Who is hosting Thanksgiving Dinner??

[dtbach]

This is my first year of being FIRED so I have plenty of time to make a great Thankgiving Dinner. I'm doing the standard Turkey and Stuffing as I would be hounded out of the house if I didn't do those.

What dishes have you done that really knock the dinner out of the normal holiday??

I have the time now so why not do something special.

[RockyMtn]

my favs for thanksgiving....

Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing
Made from scratch dinner rolls
Poppy seed potato casserole
Pumpkin pie of course

[dtbach]

I think we need some recipes included

Especially for the spinach salad !!!

[braumeister]

For us, it's all about the turkey.
I've tried every technique I've ever heard of, but nothing beats deep-fried turkey.
I was introduced to this method in 1998 in Houston, and initially thought "What a ridiculous gimmick!" But one taste made me a convert. DW became an instant convert on her initial taste of it, too.

Most of the big hardware stores carry the equipment for it these days, and it isn't expensive at all. I set the fryer up on the patio outside the back door. I spread a whole bunch of newspapers around to catch any grease spatters. I weigh the papers down with rocks, then set up the propane burner and pot. First step (a couple of days ahead of time) is to fill the pot with water with the frozen turkey in it. Mark the desired level with a piece of masking tape, and you'll have your mark for the level of the oil when you're ready. The actual cooking doesn't take long at all.

My next favorite method is smoking the bird, but that takes a very long time (meaning I have to get up and start the process around 6 am).

[RockyMtn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtbach I think we need some recipes included Especially for the spinach salad !!!

Poppy Seed Potatoes
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1750...229194,00.html

Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1915...245197,00.html

Not exact to mine but darn close.

[SumDay]

I am hosting 12. Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday. No pressure for gifts, just family and food and fun.

We have a couple of must have dishes. My kids would boycott if I didn't have these tried & true faves.

Ruthie's Spinach Salad

Boston Market Copy-Kat Cornbread Muffins

Best ever 2 day turkey gravy (rave reviews - worth the effort!!!!)

Raspberry Lemon Jello
2 pkgs. raspberry jello- disolved in 1 2/3 cup hot water.
Add 1 pkg small frozen raspberries
Dump in 1 small can frozen lemonade
Fold in a small tub of coolwhip
Let set up for at least 8 hours

So that's it. Those are my signature dishes. We always have Reames egg noodles cooked in turkey stock, along with rolls and the usual traditional things like turkey, taters, etc. WAY too much food for 12, but everyone has their favorites, so I just keep making them.

[RAE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister For us, it's all about the turkey. I've tried every technique I've ever heard of, but nothing beats deep-fried turkey. My next favorite method is smoking the bird, but that takes a very long time .

For the last several years, I have grilled our turkey on the Weber (over charcoal), after first soaking it in brine it for at least 24-36 hours. You can put whatever spices you like into the brining liquid. Takes me about 5-6 hours to cook the bird this way, usually. My family loves the grilled taste so much, they won't let me cook it any other way now. I must say, it is delicious (and the brining keeps the bird moist).

[ksr]

I've made a Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie for the past couple of years, and it gets rave reviews. It's very quick and easy, too!

Keebler® Ready Crust® Recipe Detail - Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyMtn my favs for thanksgiving.... Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

Wow. First suggestion out of gate...this board is so predictable.

[imoldernu]

We do Thanksgiving... but no recipes
Take one dead bird... 23 lb's... thaw it out and strip off the plastic and put in one of those plastic cooking bags and cook till it's done. Pour off the grease and juice, then drain off the grease and dump it. Put the juice in a pot and add water as needed... depending on the # of people.
Pull out the neck, eat half... and finger pick the rest along with the livers and those round things... then cut them up in small pieces... add a little cut up dark meat, three or four boullion cubes, some garlic salt and then toss in dried potato flakes to thicken (depending on the amount of water you added)... That's the gravy.

We then empty the refrigerator of any veggies, and take from the freezer the pumpkin pieces left over from Halloween. We also cook whatever canned veggies that are more than a year or two old. Al this stuff we cook separately in different pans or in bowls in the microwave... This year we have some giant cans of sweet potatoes that we bought on sale for .$44/can.

