Holiday Food Traditions!

[biakbiak]

Asparagus and hollandaise sauce is also amazing.

[auntlada]

I made a frittata with asparagus, sweet peppers, onions and ham with half cheddar cheese and half pepperjack cheese, because I had all those things in the refrigerator. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano and garlic. The recipe called for fresh basil, but I don't have it, so I used dried. While I was getting it out, I had to move the oregano, so I decided it would go well, too. And I add garlic to almost everything that isn't dessert.

It turned out pretty good, especially for my first frittata, so thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I'll get brave and try hollandaise sauce next.

[Bastet]

21 minutes ago, auntlada said:

And I add garlic to almost everything that isn't dessert.

Ha - me too.

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, auntlada said:

Maybe I'll get brave and try hollandaise sauce next.

Blender hollandaise is the easiest hollandaise around.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/blender-hollandaise-recipe-1928197

[DeLurker]

The prime rib turned out very well - low & slow in the oven (250* for about 20 - 25 minutes per lb for med. rare) and a high sear at the end.

Since my oven was fully occupied  with the roast all day, the ham got heated up on my Akorn grill (a Big Green Egg knockoff).  That worked quite well - surprising since I am still getting a handle on how to control the temp for longer periods of time).

Sadly, I had forgotten my short lived job at a Sonny's Real Pit of Hell BBQ - I worked the drive thru which was right behind their big ass wood fired ovens - until Sunday.   My clothes, my hair, everything - smelled like BBQ smoke after I got off of work and I would go home immediately to shower and wash my clothes.  I couldn't eat BBQ for at least 15 years after that job (and I only lasted 10 days). 

I'm afraid my new grill is going to give me 'Nam flashbacks.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

I'm afraid my new grill is going to give me 'Nam flashbacks.

Heh heh heh.  Not unless you bring it inside, because the egg does a pretty nice job of keeping the smoke contained. 

Having said that, since I bought my smoker a couple years ago, I have finished off some of the longer cooking items in my oven. I have a better control over temperature in hours 6-8 when the food is wrapped up in foil and no more smoke is needed. The house does starts to smell a bit like a BBQ restaurant when I do that. It's not long enough or strong enough to get into clothes or fabrics, but it is noticeable. 

[Mindthinkr]

A couple of us neighbors are putting together a pot luck meal for the Fourth of July. One person is doing hot dogs and hamburgers. I’m doing a potato salad and a chocolate mousse cake (one person’s birthday is the next day and he loves this cake). What are some other ideas for what others can bring? I’m in charge of coordinating this. I’ve had thoughts like Cole slaw or baked beans but for some reason my mind is stuck. The host doesn’t want corn on the cob as it’s messy and he doesn’t want to have to cook inside (yes, I’ve mentioned it can be done in a microwave or grill...it might be a teeth issue but I don’t want to seem like a bully). Help! 

[DeLurker]

I always do a fruit & veggie tray and pie seems traditional (although I never eat pie).

Chips & dips of course, or hummus.

My brothers families all have corn or a corn succotash and my SILs always seem to do a cornbread (although gussied up a bit with jalapeno usually).

[Bastet]

I make a dill slaw that always goes over well at gatherings because it's a little different than the typical cole slaw -- red and green cabbage, corn, scallions, celery, carrot, and dill, seasoned with garlic salt and parsley, then dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. 

Watermelon may not be in season yet in your area, but if it is Ina Garten's arugula, watermelon, and feta salad is delicious, and another crowd pleaser (there's always someone who thinks they won't like the combination of ingredients, and then raves about it).

If asparagus is still in season, an asparagus salad is nice -- the really thin asparagus stalks sliced into thin slices, tossed with finely diced red onion and grated pecorino cheese, and dressed with olive oil and either red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

But if you're just farming out who makes what kind of dish and then those people come up with their own version of it, I'd say make sure someone brings some sort of slaw or green salad, because it's really annoying to go to these things and have just a bunch of meat and starch.  Baked beans, yeah (I loathe beans of all kinds, but that probably is a good idea).  A fruit-based dessert?  Some munchies - a cheese platter, veggie & dip, guacamole and one other chip/dip combo, etc.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Bastet

[chessiegal]

Deviled eggs - took some to a pot luck today - none to bring home.

