What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

[Kaido]

Well it's that time again! Welcome to the 2nd-annual Turkey Day food thread!

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/whats-your-thanksgiving-menu-this-year.2454911/

I've been in charge of cooking the bird for the last few years; this year I'm smoking it on my Traeger pellet grill. Did a test-run a week or two ago on a small fresh turkey & it came out stellar:

http://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/poultry/traditional-turkey

I think I'm going to try this recipe for extra-sweet roasted sweet potatoes:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...s-thanksgiving-sides-the-food-lab-recipe.html

Funeral potatoes:

http://www.food.com/recipe/funeral-potatoes-55389

or

https://www.babble.com/best-recipes/triple-cheese-scalloped-potatoes/

Chevy's copycat sweet-corn tomalito:

http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Chevys-Sweet-Corn-Tomalito-Copcat-Recipe.html

Cranberry jello shots: (non-alcoholic, just as a quick treat)

http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a44613/cranberry-jello-shots/

Apple pie punch:

http://www.thecookierookie.com/apple-pie-punch/

Salted caramel eggnog:

http://www.thecookierookie.com/homemade-salted-caramel-eggnog/

I may attempt a sous-vide dessert this year - gooey apple pie:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/11/gooey-deep-dish-apple-pie-recipe.html

I picked up some expandable Foodsaver vacuum-seal bags, so my plan is to try out the recipes ahead of time, see what I like, and then make them, vac-seal them, and freeze them for the big day. The turkey will be done fresh (4 hours + 30 minutes cooling time = start 4.5 hours before dinner) & the rest will either be frozen or prepped ahead so I don't have to do much work & can enjoy family time instead. Looking forward to another low-effort year!

 

[Jeeebus]

i think we're doing prime rib on the kamado this year.

 

[WilliamM2]

Rotator cuff surgery the day before, so whatever someone will bring over. I'm sure not going anywhere,

 

[highland145]

Rotator cuff surgery the day before, so whatever someone will bring over. I'm sure not going anywhere,

That's gonna suck. Mom had a machine that cycled ice water through the wrappings. Worked well for her. Best of.


Driving then beer. Meals on wheels doesn't deliver on turkey day so I'm one of the delivery guys.

 

[BW86]

Deep-Fried Turkey

 

[MrSquished]

a bottle of wine. that's what i'll be bringing to my relatives house where the food menu will be already going full steam.

 

[ponyo]

Whatever is on the buffet.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Pie. Screw the turkey, screw the mashed potatoes, screw the stuffing. Most Thanksgiving food is dull. Gimme the pie.

If people really liked turkey and stuffing they'd eat it more often, not just on Holidays. It's not special, it's just empty tradition.

Dammit!!! Just talking about it now I want pie.

 

[Humpy]

Chicken tacos.

 

[pete6032]

Pie. Screw the turkey, screw the mashed potatoes, screw the stuffing. Most Thanksgiving food is dull. Gimme the pie.

If people really liked turkey and stuffing they'd eat it more often, not just on Holidays. It's not special, it's just empty tradition.

Dammit!!! Just talking about it now I want pie.

They didn't exactly have a lot of spices back then.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

They didn't exactly have a lot of spices back then.

What people eat now is not what they ate back then. First thanksgiving didn't have bread stuffing and it was heavy with seafood. But that's irrelevant. We have spices now and there's no reason to serve shitty bland food just for the sake of tradition. If "we've always done it that way" was a valid reason to eat a certain way we'd still be eating in caves.

 

[TwiceOver]

Watching my Vikings lose to the Lions... Again.

 

[MrSquished]

Donald Trump is going to change Thanksgiving. In order to get your food you need to punch a minority in the face

 

[Craig234]

"What's on your Thanksgiving menu?"

Names of meals and prices, I assume.

 

[Kaido]

Donald Trump is going to change Thanksgiving. In order to get your food you need to punch a minority in the face

FWIW, minority births surpassed white births in American 5 years ago:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...irths-census-estimates-show-article-1.1079662

Therefore:

 

[Kaido]

i think we're doing prime rib on the kamado this year.

Wow nice! Kamados are awesome!

 

[Kaido]

Rotator cuff surgery the day before, so whatever someone will bring over. I'm sure not going anywhere,

I will send you some cookies. PM me your address. srs.

 

[Kaido]

Pie. Screw the turkey, screw the mashed potatoes, screw the stuffing. Most Thanksgiving food is dull. Gimme the pie.

If people really liked turkey and stuffing they'd eat it more often, not just on Holidays. It's not special, it's just empty tradition.

Eh, most traditions are dumb, they're more about spending time with your family & friends and taking a break from work.

Also, I've discovered that turkey is actually great...IF it is cooked right. Smoked turkey is amazeballs. Not dry at all!

As far as pie goes, pie is awesome. I am not currently skilled at making pies, however. Maybe someday!

 

[Kaido]

Chicken tacos.

Chicken tacos are awesome. Hard or soft tacos?

 

[Kaido]

What people eat now is not what they ate back then. First thanksgiving didn't have bread stuffing and it was heavy with seafood. But that's irrelevant. We have spices now and there's no reason to serve shitty bland food just for the sake of tradition. If "we've always done it that way" was a valid reason to eat a certain way we'd still be eating in caves.

