Going with a non-standard Thanksgiving meal

[bradbn4]

I have did the turkey thing for years; up to the point my nose said - nope; baking a turkey is not a fun thing. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy turkey; just not the smell of turkey fat...

After my sensitivity to baking turkey happened, I went with the route of baked / fried chicken....

So now I think it is a time to shake things up, I keep going back and forth between my home made from dried beans - Western / spicy baked beans...or...split pea with ham.

I have sort of new Instant Pot do-hickey which I have used once for red beans....and see if what I can see. Because I have 100% of the fixings for split pea with ham, that is the route I will take.

Ham bone with chunks of meat on it
baby carrots, pealed
celery
good quality chicken broth
bay leaf
onion
a random amount of organic split pea - not sure how much - but more than enuff to do the job

I will do the classic glaze the carrots, celery, and onion before tossing it into the pot with real butter and go higgly piggly on any additional spices that look good.

As a side or alt main dish some white rice with equal amounts of stir fried veggies along with a roll of some sort. If desert is calling my name after that meal I will enjoy a baked apple pie.

I have not really figured out how sensitive the Instant Pot (ultra series) is, I will plug in about 60 mins for cooking at pressure and let it cool down for 60 mins before releasing the pressure.

So is anyone else having a non-standard thanks giving?

[Holger Danske]

It is standard T-giving fare in the HD house, and a ham for x-mas.

[Scanker19]

I’m going to Waffle House.

[Scanker19]

I have did the turkey thing for years; up to the point my nose said - nope; baking a turkey is not a fun thing. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy turkey; just not the smell of turkey fat...

After my sensitivity to baking turkey happened, I went with the route of baked / fried chicken....

So now I think it is a time to shake things up, I keep going back and forth between my home made from dried beans - Western / spicy baked beans...or...split pea with ham.

I have sort of new Instant Pot do-hickey which I have used once for red beans....and see if what I can see. Because I have 100% of the fixings for split pea with ham, that is the route I will take.

Ham bone with chunks of meat on it
baby carrots, pealed
celery
good quality chicken broth
bay leaf
onion
a random amount of organic split pea - not sure how much - but more than enuff to do the job

I will do the classic glaze the carrots, celery, and onion before tossing it into the pot with real butter and go higgly piggly on any additional spices that look good.

As a side or alt main dish some white rice with equal amounts of stir fried veggies along with a roll of some sort. If desert is calling my name after that meal I will enjoy a baked apple pie.

I have not really figured out how sensitive the Instant Pot (ultra series) is, I will plug in about 60 mins for cooking at pressure and let it cool down for 60 mins before releasing the pressure.

So is anyone else having a non-standard thanks giving?

92141



Francis Approves of your non-Turkey decisions.

[Clint45]

Add a jar of chopped garlic and half a bottle of hot sauce.

[bradbn4]

Hmm, just thinking about the 9 wild turkeys that use to roost in the cotton wood tree in the back yard. I have never had wild turkey - the food or the booze. Every few years they move their favorite roost around and it can be fun to see them. Frances looks too good to be considered part of the butter ball family name. But all things considered; with that I voted sticker I might just have to re-consider both my voting choice, and what I should have on thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong; that is one heck of a good looking turkey.

If I want to go out; the "old" golden coral opened back up on Powers. Each time I have been by that area the place has been packed like crazy. They do offer to go packs if that is your thing.


Now if I could get Waffle house joint to play something from Colt Ford - as in the waffle house song, that might also be a good choice.

[eddiememphis]

The holiday is not about the meal.

It is about the gathering of friends and family while giving thanks for the good things in life.

One year we did Italian.There was a variety pastas and lasagnas.

I once showed up with 20 pounds of king crab legs and six pounds of 26/30 shrimp.

Most people cook turkeys as a whole bird. It looks good but not good for optimal flavor since all parts cook differently.

There are millions of articles written about why one should at least spatchcock a bird and it's better to cook each quarter individually.

Brines and marinades and smoking versus deep frying...

For me, the holiday is about standing around, talking shit and cracking jokes. Maybe have a beer or two with people I haven't seen since Christmas.

[TEAMRICO]

Sons home from school, just got back in from Vegas today for a family get away.
Cooking a turkey breast, ham and all the standard fair.
Over indulged in Vegas so not thinking of food until tomorrow!

Staying in allllllll day.

[BushMasterBoy]

I'm having filet mignon & baked beans. Pretending it is 1883 wild west chuckwagon style. Wash it down with corn squeezings.

