I don't wanna make a turkey

[ktgrok]

I've been eating a ton of chicken for months, both for price point and easy low calorie protein reasons, and the idea of eating turkey for days is just...not appealing. Plus, with my iron issues I'm trying to work more red meat into the diet. And gluten free stuffing sucks, which is the main reason for making turkey. And I really want to lose weight, so picking at the skin and dipping some meat in the drippings not a good idea. 

I suggested swedish meatballs instead, as that is the ONE food everyone in the family really likes, but got nowhere with that, lol. DH suggested steaks PLUS turkey...may do that. 

Off to search for a very small turkey!

[Katy]

Rotisserie chicken?  Just a turkey breast?

We're not doing turkey either.  But I hate it so much one year I convinced my extended family that lasagna would be a better choice!

[klmama]

We're having steak and chicken.  Everyone agreed they were better than turkey, so that's what we're having.

[cjzimmer1]

My mom offered to cook turkey for all the family groups and drop it off to them.  But she decided to skip stuffing.  I told her the only reason to eat turkey was the stuffing so if she skipped that I didn't need the turkey (she lives 45 minutes away so it would be a bit of an effort to get it to me, plus I know how to make a turkey and my family is large enough to warrant a turkey myself).  Knowing that no one who lives here is super fond of turkey, we are foregoing it all together.  We ordered a bunch of meat from the a BBQ place and I will make our favorite Thanksgiving sides (albeit stuffing because I can't make it like moms).  If it's only DH who wants turkey, I would definitely look for a breast or even drumsticks if he likes dark meat and make something else for others.

[RootAnn]

DH prefers ham, so that's what he does when some others prefer turkey. Me, I'd love a Mexican-themed Thanksgiving like we did a year or two ago. Tacos, Spanish Rice, enchilladas. Yum.

[happi duck]

I have never prepared turkey!  We have steak and Tofurkey.

[theelfqueen]

So , don't.

Make something you want. 

[Sneezyone]

2-3 Rib roast. Super tasty and tons of iron.

[Drama Llama]

46 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I've been eating a ton of chicken for months, both for price point and easy low calorie protein reasons, and the idea of eating turkey for days is just...not appealing. Plus, with my iron issues I'm trying to work more red meat into the diet. And gluten free stuffing sucks, which is the main reason for making turkey. And I really want to lose weight, so picking at the skin and dipping some meat in the drippings not a good idea. 

I suggested swedish meatballs instead, as that is the ONE food everyone in the family really likes, but got nowhere with that, lol. DH suggested steaks PLUS turkey...may do that. 

Off to search for a very small turkey!

Steaks sound like a great idea.  Could you just do a breast so you have less leftovers? 

On a side note, would you be willing to share you Swedish meatball recipe?  

[KungFuPanda]

The Swedish Meatball talk is cracking me up. IKEA released their recipe because of the pandemic and that’s what I made last night. I had a sauce packet leftover from my last IKEA grocery haul before the virus hit. I made meatballs,latkes, gravy, and served lingonberry preserves with it. 
 

I’ll be doing a turkey breast and a few drumsticks. We like the turkey and I love the stock I get from it later. I already have the mango chutney in the house for curried Turkey salad over the weekend. 

[Sneezyone]

I have matzo meal on hand to make soup with our chicken bones from dinner, lol. Waste not, want not.

[SKL]

My 13yo had said she wanted to bake the turkey this year.  (Normally we go to my folks', but this year they are not having people over.)  Yesterday, 13yo kinda backed out, which is fine with me, because it would have been a pretty ambitious project for her.  (Not like I wanted to be involved; the last bird I cooked was a roast chicken in 1978.)  So I'm like, fine, we can eat at Baker's Square, which we always do for lunch on Thanksgiving.  (This is the aunties' way of having turkey with us before we go to my folks'.)  But the aunties got kinda excited for a serious turkey dinner, and they are trying to revive the idea.  I'm staying out of it.  (You may recall my recent post about not liking food, LOL.)

[catz]

I'd make a beef tenderloin roast or prime rib roast if they want something visually special and you want beef. I am kind of done with poultry right now too and turkey to me is meh on a good day.  We're having a beef wellington (which is a gussied up beef tenderloin in a puff pastry basically).  

[mellifera33]

I’m with you. Turkey is boring. We’re having steaks and shrimp. 🙂

[Garga]

No turkey here either.  We usually go to my MIL’s and she makes turkey, but since we’re not going there this year, I’m not making one. Too dry. 

I suggested steaks but then DS15 said he would miss the “feel” of Thanksgiving if there wasn’t a bird and potatoes and all the traditional dishes, so we’re having chicken.

