Weekly Cooking Thread: THANKSGIVING EDITION

[Jamestown1630]

I hope you have a peaceful Thanksgiving, Johnny. Let us know how your pastry experiment goes.

-JT

[V K Lee]

LOL raisins ...not extremely fond of them but won’t spit them out. DH loves raisins - especially in oatmeal cookies. I prefer raisin bread :-)By all means, post your recipe, please. Believe it might be the marshmallows that are unbearable. Seldom eat anything ‘too sweet’ as my jaws tend to lock. Fudge, divinity..lots of goodies often missed. The sweet tooth must have been the exchange for the quarter the tooth fairy left years ago.

Eat Dessert first - it may be gone if you wait!

[prisoner6]

It IS wonderful! The first time I did it the women made turkeys in the oven. I was banished to where our sons stood ready with fire extinguishers!

When we brought the turkey in it was gone before it made the table!

That was years ago, now the electric Masterbuilt type indoor fryers are even better and less trouble. QVC has them and that is where we got ours.

Now we use it for everything from deep frying to steaming...even donuts!

Ours is getting several years old so it’s time for a new one.

Might give it to one of our kids who will use it more.

All of the electric can be used indoors which is a big plus for use now that we have moved to an apartment/townhouse. The only smell we get is from fish but is probably because we are doing it wrong.

[CottonBall]

Great idea to start at Thanksgiving thread early, and make it longer.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve never even heard of an INDOOR turkey fryer. Will have to look into this!

I currently live in an apartment, but all the turkey-frying horror stories discouraged me, even should I live in a house with outdoor space.

-JT

[prisoner6]

Amazing that Mrs p6 and our kids and grandkids refuse to eat cornbread!!!

Grits is also something only for me.

We’re only about 50 miles north of the Mason-Dixon line!

[Stand Watch Listen]

SLOW COOKER STUFFING (saves VALUABLE oven space)

Prep Time: 25 Min Cook Time: 4.5 - 6.5 Hrs Servings: 16 - 18
INGREDIENTS;
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces sliced mushrooms
12 cups dry bread cubes
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 cups chicken broth, (as needed !! …better if initially a bit dry and add a splash of broth during cooking)
2 cans of water chestnuts (diced fine)
2 eggs, beaten
DIRECTIONS:
-- Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently. NOTE: can sautéed everything the night before and combined it with store bought bread cubes and about 1/4 of the chicken stock and refrigerated it.
-- Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Add water chestnuts and season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour ( just enough) broth to moisten at the beginning and mix in eggs. Do add a drizzle of broth as needed throughout the cooking process broth to moisten, Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover.
-- Cook on High for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 6 hours (stir a few times throughout).
----OPTION: -- can add a pound of browned sage sausage, and a 1.5 cup of dried cranberries
-- stir it every 30 mins just so the stuffing on the edge does not burn

HORSERADISH BEETS

INGREDIENTS:
-- 1 lb cooked beet
-- 2 tablespoons horseradish
-- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
-- 1 teaspoon sugar
-- DIRECTIONS:
-- 1. Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and COARSELY chop
-- 2. To allow the flavors to blend…Refrigerate for 2 days before serving. --

CRANBERRY WALNUT RELISH

Servings: 8
-- oven baked relish...Orange marmalade / apricot is stirred into cranberries and walnuts --
INGREDIENTS:
-- 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
-- 3/4 cup white sugar
-- 1 (6 ounce) orange marmalade
-- 1 (6 ounce) apricot preserves
-- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
-- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
-- 1 teaspoon orange zest
--……Option: ½ cup shredded apples ..(I like multiple flavors)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place cranberries in a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar, cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and sprinkle with walnuts. Re-cover and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and stir in marmalade, apricot orange zest and lemon juice. Mix well. Cool to room temperature. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving

CARAMEL APPLE PIE

INGREDIENTS:
-- 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (glass pie pan to avoid spillage)
-- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
-- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-- 1/4 cup water (less 1 tsp because of added vanilla)
-- 1 tsp vanilla
-- 1 tsp cinnamon
-- ½ tsp nutmeg
-- pinch cloves
-- 1/4 cup water (less 1 tsp because of added vanillla)
-- 1/2 cup white sugar
-- 1/2 cup packed LIGHT brown sugar
-- 5 Granny Smith, 3 Honeycrisp (medium sized) apples - peeled, cored and all thinly sliced

[prisoner6]

Hope this link works.

http://www.qvc.com/CatalogSearch?langId=-1&storeId=10251&catalogId=10151&keyword=Turkey+fryer

Or just go to qvc.com and look up turkey fryer.

You can get them lots of other places too.

Ours is older but can do a 20-22 pound turkey with no problem!

The turkey is NOT greasy!

