The return of the dreaded 11 Commandments of a THANKSGIVING DINNER

CookingWithCarlo.com ^ | Nov. 17 2005 | Carlo3b, Dad, Chef, Author

[carlo3b]

The 11 Commandments of a THANKSGIVING DINNER

          To-Do's, to make your Holiday brighter..

1) Make a list and check it twice.. Plan your menu in advance, and for heaven sakes write it down.. Pull out the recipes and jot down the ingredients and check to see if you have everything on hand to complete the meal without having to run to the store at the last minute.. Be sure to check the expiration date on spices and milks and dated stuff..
There isn't a good time on the day of a big dinner to run to any store, and the Big guy is usually busy doing Big Guy stuff, with the remote.. sigh.. Make the list of all needed items such as utensils dishes napkins.. etc. For example, next to the specific food, put the dish in which it will be served. Don’t forget decorations, candles, linen, anything you can think of. Something to keep in mind, but only as a guide, Who is on What special Diet?

2) Buy only what you really need.. such as the right size of a Turkey, Ham, Roast, Lasagna, Goose, Peacock.  The bigger is not always the better. Take into account everything that is being served, including anything that is coming from your invited guests, before considering what size main dish, or dishes you are thinking of purchasing.
There is some consideration that should be given to leftovers in your calculations for sure, but think about refrigerator space in the pre preparation and leftovers. With Turkey, the rule of thumb for portions is, 1 pound per person, and 1 cup of dressing per. If eight people are coming to dinner, a 10 to 12-pound bird will do just fine and still provide leftovers.
If you do as we do in our family, you are going to serve 2-3 popular entrees, (Turkey, Ham, Lasagna) you had better remember the last time you had to throw good food away because it was too much to freeze and not everyone wanted all those leftovers to take with them when they left. Consider buying just a breast of turkey instead of the whole turkey. If your family doesn't like dark meat, why waste it? A breast will be faster and easier to cook and carve, and you can still make all of the trimmings. You've not going to pay any attention to me on this  are you? OK go buy BIG BIRD.. whatever..:)

3) Think of the BIG PICTURE when planning what, and how many side dishes you intend to make. I understand that everyone has their own favorite specialty that you make, but do you have to make them all on the same day? If you are going to have leftovers, DUH, plan on making some of those favorites on a subsequent dinner with one of the special leftover recipes that you can prepare. Having a new side dish will make that easier meal so much more special with a favored specialty..

4) Don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring along something for the meal.  Perhaps their favorite side dish or dessert. Specialty breads and rolls come to mind. Those are some of the hardest things to do at the last minute because of the oven space, and don't be shy about suggesting to provide the recipe for a great accompanying bread that complements your planned dinner.. Cornbread comes to mind, or homemade Tiramisu. This is a really great idea for more than the obvious reason, it provides the family or friend with being part of the meal that they can share, and further answers that age old question (if anyone asks it any more) what should I bring to the party.

5) What to drink has to be brought up early in the planning. We usually serve something, a) before dinner, b) with dinner, c) and for sure after dinner, d) and sometimes after, after dinner.. The KISS system is a great idea when planning this stage of the party. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID, is a great gage on what exactly to plan ahead. I mentioned STAGE not by accident. Too much alcohol can and does screw up an otherwise great party. This is a party for everyone, and keeping it light is your responsibility, handle it with forethought.
Special holiday beverages are usually less about booze, and more about celebrating, so get and keep the party fun.. Egg nog, Holiday Wassil, homemade Kahlua ..etc, works wonders and all can be made well in advance. Also with this, the age of specialty Coffees, and Teas, try your hand at a expresso machine, and let them do their own thing.. It will add to the festivities and fun.. BTW, beer is for pizza, wine is for dinning.. :)

6) Easy on the hors d’oeuvres, and canapés. You will be doing everyone a favor. Too much food before dinner will mess up a perfectly great meal, and pi$$ you off big time if everyone doesn't eat. Kids and old folks come to mind. Think again about the Refrigerator, and the oven when planning. Some items that are lite, and need not take up a lot of cooling space, a flower decorated platter, that you can quickly add raw vegetables with a simple dip and perhaps some mixed nuts or olives, even thin chips.

