Hello everyone! How nice to see this thread, we do have so much to be thankful for this year. We love the dry brine and have been doing it every year for between 15 and 20 years. Always with a fresh bird, even though the bird gets smaller every year. We keep it simple on the side dishes, roast garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, small amount of stuffing baked outside the bird. Plus one naked plain red yam for me. We like the leftovers for turkey pot pie and turkey soup. It’s been just the 2 of us the last few years. When the leftovers seem too much I get my foodsaver out and vacuum seal a whole leftover meal for 2 in one bag, a little of everything. It works GREAT. Gravy at the bottom of the bag. I’ll enjoy this thread a lot. Best wishes to you all.
but many yrs ago I moved to my husbands locale and they are not one big happy family...I say they're dysfunctional....two of his brothers don't even live here and there are not a lot of relatives here anymore....
so holidays are not as happy as I would like them to be....even my two adult children live away and since my son is divorced its rare he can bring the kids here for holidays...
I wish we had stayed where my family lives, clear across the country but that didn't happen and one has to learn how to bloom where they are sowed....
so these holiday cooking threads are great for me....brings back memories about big holidays and lots of food and business.....
We bought the foodsaver to freeze meats when we buy them at a good price at Costco - but it sure comes in handy at holidays.