[biakbiak]

A corn salad would be nice. 

[Quof]

Cookies are easy - no serving dishes, no utensils needed.

[HunterHunted]

22 hours ago, biakbiak said:

A corn salad would be nice. 

That's exactly what I was thinking--esquites or Texas caviar.

[Mindthinkr]

40 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

That's exactly what I was thinking--esquites or Texas caviar.

I had to look up esquites. I love Mexican Street corn and that looks like a great non-messy (for the person who doesn’t want corn on the cob at his house) version of it. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. 

[auntlada]

If there are a lot of people and the person doing hamburgers and hot dogs isn't doing it already, someone could bring condiments: mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese, onions (for those who do eat them), pickles, tomatoes, relish, etc.

[MargeGunderson]

What about a Cucumber and onion salad?  Or Black bean confetti salad? The black bean salad is really good with tortilla chips.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

What about a Cucumber and onion salad?  Or Black bean confetti salad? The black bean salad is really good with tortilla chips.

I’m doing the cucumber salad because to me it’s refreshing. Thanks for the suggestions. 

[PRgal]

Today's Canada Day and we plan to order in from our favourite vegetarian place (despite NOT being vegetarians).  They have the best onion rings in the city (in our opinion)!  We'll probably order poutine (or rather, fries plus vegan gravy and vegan "cheese") and put it together ourselves (because delivery poutine is always gross) and have Nanaimo bars and butter tarts for dessert.  Yep just being Canadian :)  It's really hot here, so we will stay inside most of the day. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Can you give a cabbage/corn ratio? I think I can do the rest on a to the taste basis but the cabbage/corn part seems important. And is the celery chopped or matchstick style? 

eta I will use frozen white/shoepeg corn which is a small kernel if that helps give a ratio.

Like the rest, the corn ratio is a to-taste thing; since I like cabbage a good bit more than I like corn, I use more of the former than the latter.  For a "regular" batch (meaning for a household, not a picnic), I use approximately: 1/4 head of red cabbage, 1/4 head of green cabbage, 1/2 cup of corn kernels, 4 scallions, 2 celery sticks (to answer that question, I do it chopped, but you can do whatever shape you prefer), 1 carrot, and 1/2 the typical bunch of dill.

[Mittengirl]

So I was at Menards (Midwestern big box home improvement chain) and in the next aisle - Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups pumpkins.

[DeLurker]

So getting ready to dry brine my turkey for Thanksgiving after hearing someone talk about it on NPR yesterday*.  I came home and looked up articles on how to do it.  I'll do a salt, pepper, & light Herb de Provence blend and keep it covered until tomorrow night.  Then I'll put some soften butter under the skin, add some fresh herbs and sprinkle the outside of the skin with baking powder (crisper skin) and leave it uncovered overnight.

The NPR interview was also saying it is good to spatchcock the turkey too, but I've got a pretty big bird this year (18.5) so don't want to try to tackle doing that for the first time on something that large.  

*I do realize experimental cooking on major holidays where guests will be involved is unwise, but I find myself compelled to do so.

[biakbiak]

I always dry brine my turkey it works great with crispy skin, moist meat and the drippings aren’t too salty for the gravy.

Today I made pie crusts, turkey stock, veggie stock, vegetarian gravy, cranberry sauce, cranberry pomegranate chutney and prepped all most of the vegetables for Thursday so in good shape. 

[Athena]

15 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

So getting ready to dry brine my turkey for Thanksgiving after hearing someone talk about it on NPR yesterday*.  I came home and looked up articles on how to do it.  I'll do a salt, pepper, & light Herb de Provence blend and keep it covered until tomorrow night.  Then I'll put some soften butter under the skin, add some fresh herbs and sprinkle the outside of the skin with baking powder (crisper skin) and leave it uncovered overnight.