7) Decorating the house, yard, and most important, your table!

Order flowers early. This is where the internet comes in really handy for this chore, you'll save a bundle and make everything look like a million bucks. Take advantage of the early bird specials by ordering from a grower, or wholesale. The internet is full of them, with great prices, check those POP UP's before you delete them without reading.. LOLOL.  Simplify decorations too. An attractive floral arrangement for your table, with added green fern and a few loose flowers for platters. How about a simple window decor and something just outside the front door, may be all you need.

8) Frozen items are not a sin.., well, ok but not a mortal sin!  I'm thinking about the great specialty breads and rolls, yikes, even some desserts.. gulp! It’s ok to use some convenience items, after all, we accept canned and frozen vegetables, you may not think about additional items today. There are a few really select items that much too good not to consider today, especially when planning a huge party. Pre trimmed vegetables, Shrimp, crab, lobster are great frozen and really speed up the meal service. Canned chicken, beef, vegetables, or even Turkey stock is perfectly acceptable for gravy or as the base for a soup.
 

9) Plan to pre make as much as possible, and plan you meal around that fact. Be sure that you think about the day, long before it happens. Read the recipes closely not just for the ingredients but for timing. Prepare as much food ahead of time as possible. Start as far out from the actual day of the party as possible. Think about serving times, then work back.
Think about everything else that will be happening at the same time, including when your family and friends will be arriving. Plan to do those recipes that can be done two, three, even four days ahead? What can be the day before? The morning of? Most, if not all, side dishes can be done ahead, then Reheat. Some dishes actually improve in flavor if made in advance. Leave as little as possible to the last minute. Not everything can be put into one microwave, and ovens most ovens have only one compartment so THINK IN ADVANCE... :)

10) Make this and every holiday a dream, not a nightmare.. Plan the day as a special moment that you and your loved ones will remember as that special memory. Make this a day that everyone helps with the fun parts of the preparation and service. Use your best assets in making this party a total success. Hubby and Kids will love it if you have a pre planned easy tasks that are well within there capabilities. Give them a typed timetable and pre assigned fun tasks, like setting the table.. set one place setting the night before and point to it .. LOL. Have dad carve the main courses, and make the beverages, getting everything ready, long before the Football games kick-off. Don't be afraid, just be sure that you leave as little to the imagination as possible when assigning to the family.. Don't be at all ashamed to ask for help, but know in advance what it is your are going to be asking for.. remember that this is your home and only you know where everything is hidden, and where it is put away.. DUH!

11) The best for last.. HIRE A MAID, it is not as expensive as you think, less than $100.00, can make this the best party you ever had. How about to just to clean up, or even serve and clean up, or even cook, serve and clean up, how about a massage...

Bless your heart, have some fun.. Chef Carlo

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Old Fashion New England Roasted Turkey Orange-Maple Marinated
This wonderful, old northeastern method of marinating the turkey overnight in maple-orange produces a remarkably moist and flavorful bird. Combine the reserved marinade with the pan drippings and reduce to a scrumptious tangy gravy.

Marinade:

•  2 cups orange juice

•  1 cup chicken broth

•  1/2 cup pure maple syrup

•  1/4 cup bourbon

•  Turkey:.. One 12-pound fresh or frozen whole turkey, thawed

•  3 oranges, peeled and quartered

•  3 small bay leaves, plus more for garnish (optional)

•  1 teaspoon salt

•  1/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

•  Citrus garnish (such as oranges, orange wedges, and kumquats; optional)

•  Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

1) Prepare marinade: In a large bowl, combine orange juice, broth, maple syrup, and bourbon.
2) Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry.
3) Place turkey in a 2 gallon heavy-duty plastic food storage bag. Carefully pour in marinade. Seal; place in large roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.
Prepare Turkey: Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Remove turkey from plastic bag and reserve marinade. Insert orange quarters and bay leaves into cavity. Sprinkle salt in cavity. Skewer neck skin to back or tuck wing tips under shoulder joints, holding skin in place. Tie drumstick ends together with string. Place turkey on a wire rack set in a large roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into thigh, making sure it doesn't rest on the bone.
5) Roast turkey until thermometer registers 180 degrees F -- about 3 hours. (Cover turkey loosely with foil if it gets too brown before reaching required temperature.)
6) Remove turkey from oven; transfer to serving platter. Remove and discard oranges and bay leaves.

