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OOOh I am jealous I am not trying anything new. I am staying with what I know works. Damn damn damn. Ok ok you are pressing me I will make the pumpkin or gingerbread biscotti. It is new and I have been wanting to make it.

Reservations.

Im thinking of cashing in on the wine and antidepressant dinner over all that prepping/cooking nonsense. I can just roam freely from house to house like a drifter to munch on turkey and really awful processed side dishes without having to actually pay for anything.

I gotta tell ya...I drank about 2oz of a homemade blackberry brandy last night and I would gladly have a bottle of that versus any damn turkey.

@izatryt...couldn't agree more that that's my favorite thing to make for Thanksgiving. That's why it's my favorite day (cost be damned).

@bess ~ You make it????? Care to share the recipe???

@french tart ~ try some homemade BBB. It will help you relax. ;-)

@Chelley - my first question was the same as iz's - why on earth only 2oz??? But it reminds me -- time to start looking for cranberries for my homemade cranberry liquor.

Anyway, back to the question - this year I most likely won't be cooking the whole turkey. Instead, I am thinking of brining & smoking a turkey breast (my OH still can't get over the one I test-smoked back in September, it was that good) and making a drumstick & thigh braise with prunes and calvados (I might go for chicken drumsticks instead of turkey). Yes, the whole turkey makes a more dramatic presentation, but I hope everybody survives.

I'm also thinking of making bok choy (say, with red onions and cashew nuts or something like that) instead of collards this time, and maybe some kind of sweet potato chocolate something. Like brownies or cheesecake bars. I'm still thinking about it.

This T-giving like last T-giving, hubby and I are far from family so I will probably cook T-giving dinner for us. Only this year I will try something new and try not to cook for an army...I will try to cook for 2 with enough leftovers for a few days. sigh. It just doesn't seem right. Thanksgiving seems like there should be an army of people facing a mountain of food.

Oh, and I saw sweet potato spoonbread on SE and I think I will make that.

@Chell ~ LOL!!

Heirloom turkey. I've decided to give that a try this year. And whatever dessert it, it will probably be something different. Haven't decided on that yet, though.

where can I get blackberry brandy????

@ Renee....some crazy old man that works with my father makes the stuff. I had a bottle of 2006 last year and it left much to be desired. This year I got a bottle of 2007 and my my my my my.....

I hope my father didn't plan on having any because I plan on being as incoherent as humanly possible in oh...say, an hour or so!

aww Perky I feel your pain baby, if you were closer i'd say come here, nothing special but i promise nothing steamed with the possible exception of the cook ;-)

Oh Perky, you're so invited! I promise there is no green bean casserole made of tinned beans in sight (I feel very fortunate that I've never been subjected to one in my life!)

At least the rolls sound good...

I'm accepting all invitations. You want I should bring a box of jello?

p.s. keep an eye out for an absolutely stunning old broad hitching rides - cane in one hand and lime (oh dear God) jello in the other. Beware if she is working on her basket of cheer - it makes her a little too cheerful. ;)

@brooke ~ I'm game! Something about the thought of lime jello makes my mouth pucker. I think that could cause wrinkles? I meant character creases. I'm still stuck on Bridget Jones's turquoise soup. Could we make jello that color, do you think? BTW - how's the water temp? As long as I'm in TR, might as well take a dip in the big pond.

@Perky - suuuuure, we can make it turquoise! Seems like a rather appropriate colour for both the jello and jello-shots, don't you think? The water may be coldish, but who will care after a couple of jello-shots?!

@Chelley - hope it's not the now famous blackberry brandy you're talking about?:-)

@Chelley ~ how 'bout we mix the lime jello with the coconut, and drink the brandy straight up with your gaggle of sluts.

@Christina ~ be wary. I heard they're making toe-fu-turkey for vegetarians. I think it's Asian? Keep your digits covered. I don't know where they get the ingredients.

I have no freakin' idea. Last year I started incorporating carrot souffle into T-Giving. Before that, the last new dish was corn pudding which was added about 20 years ago.

My problem is that if I add stuff, I generally don't take anything away because these are "legacy" dishes and someone at the table will be looking for his or her favorite.

I am going to attempt Martha Stewart's Parker House rolls this year. DH and I host my in-laws every year (and any orphans that we pick up from our offices). DH's grandmother used to make these stupendous yeast rolls for all festive occasions and I know that they are sorely missed, so I have decided to try the Parker House rolls. It is my first excursion into yeast, so I plan to try the recipe out once in advance . . . Wish me luck!