We started dry brining last year and really liked the result. I do the butter under the skin thing too. I haven't tried this baking powder technique. Let us know how it goes and whether it is crispier. As a Canadian, we already had our turkey but we will have another for Christmas.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

Thanksgiving will be me, my husband, MIL, dad, and brother (and our pet parakeet). This year we're having sort of a non-traditional menu (also I veganized a lot of the recipes just because it tastes the same and is better for the environment).

*Chicken or turkey. My MIL is making this since I dislike handling raw meat, so I'm not sure exactly how she will prepare it or what cuts of poultry it will be.

*Vegan roast. My husband is vegetarian and I'm pescetarian. This is my first year making the roast from scratch instead of buying a premade one, since I don't like Tofurky and the other ones are only available at Whole Foods. This is the recipe I'm using: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/puff-pastry-wrapped-lentil-loaf/ and I hope it works out because it looks really good.

*My brother and I both dislike stuffing so instead I'm making pasta with butternut squash and lots of Dubliner cheese grated into it. I've made this recipe for dozens of people over the years and everyone who has tried it has loved it, and it's not that hard to make.

*Vegan cornbread using a mix, which I also made last year. It's the same thing except with flaxseeds+water instead of eggs and soymilk instead of milk.

*Vegan mashed potatoes with lots of Earth Balance, hopefully with green onions if I can find them in the store, otherwise with garlic.

*Vegetable soup also made by my MIL. My brother dislikes most vegetables but he does like them in the form of vegetable soup.

*Homemade mushroom and chestnut gravy.

My brother is a recovering alcoholic, I don't drink, and my MIL doesn't drink for religious reasons, so for drinks we're just going to have flavored seltzer, infused water, maybe cranberry and orange juice, tea, and coffee. Then for dessert:

*Pumpkin pie. I was thinking of making my own from scratch but I've never made pie before so I decided just to get a pie at the store to avoid disaster.

*Vegan walnut and pecan brownies using a mix, again just using flaxseeds+water instead of eggs. I also made brownies last year.

*So Delicious coconut-based ice cream to go on the pie and brownies.

I'm always excited for Thanksgiving, it's like a test of how much my culinary skills have advanced in the last year.

Spoiler

 

Edited November 20, 2018 by BuyMoreAndSave

[DeLurker]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

 

So getting ready to dry brine my turkey for Thanksgiving after hearing someone talk about it on NPR yesterday*. 

 

Change of plans upon discovering I accidentally bought a brined turkey.  

I’ll still let it air out in the fridge tomorrow, butter it with a blend of fresh herbs & try the baking powder thing.

[MargeGunderson]

My turkey breast is brining with salt, sugar, papkria and pepper. It will be basted tomorrow with a bourbon-based sauce. I’ve made stuffing, green bean casserole (with homemade mushroom sauce), mashed potatoes (trying a make ahead recipe this year), orange cranberry sauce, and Amish potato rolls. Tomorrow I have to make a pumpkin tart, glazed carrots and bake everything, but I love getting all the prepwork out of the way. 

[chessiegal]

I've confirmed our reservation for the restaurant we're going to tomorrow at 2 pm while I lounge on the couch with my kitty curled up sleeping on my arm and sipping a G&T. :-}

[MargeGunderson]

4 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I've confirmed our reservation for the restaurant we're going to tomorrow at 2 pm while I lounge on the couch with my kitty curled up sleeping on my arm and sipping a G&T. :-}

I think you have the right idea.....

[annzeepark914]

We had planned on going out to a restaurant but very few around here are open tomorrow and those that are...are serving just a turkey dinner (which we're not crazy about).  It's going to be very cold and windy so we're staying indoors.   I've already mentioned in another thread what we're having (ham, etc).  I'm in awe of everyone who's roasting a turkey.  Never done that for some reason (maybe cause they're so big?) 

Edited November 22, 2018 by annzeepark914

[chessiegal]

The restaurant we are going to has a traditional turkey option, but a diverse selection of other options.

Sam's on the Waterfront Thanksgiving menu.

[biakbiak]

My absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving is repurposing leftovers for the next few days so going to a restaurant has never appealed. Also, I really enjoy cooking so making the food is not a burden, particularly years like this where I am visiting my parents and my brother in law likes to pontificate about EVERYTHING so being alone in the kitchen listening to music/podcasts is the happiest place in the house!

