Posted on 11/14/2025 1:20:05 PM PST by Jamestown1630
From the lack of grass in his back yard, he’s done that a time or two, LOL!
Those butters look great. One of my gifts to family members is going to be freshly baked bread and some flavored butters to go with. :)
I think I’ve seen the meatball one done with grape jam, too.
We have them at every Wedding and Wake in my predominately German family.
Small rye rounds, the top-quality ground steak, salt & pepper and gobs of onions. Yum!
I guess it could be considered ‘an acquired taste’ for those that haven’t grown up with it - but the kids eat them, too. :)
That’s a nice gift.
One of the nicest I’ve received was home made Boursin cheese in a special little jar, from a cousin. (This was back in the 70s, before we could get it in the supermarket.) I’ve often given it to others, with a box of nice crackers.
Or, you can do Jacques Pepin’s ‘Fromage Fort’:
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fromage-fort
“Boursin cheese”
My Mom loves that stuff; she brings some every time she comes to stay over for a few days. I think she’s addicted, LOL!
How to Make Your Own Boursin-Style Cheese at Home
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-boursin-cheese/
Homemade Boursin Cheese
1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely minced or grated
1-1 ½ teaspoons of herbes de Provence*
A pinch of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
*To make your own Herbs de Provence blend, combine equal parts of dried thyme, rosemary, savory, and oregano. You can also add marjoram and optional lavender for extra flavor, then store the mix in an airtight container.
I also found some more compound butter recipes at The Pioneer Woman:
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a88011/how-to-make-compound-butter-recipes/
Our recipe for Boursin uses chives and garlic; but I imagine you can use all kinds of things.
The nice thing about the compound butters is that you can make them into little logs wrapped in parchment, and just cut off what you need now and then. They’ll probably last months in the deep freeze.
You're sellin' the SIZZLE, Baby - not the Steak!
18 years of Retail Management behind me; does it show? LOL!
My neighbor has a dairy (we rent them land for food crops for 'the girls') and she's getting me a list of the local cheese makers that use their milk. I'm going to buy a bunch of cheeses from her and gift those as well. I'm trying to keep it very 'local' this season; more so than I normally have with all of the current local resources at hand. :)
Reminds me of steak tartare from the description. I’ve had that a few times times, and have never really enjoyed it. Probably a matter of being stubborn.
“... how unusual or even how weirdly thoughtful they were.”
We had an open house last January for our relatives once we got settled in to our new house. My cousin (also named Diana) gave me an unusual housewarming gift: it was an open work large chrome metal bowl filled with spice bottles. She had lined the bowl with tissue to keep the spice bottles from falling through. The spices were basil leaves, chili powder, chives, ground cumin, five spices, minced onion, paprika, parsley flakes,crushed red pepper, pumpkin pie spice & whole oregano.
The spice brand isn’t an expensive one, but this has been the most useful gift and I have texted her at least twice to tell her I am into her spices and ‘thanks again’. The bowl itself is nice & mom has used it for a table center piece, but the spices are what I use all the time & having the ones she gave me has saved me trips to the store a couple of times. Simple, thoughtful & useful!
.
When our daughter got married a few years ago, we stayed at the small rancher’s house next to the larger ranch venue. The owner had just started using the house as rental space that week. I won’t ever forget how the kitchen there was stocked (very well). She had put about 15-20 common spices in the pantry, and it was the nicest thing ever! That place was the greatest gift. I could see all the vendors coming and going, but I didn’t have to be in the middle of it. I could walk over to check things out, and walk back when satisfied.
Great thread! I’d love to share the best turkey method I’ve ever tried in 50 years. It’s from America’s Test Kitchen, and like many of their recipes, it’s great.
The only thing different is I stopped using the baking powder wash on top because it dried out the breast TOO much.
https://youtu.be/FzlOyzgrc1Y?si=v8wxwgX0AUPlaO1N
I’ve never heard of the baking powder wash; I may try that. If you thin it out some, maybe it won’t be too drying.
It’s similar to using baking soda to brown meat, which I don’t do, either. :)
But the rest of the ATK turkey roasting method is excellent. Roasting the bird in an oiled pan warmed on top of a baking stone or griddle in the oven, at higher heat to cook the bottom while the breast is covered with foil, them a lower temp to finish the bird.
The dry brining makes the juiciest turkey. Wet brining makes it rubbery and water logged. No flavor.
The day of, while the bird comes to room temp I go in with turkey spices in melted butter, under and on top of the skin.
The gravy method they use here is also excellent.
Yes; our dry-brined turkeys have been the best and don’t result in that weird texture that wet brining gives.
I would love some ideas on a side dish or protein appetizer for a dinner. I’ve been invite for Thanksgiving and I want to bring something. They always do a ham (not really my thing). 8 people total. I don’t need a recipe so much as an idea. The other side dishes will be pretty traditional.
Cinnamon apples for a side dish? I do them in a crockpot which is easy, just cook until they are a consistency I like. I also switch the brown & white sugar amounts (use more brown than white). A 3 lb. bag makes a nice amount. Everyone loves them. They are good hot or room temperature.
Cinnamon Apples
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-spiced-apples/
Here’s an idea for a protein appetizer, too. I haven’t made it, but sounds good.
Easy Sausage Phyllo Cups
https://bestappetizers.com/sausage-phyllo-cups/
Thank you! I was hoping I would hear from you. I’ll be having a phone chat today with the hostess a great friend about what she is sure of will be on the table. I did buy a nice thanksgiving theme dinner plate at the dollar store to bring one thing over in. I do have some honey crisp apples. Could make a small square apple strudel. I was thinking a dessert item. And something for the main plate. She will have a ham and traditional stuff but I am thinking a different protein and or veg. I said appetizer because I am thinking small. Don’t want to overshadow her efforts. Maybe turkey skewers. I also thought about braciole but that would probably be too much. I’ll look at the sausage cup recipe, thanks.
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