I love BBB! We used have a tuck before some pickup hickey at the local rink and prior to the HS rivalry's on Tday.

This year I'm going to make mac n' cheese.

Soup, mainly a Roasted Butternut Squash soup from the Williams Sonoma Soup cookbook that i've had in my collection for years. Planning on a demo run this weekend!

@nhfoodie ~ What is pickup hickey?

@hungrychristel ~ I wonder how an alfredo sauce, heavy on the nutmeg, would taste with pumpkin ravioli? Have you ever fried ravioli? I thought it might be an interesting appetizer with the alfredo as a dipping sauce. Just thinking out loud, don't mind me.

@hungrychristel - I agree with Perky about Alfredo, sauce it could be really lovely. Although I have to admit, it's always my personal favourite for any stuffed pasta, so I may be slightly biased here:-). Also, not so long ago I made sweet potato ravioli with caramelised onion & balsamic reduction sauce - it was a huge hit! For butternut squash gnocchi last week, I made another version of caramelised onion sauce, with sage, and it was also very, very nice (as I've mentioned a million times,OH is lactose intolerant, so much as I love Alfredo, I usually need to come up with some kind of a dairy-free sauce, too).

Those gingerbread pumpkin bars from the "favorite pumpkin recipe" thread.

I had a recipe for a butternut squash lasagna that was based on the idea/ingredients for ravioli, but in a less labor-intensive form. It alternated layers of the squash with layers of a chicken veloute that was heavy on sauteed onion and had nutmeg in it. Super good! I don't have it handy, but I think I'd use fontina and maybe a little provolone...so good.

@hungrychristel - oh yes, some toasted pine nuts will sure make a spectacular garnish/finish! Now I'm thinking that I'll make this too, it will be a killer Thanksgiving dish! I still have plenty of sweet potatoes and a couple of butternut squashes, so I may just make a huge batch of ravioli with either one later this week and freeze it - fewer things to worry about the day before or of the big T-dinner.

I'm helping out a buddy with a Thanksgiving that has swelled to include four families and a bunch of kids. To help feed everyone, I'll be manning the grill outside, cooking leg of lamb, pork loin, grilling vegetables, etc. I'm also in charge of wine and cigars for the gathering, which I think will be the Best Thanksgiving Ever.

Hickey is my brain finger coordination failing me again, guess I should actually proof what I submit, but then again what's the fun in that?

Pinch My Salt's sweet potato fries! From today's Serious Eats home page. They sound fabulous.

@dbcurrie: Sure!

Wanda's Red Cabbage

1 small head red cabbage
12 oz. diced bacon
8 oz. sour cream
2T flour
1 large onion
4T lemon juice
salt/pepper to taste

Chope cabbage, cover with water and simmer 20 minutes. Let it sit in the liquid while you prepare the rest.

Dice bacon and fry until crisp. Add diced onions and fry until soft. Drain all fat except for 2-3 T. Add flour to mixture, making a roux. Add drained cabbage along with 2-3 T of the cabbage water. (I added more later, save some to tweak consistency if necessary). Add sour cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Simmer on low, stirring often for about 1-1/2 hours. Add some more cabbage water if it becomes too thick.

Nazdrowie!

I'm adding a Venison dish in honor of the first Thanksgiving meal. Not sure what cut of meat or how I will prepare it yet, I still have to find a butcher shop where I can get it.

@jonfoxx: We typically have vension at our Thanksgiving given that half my family are hunters. I've always lvoes the tenderloin cut into chops. I always marinate the meat for at least 24 hours in A1 and no salt Adobo seasoning, and grill the chops on each side for just a few minutes. Overcooked vension is very tough, so be sure to keep an eye on it!

@Perky PERKY get your bum over to my house, i'm doing turdunkin.

pjracz10 at 2:52PM on 11/05/08

@pjracz ~ I'll be there, bum & all. If you can dunk that turkey, it's got to be good! That must be some honkin' vat of gravy ya got there. Ya Hoo!

Mizbee, about the Parker House rolls-- I'm a baker in a scratch bakery & we do Parker House rolls at Thanksgiving & Christmas-- dozens and dozens and dozens of them! This year at Thanksgiving (I live in Canada) my wrists were sore for the whole weekend after rolling so many of those things by hand! So don't take any orders!

@lambowner

dziękuję !