I look forward to this day all year. It's my favorite holiday by far for several reasons. It's the only holiday we have that the focus is food. Cooking is something I enjoy doing. Nothing makes me quite as happy as making a good meal for the people I love! This year, our son is having back surgery the Monday before Thanksgiving. He'll be in the hospital for a couple of days before returning home to recuperate. He won't be able to travel, and we told him we would just skip Thanksgiving so he could rest, but he was having none it! I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He is a great cook himself and looks forward to the special foods that are traditionally prepared for our turkey day meal.
We plan to go to their house on Wednesday and stay overnight. I'll make the pies on Wednesday evening...dutch apple and pumpkin. Then on Thursday morning our daughter in law will be making her first turkey with my help! I'm so excited to help her learn this skill. In our family, we use a baking bag for the turkey. We don't 'present' the turkey whole at the table to be carved, but rather slice it and place it on a platter. When using a baking bag, the turkey skin sometimes sticks to the bag and makes for a less pleasing presentation, that is if you are serving it whole. That's one reason it doesn't matter that we use the bag, because we prefer just having it all plattered for ease of serving.
If you have never cared for turkey because it tends to be dry, you really should try a baking bag once. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. I never, EVER, have a dry turkey!! It's moist and delicious every time. We'll also have mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, and cranberry relish, and as I said earlier, pie for dessert.
One of our favorite side dishes is scalloped oysters. My mom always made this for Thanksgiving and it isn't Thanksgiving without it! It's so delicious. It's not a cheap dish to make, but once a year, we indulge. My mom would have also served deviled eggs and a cranberry jellied salad and possibly a 7-layer salad. I'm not sure what all is planned for our meal on Thursday yet...whether we'll have a salad or bread...but I do know that it will be the kind of Thanksgiving that makes me happiest. Filled with good food, and family close by. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving day with your families. I'd love to hear what dishes you will be enjoying!
We celebrated Thanksgiving last month up here in Canada.
ReplyDeleteI would like to humbly request that you post pictures of whatever it is you decide to serve alongside your turkey. Your food photos always make me so hungry! :)
Mmmmmm scalloped oysters! I've never heard of that.
ReplyDeleteI watched Sunny (Cooking for Real) on the Food Network the other week...she was talking about brining the turkey before doing the dry rub and baking it. Ever tried that? Is it pretty much the same thing?
Lydia, I'm so sorry to report that taking pictures of our Turkey day food somehow was overlooked. I thought of it on the way home and was really bummed!!
ReplyDeleteCharity, this year it's all about the 'brined' turkey. I wouldn't say it's the same, no. It's soaked in a very salty water and it's supposed to make for a very moist bird. I have always used a baking bag and the turkey turns out soooo moist! I feel like once you find something that actually works, why try to improve on it? Well...at least when it comes to turkey. I love turkey so much, it's something I'm just not willing to experiment with. Ian bought one of those turkey fryers a few years ago when they were so popular. The turkey was 'OK' but somewhat dry and disappointing.
Have you ever tried the baking bag?
Oh! Charity! Were you being honest when you said you had never heard of the oyster dish?? I'm surprised because I would have thought that at some time you would have seen it at a family holiday meal. It's a dish Grandma always made. You have to have a 'taste' for oysters, but I'm telling you, it is SO wonderful!! WE all love it!
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to make, but quite expensive. I used two containers of oysters ($16) for a good amount. It's just layers of crushed ritz crackers, then oysters, pepper, pieces of butter, and repeat, ending with a pint of heavy cream (I use 1/2 n 1/2 to cut the fat). Let set overnight, and add a bit more cream before baking for one hour. Oh, my, just a little bit of heaven on earth!!
Teresa I'm so glad you were able to be there for Ian's family. I'm sure the pies you made were delicious. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays also. I was telling Kristina I next year I would like to spend it with the people I love most...even if it isn't thanksgiving day! People like your family and Cara and Todd etc. I bet those oysters were delicious. Well happy thanksgiving I can't believe it is here and gone. We are excited about the soup party!
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