I am still a n00b at spices, despite having a large variety. I had my mind blown by a chef I met a couple years ago who specialized in spices & spiced foods. Everything he made was absolutely incredible, no matter what it was, because he knew how to properly spice his food. I learned things like how to make fresh spices (dehydrating, grinding in a coffee grinder, etc.), that the potency is at max power for one month (entirely different flavors when you have fresh spices!), that even mediocre food like say a chicken breast can taste absolutely fantastic with the right spice mix.

Also been plowing through a book on sauces. I noticed at pretty much every restaurant I ate at, even fast food places, the sauce is what made the dish awesome. So spices & sauces = winning for food.

 

[Kaido]

"What's on your Thanksgiving menu?"

Names of meals and prices, I assume.

Denny's?

 

[Kaido]

Watching my Vikings lose to the Lions... Again.

I will extend the cookie offer to you if they lose. Pity cookies, if you will.

 

[Crono]

I'm a vegan so I'm substituting turkey with smoked seitan.

Other dishes: garlic and chive mashed potatoes, macaroni and "cheese" (I have a cashew cheese recipe I'm testing), stuffing, biscuits, whole cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, cornbread, double chocolate cake, and some veggie sides I haven't decided on yet.

 

[Svnla]

Nothing. I am not a big fan of turkey (steak and chicken breasts for me) so the long Thanksgiving weekend will just be days off for me.

 

[Kaido]

I'm a vegan so I'm substituting turkey with smoked seitan.

Other dishes: garlic and chive mashed potatoes, macaroni and "cheese" (I have a cashew cheese recipe I'm testing), stuffing, biscuits, whole cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, cornbread, double chocolate cake, and some veggie sides I haven't decided on yet.

Have you gotten into aquafaba (chickpea brine) yet? If not, scroll all the way down for recipes:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/104718337/Aquafaba

Not listed, but if you're feeling adventurous, here is a chocolate cake recipe that uses aquafaba as partial egg replacements:

http://theplantstrongvegan.com/gluten-free-chocolate-cake-with-cheesecake-frosting-cookie-crumble/

Followed by an aquafaba frosting recipe:

http://cookforgood.com/recipe/chocolate-peanut-cake-with-chocolate-aquafaba-frosting.html

If you are interested in a really good - albeit, fairly involved - vegan mac & cheese recipe, check this one out:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/02/vegan-stovetop-style-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/02/vegan-stovetop-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html

It uses cashews as well. They're not in business anymore, but Mimic Cream used to sell an almond/cashew cream that was absolutely phenomenal. Easy enough to make, plus people have already gone through the legwork of incorporating different aspects into recipes like the one above. They also have a pretty good vegan stuffing recipe - again, it's somewhat involved - but if you're not gluten-free, check it out:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/11/best-vegan-stuffing-thanksgiving-recipe-vegetarian.html

If you want to try something a little bit different, check out these vegan Chive Mac & Cheese balls: (also aquafaba-based)

http://www.zaccharybird.com/chive-mac-cheese-balls/

As far as the turkey goes, how are you when it comes to meat substitutes? Beyond Meat's grilled chicken strips are incredible:

http://beyondmeat.com/products/view/grilled-strips

They are so good that my hardcore vegan friends refuse to eat them (no joke) because they don't to actually be reminded of meat. I am not a fan of Tofurkey, but everything I've tried from Beyond Meat has been pretty dang good. If you're looking for a simple gravy, here's another aquafaba project:

https://peacefulfoodblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/chicken-gravy-or-is-it/

If you like thicker gravy & are a fan of mushrooms, here's a darker version to check out:

http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-biscuits-and-gravy/

Oh and if you like chickpeas, another option aside from seitan worth checking out is breaded chickpea cutlets:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan...-chickpea-cutlets-in-a-savory-mushroom-gravy/

Going back to complex recipes (I make a lot of weird stuff, especially when it comes to non-meat, non-dairy dishes), not sure if you're on any of the vegan facebook groups, but Zacchary Bird invented an amazing KFC chicken drumstick clone recently (I know, I know, it's not "turkey", but hey, chicken is close, especially vegan chicken for Thanksgiving! haha) that is immensely popular:

http://www.zaccharybird.com/cfc-drumsticks/

I can even get meat eaters (including myself) to eat a lot of this stuff since a lot of traditional Thanksgiving meal sides are vegetarian or vegan-friendly anyway. Again if you want something a little out of the ordinary, I work with beets on & off; this is an interesting beetroot steak burger recipe:

http://www.zaccharybird.com/beetroot-steak-burgers/

Although that probably wouldn't win over as many carnivores as say the CFC drumsticks. If you want an easy recipe for that (you've probably heard of it), canned young green jackfruit (MUST be in water, not brine or syrup) actually makes an amazing pork substitute for BBQ pulled pork:

http://minimalistbaker.com/bbq-jackfruit-sandwiches-with-avocado-slaw/

Anyway, just a laundry list of options off the top of my head, if you're interested in experimenting!