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Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I have my whole family over every year and do all the cooking (which I love to do). But being a vegetarian, I am totally about the sides. I cook a turkey for them though.
It is my very favorite holiday...no pressure, no gifts, just relaxing around with the loved ones and talking after dinner.
Green Tomatoes! What do I do with them all?
I canned green tomato salsa this year with mine.
FN Chefs - ignoring food sanitation
The thing that really grosses me out is when the chefs (happens a lot on Chopped) are sweating and it is dripping off their faces. You know where it is landing.........ewwwwww.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Turkey roaster vs oven?
I do what others have suggested, use a roaster for some of my side dishes (dressing, baked sweet potatoes in jackets) and cook the turkey in the oven. The one time I tried the turkey in the roaster, it never got crispy.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I have my whole family over every year and do all the cooking (which I love to do). But being a vegetarian, I am totally about the sides. I cook a turkey for them though.
It is my very favorite holiday...no pressure, no gifts, just relaxing around with the loved ones and talking after dinner.
Green Tomatoes! What do I do with them all?
I canned green tomato salsa this year with mine.
FN Chefs - ignoring food sanitation
The thing that really grosses me out is when the chefs (happens a lot on Chopped) are sweating and it is dripping off their faces. You know where it is landing.........ewwwwww.
Thanksgiving Turkey in the Slow Cooker?
Even in an electric roaster, the turkey doesn't get as brown and crispy as it should because the heat is only on the bottom and sides, not the top.
Toasting pumpkin or squash seeds - is there a trick?
Wow, I feel like I live under a rock or something...I've never heard of using butter or oil when toasting pumpkin seeds. I always soak them in warm, rather salty water and bake, stirring every so often.
Tasting P.B. Loco's Wacky Line of Peanut Butters
The only "gourmet" peanut butter I've ever tried was PB Co's cinnamon raisin, and was very disappointed. It was way too sweet, and had a very unpleasant grittiness. I also expected the raisins would be soft and plump, but they were very hard. I will just stick to my Krema natural crunchy from now on.
btw...Does anyone remember the "Koogle" brand of flavored peanut butters from back in the 70's? There was chocolate, cinnamon, and banana I believe.
Onigiri fillings
not traditional, but I like a nice green or kalamata olive in mine.
Surprising Comfort Foods
A bowl of plain rice crispies or cheerios with soymilk on top, preferably vanilla. Instant relaxation for me.
Video: Jeanne Dielman Making Meatloaf
She's mixing that meatloaf way too much.
Ideas for polenta or lentils?
I love to make sloppy joes with lentils instead of meat.
Package Design
I don't know if any of you have shopped at Aldi, but I find the packaging of their "Fit & Active" line of foods very appealing. The designer of that line did a really good job.
What Are Eggs Blindfolded?
I've done this for years, but just use a couple spoonfuls of water, not ice. And a regular see-thru glass pot lid. The dad of one of my high-school friends showed me how to make these. Works like a charm.
I wish I may, I wish I might...
raw oysters
caviar
cantalope, even the smell turns my stomach
microwave popcorn, again it is the smell
Limited Edition Strawberried Peanut Butter and Coconut M&Ms
I tried the coconut ones, I thought they tasted just like suntan lotion smells...and I don't mean that in a good way. icky
Tiki themed hors d'oeuvres for the vegetarian?
I don't know if these would be "tiki-ish", but how about stuffed mushrooms or stuffed wontons?
Hamburger America: Taylor's Maid-Rite in Marshalltown, Iowa
A "hamburger" that needs a spoon is just so wrong.....
Buddy's Deep-Dish Pizza in Detroit: Better Than NYC Pizza?
Wow, I feel so lucky. I've been eating Buddy's my whole life and it really is the best. The edges and corners with the baked-on cheese are indescribably delicious and the sauce is great too.
Pepsi Throwback and Sugar Cola
I've seen the Boylan sodas at my local gourmet-type fruit market but I haven't tried them yet.