I got one of those birds that comes in a bag with the spices already in it.  I leave it in the bag, put it in the oven, and 2 hours later it’s done.

[Storygirl]

@ktgrok I assume that you are out shopping for your turkey now. I hope you can find a fresh one, since it's too late to thaw it by tomorrow. I just wanted to respond to your comment that you don't want to eat turkey for days. You really don't have to -- you can carve it up, divide it into portions, and freeze it. You can then dice it up and use it in any recipe where you might use chicken, such as soups, casseroles, pot pie, etc. I even will thaw slice of it to reheat with gravy or put in a panini. It will last months in the freezer, so you can spread the leftovers out over a long period of time, instead of having to eat turkey for the entire weekend.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You could do cornish game  hens.  Sort of a cross between a turkey and a chicken! (in size and shape, I mean)

Edited November 25, 2020 by Jean in Newcastle

[Storygirl]

1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Steaks sound like a great idea.  Could you just do a breast so you have less leftovers? 

On a side note, would you be willing to share you Swedish meatball recipe?  

 

Not ktgrok, but I use the Better Homes and Gardens recipe. We think it's much better than the Ikea meatballs. The recipe calls for half pork and half beef, but often I can't find plain (not sausage flavored) ground pork at my store, so I usually use all beef. https://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/swedish-meatballs/

I dislike rolling meatballs, so I will double or triple the recipe and freeze some of the meatballs while they are still raw. That way, the next time I want to have them, I can pull them out of the freezer and just cook them through and make the sauce and noodles without having to start from scratch.

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by Storygirl

[SounderChick]

Just me and the kids tomorrow so I'm making everyone's favorite that they don't normal get.  Calamari steak for me.  Pork tenderloin sandwich for ODD and Japanese mushroom onion soup for Mdd.  ODD is making two piecakens apple and spice & chocolate caramel pecan.  

[Sneezyone]

49 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

You could do cornish game  hens.  Sort of a cross between a turkey and a chicken! (in size and shape, I mean)

This has been our go to for years. I just discovered a slow growth chicken co. 6 weeks ago and decided to go with that. We’ve always hated big commercial turkeys.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Sneezyone

[MercyA]

I've never made a turkey in my life. 🙂 

We're having what DD and DH want--pizza! And my dear mother just dropped off a homemade apple pie. 🤤

[Tree Frog]

2 hours ago, rebcoola said:

piecakens

What is a piecaken? The flavors sound delicious!

 

[Matryoshka]

33 minutes ago, Wilrunner3 said:

What is a piecaken? The flavors sound delicious!

Just as long a it's not a relative of the turducken... 😱

[ashfern]

My family hates turkey so I'm going to bake a chicken and picked up a small ham. I have boxed mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, & some lettuce. I also picked up rolls.

[SounderChick]

41 minutes ago, Wilrunner3 said:

What is a piecaken? The flavors sound delicious!

 

 

6 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Just as long a it's not a relative of the turducken... 😱

It sort of is!! It's a pie baked into a cake.  When we heard of it we had to try it and it's quite amazing. 

 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wideopeneats.com/piecaken/amp/

[ktgrok]

5 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

 

On a side note, would you be willing to share you Swedish meatball recipe?  

Um...I was afraid someone would ask that, lol. 

I just buy frozen gluten free swedish meatballs from Whole Foods. Then I make a sauce from a recipe I found somewhere on the internet - it's super easy. Just butter melted in the pan, then some milk and beef broth, splash of worceshire sauce, salt and pepper and a bit of onion powder, bring to a boil and then  I thicken it with cornstarch (dissolved in a bit more milk or broth). At that point turn down the heat and dump in the bag of frozen meatballs. Tastes just like Ikea. 

4 hours ago, Storygirl said:

@ktgrok I assume that you are out shopping for your turkey now. I hope you can find a fresh one, since it's too late to thaw it by tomorrow. I just wanted to respond to your comment that you don't want to eat turkey for days. You really don't have to -- you can carve it up, divide it into portions, and freeze it. You can then dice it up and use it in any recipe where you might use chicken, such as soups, casseroles, pot pie, etc. I even will thaw slice of it to reheat with gravy or put in a panini. It will last months in the freezer, so you can spread the leftovers out over a long period of time, instead of having to eat turkey for the entire weekend.

Yes, got a fresh one. And that's a good idea, I will do that! 

 

[ktgrok]

So, the steaks at the store didn't look great, and I drooled over a standing beef roast for a bit, even put it in the cart, but realized that I really couldn't feasibly cook both that AND a turkey on the same day, oven wise. Pretty sure those cook totally differently.

So I grabbed a roast to make potroast in the instant pot. I figure that goes with some of the same sides, etc.