Let turkey stand at least 20 minutes before carving.
7) Pour reserved marinade into a 2 quart saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Skim and discard any foam from mixture with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups -- about 15 minutes.
Preparing Gravy.
8) When turkey has been transferred to platter, skim off all but 1/4 cup fat from drippings in roasting pan; stir in the flour until well mixed. Gradually stir in the reduced marinade and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Presenting the masterepiece.

Garnish turkey with whole oranges, orange wedges, bay leaves, and fresh thyme, if desired, and serve with gravy.

Carving the Turkey:
9) Holding a drumstick securely with one hand, use a carving knife to cut through the skin between the thigh and body of the turkey. Gently pull out and back on drumstick, cutting through remaining meat and skin; disjoint and remove drumstick. Repeat with other drumstick. Slice downward along breastbone and rib cage to remove meat on one half of the turkey breast. Cut through turkey, removing the wing. Repeat process, removing remaining breast meat and wing.
10) Place two turkey breast halves on cutting board. Holding breast steady with carving fork, cut slices of breast meat against grain. Transfer slices, wings, and drumsticks to serving platter.
Serving: 12

Recipe from; Holidays in The House of Carlo
 
 

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Another Turkey Stuffing a la Crockpot

When preparing a specialty Turkey as in a fancy marinated, it helps to fix your dressing apart from the bird, and healthier as well.
Preparing your dressing in a crockpot allows you to beat the rush on a holiday morning. Making the stuffing in the slow cooker is one less thing to worry about and it takes up less of that valuable oven space.

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cup chopped onion

• 2 cup chopped celery

• 1/4 cup parsley sprigs

• 1 lb fresh button mushrooms, sliced, or 2 x 8 ounce cans mushrooms

• 12 cups bread cubes, day old dried

• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• 1 1/2 teaspoon sage

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3 1/2 cup chicken or turkey broth

• 2 eggs, well beaten

1) Melt butter in a skillet and sauté onion, celery, parsley, and mushrooms.
2) Pour over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl.
3) Add all seasonings and toss well. Pour in enough broth to moisten. Add eggs and mix well.
4) Pack lightly into slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
Serves 12.
Recipe from, Soup, Sex, and the Single Man
 
 

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Holiday Golden Apples and Yams

"This was so delicious. The three flavors of apples, raisins, and yams combine perfectly and the syrup added just enough sweetness."

• 2 large or 3 medium yams or sweet potatoes

• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced crosswise into rings

• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1/8 teaspoon cloves or apple pie spice mix

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1 cup Raisins

• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

• 1 cup miniature marshmallows (Optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
1) Bake yams 50 minutes or until soft but still hold their shape. Can also be done in the microwave. Let yams cool enough to handle.
2) Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice yams crosswise.
3) In 1 1/2 quart baking dish, alternate apple rings, and yam slices, overlapping edges slightly.
4) In small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and spice; stir in orange juice and raisins, and mix well.
5) Heat orange juice mixture over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Pour over apples and yams. Sprinkle with nuts and bake for 10 minutes, add the marshmallows* and bake for additional 10 minutes or until apples and yams are tender.
* (Optional) You may top with miniature marshmallows, it encourages the kids to taste this. Once they do, it becomes their favorite.
Recipe from, Chef Carlo's, "Chef Carlo Cooks with Kids"
 
 

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Baked Apple Dumplings Syrup:

•  1 1/2  cups sugar

•  1/4  teaspoon nutmeg

•  1/4  teaspoon cinnamon

•  1/2  cup red hots

•  1/4 cup butter or margarine

Dumpling Crust:

•  2 1/2  cups flour

•  2  teaspoons baking powder

•  1/2  teaspoon salt

•  2/3  cup shortening

•  1/2  cup milk

Apple filling:

