doesn't matter what day. For many years my family had Thanksgiving on Friday because that is when everyone could make it.
Mich23 at 4:45PM on 10/20/07
Hey, thanks for your support and kind words!! I agree, anytime with family or friends can be like a holiday celebration without a significant date on the calender :)
JEP at 4:58PM on 10/20/07
When I lived in NY, my brother used to volunteer every T-Giving to serve dinner at a shelter. He and a cousin and several other family members made it an annual tradition.
I always had too much food responsibility to go so I would ask what I could make. My brother said that turkey would always be good, so I made an extra and sent it along. He said they frequently ran out of collard greens and any type of dessert is always welcome.
I used to go to the World Trade Center farmers' market and lug home shopping bags full of collards. The diners remarked about how much they enjoyed them. My brother had a bear of a time convincing the guests that the collards were made by his Italian sister born in Bensonhurst.
I also used to get a 10 lb. bag of apples and make a cranberry apple crisp because it serves so much easier than pie. This way, serving size is up to the guest ("Give me a LOT!" or "Just a tiny spoonful!").
chiff0nade at 6:32PM on 10/20/07
I have already planned and am waiting for Nov 1 to hit to start baking.
I picked up some great new linens for the table. Decided on the centerpieces.
The usual antipasto with buff mozzarella/caprese, assorted meats, provolone cheese, olives and roasted peppers
Brined Fresh turkey
the family sausage stuffing baked aside
roasted sweet potatoes with a hot sweet rub
buttermilk mashed potatoes
cold asparagus
string beans olive oil, garlic and sea salt
Gravy
Crimini mushrooms with sherry and butter
My mother in laws cranberry salad
Homemade biscuits
Cornbread from Baker's Apprentice
Datenut bread
Pumpkin pie from Costco (can't beat it for flavor or price)
Nick Maglieri's Coconut raspberry layer cake http://www.nickmalgieri.com/recipes/coco_rasp_cake.html
this one is a hit everytime I make it. Dorie Greenspan has it in her book as well.
Ina Garten's outrageous brownies http://www.kitchenlink.com/cookbooks/1999/0609602195_3.html
my people crave these. I add chambord to them and 2 kinds of chocolate.
Smearcase (we call it Baltimore cheesecake) this year instead of the usual cheesecake
http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2007/07/smearcase.html
A thank you to Rachel Rappaort at Coconut and Lime for what will be a trip down memory lane for us.
My usual round decorated with sprinkles cream cheese cut out cookies.
JerzeeTomato at 9:36PM on 10/20/07
Jerzee Tomato, that is a fabulous menu!. How many people are you feeding and how much of it do you do in advance and freeze? Details, please!
Smearcase, which I bet was originally pronounced schmeercase, sounds much like St. Louis' gooey butter cake; I'm going to try that recipe and report back on it. Our German heritage might be the commonality here.
lemons at 11:55AM on 10/21/07
JT--a big thanks for the link to Nick Maglieri's site--amazing sounding recipes & tons of info & additional links :)
JEP at 2:23PM on 10/21/07
This year will actually be my first Thanksgiving completely alone, so I think I will probably just have a quiet meal to myself and call my family. : )
Christina at 2:52PM on 10/21/07
chiff0nade-I too have a Bensonhurst past. I think that's a good thing!
Jerzee Tomato- But now i'm in NJ, so make extra on Thanksgiving because from the sound of your menu, I think your friends from SE will want to be there!!!!!!!
Mich23 at 4:15PM on 10/21/07
I'm not in the holiday swing. Thanksgiving isn't a big deal to me. My family doesn't do the "family gathering" like everyone else's families. I'll probably cook a turkey and the usual side dishes. Nothing special.
paris221966 at 7:16PM on 10/21/07
I make a big deal out of thanksgiving because my birthday is that week.
I make the date nut bread, brownies and cakes ahead of time, usually right after halloween and I freeze them. Also the dough for the cookies. Date nut bread freezes so well. When it thaws it is still very moist. I use the Joy of cooking recipe works like a charm every time.
We overnight brine our turkey in a cooler in the garage with a bag of ice.
I use the Good Eats (Alton Brown) brine http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html
with some alterations, I leave out the ginger, cinnamon and apple.
We are having possibly over 20 this year, no big deal I cook for an army always.
@lemons The smearcase was something I ate as a child, my mom's friend was from Baltimore and she used to make it and never would give the recipe up. It has a gooey butter cake crust and is so easy I think everyone should try it. It makes cheesecake easy. It is custardy in consistancy.
@JEP I worship Nick. I have all his books and read his webpage. The man is a talent to which I think he has few equals. We share italian heritage and a desire to make pastry. One day I hope to get him to sign a book of mine. Pastry chef groupies hollar back now.
@Christina I have been there. I was once a military spouse and was alone on holidays. I used to get myself invited to things and bring a dish. Once people got to know me they wanted me to come so they could get hooked up with what I was making. I became an in demand guest. Don't feel down and don't cheat yourself. Get yourself a small turkey breast/turkey london broil and make yourself a nice meal.
