I am enjoying my excellent thanksgiving sandwich this year and basking in a great success of a day. I also feel like I had it all organized and together and well executed. And I even had an amazingly moist turkey! 22 pounder no less so I was very anxious about it. For the turkey I think what made the difference was

1) I finally did the water brine after years of resisting because its a giant PITA

2) I cooked upside down and flipped it over instead of being too lazy to do THAT.

3) I let it sit outside the oven for a solid hour or so after coming out unmolested

I also got a turkey that was likely snacking on its last meal Monday night.

Anyway, It was I think my best turkey despite also being the biggest. We had friends from another country coming over so I think the pressure to give them a good 'first thanksgiving' was really on!

I hope all you other cooks are sitting and enjoying the fruits of your labor this afternoon! Other dishes were

- Herb stuffing with italian bread (I think adding sourdough would have been better but delicious!)
- Green bean casserole
- Corn casserole
- Sweet potato stacks
- Cranberry (jellied and fresh salad)
- Mashed garlic potatoes
- Raw brussel sprout salad with an orange vinaigrette
- Pearled creamed onions

DH smoked our turkey this year and I don’t think we will ever go back to roasted. I had so many reservations since I’m traditional, but I just wolfed down my normal leftover turkey sandwich and it’s just fantastic with the smoked meat. Next up is smoky turkey barley soup…fingers crossed it’s great too!!

PP, might you share recipe for green bean salad, please?

Happy day-after, all. Hope it was a wonderful meal with great food and fun!

Follow up:

I feel like I’ve finally, after years and years of preparing thanksgiving’s meal, perfected it!

Herb stuffing using sour dough

sweet potato casserole with pecan topping

Mashed potatoes- used a ricer this year

Turkey - Ina’s lemon butter recipe, but used my own spices, fresh and dried

Gravy- using drippings so it has a strong hint of lemon, but just divine

Cranberry sauce using grand marnier

Fresh (chilled) green bean salad, Greek style

Rice and pigeon peas (Puerto Rican dish)

And amazing desserts. The leftovers are even better. I don’t think there will be any left after today, and that’s a lot of food!

DH has gone for another round of shopping.

Halfway done for most things.
- Desserts - done
- Appetizers - also done. Need to assemble things
- Bird is marinating.
- Sides need to be made. But most are easy sides.

Anonymous wrote:Folks I’m baking a pumpkin pie in a rental house kitchen and it’s going poorly. Mishaps so far:

I pre made the pie crust dough but forgot both extra flour and a rolling pin so had to roll it on cling wrap with a wine bottle wrapped in cling wrap. Crust is… rustic.

Don’t have crust protectors so tried to cover the edges with tin foil but people who do this must be magic? Anyway, edges burning as we speak.

I don’t know I made my normal recipe but filling seemed awful thin going in, I hope it sets up. I feel out of sorts in this kitchen and can’t remember if this is how it always looks.

Normally I make the whole meal but this year we traveled and I only have to do pie and mashed potatoes and somehow it’s breaking me? Sincerely wish I’d just baked it at home Tuesday and brought it chilled. Alas.

You can always fix a pie with ice cream!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cranberry sauce
Turkey is brining
Gravy is ready to thicken
Bowls are out and labeled
Pies purchased

Wait…don’t you need to cook the Turkey in order to make the gravy?

We buy additional parts to get a head start. It’s a couple day process here but it turns out amazing

Oh god. My thanksgiving nightmare. What kind of “additional parts” are you boiling up?

NP. My DH makes gravy with the giblets. It is DIVINE.

I know people love it. Maybe I would too. But if I know giblets are involved I just can’t stomach it. I cannot unknow boiled inwards are in it

DP, but when we do the gravy in advance extra parts include necks, thighs, drumsticks, and wings roasted the day before for the drippings and then used for lunch or soup…nothing too terrifying though I will throw in giblets if the big turkey has thawed enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cranberry sauce
Turkey is brining
Gravy is ready to thicken
Bowls are out and labeled
Pies purchased

Wait…don’t you need to cook the Turkey in order to make the gravy?

We buy additional parts to get a head start. It’s a couple day process here but it turns out amazing

Oh god. My thanksgiving nightmare. What kind of “additional parts” are you boiling up?

NP. My DH makes gravy with the giblets. It is DIVINE.

I know people love it. Maybe I would too. But if I know giblets are involved I just can’t stomach it. I cannot unknow boiled inwards are in it

Folks I’m baking a pumpkin pie in a rental house kitchen and it’s going poorly. Mishaps so far:

I pre made the pie crust dough but forgot both extra flour and a rolling pin so had to roll it on cling wrap with a wine bottle wrapped in cling wrap. Crust is… rustic.

Don’t have crust protectors so tried to cover the edges with tin foil but people who do this must be magic? Anyway, edges burning as we speak.

I don’t know I made my normal recipe but filling seemed awful thin going in, I hope it sets up. I feel out of sorts in this kitchen and can’t remember if this is how it always looks.

Normally I make the whole meal but this year we traveled and I only have to do pie and mashed potatoes and somehow it’s breaking me? Sincerely wish I’d just baked it at home Tuesday and brought it chilled. Alas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cranberry sauce
Turkey is brining
Gravy is ready to thicken
Bowls are out and labeled
Pies purchased

Wait…don’t you need to cook the Turkey in order to make the gravy?

We buy additional parts to get a head start. It’s a couple day process here but it turns out amazing

Oh god. My thanksgiving nightmare. What kind of “additional parts” are you boiling up?

NP. My DH makes gravy with the giblets. It is DIVINE.