Is it too early for a Thanksgiving thread?

[OrganicAnn]

If you are making something unconventional for Thanksgiving (be it the Turkey, veg, pies whatever), what is it and post the recipe if possible.

 

We are having Ham instead of Turkey this year and I am motivated/excited. Everything else (except no dressing) will be rather standard. My FIL has a big Turkey dinner on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I've been saying for the past couple of years I just can't take 2 Turkey dinners and the Turkey leftovers. So since he wouldn't change, I did.

 

Also if anyone has a killer roll recipe I'd like it.

[myfatherslily]

I don't see how it could possibly be too early for a Thanksgiving thread, since there are Christmas threads already! I don't cook for Thanksgiving, or really for much at all! I just bring veggies or rolls in a can/bag to the family dinner. We've had Ham before and it does not detract from the spirit of the holiday!:) I prefer turkey, just for the flavor, but I agree that I wouldn't want two turkeys in one weekend!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our thanksgiving is a mix of "traditional American Thanksgiving" and Filipino - which means lumpia (Filipino egg rolls), rice, and probably some stir-fried veggies in shrimp sauce. I do not host it since my SIL has had dibs on it for the last 10 years.

[OrganicAnn]

I've may have said this before, but I have very fond memories of Filipino Egg Rolls. I grew up in L.A. and a Filipino neighbor would make them. I don't know if she was an exceptionally good cook, but they seemed the best egg rolls in the world.

[Mom22ns]

I will have a very traditional Thanksgiving meal here. The only thing that is just slightly different is that I've asked DH to borrow his parents smoker so we can smoke our turkey. We've done this before and everyone here prefers it to baked turkey.

[unsinkable]

If you are making something unconventional for Thanksgiving (be it the Turkey, veg, pies whatever), what is it and post the recipe if possible.

 

We are having Ham instead of Turkey this year and I am motivated/excited. Everything else (except no dressing) will be rather standard. My FIL has a big Turkey dinner on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I've been saying for the past couple of years I just can't take 2 Turkey dinners and the Turkey leftovers. So since he wouldn't change, I did.

 

Also if anyone has a killer roll recipe I'd like it.

 

I make my stuffing with traditional recipe but with an unconventional technique.

 

I use dried cubes of stuffing, celery, onions, Blob Evans sausage, butter and broth and seasonings (sage, parsley, poultry). I cook the sausage and melt a stick of butter in a big pan or stock pot. This is the unconvential part: I chunk up the celery and onions and liquify them in a blender with some broth. Then I add the celery, onion & broth & seasonings to the butter & sausage and simmer for 15-20 minutes to cook the celery & onion. Add the dried stuffing cubes and more broth if need. heat in buttered pan along the turkey at the end of the turkey's cooking time.

 

I like very moist stuffing, w/ so much broth the individual cubes have disappeared.

Edited November 6, 2010 by unsinkable

[athena1277]

The only un-traditional thing I will make is Rice-a-Roni. Apparently it was always served at Thanksgiving in dh's family. Now he wants it every year. When i was growing up, we ate it at least one a week!

[unsinkable]

The only un-traditional thing I will make is Rice-a-Roni. Apparently it was always served at Thanksgiving in dh's family. Now he wants it every year. When i was growing up, we ate it at least one a week!

 

This is so cute! It reminds me of Friends when Monica made all the different types of potatoes...even Tater Tots!

[MSNative]

Artichoke stuffing -a tradition in dh's family. No need to actually stuff it in the bird, I don't. I serve it as a side veg.

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

• 1 pound mushrooms, rinsed, ends trimmed, and sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
  
• 2 onions (3/4 lb. total), chopped
  
• 1 cup chopped celery
  
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  
• About 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
  
• 2 pkgs frozen artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 large egg
  

 

 

Preparation

 

1. In a 12-in. frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add a bit of broth to pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.

2. Pour 2 cups broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan, poultry seasoning, and rosemary; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in stuffing. Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.

3. Preheat oven to 325° to 350° (use temperature turkey requires; see Note below). Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3-qt. (9- by 13-in.) casserole. For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot (at least 150° in center) or lightly browned, about 50 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

Note: For turkeys 10-13 lbs., oven/bbq temperature should be 350°; for turkeys 14 lbs. and over, oven/bbq temperature should be 325°.

 

MIL's awesome rolls

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

• 2 cups milk
  
• 2 eggs room temp
  
• 1 cup butter, softened
  
• 1/3 cup white sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  

 

Place milk and butter in microwave safe container and heat til butter is melted. Crack in eggs while stirring. Meanwhile pour yeast and sugar in large bowl. Pour milk mixture over it. Stir. Add a cup of flour at a time. After the first cup, add salt. Keep adding dough til soft but holds shape. Knead til smooth. Allow to rise - approx. 1 hr. Shape into rolls. Place on greased pan and quick and lightly spray tops with pam (gross, I know, but it works). Bake 400 til golden. MIL makes them better than I do, but even I can't mess these up.

