Thanksgiving Prep/Planning

I hate Thanksgiving shopping. Finding dolphin-free cranberries is getting harder every year.

 

If Thanksgiving is outlawed, only outlaws will have green bean casserole.


Speaking of which, why can't we have fresh green beans year round at the grocery store? Is it fair that only the top 1% get fresh green beans? I say either everyone gets fresh green beans or nobody gets fresh green beans and that's the America I want to live in.

 

Ohhh, okay. I think it's the regional "dressing" vs. "stuffing" thing that tripped me up. I like her a lot, and Butter was high on my list when I was back in NYC. I looked up the recipe, I may have to try it out if I can figure out a good way to scale down the recipe (I do not need 12-16 servings as per the Food Network website).

 

However you downsize, you will need more stock than stated. And I think she salts the bread and there's no reason to do that with these ingredients.

I tend to go back/forth between saying "stuffing" and "dressing" though we never stuff. The stuffing term is a vestige from my childhood, for sure, 'cause my great grandmother could get 25 pounds of stuffing in a 15 pound bird -- and both suffered for it. lol (The stuffing and the bird, not great grandma.)

 

Stuffing is what you put INSIDE the bird. Dressing is what is cooked ALONGSIDE. Can be the same recipe-- just different placement.

 

Hence the names.

I'm scrolling through Bon Appetit's "70 Thanksgiving desserts" article ...

 

Absolutely. The only bad Thanksgiving food is my grandmother's onion pie, which I mistook for apple pie when I was about 6 and never forgot it. Nobody else liked it either, but she'd make it every year as a bit of a prank.

That sounds phenomenal. I've never really thought of duck for Thanksgiving (it's more of a Christmas dish for me), but it's also probably my favorite food. A friend of mine's mother does a roast Peking duck every year, I've only had it once but it was great.

 

Thanksgiving is always a small event here and it will be again. During the early pandemic I was making a lot of dishes I got via various Vegas chefs, so I might do a big mix of that. For some reason no one in my house likes turkey, so we'll do some sort of bird, probably duck or chicken. I've been trying to master biscuit making, and I'll make a half version of the pumpkin cheesecake from the Border Grill blog. My daughter's boyfriend always seems semi ill and has a sensitive stomach, but I'll try to find something that appeals to him.


Variety is the name of the game on that day, also lots of drinks! Hard to believe it's coming right up!

 

I'm not much of a dessert person (I would eat all savory appetizers - and that's what I do on NYE, actually!) but when I do winter holiday desserts, my favorites are Hotel Hershey derby pie, or pumpkin cheesecake. My cheesecake recipe came from my best friend's aunt - it is amazing! Reminds me I want to save that recipe on my computer because I just have a copy of an old fax (yes, that's how long ago I got the recipe ;-)

 

I'll just be drooling over pics I see here and other places online

 

It's funny, whenever I have Thanksgiving with friends, the one dish they request me to bring, is my green bean casserole. And they ask for the recipe, too. Apparently, it's so good, that you can't even taste those damn green beans.


Oh, and it's OK to use fresh green beans in a casserole...you don't have to use canned.

 

The biggest change from Childhood to Adult - Thanksgiving is........
I no longer sit at ( extension ) folding card table w the other kids !
I now sit at the Great Table w the adults.
And I look knowingly, down the Great Table to that fold out table
and say " Kids, you're paying your dues....you'll be up here, soon enough !"
.
" These are the Good ol' Days ."

 

Ha, good for you. I sat at the "kids table" until I was 35.

 

I've gone back to the kids table when we're with my sister's clan as my nephews are all funny and cool and they have great wives, so it's a lot more fun.

 

Please and thank you, kindly post that recipe when you figure it out.

The "kids" table was all us adult cousins (and wives where applicable). The actual kids, of which there are now few, are sent to another room.

 

I'm working on it. Curiously, an article popped up about the process today. It claims I have to buy something called White Lily brand flour because northern flour is too protien-y. I'm game! I also need to re-watch a memorable Alton Brown video on the subject. He loved his grandmother's biscuits and they had a little bake off.

 

I will never knock anything Alton Brown comes up with. He and Kenji Lopez-Alt are probably my favorite technically-oriented chefs in the business right now.

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

We go over the river and through the woods to my folks' place for the afternoon and evening. My dad and little brothers come out of the woods, pausing their hunt to join the family celebration. My sister and her kids always roll in fashionably later than the rest of us.

We play and/or watch some football and catch up on the new news and reminisce about the old news. The minions enjoy spending time with their cousins in an offline way.

My dad carving the turkey is always a sight to behold. Stuffing is my favorite!

I will miss those good times this year!

I hope all VMBers have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

RICHARD

 

Im.supposed to.go to vegas for Thanksgiving..who knows now