Thanksgiving 2011 Menu/Plans

It's just dh and I so we will probably just order one of those prepared meals from the grocery store.

Turkey
Ham
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy
Yams
Green Beans
Corn
Cranberry Sauce
Rolls

This meal is prepared to serve 4 to 6 people and costs only $50.
 
lifesaver91958 said:
It's just dh and I so we will probably just order one of those prepared meals from the grocery store.

Turkey
Ham
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy
Yams
Green Beans
Corn
Cranberry Sauce
Rolls

This meal is prepared to serve 4 to 6 people and costs only $50.
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That sounds like a wonderful deal!

I would go for something like that...but..the DW would frown on it.
She is so happy to have a turkey cooking in the house.

We went out to eat at a restautrant...Once...and the kids were hungry in 3 hours, and it was M O M M Y 's Fault....

That weekend..DW had to make a turkey breast and stuffing to satisfy the kids.

It was no fun getting dressed in my Sunday Dudes...(DW made me) and being on my best behavior too!...

The store deal though....I would love to do it one time.
 
Embryodad said:
Seems not that long without refrigeration etc...but if it were me, I would do your baking 1/2 way....when ready to leave..foil cover it, and throw a few towels over it to keep in the heat for that ...What? 60 minute trip? or so?

It should then be warm / hot enough to just continue baking at moms.
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Thanks ED!! :)
 
My hub brought home the thanksgiving bird this morning and OMG it's 25.76/lb!! I hope I have a roasting pan big enough to roast that thing! It only cost $3.00 at Shop-Rite (free up to 22/lb. so he only paid for 3/lb of bird). I think my hub lost his mind there. We will have turkey till next year.
 
lilbopeep said:
My hub brought home the thanksgiving bird this morning and OMG it's 25.76/lb!! I hope I have a roasting pan big enough to roast that thing! It only cost $3.00 at Shop-Rite (free up to 22/lb. so he only paid for 3/lb of bird). I think my hub lost his mind there. We will have turkey till next year.
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That's a deal peep.

We got the Butterball Turkey at the S / R and T got 31.38 off, and the Turkey was 44.30....so she only had to pay 12.92 for the 24.75 Lb Turkey.

I am not a fan of large turkey's. I would rather two small 12 or 13 pound ones. But that's me.
 
While I never like roasting a large bird, you DO get a much better meat-to-bone ratio in a larger bird than you would with two smaller ones.

We've been ordering a fresh free-range organic bird from Whole Foods in the "16-18 pound" range for many years now. Only one year was it just shy of 16 pounds; every other time it was 18 pounds or larger. That works for us since it's just the two of us. Gives us a nice meal & plenty of leftovers to fool around with.
 
peeps & jimmy, my Mom & Vinny got thiers for $0.00! they have deals here where if you get enough points from food purchases & that, the turkey begins costing less & less. they got enough points last week to get it soon, if they've not gotten it not already. it's not as though u hafta get it the second you get enough points, lol~
 
Yes - several of the markets around here have that too, but since we always order a bird from Whole Foods, we give the free turkey we always get to the local food pantry. :)
 
luvs said:
peeps & jimmy, my Mom & Vinny got thiers for $0.00! they have deals here where if you get enough points from food purchases & that, the turkey begins costing less & less. they got enough points last week to get it soon, if they've not gotten it not already. it's not as though u hafta get it the second you get enough points, lol~
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Our turkey would have been free also. BUT hub decided to get a jumbo turkey on steroids!! LOL Any turkey 23/lb or less is free. He LOVES turkey sammies. I told him he better pick up extra bread, stuffing fixings and cranberry sauce then. TeeHee
 
thanksgivingVchristmas.jpg
 
Well, I finally decided to cook T-day dinner. I wasn't too sure until this morning.

Just 2 of us, so I'll keep it simple.

Turkey breast & gravy
Stuffing
Rutabaga
Cranberries (Mr. Green Jeans' recipe from last year with the cognac)

Pie (either pumpkin chiffon or bourbon pumpkin with pecan streussel topping)

And if I can find those peeled chestnuts, I might add my Brussels sprouts & glazed chestnuts as an extra side dish.

A bottle of Pinot Noir should pair well with the bird.
 
Everyones Thanksgiving meals/plans sound wonderful.

If anyone is traveling to be with family/loved ones I wish you a safe round trip journey.
 
SilverSage said:
Well, I finally decided to cook T-day dinner. I wasn't too sure until this morning.

Just 2 of us, so I'll keep it simple.