[DeLurker]

I'm going the high heat method for cooking the bird so it will take less time than normal.  My house in CA had a broken wall oven that would only cook on high temps (like 450*) so I figured out how to roast at high temps than.  Because things were nutty and money was tight, I did not call a repairman because I expected the answer would be I needed to replace it.  I did eventually get a repairman and he was able to fix it.

Cooking the stuffing outside of the bird this year because I've read some articles that made me overly concerned about salmonella.  Since I'll be cooking the biggest bird I've ever made (18.5), I got myself wigged out over the internal temperature of the stuffing not getting high enough without ending up with overcooked turkey.

Another issue I just discovered is the roasting pan big enough to hold the bird is too big to fit in the oven unless turned sideways.  I prefer to cook the turkey breast side towards the back first so I get a uniform browning, but sideways it'll brown in profile.

[annzeepark914]

@DeLurker:  Good luck with Birdzilla.  You're brave.  Have a wonderful T-day!

[JTMacc99]

@DeLurker, how did it go? I fully support cooking the stuffing outside of the bird. That’s the way to go in general.

As for me, this was the first time in 15 years that I didn’t do the majority of the cooking. It was nice. I did make the pies, one apple, one salted caramel chocolate Oreo. So at least I contributed something. 

[biakbiak]

51 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

fully support cooking the stuffing outside of the bird. That’s the way to go in general.

Me too! More surface area on the top to get crispy. 

[callie lee 29]

I think I had about 5 dinner invitations for today, took 1 and then went out to actual dinner with a friend. What has become my current tradition is actual turkey day spent out at various places and then Friday or Saturday I cook small batches of my favorites (smallest turkey I can find, Stove top, jellied cranberry sauce and then family recipe of rolls, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie) all to get to the main star of thanksgiving....leftovers. I just love my leftover sandwiches. 

[DeLurker]

Birdzilla turned out pretty well I am happy to report.  All the meat was done and still pretty moist.  The gravy turned out to be very dark - think beef gravy - because of the high temp cooking.  I put a fair amount of onions and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan to help minimize the runoff from smoking off, plus one of my favorite things in carrots cooked in the turkey drippings, but I clearly coulda/woulda/shoulda put more.  The smoke alarm in the hall off the kitchen ended up going off 2 times despite having the vent fan on and various windows open.

The baking powder did dry out the skin, but it did not get such a nice sheen from the browning despite having hit it with butter.

The stuffing (is it called dressing if it is made outside the bird?) also turned out well.  I made it in the crock pot with a fair amount of reservation.  It doesn't get a crispy top that way which is a bit of a disappointment like @biakbiak noted since that is the best part, but the bottom and the sides get a bit of a crust on them.

So we all ate way too much which is probably required.  I should have stopped after the main meal, but one of the guests brought home made creme brulee and it was impossible to resist.  And it was amazing!

[BW Manilowe]

On 11/21/2018 at 10:04 PM, chessiegal said:

The restaurant we are going to has a traditional turkey option, but a diverse selection of other options.

Sam's on the Waterfront Thanksgiving menu.

Whomever typed the menu (I assume from the restaurant) for posting needed to proofread it better. Just saying. But the choices still looked interesting (though I’d have probably only eaten the courses with the turkey & the dessert—I’m a picky eater).

[chessiegal]

This will be our last Thanksgiving dinner at Sam's. It was our 3rd year, and while the company was excellent, ambience nice, food good. our server sucked. They had a required 20% gratuity, and she didn't deserve it. She brought us our check after the main course, forgetting we had dessert coming. We had to ask for water twice. And when my husband asked for bread, she said they weren't serving it while we could clearly see other diners had a bread basket on their table. When my husband pointed it out, her reply was that the chef told her no bread, but she'd see if there was any left. And what a miracle, bread appeared. We didn't complain to the manager, so bad on us.

