header

header

11.23.2009

Thanksgiving Prep.

I need to interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for this special announcement...


GET YOUR TURKEY OUT OF THE FREEZER!!! HURRY!!! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!




Okay, then, where were we ... oh, yes...



As far as I'm concerned, there is just too much Christmas going on in blogland. Let's not forget about Thanksgiving! We have to plan, and cook, and EAT, people!

I pull out my plan from the last year to build on for the next. Where do I keep it? In my roasting pan, of course!

Let's review our Thanksgiving Menu 2009:

Brie with cranberries and pecans

Chili cheese dip (soften block of cream cheese, top with a can of chili and cup of cheddar, microwave, done!)

Veggie sticks and fruit

Bloody Mary cocktails (sorry, it's a secret recipe, the Big Guy won't give it up)

Turkey (*See Note)

Mashed Potatoes (make ahead and put in crock pot the day of)

Fresh Kielbasi (this is Pittsburgh, it's a part of every holiday meal, I don't know why)

Pineapple Souffle (it goes with the kielbasi - salty/sweet)

Green Bean Casserole (Amy)

Sweet Potatoes (Mom)

Sauteed Mushrooms (Mom) (sauteed in white wine, butter, salt, and pepper)

Stuffing (traditional onion, celery, sage stuffing)

Gravy (see recipe below)

Corn Pudding

Cranberry sauce (smooth and chunky)

Pumpkin Pie and "Delight" (Sheri)

Pilgrim Hat cookies for kids

Jello Salad (Grammy must have this)

Make Ahead Gravy (Woman's Day magazine, 2003)

4 turkey wings (3-4 lbs)

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 tsp thyme3

/4 cup flour2

Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. pepper


Heat oven to 400 degrees

Roast wings in roasting pan in a single layer with onions scattered on top for 1 1/4 hours or until browned.Transfer wings and onions to large pot. Add 1 cup of water to roasting pan to loosen any brown bits then add to pot with 6 cups of broth, carrots, and thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Remove wings and strain broth into a saucepan, pressing the veggies to extract all the juice. Skim fat from the top, or put in fridge overnight to pull solids off top.

Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups of broth.Bring broth in saucepan to a boil and whisk in flour mixture. Boil 4-5 minutes to thicken, then stir in butter and pepper.


*I have experimented over the years, and this is the best turkey...but, you know me, I have to put my own twist on things. I make about 1/3 of the batch of brine, leave my turkey (always a Butterball) in the original wrapper, and inject the brine into the turkey with a meat injector through the wrapper the night before.
In the morning I unwrap and proceed with the recipe.*

Serenity Now Thanksgiving Recipe Round Up

8 comments:

  1. I was responsible for dessert, but now my brother took it from me, I'm not complaining, so I am now only responsible for the centerpieces. I do christmas today..what can I say...I'm a follower!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow - That's a long menu! I hope you'll tell us what to do with the leftovers! I'll be contributing - you guessed it - desserts for Thanksgiving. Have a great one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay...I'm going to try the brine process, I've never done it before so wish me luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the reminder! We have ours in the fridge already. And yes, traditional sage dressing is the best way to go!!! Have a great holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds very delicious. I'm little bit sad that the Canadian Thanksgiving was already few weeks ago. I don't know why it is so, but it would be great if both Thanksgivings in Canada and U.S. would be in the same day. Anyway, I wish everybody happy Thanksgiving.

    Good luck,
    Lorne

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't have to cook anything this year. Wednesday night we'll be going to a friend's and Thursday we are going to my stepmothers. No planning, no shopping, no cooking. Aaaahhh. But I probably will make a pumpkin pie because it is my favorite and I never get enough.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm in the middle of making your gravy right now...so glad you posted the recipe! This year I am all about getting everything done ahead of time!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jennifer - Just wanted to let you know we made the corn pudding and LOVE it! We've made the pineapple dish before - need to make it more often!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!

How to Avoid Stress At Work