[OrganicAnn]

Rice a roni- for Thanksgiving who knew. We used to call Brown Rice Rice-a-roni, because we would always see the commercial for it and I guess it looked like brown rice to us.

[missmoe]

We also have Filipino food for Thanksgiving. Lumpia and pancit are favorites that always show up on Thanksgiving. We are skipping the turkey and instead having turducen. No recipe---we're ordering it from Whole Foods! In the past, a cousin has made it from scratch, but seeing as it takes 2 1/2 hours of prep before the 8 hours or so to bake, we are sticking with ordering it this year!

[OrganicAnn]

MS Native - I tried your MILs rolls tonight and they were great. I wanted to check them out before thanksgiving. My DD said it was like eating sweet clouds.

 

 

 

MIL's awesome rolls

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

• 2 cups milk
  
• 2 eggs room temp
  
• 1 cup butter, softened
  
• 1/3 cup white sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  

 

Place milk and butter in microwave safe container and heat til butter is melted. Crack in eggs while stirring. Meanwhile pour yeast and sugar in large bowl. Pour milk mixture over it. Stir. Add a cup of flour at a time. After the first cup, add salt. Keep adding dough til soft but holds shape. Knead til smooth. Allow to rise - approx. 1 hr. Shape into rolls. Place on greased pan and quick and lightly spray tops with pam (gross, I know, but it works). Bake 400 til golden. MIL makes them better than I do, but even I can't mess these up.

[ScoutTN]

Our family LOVES brussels sprouts, so I always make them. This is my MIL's recipe.

 

1 pkg frozen BS, cooked in microwave.

1 can quartered artichoke hearts.

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 t. celery salt

2 t. lemon juice

1/4 C Parmesan

1/4 C sliced or slivered almonds

 

Mix veggies in a casserole dish. In a small bowl, stir together mayo, lemon juice and celery salt. Spoon aver veggies. Top with cheese and nuts.

Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes.

Doubles well.

[Hunter's Moon]

Our Thanksgiving dinner is very American. Turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, butternut and spaghetti squash, homemade gravy, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, etc., etc.

 

The only untraditional way is the way we sometimes cook the Turkey. Sometimes, it is just put in the oven. Last year and the year before that, it was brined. The year before those, it was cooked in the smoker.

[BeckyFL]

I just watched some sort of family Thanksgiving cook-off on Food Network (didn't pay attn to the name of the show). It was so interesting to see how different the Thanksgiving menus were. One of my friends has a brother who cooks his famous ribs every year for Thanksgiving.

 

Ours is pretty traditional. Every year I do a little something different with additions to the stuffing (bread, not cornbread). Favorites are onion, celery, mushrooms, spinach, chopped water chestnuts (this is REALLY good with the extra crunch). This combo is so good that I keep going back to it. Other years I've added cranberries, nuts, apples, or spinach/sausage/mushroom.

 

Other than that...

Turkey (I use a fresh turkey and the turkey-size oven bags - it really seems to keep it moist)

Stuffing

Mashed potatoes

I make some amazing rolls if I do say so myself. I make a LOT so that we have homemade rolls for sandwiches as well. And for this holiday, I forget about whole wheat. LOL

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/106014/9943jcq5grbcdv/dinner-rolls

Asparagus Casserole

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/103910/9943jcq5grbcdv/asparagus-casserole

Pistachio salad (this is a family thing.... I just can't even eat turkey without it... the only time of year we have it.) Made the day before which is helpful.

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/103802/9943jcq5grbcdv/pistachio-salad

Cranberry Relish - this one is made in the crockpot the day before

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/103811/9943jcq5grbcdv/crockpot-cranberry-relish

Sweet Potato Casserole

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/105364/9943jcq5grbcdv/sweet-potato-casserole

Then probably either corn casserole (an awesome recipe from my friend) or Pioneer Woman's green beans.

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/104638/9943jcq5grbcdv/janet-s-corn-casserole

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/106672/9943jcq5grbcdv/green-bean-casserole

Sometimes I make cranberry bread as well but it's a bit over the top with the amount of food we have.

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/104441/9943jcq5grbcdv/cranberry-orange-nut-bread-jan-s

Pumpkin Pie for dessert

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/104040/9943jcq5grbcdv/pumpkin-pie

This is awesome too... pumpkin turtle pie

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/104136/9943jcq5grbcdv/turtle-pumpkin-pie

Edited November 15, 2010 by BeckyFL

[Truscifi]

The only non traditional part of our dinner is the stuffing - I make apple and smoked sausage stuffing.