Posted on 11/22/2008 5:15:10 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Not only butter and sour cream go into the taters, but cream cheese, parmesan and roasted garlic do as well.
Forget the turkey. I could make a meal of just mashed potatoes! LOL
In fact, the bird alone costs more than $42.37. That's because on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'm just not going to settle for a $.39 cent a pound frozen Butterball that you have to put in the refrigerator a week just to thaw out. Now the frozen Butterball's are adequate during the rest of the year to provide 4-5 days of family meals, but for the holidays, we endeavor to do something a little more special. So on Thanksgiving we order a fresh turkey from the butcher shop and pick it up the day before for about $60 (for a 26-28 pounder). And on Christmas, we go for the fresh goose, which will run us close to $90.
But it's definitely worth it. Nothing better than a freshly butchered bird for the holidays. In fact, the Thanksgiving turkey we are going to be dining on Thursday is still running around in pen someplace at a farm in Dracut, MA, still oblivious to its impending fate. Either tomorrow or Tuesday, it will get "processed" (to use butcher speak) and be delivered to my local butcher around noon on Wednesday.
As for the other food items we will be serving up on Thursday, well my wife spent $150 yesterday on various items such as nuts, sweet potato, candies, pies, stuffing, olive oil, truffles, peas, corn, cranberry sauce (made with whole cranberries) and various other items. I spent over $200 at the liquor store last night getting the "adult" beverages for the meal (four bottles of good wine, two bottles of after dinner wine, a case of Sam Adams Winter Lager, a bottle of cognac and a bottle of single-malt whiskey and four cigars to have with it). With respect to the liquor purchases, I'm expecting leftovers for the rest of the weekend!
But the spending doesn't end there. When I am picking up the turkey on Wednesday, I will also be getting three pounds of scallops which I will be wrapping in bacon to serve up as appetizers before the main meal. Also fresh bread and other pastries at the bakery.
All told, I am probably going to lay out well over $500 on food and drink for six people (and a dog) when all is said and done. But it will be well worth it. We'll have good company, a roaring fire in the fireplace and some Monteverdi music on the stereo (Vespers of 1610 always sets the proper mood). Life is short and holidays are for splurging and spending with family. We can spend the rest of the year eating frozen turkeys and dumping corn and cranberry sauce out of cans. (And considering how much we are going to be spending this holiday season, we might be forced to do just that!)
This is my favorite holiday of the year because you get past the stress of preparing the meal, I have the rest of the four-day weekend to completely de-stress. on Friday, while my wife is braving the crowds at the malls, I'll be doing the traditional Chevy Chase (Christmas Vacation) routine of hanging the Christmas lights outside and putting the lighted reindeer out on the lawn. Saturday is our traditional movie day (we sit inside watching movies on DVD). Then Sunday is a nice quiet day, probably take the dog hiking in the woods for a few hour and catch up on some reading. By then, I reckon my liquor cabinet will be pretty much empty. Then we start all over again (only with more intensity) for the Christmas holiday.
I'm with you. I'm probably good for 14 ounces of stuffing all by myself, and that's not including what I'll consume in leftovers!
My wife does most of the side-cooking but I handle the bird and stuffing myself. I do use the mix but I spice it up with things like eggs and celery and fresh cranberries. (Eggs help hold it together so it isn't crumbly.) I also use broth in place of water when mixing it up. In addition to cooking it in the bird, I bake an equal amount in a casserole dish. My stuffing is definitely something you don't want to see a food label on if you are counting your calories.
THAT’S how! Thanks! I’ve done it before, but I couldn’t remember how I did it! I don’t know why the one I had was lost, but now I can change it as I wish.
Again — Thanks!!
Yep. That’s why we buy locally raised or shoot our own. :)
My brothers are all out hunting today; hopefully someone will show up here at the end of the day with an extra doe for me to butcher. :)
“...the black ban soup...”
Is this your personal protest to the Obama win? LOL! (I know it’s just a typ-o.)
Goose is good, but we eat it all the time. I currently have FIVE breasted out Canada geese in my freezer. The young men and teens that we let hunt here got a total of 27 this season.
I know; an obscenity of riches. ;)
Goose is good, but we eat it all the time. I currently have FIVE breasted out Canada geese in my freezer. The young men and teens that we let hunt here got a total of 27 this season.
I know; an obscenity of riches. ;)
Goose is good, but we eat it all the time. I currently have FIVE breasted out Canada geese in my freezer. The young men and teens that we let hunt here got a total of 27 this season.
I know; an obscenity of riches. ;)
You have a very nice life. :)
*HIC* Jeeze!
ROFL!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe I missed it — but leave it to you to pick up on it :)
Well, we had meeting of the minds after church this morning about the costumes for the parade. It seems that as little sewing ability as I have, I have more than the other 2 working on this combined. So now, not only am I doing Mary’s outft (Jax), I’m also doing Joseph’s. Those are the only 2 that seem to have any sewing involved. SHEESH.
From the fabric I was handed for both Mary and Joesph’s head pieces, it is obvious the person who bought the fabric does not sew AT ALL. Thankfully, I found enough in my stash to handle not only those 2 pieces, but the robes as well. And all must be finished by 12/5 because the parade is 12/6.
How do I get roped into these things????
So you’ve got 15, do ya? Overnight shipping with dry ice isn’t all that expensive!!!!!!!!! LOL
There are still some bright spots to living in NYS.
Although, with the temperatures we’ve been having.......
I tried goose once. That was enough.
Tasted like turkey, was very fatty, couldn’t sell the leftovers.
We’re having the least expensive Thanksgiving Dinner in many years....... we’re going to our Son’s house for the first time.
“Free range organic turkeys taste a lot better and at least I know mine wasn’t fed melamine.
“
I think this year I’ll go with the inorganic turkey.
I just can’t decide whether to get the plastic, glass, or metal one....
There are tons of Stiller fans here. My husband is from Pittsburgh and of course, all of us love the Steelers. When I go shopping there are so many cars with Steeler decals on them and there is a bar not too far from here that caters to Steeler fans. As a matter of fact, L.C. Greenwood frequensts this place from what I hear. I had the chance to meet and have drinks with him several years ago.
My license plates are personalized and of course it says: stlrfnz
You asked about milk. Gosh, I can’t remember but if you pay regular price it is about $4 per gallon.
Salaries have not gone up that much that I can tell either.
I just heard today that a traditional Thanksgiving meal in Arizona is about 8% more than the national average of what people are paying in other states.
I like goose for Christmas — with lots of apples and prunes in the dressing (not stuffing). But to defat it, I like to steam it first and then roast it. (Same for duck) If you steam it, most of the fat drips out. Then let it sit in the frig for a day, the skin dries out a bit and contracts — making great skin after it is roasted.
As for turkey — give me dark meat, but the best is the dressing. Any dressing. It is like meatloaf. Your meat and my meatloaf are different but both are great. Your stuffing and my stuffing may be different, but there never has been anyones stuffing that I have not loved.
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