Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Same to everyone. I'm making German apple cake today.

CDFingers

In 1979, a woman I was interested in (why, I still don't know), invited me to come with her to Charlotte, NC to have dinner with her family. Once there, she abandoned me to people I didn't know, nor had much in common with. I didn't see her again until the trip back, and it was the 2nd worst Thanksgiving ever. (The worst was spent in a hospital with a nasty staph infection.)
The following year my housemate and I made ourselves a Thanksgiving dinner and had a great time. Since then, I have made Thanksgiving every year. When I met my future wife, we started doing it together in 1985. At first we struggled a little for control but we worked it out. When we remodeled our kitchen in 1999, we made sure we had 2 of everything--a double oven, two cooktops (one is just 2 burners), 2 dishwashers (a full-size and a simple compact), etc. Since it's just the 3 of us, as our older son is on the other coast, we have a little 11# turkey. Our tiny menu:

Turkey cooked in a brown paper bag (you oil it)
My wife's AMAZING Passover Matzoh stuffing
My cornbread, turkey sausage, chestnut sage stuffing
Giblet and pan gravies (we do these together--she's AMAZING at making a roux)
Braised spinach and green beans
Cranberry sauce
Fresh cornbread
My special cheesecake
Egg nog.

Items that have fallen off the list but are still delish:

Carrots simmered in orange juice and honey
Yams and onions sautéd until carmelized
Asparagas or Brussels Sprouts
Mashed potatoes (we're talking about maybe bringing it back)
Pumpkin pie (I love it--it HATES me!)
Buttermilk chocolate cake with semi-sweet frosting--all scratch-made
Banana Bread with walnuts
Apply Pie (my wife makes a WONDERFUL apple pie--but too few tonight to make it)

I once tried the Susan Stamberg recipe for horse-radish cranberry sauce--ugh! How can people eat that shit and ask her for the recipe year after year?

Happy Thanksgiving. We have a lot to give thanks for.

We usually have anywhere between 15 to 25 family and friends over for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

You're making my mouth water CDF and YT, mmm....

Growing up I learned how to cook from my mother and as they got older I made quite a few Thanksgiving dinners for the family and for friends. I'm not much of a baker, mom tried. Bought two turkey breasts, already made sides and friends are bringing others and desserts.

Happy turkey day!

Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

YankeeTarheel wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:35 am

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

Here you go. Go easy on this stuff or you’ll wind up under the table.

Whoa. Neat-o.

The internet is for dinkin' around on while you wait for things to cook. I was unsuccessful at avoiding doing up the big pots and bowls. Tried. Failed. But it sure smells good out there in the kitchen, like Gramma's German apple cake.

CDFingers

Happy Thanksgiving to all. No turkey for the three of us. We are having a Texas Thanksgiving, with BBQ Brisket, potato salad and various other side dishes. We are having Pumpkin Pie for desert with whip cream, of course. But we also added in pecan pie. We decided to buy and reheat rather than cook because our son is a chef and this gives him a day off. If we tried cooking he would want to do it.

wooglin wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 12:26 pm

YankeeTarheel wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:35 am

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

Here you go. Go easy on this stuff or you’ll wind up under the table.

B4B14C2F-DFAD-4F74-9AF0-9C9309CFD0C3.jpeg

Thanks for recipe. Two things went to the grave with Mom - EggNog and her herbal cornbread/bread stuffing - have never found an equal to either - close but not same. However, not sure it's because it was my Mom's or not as good - I suspect both !!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Up at my parents in MI (might as well be “freedomland” compared to ohio…)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wooglin wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 12:26 pm

YankeeTarheel wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:35 am

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

Here you go. Go easy on this stuff or you’ll wind up under the table.

B4B14C2F-DFAD-4F74-9AF0-9C9309CFD0C3.jpeg

Thanks! I'll save it! I found pre-mix Evan WIlliams that's 30 proof--Bourbon, brandy, and rum. It was easy and very good!

Dinner was a hit! My wife said my stuffing was the best ever--hers is always wonderful, The braised, marinated green beans and spinach was out of this world, and when I make giblet gravy my wife steps in to help with the roux that makes it smooth. Finished off with one of my best cheesecakes--and I've been making it for at least 37 years.

The only glitch was the cooked liver and neck meat would be for ANY dog a super-duper Thanksgiving treat. Except for our 2 year old fussbudget who turned his nose up at it! Wasn't enough liver to make a pate. He can be fun, affectionate, but the biggest, whiniest PIA on the planet. Red Tick Coon Hound adopted.

YankeeTarheel wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 6:39 pm

wooglin wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 12:26 pm

YankeeTarheel wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:35 am

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

Here you go. Go easy on this stuff or you’ll wind up under the table.

B4B14C2F-DFAD-4F74-9AF0-9C9309CFD0C3.jpeg

Thanks! I'll save it! I found pre-mix Evan WIlliams that's 30 proof--Bourbon, brandy, and rum. It was easy and very good!

Dinner was a hit! My wife said my stuffing was the best ever--hers is always wonderful, The braised, marinated green beans and spinach was out of this world, and when I make giblet gravy my wife steps in to help with the roux that makes it smooth. Finished off with one of my best cheesecakes--and I've been making it for at least 37 years.