I hack up the cooked bird, and put it on our stainless pizza pan. We scatter the veggies bowls around the table... separate table for the food... Serve yourself. A few bottles of Winking Owl wine, before and during the meal.

Oh yeah... forgot... My bride mixes up stuffing and hamburg... the piece of resistance that surpasses my gravy.

[FIREd]

I won't have to cook for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years. I'm looking forward to it!

[sheehs1]

I'll have 13 here for Thanksgiving. It's a joint effort. My brother and sisters will each bring a dish. We tend to go overboard.

My brother will deep fry the turkey.
One sister will bring a wild rice and sausage casserole.
Another sister will bring roasted vegetables.

I'll be making
-corn pudding with corn I froze this summer
- a sweet potato casserole
- dressing
- gravy
- fruit salad made with mandarin oranges, pineapple, grapes, pecans, marshmellows and vanilla yogurt (super easy)
- homemade rolls
- country ham

Typically I'd add butter beans and collards to the mix...but don't know yet. I froze the butter beans this summer and can buy collards out of the fields.

For dessert, I'll make a chocolate chess pie and lemon bars. Someone will bring a 7 layer chocolate cake. I'll probably buy a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie since the ones I buy are very good and I'll be tired by then!

Everyone has their favorites. We end up with too much food but it is eaten fairly quickly the days after!

[pb4uski]

I had a neighbor deep fry a turkey a few years ago. He had done it before but this time when he put the turkey in the oil temperature wasn't as hot as he wanted so he turned up the heat. The oil temperature rose, but not as much as he wanted so he turned it up more.

Anyway, this went on for a long time and he then discovered that he had accidentally put the thermometer to measure the oil temperature in the turkey and that was why the thermometer wasn't responding to the heat he was putting to the unit. A few seconds after this discovery, the turkey floated to the surface - looking like a blackened bowling ball.

Luckily, his DW had a second bird in the oven that saved the day.

[dtbach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski I had a neighbor deep fry a turkey a few years ago. He had done it before but this time when he put the turkey in the oil temperature wasn't as hot as he wanted so he turned up the heat. The oil temperature rose, but not as much as he wanted so he turned it up more. Anyway, this went on for a long time and he then discovered that he had accidentally put the thermometer to measure the oil temperature in the turkey and that was why the thermometer wasn't responding to the heat he was putting to the unit. A few seconds after this discovery, the turkey floated to the surface - looking like a blackened bowling ball. Luckily, his DW had a second bird in the oven that saved the day.

That is hilarious. My brother used some oil that had been used before and the bird came out black. It wasn't too bad, but most of the family went for the ham they had.

[scrabbler1]

This is the first time in my life I will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. Before my mother passed away 17 years ago, we had our Thanksgiving meal either at my parents' house or another relative's house or went out to eat (one year I had none because she was in the hospital). After she passed away, I was either at my brother's place, had no meal (due to a falling out with him which has long since then been resolved), or my ladyfriend had one for the two is us at her place.

This year, however, my brother and his wife and kid will be out of town so my ladyfriend will cook a meal for the two of us and my dad, who is also displaced with my brother's being away. The oven at her place is a little tricky to use (she doesn't want to burn the bird)so the 3 of us will have the meal at my place, making me the host. Not sure how much of the cooking I will be doing although I am pretty handy in the kitchen.

[BUM]

My daughter and SIL are hosting. WOOHOO!

[pb4uski]

We haven't made plans yet. I would like to host it here but DD lives about 4 hours away and doesn't like to drive so DW, DS and I may go to her place (which is small). If we do visit DD, we'll either cook there, do take out or go out.

[FreeAtLast]

I am going to visit my daughter this year, but I still help her cook.

[obgyn65]

Well I guess I will be hosting in some way because I will spend my Thanksgiving day feeding the homeless with the Salvation Army.

[Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obgyn65 Well I guess I will be hosting in some way because I will spend my Thanksgiving day feeding the homeless with the Salvation Army.

I did this last year, when my family was out of town. They asked me if I minded washing the pots and pans and left me there for hours. Toward the end, I left without eating. I think I had a bowl of cereal for Thanksgiving. Been there, done that and don't plan on doing it again.

My son and his girlfriend are hosting Thanksgiving this year. I will be making Deviled Eggs, Sweet Potato casserole and a Grape and Pecan dish to take.