Tired of Turkey...What's your tradition?

[pigpen]

So I know this is totally not gear related, but most people look here so I am gonna put here until it gets moved.....

So what do you and your family have for Thanksgiving....I am completely bored after 30+ years of turkey and ham. Need advice, session at house tomorrow!

[Jamz]

Italian heritage here...tradition dictates an opening act of pasta (today it's lasagna) with meatballs and sausage BEFORE the Turkey hits the table. It's become more like an appetizer. I usually sit out on this opener but the ever dwindling older generation expect it. We'll seat 13 today.

[Dog_Chao_Chao]

Well, here we can choose, turkey or codfish! A well cocked codfish is simply delicious

[TEMAS]

Originally Posted by Jamz

Italian heritage here...tradition dictates an opening act of pasta (today it's lasagna) with meatballs and sausage BEFORE the Turkey hits the table. It's become more like an appetizer. I usually sit out on this opener but the ever dwindling older generation expect it. We'll seat 13 today.

Sounds about right. My girlfriend's Italian and her (very large) family ALWAYS have pasta as a starter to any meal, including the big ones, Easter, Xmas etc.

I like Turkey - the key is to get a nice big fresh free-range bird and cook it nice and slow. Stick some bacon on its back and don't cook too much or it'll dry out. Serve with crispy roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots & parsnips (think you call 'em white carrots), chestnut stuffing, bread pudding, sausages, red-onion & red wine gravy and brussel sprouts. We don't do Thanks Giving over here but thats what I call a Xmas dinner!

If that doesn't get you back in the mood, how about a curry?

[seaneldon]

we do a pair of ducks.

ridiculously delicious.

[pan60]

i still do the turkey and ham it is about the only time a year i get ham.
but ducks sounds good!
i love duck and have not had any in a very long time : (

[DivideByZero]

Tofurkey! It's like a turkey, but made of tofu!!!

We have three vegitarians (myself included) sitting down with three normal people, so this vaguely edible treat which resembles a football growing some sort of epidermal sack sits alongside the actual bird each year. It's pretty tasty, so long as you've forgotten what turkey actually tastes like.

[dtucker]

Originally Posted by DivideByZero

Tofurkey! It's like a turkey, but made of tofu!!!

We have three vegitarians (myself included) sitting down with three normal people, so this vaguely edible treat which resembles a football growing some sort of epidermal sack sits alongside the actual bird each year. It's pretty tasty, so long as you've forgotten what turkey actually tastes like.

Ah, you beat me to it!! I was going to mention that. Scariest thing I've ever seen at the T-giving table!!

[Yetti]

A few hours before going to the gathering spot, I used to make up a batch of Kraft Macaroni and cheese with hotdog slices for the younger kids....
But I always took a good helping to go with the Turkey too!
All us kids were happy!
Happy Thanksgiving to all Gearslutz !!!!!

[ericdevine]

Corona's at the beach-

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by DivideByZero

Tofurkey! It's like a turkey, but made of tofu!!!

I don't eat most animals, but I've never felt compelled to replace meat with imposter-meat.

There's also something called a "field roast" which is made from grain.

It's all pretty scary. There are plenty of non-meat alternatives.

The thing that really freaks me out is this abomination that is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken.

That's when you just don't care anymore. Oh, that and deep-fried turkey. Yeah, America needs more fat.

I'm going out to the Thai place.

[dtucker]

Originally Posted by max cooper

The thing that really freaks me out is this abomination that is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken.

Turducken. Yeah, that's some bizarre s@#t.

[Robie]

How about a Turphucken....the pheasant adds a little extra I think!

[bobx]

oh man, a nice roast duck sounds delicious!!!

my family just recently got into deep frying turkey... alongside the traditional baked one. i think i favor the fried one because it only takes about 30-45 minutes and is much harder to screw up. =)

[C/G]

Deep fried Turkey is pretty awesome. Not dry at all and done in about 30 minutes with one of those fancy turkey fryers.

Duck would be awesome, but I had turkey. Canadian thanksgiving was on October 9th so I had mine a while ago then saw the Stones the same night in a complete turkey coma. I had a Ukranian style thanksgiving once and it inluded a baked Ham, cabbage rolls, perogies and Ukranian sausage. Good stuff.

[rockyroad]

We don't do deep fried turkey on Thanksgiving but it is deliscious and pretty juicy.
Every summer family camps for the weekend and my cousin deep fries one.
Mouth watering right now. Roast turkey today.

[the-oger]

We do two big family feasts... My wife is French-Canadian so on that side we do the big traditional turkey feast, mashed potatoes, gravy stuffing, etc. (and my mother-in-law is a WICKED cook!) Then my Anglo side is more into breaking “the rules” so we often have a few big ‘ol steaks straight from the farm to the BBQ.

Totally a win-win situation.