[JohnnyEgo]

I love to cook, and Thanksgiving is my big show every year, so I still do the big production. But for Christmas for the last three years or so, we just make pizzas. It's fast, the kids love it, the clean up is low, and it frees up a lot of time to just hang out with family. So while I am going to stick with the traditional Thanksgiving menu for the foreseeable future, I do see the draw in mixing things up.

[bradbn4]

Cooking and baking can be fun; along with some good BBQ. I went with the soup this year because it is one of the few things that I do better than any store bought / restaurant food items.

Often my split pea soup will be so thick that even when warm you can stand a spoon up right in the pot ad it won't move. I make between 4 to 5 quarts of the soup and freeze it up. For normal thanksgiving the stuffing part of the bake turkey seems to provide me with the most amount of fun. When I re-heat the soup; I do add more liquid back into the mixture so it is sort of like opening a can of condensed soup.

Way back when I remember being on the farm at grandmothers house, enjoying the food and the people. Depending on the temps; there might even be harvesting some sap for maple syrup.

When I do bake beans from scratch; it will often take one or two days before the food is perfect. Since I start with dried navy white beans, the first day is the pre-soak, then cooking, then ideal a day to sit in the refrig letting the beans soak up all the goodness. In my version of the dish, it is spicy with a bit of sweetness to keep the food enjoyable.

[StagLefty]

Having a vegan Thanksgiving at my son's. He always surprises me with a great meal even though it's vegan !!!!

[BladesNBarrels]

Today's fare
Turkey on the Smoker
Real Wild Rice
Green Bean Casserole - the Campbell Mushroom Soup Recipe
Sliced fresh Tomatoes with Blue Cheese Dressing
Cranberry Sauce


Pretty traditional, but that is my style.
https://i.imgur.com/7hhhJ5d.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SCiTYzB.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/qP0WDKl.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/eMGpKEa.jpg https://i.imgur.com/a1RBJsA.jpg

[Bailey Guns]

We've got a house full this year... 3 sons with wives and 5 kids, daughter and the 2 of us. It's like Grand Central Station. Lots of good chow on the menu...mostly traditional stuff. But that's OK. Did the ham and a meatloaf on the smoker.

[Doc45]

Heading up to my son's firehouse shortly to have dinner with all the folks-last time was in 2019 and they were on a call when we all got there lol. Had a great time, I feel honored to be asked to join them again. Hope you all have a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving.

[TFOGGER]

We're doing linguini with crab in white wine garlic sauce, garlic bread, and a salad. She made raspberry cheesecake for dessert. We generally do something nontraditional, previous years have been prime rib, cedar plank salmon, country style ribs, and roasted chicken. I'm not crazy about turkey, and she's not particularly fond of most of the other traditional dishes.

[Ah Pook]

This was our traditional/ nontraditional T’giving meal. No cooking and no cleaning. We will probably do a holiday dinner later in the season. 92145

[JohnnyEgo]

I am at my parents house in DC this year. My Mom called me to tell me they all took a vote and decided I should have turkey duty because I make 'the best' turkey. But their standards are really low, because my mother and her mother before her overcooked the hell out of every turkey they ever encountered. In point of fact, my great secret is that I brine it, then put it in the oven and leave it the hell alone until the probe in the thigh meat says 165 degrees. And of course there's the very popular bacon blanket.

https://www.johnnyego.com/dump/cake/2018Thanksgiving/2018Thanksgiving05.JPG

https://www.johnnyego.com/dump/cake/2018Thanksgiving/2018Thanksgiving06.JPG

I suggested skipping the blanket this year in the interest of time and economy, since my sister was doing all the shopping and footing the bill this year. I was nearly disinherited.

No pictures of this year's bird uploaded yet, but it came out pretty similar to prior years birds. It was also nice being the guest chef in a guest kitchen, and sticking my younger brother and sister with cleanup.

[buffalobo]

Always traditional at our house at Thanksgiving. Mrs bo and I enjoy cooking together and the traditional dishes are some of our favorites. We go all out even if no family gathering.

Many variations of the turkey over the years(smoked, deep fried, spatchcocked, BBQ etc) but traditional roasted is still the favorite.

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is being able to load up the freezer for the entire year with turkey at low price. Three to four whole turkeys and half dozen breasts for a few dollars.

[Frac]

I enjoyed a roast pheasant again this year.