Thanksgiving Recipes

11/14/2010 | me

[txhurl]

Not a recipe, either, but a tip (from James Beard):

Take your up to 15lb turkey: wash, rinse take all the innards out, dry, blotting with paper towels. Set oven to 350.

Hand-butter your turkey all over (paper towels help). Stuff with 2 split lemons and 2 split onions and whatever else fits.

Lay turkey on side, put in the oven for 45 mins. Take it out, lay it on the other side for 45 mins. Take it out again and put it breast-down for 45 minutes. Take it out the last time, put on back for 45 minutes.

3-hour turkey so juicy and plump. Make little foil caps to put on the wing tips and leg tips when you put it in.

[Exit148]

My New England background Thanksgiving dinner always had mashed Rutabaga, spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. I loved it, and have had it most of my married life. But when in China, I became friends with a Finnish girl. She sent me a book on Finnish cooking and there was this recipe for Rutabaga in it. I tried it and loved it! It is the dish I make for this holiday now.

RUTABAGA CASSEROLE - LANTTULAATIKKO

1 large rutabaga or 2 small ones
Water – pinch of salt
1 dl. Cream (3.38 ounces – about ½ cup)
½ dl dried breadcrumbs (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
½ dl syrup – karo or maple (1/4 cup)
A bit of nutmeg
Rutabaga cooking broth

1 — Cook the cubed, peeled rutabaga until soft in slightly salted water.
2 — When the rutabaga is done, drain and mash.
3 — Let the breadcrumbs swell in the cream and add to the rutabaga.
4 — Beat the egg and add together with syrup and nutmeg. Add a bit of cooking broth if mix is too thick.
5 — Grease an oven-proof casserole and pour in the mixture. Pattern the top with a spoon.
6 – Bake at 175’C for about an hour. (350’F)

(”Food from Finland” Maija and Tantuu)

[KosmicKitty]

Wow, that dos sound good & not too complicated

I may try it. Thanks!

[KosmicKitty]

spatchcocked on the grill,

---

This doesn’t sound legal somehow :)

Don't knock if you ain't tried it ;-)

[tacticalogic]

Try putting some cashews in your stuffing.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

Mock Champagne Holiday Punch

2 bottles sparkling white grape juice, chilled
2 2-ltr bottles ginger ale, chilled
1 32 oz bottle white grape juice, chilled
1 6-oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted
1 small jar maraschino cherries
1 small orange, sliced
Ice Ring ~ made with punch mixture (I make sure a few of the cherries and a couple slices of orange make it into the ring)

You might want to halve the recipe. It makes a lot!

[Mountain Mary]

Thanks pugmama. I’m going to try it this year!

[bgill]

Hey, my mind isn't that good on things back 30+ years ago! What I'd do today would be clean the bird out and don't stuff him but season as you normally would. Make sure he'll fit with at least an inch between him and the walls of the microwave. Set him in a glass dish because he'll be in there a long time and plastic doesn't like microwaves. Every microwave cooks at different powers so it's hard to tell about yours but I'd go with a medium-high power setting and about 5 minutes for each pound to start. For smaller birds, it might take 4 minutes per pound and larger ones would take 6 minutes per pound. Check him after about 30 minutes just to see what's happening. I don't have a turning thing in the bottom so I'd turn him at the 30 minute mark because there are hot and cold spots in microwaves. If the wings or leg tips start to over-cook, cover them with whatever you can fashion to deflect the waves. Repeat until he's done - cook 30 minutes, check, and rotate and repeat. I'd say about 2 hours or so from start to finish (depending on bird size and power). Cut down the time between checks to less and less as he gets closer to being done. Make sure the juices run clear because you can't tell from the outside what's going on on the inside when using the microwave. You might want to take him out when he looks done and let him rest about 20 minutes and then check the juices or cut into the thigh to make sure it's not pink. But you don't want to dry him out either. He should be lightly browned but don't expect that rich dark brown from an oven.

If your oven goes out, just throw caution to the wind and go for it. If you're worried about the whole bird or if he's too big, cut him up and nuke the smaller more manageable pieces.

[EDINVA]

That’s just too complicated for me

[My hearts in London - Everett]

Does anyone have a recipe for stuffing that doesn’t use sage, or have a suggestion for something to substitute for the sage, or can you just omit it? I’ve discovered that sage is the reason I don’t like stuffing. Every recipe I find has sage. :~/ Looking for suggestions cause I’m not a cook without a recipe to go by! :~)

[scp71]

Thanks for posting this recipe! Cant wait to make it with my daughter:)

[tsmith130]

You could use Poultry Seasoning, which does contain some sage, but also contains marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg. Or make your own mixture using just those spices without the sage.

[stilloftyhenight]

Thankyou, bgill. I’ll try it! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

[tsmith130]

Well you’re welcome...and welcome to Free Republic!

[tsmith130]

You could use Poultry Seasoning, which does contain some sage, but also contains marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg. Or make your own mixture using just those spices without the sage.

Ooops...somehow I left thyme off that list.

[stilloftyhenight]

Ditto on the poultry seasoning. I’m not a big fan of sage either, but find the poultry seasoning very tolerable. I make a simple stuffing...a loaf of bread, large yellow onion, poultry seasoning to taste, 1 1/2 sticks of butter, celery. My kids have always loved it. They’re not big on highly spiced food.

[Aevery_Freeman]

pingalicious

[My hearts in London - Everett]

I found a recipe once that sounded really good, had apples in it, but again it had sage in it and I ended up not being able to eat it. I’d like a non-traditional recipe that’s not something that looks like the boxed stuffing. That does not look appetizing to me ~ a pile of nondescript mush! lol That’s why the recipe with apples spiked my interest.

[tsmith130]

I tried this last year and it was yummy....it's definitely not traditional.

(Savory Spinach and Artichoke stuffing)

[JMKirnan]

ping