What's your unusual Thanksgiving dinner?

[4legsgood]

Mushroom Wellington....

Okay, just changed my plans, that sounds delish and I have all the ingredients on hand.

 

[txtig]

The only part of the turkey I like is the gumbo. We'll have our kids over on the weekend for our traditional gumbo.

Yup. We always use the left over turkey carcass to cook an andouille sausage and turkey gumbo. But, I do enjoy the turkey first (spatchcocked and grilled). Trying to get DW to make some oyster dressing in addition to her traditional dressing.

 

[Gumby]

We will make turkey stock with our remains, and then can it. Later in the winter, we'll use it in either gumbo (with the frozen okra from our garden) or perhaps a nice risotto milanese. Maybe both.

 

[aja8888]

No special plans as DW can't physically do the big T day dinner anymore. No invites as of yet. We may just order a dinner in for both of us and have it delivered. Easy...

UPDATE!

This morning we had breakfast locally with my DW's son (my stepson) who is 55 years old today. DW had a card and small gift for him. He brought his ex-wife with him, who he is getting back together with (again). (this is not a surprise to us)

This is his (put a number in here) time getting back with her. (I think she is Bipolar, but not diagnosed medically). She must have some desired physical attributes for him to be going back with her again, but that's a topic or another discussion. She is still very attractive being in her early 50's.

Fortunately, all the times they were together, they never had any children together so the antics of that relationship have only caused damage to each other. Heck, I can write a book about their years together. I'm sure all families have stories like this. If anyone is wondering, yes, alcohol (and maybe illegal drugs) has been involved in this relationship over the years but both parties are now "teetotalers" and are "reborn or clean", I guess.

Anyway, they invited us for Thanksgiving Day dinner! She will be cooking a big turkey with all the trimmings. From what she said, her two daughters from her first marriage will be there with their children. Her son my be there, but not sure. (last I heard he was in jail). It will be interesting to see the daughters again and see if they have the same spouses as before (and any new tattoos).

My stepson's son (my DW's grandson) will not be there as he is not all that enamored with his father's ex.

I am sure it will be an eventful day!

(believe it or not, this is all true)

 

[REWahoo]

^ You had me at "...any new tattoos."

 

[aja8888]

^ You had me at "...any new tattoos."

I sometimes think I am the weird one when getting together with DW's offspring.

 

[athena53]

Well, my plans just changed. I was going to be with DS and DDIL but DS has COVID- he and DDIL are both vaccinated and it's a mild case so hopefully it will pass, but I can't go up there. Neither can DDIL's parents since her Dad is on immunotherapy for colon cancer.

A friend on FB posted an unusually healthy (for FB) recipe for shrimp fra diavolo. I'm not a big meat eater and have never been wedded to the traditional "turkey and trimmings" menu so that's what I'm making since I have a bag of shrimp in the freezer. I have a paper to write and a sermon I'm preaching on 12/5 that I haven't started so it will be a productive weekend.

 

[RobbieB]

We are going to BIL's place for the annual feast this year. Lamb and an unknown "other meat" will be served. We are bringing mashed potatoes and Charcuterie.

While at the grocery buying the above I picked up a 12 pound turkey as no leftovers with goto affairs and as usual the TG turkey promo was on. Got a 12 pound turkey for six bucks!

See I don't always blow that dough -

 

[f35phixer]

Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham and Fried Oysters and Oysters Rockefeller and all the other good stuff.

Stuffed Ham is pretty localized specialty using a CORNED HAM....
and as you can only imagine in these times, having a hard time finding one ;-(
https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/corned-spiced-stuffed/
here are my recipes:
i just started to bake, soooooo much easier.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND STUFFED HAM

20 LB CORNED HAM DE-BONED
1 HEAD GREEN CABBAGE
1 BIG BAG KALE (BROWN GROCERY BAG)
8 ONIONS
3 STALKS CELERY
3 TABLESPOONS MUSTARD SEED
5 TABLESPOONS CRUSHED RED PEPPER
4 TABLESPOONS CAYENNE PEPPER
3 TABLESPOONS WHOLE BLACK PEPPER CRUSHED
2 TABLESPOONS SALT

• BOIL HAM FOR 1 HOUR – COOL – REMOVE FAT
• CHOP UP VEGGIES COURSELY AND PLACE IN POT HAM LIQUID, ADD SEASONINGS AND COOK TILL WILTED
• REMOVE VEGGIES, ALLOW TO COOL
• FILL CAVITY THAT BONE OCCUPIED WITH VEGGIES
• TIE HAM UP
• CUT VERTICAL SLITS AND STUFF W/ VEGGIE MIXTURE. DO THIS IN SEGMENTS UNTIL ALL HAM DONE
• WRAP HAM WITH CHEESE CLOTH AND PLACE HAM BACK IN POT. COOK FOR ANOTHER 2.5 HOURS AT A FULL BOIL.
• AFTER 2.5 HOURS, SHUT FIRE OFF AND LEAVE HAM IN FOR ANOTHER HOUR TO SEASON
• REMOVE, ALLOW TO COOL FOR A WHILE THEN PUT IN FRIG.