The only glitch was the cooked liver and neck meat would be for ANY dog a super-duper Thanksgiving treat. Except for our 2 year old fussbudget who turned his nose up at it! Wasn't enough liver to make a pate. He can be fun, affectionate, but the biggest, whiniest PIA on the planet. Red Tick Coon Hound adopted.

Sounds delicious! Evan Williams Bourbon is a bit rough straight, but if I drank eggnog the Evan Williams Southern Eggnog sounds like a good combination with bourbon, brandy and rum.

I'm glad there is no law against left over apple cake and punkin pie for breakfast, even in California.

CDFingers

When we had whole turkeys we'd strip the carcass after Thanksgiving and make turkey soup with stuffing and plenty of poultry season. And then there are turkey sandwiches with cranberry and stuffing, the best.

I like mince pies, didn't find any for Thanksgiving so I'll look for Christmas, Sara Lee or Mrs Smith's will probably have them. I'm too lazy to make them, real minced meat pies are a long process.

"Life is uncertain, eat dessert first."

CDFingers wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 1:01 pm I'm glad there is no law against left over apple cake and punkin pie for breakfast, even in California.

CDFingers

Or, as my late mother put it, visiting my brother down in NC, about his cheesecake (now mine as well):
"I had cheesecake for breakfast!"

The existence of cheesecake, especially if baked by me, is proof that god loves us and that she wants us to be warm and happy. Almost no one who eats cheesecake regularly is cold in the winter. I am living proof.

CDFingers

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 2:38 pm

wooglin wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 12:26 pm

YankeeTarheel wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:35 am

Wino wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:30 am Jake and I carved up a Frick butt ham - froze most of it with a couple of thick ham steaks for breakfast tomorrow. Snacked ham and Delicious apple slices for us both while we worked. Most notable was the cost of egg nog has doubled since last year. Did have a senior moment when I picked up a McCormick spice container I thought was nutmeg on my eggnog - turned out to be mustard powder - was able to skim it off and apply nutmeg - didn't seem to affect taste and the thought of pouring whiskey down the drain helped the decision along.
Foggy, nasty weather day. Not cold or hot, just messy. The thought of turd having a shitty Thanksgiving makes my day better. LOL

I'll bet the mustard gave it a bit of a zing! I used to know how to make egg nog from scratch.

Here you go. Go easy on this stuff or you’ll wind up under the table.

B4B14C2F-DFAD-4F74-9AF0-9C9309CFD0C3.jpeg

Thanks for recipe. Two things went to the grave with Mom - EggNog and her herbal cornbread/bread stuffing - have never found an equal to either - close but not same. However, not sure it's because it was my Mom's or not as good - I suspect both !!

My cornbread stuffing was especially good this year:
Arnold's cornbread stuffing, cubes
3 well-cooked sweet Italian sausages, diced
About a cup of chopped, roasted (peeled) chestnuts
2 or 3 celery stalks chopped fine
Several mushrooms, sliced, Portobello preferred
Lots of sage, fresh is better
Chicken broth, stock, or turkey stock-- this is for the oven-baked stuffing only so it doesn't get dry and hard, not the bird stuffing.

CDFingers wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 3:43 pm The existence of cheesecake, especially if baked by me, is proof that god loves us and that she wants us to be warm and happy. Almost no one who eats cheesecake regularly is cold in the winter. I am living proof.

CDFingers

DAMN straight! I've used this recipe for over 35 years and it's never failed to make WONDERFUL cheesecake.

YankeeTarheel wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 6:39 pm The only glitch was the cooked liver and neck meat would be for ANY dog a super-duper Thanksgiving treat. Except for our 2 year old fussbudget who turned his nose up at it! Wasn't enough liver to make a pate. He can be fun, affectionate, but the biggest, whiniest PIA on the planet. Red Tick Coon Hound adopted.

I'll meet you and raise you one on the fussy canine. We had Mahi-Mahi, green beans and potatoes, our super-simple Thanksgiving meal, and the fish skin has always been a hit with our dogs, except for Spike. (Three-year-old Cairn Terrier.) He did eat a few bites, but that was it.

Fish on Thanksgiving? Yeah, I know. I don't know how we got there, maybe it's a surfer thing or something, but that's what we do when it's just the two of us-- she has a bad cold, non-COVID, but these days, you don't want to be hacking and sneezing at someone else's house. Oh, the other reason was that the friends we usually eat with DO have COVID, and are marooned in Italy. Neither symptomatic, both still testing positive. Our other friends did take pity on us the next day, so we are making our way through some outstanding turkey leftovers.

We expected the fish to be great-- we do that about every four years or so, if we're just on our own-- but for some reason, the potatoes and beans were the best we've had in over a year, and we eat 'em all the time. Maybe we were just paying attention when we were cooking? Or they bring out the better produce for the holidays? It's a great mystery.

Happy Thanksgiving to all from Tinseltown!

My pumpkin pie took a huge hit. So much so I had to hide the last piece for myself. Save the knob creek.
Half the apple pie left. Heathens.

My pumpkin pie took a huge hit. So much so I had to hide the last piece for myself. Save the knob creek.
Half the apple pie left. Heathens.

My pumpkin pie took a huge hit. So much so I had to hide the last piece for myself. Save the knob creek.
Half the apple pie left. Heathens.