[henryrobinett]

I was a vegetarian for 33 years. Until recently my wife made me a nutloaf in lieu of the turkey they ate. It was delicious actually. I would get a little pushed out of shape when meat eaters would gobbe up my nutloaf, since I couldn't eat their food!

[seaneldon]

i'll be destroying an entire duck with a huge fork and knife in about half an hour.

so. excited. yes. tasty. goodness.

[Slipperman]

Doesn't hafta be the "SAME OLD turkey"!!!

My bride is an Aussie who can cook up a blue streak.

A "burner"... my Navy Dad would say...

This year she's BBQing a turkey with one of those big cans of Fosters(all that particular brand is good for, according to her) jammed up it's arse.

We had a similar dish earlier this year in the form of a chicken. I'm hoping it works a well with the larger bird. If it does... it comes out amazingly tender and delicious, as the opened beer foams all over the place when yer BBQing, and moistens the bird from the inside. Of course ya gotta mind the grill in the November weather, but hey!!!, small price of admission for one of my wife's gonzo repasts.

She also throws in all kinza weird ingredients into the stuffing. Sausage and peppers and strange vegetables and herbs from the orient. The Aussies are pretty fearless cooks.

Anyhoo. I'm expecting culinary greatness. The historical precident is legion. HOHOHO.

Happy ThanxG everybody!!!

XOXOX


SM.

[ArcCirDude]

Damn!! I'm sick and haven't eaten anything today, forgot that it was the fourth Thursday in November and have to be reminded that it's Thanksgiving by SM's wonderful description of a Fosters gobbling fowl. Now I'm bummed....

Have a good one my homey guys and lurking gals. Eat an extra piece of pie for me.

[Gregg Sartiano]

Obviously my holiday tradition is being in the studio...

[GPl]

How about fresh flown in Alaskan King Red's. Did that once, 4 of those lasted all night. Logistical nightmare trying to keep up with the eaters though as I only had one big pot to steam them in. Damn those Kings were huge!

[chrispick]

My wife and I usually buck tradition if we're just cooking for ourselves, just to customize our family tradition. One year, we made a bunch of experimental topping pizzas from scratch, some of which have now become commonplace in chain upscale pizza places. My favorite was a Thai peanut and tofu pizza. Spicy! My wife made a carne asada pizza that she dug a lot.

This year, though, friends are hosting dinner, so it's the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. roster. And that's cool too.

[C/G]

Originally Posted by max cooper

Oh, that and deep-fried turkey. Yeah, America needs more fat.

I'm going out to the Thai place.

I don't think those deep fried trurkeys have anymore fat than one that has been sitting basting in its own grease for a few hours in an oven. I thought it would be ultra greasy when I first tried one, but the oil (usually a low saturated fat canola or saflower oil) sears the skin really fast so it doesn't absorb oil and the natural juices stay locked in. That is why it's so juicy compared to being done in an oven. It kind of freaked me out too at first eating a deep fried turkey, but it was fantastic.

[pan60]

it is official!
i hurt : )

[jindrich]

just a small question,

isn't thanksgiving what Roosevelt, or some other president in the 30's after the great depression, declared as holiday so that shops could sell goodies well before Christmas, thus activating/revigorating the internal market?

btw, how rude are we, european folks, as we don't thanksgive. but we do eat turkeys

[bcgood]

Since I'm a vegan I prepare a little tasty dish with grilled tofurkey lunch "meat" with olive oil. Then put in grilled bread with grilled onions and follow your heart jack cheese. Then mashed potatoes with earth balance butter and maybe some Martinelli's sparkling apple cider...

bcgood

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by jindrich

just a small question,

isn't thanksgiving what Roosevelt, or some other president in the 30's after the great depression, declared as holiday so that shops could sell goodies well before Christmas, thus activating/revigorating the internal market?

btw, how rude are we, european folks, as we don't thanksgive. but we do eat turkeys

American have been celebrating Thanksgiving for 400+ years as far as I know.

I wouldn't be surprised if FDR DID have an economic motive for making the holiday an official part of the American calender. The better American presidents have always been good at finding clever ways to make everybody win.

As opposed to finding clever new ways to make everybody confess.

Cheers,

SM.

PS. My "Beer Turkey" dinner was STUPENDOUS!!! I'm going to roll over and sink like the HMS Queen Mary at Jutland.

[redrue]

I really don't care about the turkey. (Though we did change
it to garlic-stuffed pork roast this year). It's the mashed potatoes,
gravy, green bean & artichoke heart casserole, cornbread dressing,
oyster dressing,toasted croissants and the pies and cakes. Little
cupcake sized cheesecakes with cherries, chocolate sheet cake,
pecan tarts, blackberry pie, strawberry pie. I could really care less
about the meat. We also had this very light with a nice hint of
fruit rosé called Mateus (Portugal, I think)... nice. Then I watched
the Cowboys and went into a carbohydrate-induced coma.

Tradition packs a wallup!