Pepsi Throwback and Sugar Cola
I prefer Coke to Pepsi myself, and I really enjoy the Coke from Mexico that I buy at the market in Mexicantown here in Detroit. It is made with sugar, not HFCS. I never heard of Pepsi Throwback, is it something new, or regional?
Pickled Beets Suggestions please!
I like to eat them right from the jar. I also like them laid on a plate, alternated with slices of hardboiled eggs, drizzled with a dressing made from mayo thinned out with some of the pickled beet juice. A cashier at my grocery store let me in on this when she saw I was purchasing pickled beets.
Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it is delicious, and very pretty.
Popcorn: Do You Err on the Side of Unpopped or Burnt?
I like my popcorn made on the stove, with just the slightest hint of "burniness". The smell of microwave popcorn makes me gag, and it is even worse when burned.
Will this break my baking stone?
Don't do it. Once I set a stone on top of the stove on an electric burner (shut off) that I didn't realize was still hot from cooking. The stone broke right in half. It was my favorite, well-seasoned Pampered Chef stone. ;(
Gum Paste/Fondant
For the ribbon, it will work as long as it is a waterproof type of ribbon. At the bakery where I work, brides want ribbon on their cakes all the time. You can find some nice looking ribbon that is 100% waterproof....look for polypropolene ribbon and the moisture (oils) will not come through.
Also, will you be refrigerating your cake once it is made because of the mousse? If your flowers are made of fondant, they may get soft again if you refrigerate them.
Need ways to preserve green tomatoes
This wouldn't be a long-term solution, but in Martha Stewart's column in our local paper today, she had a quickie recipe for green tomato pickles.
You just quarter them, and add them to a jar of leftover dill pickle brine (from a commercial jar of dill pickles). Refrigerate for one week before serving, they will keep in you fridge for a month.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I'm with Ed. Let's eat pie.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Do I really have to choose? They're all so good.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
This year we are having 18 for dinner.My daughter and I do nearly all of it. She always brings mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing (yuck!), a pumpkin cheesecake, her Sexy Salad ( greens with sexy stuff in it), my dad's green beans (with shallots and bacon - coming from our garden this year), and chile con queso. I do the rest, usually, although this year Jose Luis and Carmen are bringing smoked brisket and tamales. (They recently inherited my cast-iron smoker which Jose-Luis can make sing arias.) I will be making a sweet potato pie, a few apple pies (the youngest child and his beloved are bringing New England apples they picked last week with his roomates), at least 3 pecan pies, and a carrot cake for dessert. If I can squeeze it in, I want to also make a 3 layer chocoalte cake for me. The sides I make are cranberry-ginger sauce (the cranberries are also being brought directly from the bog in MA), 8 dozen homemade rolls, a relish tray with homemade pickled green beans and pickled okra, and tiny gherkins and our friend Richard Moon will augment it with different olives and throw some sweet pickles, baby carrots and left-over celery from the dressing on the plate. I might make some hummus for that.
I have a 25.7 lb turkey in the freezer and a 10lb ham in the fridge. We should be in good shape. I've been saving plastic send-home containers for a few months so everyone can bring stuff for sandwiches the next day.
My mouth is watering for Friday's breakfast which will be turkey (breast meat only, please), mayo, cranberry sauce and dressing on sourdough sandwiches.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Even though I have to watch my carbs and sugar for health reasons, I always have been and always will be a sides girl (just gotta eat little bits of it now instead of going all out!). I like ham and turkey just fine, but I eat deli meat a lot throughout the year, so it doesn't really seem like anything special. Southern cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole (we do a pecan streusel-mini marshmallow mixture on top), orange-cranberry sauce, yeast rolls... it's all so good!! Of course, I adore pumpkin pie and pecan pie too... have to have a little bite of them to really call it Thanksgiving!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Oyster dressing smothered in turkey gravy.....yum! I can't wait!!!!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I love the entire trifecta.
The turkey is great esp since we deep fry it with a nice spice rub on the skin.
The sides are great - sausage and apple stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, etc. And of course deep dried mac n cheese balls.