You do not have to use expensive peanut oil!

Easy to drain and clean, reuse the oil!

[Stand Watch Listen]

recipe caramel apple pie...continued...

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F’. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Use eggs whites to coat bottom...bake for 5-8 minutes (to prevent soggy crust). .
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Use 2/3 of caramel syrup to coat apples. mounded slightly. Cover with prepared strips for lattice work crust. Use remaining 1/3 syrup to brush on lattice crust.
3. Place middle of oven…Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F’. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft When pie is almost done lightly sprinkle lattice with sugar
Hints/Options:
• keep syrup warm otherwise will thicken up too much Work quick and/or have someone stir syrup
• Alternative: Substitute 1 cup of apples with one cup of reconstituted ‘Craisins’
• When baking, make sure to cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil so that it doesn't burn (it tends to with this recipe for some reason).

[Liz]

Eat dessert first is a great idea...reminds me of this recipe. Meant for
dessert.... but for those who cant wait that long, serve as a side dish.

SWEET POTATO CRANBERRY TART
Cook covered on low heat 10 min in glass or ceramic pot 1/2 lb cranberries,
2/3 cup sugar. Remove lid, cook/stir five min. Add 1/2 lb each par-boiled
grated sweet potatoes, par-boiled grated carrots. Cook/stir 3-4 min.

Stir into Custard of combined 1/2 cup milk, 4 eggs, 1/2 lb cr/cheese, dash ea nutmeg, salt.

Bake in pre-baked 11" tart shell 375 deg 40 min (top is is firm/golden).

SERVE in wedges.

[Fai Mao]

Not a recipe but a Thanksgiving story

When we were faculty at HKU we’d sponsor a Thanksgiving meal with our graduate students and academic friends from China.

I always found it odd that the British at HKU could never really understand the concept of Thanksgiving but the Asian students did and while the foods were new to them most of them did enjoy it. (I must confess that caused a minor food revolution in Wuhan while getting the PhD because taught a man who runs a bakery there how to make a pumpkin pie!)

One of the most interesting comments was from a student who was a middle level cadre in the CCP as well as a professor. He asked why we pray before the meal and what was the origin of the meal?

I told him the story of the pilgrims starving their first winter in Massachusetts and how with the help of the natives they’d had a good harvest the second year and the feast was a time to be thankful that they were not going to starve in the coming winter. He thought about that a moment and said “I grew up in the cultural revolution. I know what it is like to e=worry about starvation. This is a holiday i will practice from now on.”

[Jamestown1630]

I looked it up, and found two ladies testing it on Youtube. This looks like something I can deal with ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt26-ypimS8

Can you do a brined turkey in it?

-JT

[ken5050]

Word to the wise. Brining only works if your turkey isn’t “enhanced.”..otherwise, it tastes way too salty.

[Jamestown1630]

A really lovely story. Thanks for sharing it with us, and sharing your Thanksgiving with your Chinese friends.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that should be world-wide; and probably is, in one form or another.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Correct. A kosher turkey, for instance, won’t work. We usually buy the house brand at the supermarket.

-JT

[ken5050]

One question about the squash recipe. For, year , heck for decades, whenever I made acorn squash, I always split them, and cleaned them first, brush the surface with a little olive oil, and when the girls were little I’d put a tsp of brown sugar in the hollow. Splitting means you don’t have to cook it as long to get the center soft. Any reason why your recipe wouldn’t work that way? Thanks

[Liz]

Paula Deen's Aunt's Sweet Potato Souffle / Butter Crumb Topping
Combine 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, cup sugar, 3 beaten
eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 8 tablespoons melted sweet (unsalted) butter, tablespoon
vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour into buttered square baking dish. Crumble
Topping over. Bake Topping golden 20-25 min 400 deg. Serve hot.

Topping: Combine cup packed light brown sugar, 4 tablespoons cubed
sweet butter, 1/2 cup self-rising cake flour, cup chopped pecans.

[Bigg Red]

...the house had been cleaned within an inch of its life....

***
That’s how it was at my house, as well, and I carry on my mother’s tradition in my home. I am currently in Week 2 of my Christmas Cleaning Frenzy.

Thank you for posting your holiday memories and thoughts. Nicely put and evocative for me.

[Jamestown1630]

I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work, but after you cut and clean it, put it in the oven cut-side down for the first baking.

You just need to get the squash almost cooked, so that when you put in the stuffing, all it really needs is heating and getting the top crispy.

-JT

[ken5050]

Anyone watched the British Baking contest? On PBS, it just finished its second season, and it is a hoot. You can find all the episodes online on PBS.

It's so popular that one of the US networks ( ABC?) is starting a new shorter version for the holidays...t hey'll manage to screw up a good thing..