[Mindthinkr]

9 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

This will be our last Thanksgiving dinner at Sam's. It was our 3rd year, and while the company was excellent, ambience nice, food good. our server sucked. They had a required 20% gratuity, and she didn't deserve it. She brought us our check after the main course, forgetting we had dessert coming. We had to ask for water twice. And when my husband asked for bread, she said they weren't serving it while we could clearly see other diners had a bread basket on their table. When my husband pointed it out, her reply was that the chef told her no bread, but she'd see if there was any left. And what a miracle, bread appeared. We didn't complain to the manager, so bad on us.

That’s a shame. I guess she wasn’t interested in giving good service (lack of integrity) and the bread issue would have had me seeing red. Are you on Trip Advisor? You can leave a review there or even send an email to the manager about your experience. Too many places close these days. They want loyal customers and this waitress just blew that for you. 

[chessiegal]

12 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

That’s a shame. I guess she wasn’t interested in giving good service (lack of integrity) and the bread issue would have had me seeing red. Are you on Trip Advisor? You can leave a review there or even send an email to the manager about your experience. Too many places close these days. They want loyal customers and this waitress just blew that for you. 

It was so atypical. The previous 2 years were delightful. I've had lunch there with friends 4 times in the last 6 months. All wonderful experiences. Sure doesn't make me want to go back. I made the reservation through Open Table. So far they haven't asked me for feedback.

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

It was so atypical. The previous 2 years were delightful. I've had lunch there with friends 4 times in the last 6 months. All wonderful experiences. Sure doesn't make me want to go back. I made the reservation through Open Table. So far they haven't asked me for feedback.

Open Table might still be in the Thanksgiving rush. I hope that they do contact you. I’d hate to see a pace you previously enjoyed become a bad taste in your mouth. 

[fairffaxx]

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Whomever typed the menu (I assume from the restaurant) for posting needed to proofread it better. Just saying. But the choices still looked interesting (though I’d have probably only eaten the courses with the turkey & the dessert—I’m a picky eater).

Maybe the bad waitress also typed the menu:  "Potato and Leak Soup".

[chessiegal]

Sam's is a fairly small restaurant, and it would have been difficult to complain to the manager, even quietly, without making a scene. It was Thanksgiving. I was thinking on the way home how every problem/challenge I face in my privileged life is a first world problem. With that, I'm going to stop whining. 

[larapu2000]

There is a massive shortage of labor in foodservice right now, from servers to cooks to dishwashers.   It's hard to find and keep quality help at the moment,  with opportunities like Uber attracting a lot of people that want to set their own schedule, etc.  I have to think your place is also falling victim to the same industry crisis.

[biakbiak]

Cookie time! Every year I like to add a new cookie into my base rotation of: nanimo bars, mini pecan pies, peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles, rum balls, and thumbprints (Raspberry, strawberry and chocolate), I haven’t decide what to add this year. What does everyone else make?

[larapu2000]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Cookie time! Every year I like to add a new cookie into my base rotation of: nanimo bars, mini pecan pies, peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles, rum balls, and thumbprints (Raspberry, strawberry and chocolate), I haven’t decide what to add this year. What does everyone else make?

I only make a few!  Here are our favorites!

Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Honey Spice Cookies

Apple Squares

I also make a bunch of candy for gifts!  Toffee, caramels, peanut butter cups, a peanut butter crunch candy, and truffles.  We are trying out mint patties this year for the first time.

This is SUCH a fast and easy candy.  It's like the center of a Butterfinger.  I had to make an extra batch last year because my friend kept eating it while we were making candy!

Peanut Butter Crunch

[Lovecat]

Last year I started making Pretzel Bark as a gift.  So easy and delicious!  I am also not allowed in my FIL's house on Christmas unless I bring him a rum cake.

[MargeGunderson]

@larapu2000, I’m adding the Peanut Butter Crunch to my list. And @Lovecat, now I know what I will do with the bag of mini pretzels languishing in my pantry!

One of my favorite things to bake for the holidays is Martha Stewart’s White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies. They make the house smell amazing, and they are delicious, of course.

[biakbiak]

I think I will try those Peanut Butter Crunch bars and dip them in chocolate!

Edited December 8, 2018 by biakbiak