Then the dessert is the closing act - pumpkin pie is a must but apple pie with some vanilla ice cream works too!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Without the turkey there is no gravy. Gravy is the essential T-Day component. ALL non-dessert food is there merely as a vehicle for the gravy. Hmm, even some of the dessert food is improved by it. I say the heck with it. Gravy should be the main course, with everything else as a side.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Definitely the sides. Yes, you could make them any other time, but generally we don't make that particular combination of sides. And although I don't especially care about *eating* the turkey, I care very deeply about smelling it while it cooks and the gravy it produces. So I guess that means the turkey is equally important, but for different reasons.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
I like the whole meal: turkey, sides, and pies. But if I had to choose among them, I'd say the sides are my favorite.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
People, you can make the sides any time with any meal but the occasion to cook a great big bird only comes around once or twice a year. Yes, we can cook a turkey for a dinner party but most of us don't. It's the turkey!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
It's all about the crown roast of pork. That's right. Who needs a turkey that takes hours of brining, rubbing, basting and baking when you can have 12-18 bones of luscious pork that cook up in under 90 minutes? We made the switch about four years ago and have not looked back.
And turkey sandwiches? Bah! Have cubanos made with the leftover pork loin instead!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Side! Sweet potatoes with all the fixings. Since my family is none traditional I always look forward to the Chinese roast duck.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides, absolutely. Not that I don't like turkey. And pies and desserts, I could do without. I need one bite of sweet at the end of a huge savory meal, then I'm done. And I'm a huge baker, in pastry school! As long as I get to eat a mound of mashed potatoes, some stuffing, and something green, I'm satisfied.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides. My favorite is the day after when a blob of mashed potatoes, a scoop of stuffing, perhaps some roasted onions and carrots, and a few shredded pieces of turkey are dumped, KFC-bowl of sadness style, into a bowl, doused with and obscene amount of gravy, nuked to within an inch of their life, covered in black pepper and eaten...with a spoon.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Pie, pie, pie!!!!!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Sides. The turkey is just there to provide pan juices for the gravy for the dressing, potatoes and other sides. (I also cook the giblets for broth for the stuffing).
I do eat a little turkey, but wouldn't let it interfere with the sides. And I am actually very fond of turkey and eat a lot of it. But that's part of the reason that all those sides on Thanksgiving are so much more important than the turkey - I don't make them a lot.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Love the sides but I can't wait to tear into a great bird! I've had smoked, deep-fried and traditional roasted turkeys over the years and all have been absolutely delicious!!!!
So give me the bird with great gravy!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
sides! Mostly cuz in my family, they ALWAYS order the turkey from Safeway and it's ALWAYS dry so the sides are the only edible thing (even though the mashed potatoes are gummy, but I like them that way)
although last year my aunt made the mashed potatoes with flakes and spoilt milk so nothing was eaten :/
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
On the "day of", I'm going for the sides; particularly the cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. I'll sample the rest of the meal but I'd feel cheated if I didn't get that dressing; aplenty... That said, I'll fight to the death for the roasted tail and have to admit that since we cook the dressing "inside" and the gravy has to be laden with minced giblets, Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without the turkey. I'll wait until game time the next day to devour those cold turkey sandwiches rich with mayonnaise and always on white bread.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
1. Sides, especially stuffing and potatoes.
2. Spaghetti Carbonara, a la Calvin Trillin
3. Turkey
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Is there an option to say all of them? I love the turkey, the sides, and the pie!
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
sides on the day of. turkey sandwich day after.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Another vote for sides. But I'm that way all the time, not just Thanksgiving. Many of my meals are comprised of a medley of side dishes.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Homemade cranberry sauce and pie are my only requirements, although once a year I do look forward to making my grandmother's stuffing which is of Portuguese origin and, green. As in green.
This year I am making mince pies (from David Lebovitz's recipe for mincemeat), my own pecan pie (I use treacle rather than corn syrup) and bread pudding baked within a pumpkin. I should probably make a sweet potato pie too; breakfast for the next day.
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I do what others have suggested, use a roaster for some of my side dishes (dressing, baked sweet potatoes in jackets) and cook the turkey in the oven. The one time I tried the turkey in the roaster, it never got crispy.