Turkey breast & gravy
Stuffing
Rutabaga
Cranberries (Mr. Green Jeans' recipe from last year with the cognac)

Pie (either pumpkin chiffon or bourbon pumpkin with pecan streussel topping)

And if I can find those peeled chestnuts, I might add my Brussels sprouts & glazed chestnuts as an extra side dish.

A bottle of Pinot Noir should pair well with the bird.
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Getta outta my head lol. Going to look for the roasted & peeled chestnuts, & either incoporate into the dressing or use w/ brussels sprouts. (Had thought of adding bacon to the dish. I'll see).

Have a great T-D all.
 
lilbopeep said:
Everyones Thanksgiving meals/plans sound wonderful.

If anyone is traveling to be with family/loved ones I wish you a safe round trip journey.
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peeeep...
Pray for me please..
I think I will be going to the Market Street Mission for a free turkey dinner.

DD is here messing up making pressed cookies...mommy is on her way back from South Jersey ( Picked up her Uncle to spend T-Giving with us and a couplke more days + - !

mommy wants to make pies, and cheesecake. T O D A Y after her total drive of 6 plus hours round trip.

I often wonder How she Does it...But I always remember the answer.........

............... "She's a Woman!" .........

God bless Her and all the Women prepping for this Thanksgiving..
 
Embryodad said:
peeeep...
Pray for me please..
I think I will be going to the Market Street Mission for a free turkey dinner.

DD is here messing up making pressed cookies...mommy is on her way back from South Jersey ( Picked up her Uncle to spend T-Giving with us and a couplke more days + - !

mommy wants to make pies, and cheesecake. T O D A Y after her total drive of 6 plus hours round trip.

I often wonder How she Does it...But I always remember the answer.........

............... "She's a Woman!" .........

God bless Her and all the Women prepping for this Thanksgiving..
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:yum::yum: OMG
 
Lou and I will be in northern NJ with my kids, new members of the family, and the rest of the old members of the family. I'm doing some of the cooking, with others pitching in as well.
Should be interesting.
Especially since the restaurant is open and I'm not there.:WitchBrewsSmiley:
 
lilbopeep said:
My hub brought home the thanksgiving bird this morning and OMG it's 25.76/lb!! I hope I have a roasting pan big enough to roast that thing! It only cost $3.00 at Shop-Rite (free up to 22/lb. so he only paid for 3/lb of bird). I think my hub lost his mind there. We will have turkey till next year.
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WOW!!! You should name him, & declare him as a dependent. LOL Good deal!
 
Rickismom.....don't do that to the turkey. Cooking it halfway won't bring it to a safe enough temperature to hold at for half an hour. The temperature will begin to drop immediately, making it even more hazardous. Foil will not maintain a temperature; and as I've said, it wouldn't be a safe temperature to maintain.
You're better off cooking it entirely and using the half hour ride as the time you'd let it set before carving.
I'm pretty sure this isn't what you want to hear, but certification in food safety and handling has to be worth something. What you are proposing is one of the top 3 reasons people get food borne intoxications on Thanksgiving. (the others are not cooking the turkey enough, and mishandling the stuffing)
 
CaliforniaCook said:
WOW!!! You should name him, & declare him as a dependent. LOL Good deal!
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:laugh: Thank you for the chuckle early on this cold, rainy and dreary day. I needed to laugh. :a1: I have never cooked a almost 26 lb turkey before. Reading this I just realized I don't know if my roasting pan is big enough.
 
lilbopeep said:
:laugh: Thank you for the chuckle early on this cold, rainy and dreary day. I needed to laugh. :a1: I have never cooked a almost 26 lb turkey before. Reading this I just realized I don't know if my roasting pan is big enough.
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I have never cooked one that large either. Wondering if using a rack will help. I also found a recipe/method for a no-basting roast turkey (if that's any help).

From Whole Foods

"Pour enough broth into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom by 1/4-inch. Add bay leaf, wine, and herbs to pan. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in the pan. Cover pan and roast turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone, reads 165°F...."

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=1174

Here's one roasted on a rack over a pan...

turkey rack.jpg

http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/C1turkeytips.htm
 
lilbopeep said:
:laugh: Thank you for the chuckle early on this cold, rainy and dreary day. I needed to laugh. :a1: I have never cooked a almost 26 lb turkey before. Reading this I just realized I don't know if my roasting pan is big enough.
Click to expand...
peep..... we got a 24 + - turkey ..........

I had it in the reefer to thaw, and it was iced inside..and ready to soak in brine.
It's in a huge pot with ice cubes outside on the deck.