JerzeeTomato at 8:29PM on 10/21/07
My husband and I got married at Thanksgiving and it has always been my favorite holiday. I have a 3 ring binder with recipes that I've used over the years.
Without fail, I make:
Apple Brined Smoked Turkey
Oyster Dressing
Turkey Gravy (from stock made well in advance)
Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries
For variety, I try different recipes for sweet potatoes, green vegetables, and desserts. I don't do soups or homemade bread.
Library Lady at 9:40AM on 10/22/07
JT - Playing food sociologist here: How is it you know gooey butter cake? Where did you come across it? Is it a family recipe or did you taste it elsewhere? (Others: GBC is a coffee-cake type dish that once was found only in bakeries; the reason why it's gooey is lost in the mists of time. The current manifestations of it are cake-mix based. It's very rich, and its sweetness originally varied from bakery to bakery. My favorite had a yeast crust as a base, but usually it was a baking-powder-raised one at most purveyors. If others are interested, I'll start a separate thread. Don't mean to hijack the topic.)
lemons at 10:03AM on 10/22/07
Okay, this whole smearcase thing has me going. I just googled it, and there is alot of information and recipes for it. I' m defininitely going to make it!!
Mich23 at 10:42AM on 10/22/07
Where I grew up (Buffalo), schmierkase was the same thing as (or very similar to) cottage cheese. My Dad always uses the term schmierkase when he wants cottage cheese with chopped chives.
Library Lady at 12:29PM on 10/22/07
I'm hosting "urban thanksgiving" for what might be 20 people (in my tiny NYC apartment!) or 4. I extended the invite to everyone I thought might be staying in the city for the holiday, but I have no idea who will be coming. But I'll still cook a ton, what's wrong with leftovers? I'm making:
shaved fennel salad
green bean casserole (with my mom's substitution of sour cream & onion chips - not the classiest, but it tastes like home)
classic mashed potatoes
some sort of sweet potato
corn bread stuffing, or out of a box (it's the one thing I'll sacrifice if the homemade stuff gets overwhelming)
roasted brussel sprouts
cranberry chutney (and also serving a can of the jellied stuff...mmm)
and of course turkey, but how I cook it depends on how many I'm serving
As for dessert, there will definitely be pumkin pie, possibly the pumpkin bread pudding Deb (from Smitten Kitchen) made, maybe an apple pie, and something chocolatey.
LizNYC at 12:39PM on 10/22/07
I'm packing up my knifes and bowls and other implements of destruction and driving halfway across the state to cook at my mom's place for the immediate family.
Should be pretty traditional fare - turkey, sage dressing, roast beet salad, two jillion varieties of starches (what? I like rolls and potatoes. Sue me), and a couple veggie dishes. Oh yeah - and cranberry sauce too (no, not the canned type. Eww, what's wrong with you?). I don't care if anyone actually *eats* the cranberries though. It just makes the house smell good while it's cooking.
Though I'm stuck on the turkey. I'd like to brine my bird, but I'd also like to make stock with the carcass. I've not made stock with brined bird bits, but from what I've read (and imagined) the results are less than spectacular. I'll figure out something, I'm sure.
t Christina: Enjoy your first T-day solo - but you've gotta cook something! After the novelty of spending Thanksgiving alone wore off, I used to have an "orphan's dinner" for my single friends/friends without family/people who couldn't make it home for the holiday, which was a great way to spend the day.
corycm at 12:55PM on 10/22/07
Thanks everybody for all the comments. My only Thanksgiving thoughts were about the turkey. We moved to Albuquerque recently (after many years in Miami) and I'm not familiar with local butchers yet, so I guess I'll buy the bird at Whole Foods to be safe. I will stick with the same tried and true menu, very basic. We'll be my husband and I and my daughter and son-in-law. @Christina, your comment made me think, and I will be sure to invite someone who would otherwise be spending the day alone. Thank you.
elaine at 1:04PM on 10/22/07
The word gooey I never saw till I read a recipe in a magazine circa 1980 something. What we had that was just like it was called "German butter cake" in the Philly area. Also made by the amish. The smearcase was made by a friend of my mother's for her backyard cookout every 4th of July when I was a kid, she was from Baltimore. I used to eat her "Baltimore style cheescake" and say to my mother why can't you make this. The reason why my mom couldn't was because she had no idea what it was and the friend would not part with the recipe. She would say sorry can't do it.
Back before the internet (speaking in my narrator's voice) people sometimes wanted to be the only one that made something which gave them a "party" edge. I know some of you understand this. My mother equally guilty has some recipes she refuses to share.
JerzeeTomato at 5:41PM on 10/22/07
While we're on this topic, anyone have any pecan recipes that aren't pies? I've found myself planning to make a pumkin pie, pecan pie, possibly a buttermilk sweet potato pie, and an apple pie. I feel like to make room for a non-pie dessert (pumpkin cake, or something chocolate-y) I can try to find a better way to use pecans than the traditional pie.
Or the other option is to put the sweet potatoes on the dinner table and leave out the buttermilk pie.
Decisions, decisions...
LizNYC at 3:18PM on 10/24/07