Baked stuffed ham

20 lb ham
1 head cabbage
1 big bag of kale
8 onions
3 celery stalks
3 tblspn mustard seed
5 tablespn red pepper
4 Tblespn cayenne
3 tblespn black pepper
2 tblespn salt
• Remove most of fat from ham
• Chop up veggies and mix with seasonings
• Cut slits and stuff, also where bone was…….
• Place cloth and veggies down then put ham on top of it
• Place rest of veggies on top of ham
• Wrap with aluminum foil twice
• Convection oven set to 325 goes to 300
• Cook for about 20-22 minutes / lb
• 17+ ham took from 11 till 520 for 160 temp.
• Leave out to cool and then put into frig.

through DW hard work, i got a ham 3.25/lb for 22.x lb ham = ~$73, prior to CV19 ~ 1.75/lb..... Me with stupid sense of humor texted niece/DD and DW. Said got a ham, well worth the price of $375.00. Replys came back OMG/ Christ Almighty ;-) will make tomorrow, will put up pictures of what a SOMD Stuffed ham looks like !

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

I ended up hosting Thanksgiving this year. My husband graciously offered to fry the turkey outside, freeing up the oven for all the other stuff. If he hadn't wanted to cook the turkey outside, I was plotting something unusual like roasted suckling pig. We did that one year. It was delicious plus the guys all stood around the spit turning the pig and drinking beer. We need to do that again!

for many years, we did a whole suckling pig on a spit in my backyard. The beauty of this is that it looks impressive and difficult, but once you have the pig on the spit and it's all sewed up, all you do is drink beer and discuss when/if you need to add more charcoal. It's self basting, and it's done when it is done. What a blast!

 

[f35phixer]

here is the stuffed ham ready to go in oven, so much easier the boiling !!!!

 

[Ronstar]

We cannot do anything unusual as long as MIL is attending. We've had the same typical turkey and fixins for the past 40 years. MIL will come unglued if we stray from tradition.

I dared to cook the turkey one year in my smoker and a couple of other years in the fryer. Tasted great, but tradition is oven cooked.

Unusual this year is that our niece is taking over stuffing duties for SIL. SIL is immune compromised and is not attending due to anti vaxxers at the table.

 

[Idnar7]

My uncle was a dairy farmer. Their big meal was lunch with a light supper. Thankgiving dinner was at noon. Late afternoon was turkey sandwiches with the dessert and coffee. DW and I don't like turkey (too greasy with stuffing), so we have chicken (marinated in buttermilk, garlic, and Cholupa) instead. No stuffing, but scalloped corn, cranberries (cooked in zinfandel, cinnamon, allspice,clove, & ginger), mashed potato & gravy, and pumpkin roll for dessert. Happy Holiday everyone!

 

[f35phixer]

final product, was very good if i do say so myself....

 

[pacergal]

final product, was very good if i do say so myself....

That looks amazing! I have never heard of stuffed ham before and your recipe sounded very good.

 

[f35phixer]

thanks. it is a SOMD tradition that not many other places have UNLESS a person from SOMD moves there and brings the recipe with them. And the difference between two areas recipes can be different i.e. No kale more cabbage etc.

thjis link was in recipe comment i made.
https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/corned-spiced-stuffed/

 

[Gumby]

Well, the guests are now gone and we are making turkey stock and croutons with the leftover stuffing. The turkey carcass and some vegetables are roasting in the oven right now. Then all day in the stock pot. I'll pressure can this evening.

 

[jollystomper]

We will always have turkey (still consider it a treat the way we grew up), but DW said she might add curried goat as well (this normally is present during large thanksgiving family gatherings but we have never had it when it has been just us and our children).

DW did try her hand at the curried goat, it was a success because it is all gone. Big consumer of it was youngest DS. Then a couple of his friends stopped by after dinner who thought it sounded "nasty" but then had the courage to taste it, and... the rest is history .

 

[aja8888]

At my stepson's place yesterday, his ex-wife cooked chicken parmigiana for us instead of the traditional bird and fixin's. It was a nice change! I brought a Costco pumpkin pie to go along with their key lime pie.

My DD is having the Big Bird at her house Sunday when her MIL can get there from Georgia. We will attend and have the "late" traditional T Day dinner. I have another one of the huge Costco pumpkin pies to bring along.

 

[Koolau]

Not so unusual a meal, but due to Covid, the past two years, we have stood in line at Times Supermarket to purchase Turkey/dressing/mashed/mixed veggies/cran-sauce in a styro box for $9.99. One box is MORE than enough for both of us for TG dinner. Of course, we bought TWO boxes to insure we had leftovers! The food was quite good if a bit "institutional" (which is like saying, you know what you are going to get year-to-year.)

I couldn't (well we couldn't) have cooked any better meal for the price - and especially the effort. YMMV