Now to cook it in the oven... I will bake it foiled in a water bath to start..at 300ºF putting it in at around 9:00PM tonight to be ready at 1:00 tomorrow.

It's a early meal only because her other aunt and uncle cannot drive in the dark, well they don't like to anyway.
DS offered to pick them up and take them home late...but they are afraid to leave the house alone at night .
 
CaliforniaCook said:
I have never cooked one that large either. Wondering if using a rack will help. I also found a recipe/method for a no-basting roast turkey (if that's any help).

From Whole Foods

"Pour enough broth into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom by 1/4-inch. Add bay leaf, wine, and herbs to pan. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in the pan. Cover pan and roast turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone, reads 165°F...."

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=1174

Here's one roasted on a rack over a pan...

View attachment 14376

http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/C1turkeytips.htm
Click to expand...
Thank you.

I am still waiting for my hub to dig out my largest pan. I usually use a rack and never baste. I usually put stock/broth and neck in the pan and cover the bird for 1/2 the cooking time then uncover to finish.
 
Embryodad said:
peep..... we got a 24 + - turkey ..........

I had it in the reefer to thaw, and it was iced inside..and ready to soak in brine.
It's in a huge pot with ice cubes outside on the deck.

Now to cook it in the oven... I will bake it foiled in a water bath to start..at 300ºF putting it in at around 9:00PM tonight to be ready at 1:00 tomorrow.

It's a early meal only because her other aunt and uncle cannot drive in the dark, well they don't like to anyway.
DS offered to pick them up and take them home late...but they are afraid to leave the house alone at night .
Click to expand...
That seems like a really long time to cook the bird.
 
lilbopeep said:
That seems like a really long time to cook the bird.
Click to expand...
Normally we cook at 350º for like 5 hours for a stuffed 16 pounder covered tightly with foil.

Actually we cooked at 290º the last few turkeys...but I messed up..the last hour I remove the foil ant cook 300º .

I had a friend that boiled the turkey for one hour...then stuck it in the oven for one hour at 500º. ..... It was nice and juicy, and the pink juice would drip out as it was cut off the bone. He brought some for T and I to taste..and we almost barfed.
 
Embryodad said:
Normally we cook at 350º for like 5 hours for a stuffed 16 pounder covered tightly with foil.

Actually we cooked at 290º the last few turkeys...but I messed up..the last hour I remove the foil ant cook 300º .

I had a friend that boiled the turkey for one hour...then stuck it in the oven for one hour at 500º. ..... It was nice and juicy, and the pink juice would drip out as it was cut off the bone. He brought some for T and I to taste..and we almost barfed.
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Last year my unstuffed bird was supposed to cook for 5 hours but I also cover AND use cnvection roast. The darn thing was cooked in 3 hours and I didn't have most of the dinner done. LOL Good thing it was only the 4 of us. LOL This years bird is supposed to cook for like 6 - 6.5 hours but it will probably be done sooner. I am hoping to put it in like around 6 AM.
 
lilbopeep said:
Last year my unstuffed bird was supposed to cook for 5 hours but I also cover AND use cnvection roast. The darn thing was cooked in 3 hours and I didn't have most of the dinner done. LOL Good thing it was only the 4 of us. LOL This years bird is supposed to cook for like 6 - 6.5 hours but it will probably be done sooner. I am hoping to put it in like around 6 AM.
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For me, 1 o'clock is too early. what am I to do. I'll have 4 octogenarians here for dinner. God Bless them.

I just filled the manicotti shells that T made earlier. I made three pans of 12 .
That will be the prelude to the turkey.
grrr...Just finished peeling white potatoes. Now I have to boil the sweet potatoes and skin them for making the candied taters.
Big Bird is in the oven... I told DW...never again. I would rather two small birds instead of this huge one. That's just me.

She did get 6 turkeys at the s/Rite yesterday. The ones for 38 cents.
She got two for my cousin..two for her friend Mary. And Two for us.
All small ones frozen.

I am enjoying the nice and quiet now. The tV sets volume is down from the Loud Loud Loud so that Uncle could hear the TV. He forgot his hearing aids he said.
My throught is sore from repeating loudly so he could hear.
I just sprayed with cepacol throat spray. Geeze...you would thing I was at the football game screaming the way my throat sounds. L O L ..
 
We'll be a table of eight and everyone is bringing a dish. Fran is roasting a 16 pound turkey and I'm doing one too. When I pull it out of the brine in a few hours I'll be smoking a 12 pounder.
 

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