•  4  small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces

•  1/3  cup sugar

•  1/4  teaspoon cinnamon

•  1/4  teaspoon nutmeg

1) Mix syrup ingredients together, except butter.
2) Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and set aside.
3) Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add  the milk all at once. Stir just until moistened.
4) Form into a ball. Roll out into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6-inch squares.
5) Mix apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place 1/6 of the apples on center of each square. Moisten edges of dough and fold corners to center top and pinch edges together. Place in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
6) Pour the syrup over the dumplings. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Serves 6
Recipe from,  The one and only; The Clinton Legacy Cookbook
 

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Old Fashioned Home baked Country Ham

• 1 Country Ham, 15-20 pounds

• 2 Cups Dark Sorghum Molasses

• 1 Cup Vinegar (Apple Cider)

1) Scrub country ham with stiff brush.
2) Put ham in large pot, or if you are lucky enough to have one, place in a lard stand (large metal container that held lard, an old country shortening used long ago; usually holding 25 pounds) and cover with cold water.
3) Add 1 cup molasses and vinegar.
Allow to soak overnight.
4) Next day, remove ham from water, rinse well and cover with fresh water and the remaining 1 cup of molasses. Cover, place over high heat.  Allow to come to a rolling boil and boil for 30 minutes.  Remove lard stand from heat.  Do Not remove lid!
5) Cover pot or lard stand with newspapers and blankets and allow to stand overnight.
Remove from water.  You can make a glaze from brown sugar, fruit juice and plain flour.
Coat ham and bake (probably at 350; the recipe doesn't specify) till brown.

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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree.
2. Cut the top off one of your garlic heads, to expose the individual cloves. Place on the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzled olive oil over the garlic head.
3. Wrap foil to close securely and bake for 50 minutes. Set aside.
4. Boil red bliss potatoes with skins on. Test with fork for doneness, and drain potatoes.
5. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients. Serve with Pork roast.
Pork Roast:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degree.
2. Blend minced garlic, parsley, oregano and thyme.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut holes in the roast, approximately 1 inch deep, every couple of inches in the entire roast.
4. Fill these "pockets" with your garlic mixture.
5. Place in a roasting pan, with about 1/2 inch of water and season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook for 10 minutes at 425 degree and then lower the oven to 350 degree to cook for an additional 40 minutes. Baste your roast about every 15 minutes.
7. When done, remove roast from pan and let sit about 10 minutes before carving. You can make a gravy using the drippings from the roasting pan.

Serves 4

[carlo3b]

Go for it, I love your attitude.. Let us know how it turned out!.. :)

[tet68]

I'll throw another potato in the pot!.. LOLOL

We used to go to a place here in Atlanta called
Mammy's Shanty and they had Rosin baked potatoes
probably some of the best eating you'll ever find.

My best to you and yours this day of Thanksgiving.

What I miss the most from my childhood was my grandmother
and my mother baking christmas cookies, hundreds of them
of all kinds. My grand mother is gone now and mom just
doesn't care to bake, have tried to get her, my sister,
and my niece to bake some of the old recipes so my nephew
who's five can have those memories.....we'll see.

Nothing like uncooked cookie dough eaten out of the bowl.

Ho, HO , HO!

[Peach]

I just bought new custard cups and am trying flan and creme broulee next week. Let's hope I don't set the house on fire!

I'm glad to see this link, Carlo, and please add me to your list.

May you have the happiest of Thanksgivings!

[AppyPappy]

Near Perfect Giblet Gravy

I love Gut Gravy but no one around here will eat it.

Dessert this year will be Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks for the ping, Carlo. I was pleased to see your recipe for

Celery Sage Bread Stuffing

is exactly like my grandmother's wonderful "New England" way of preparing stuffing. Except, she never had an actual recipe for her stuffing (or for much of anything that she cooked).

I agree with you, the stuffing is about the most memorable part of the meal.

Happy Thanksgiving, Chef Carlo. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us and for keeping me on your ping list. :-)

[budwiesest]

Unbelievable! This post has it all. I can't think of anything that a Thanksgiving dinner might include that isn't here in spades. Thank You Carlo3b. Not telling which appear to be my favorites. Not 'till I work them out. ;^)

[Alouette]

I love food threads! Please add me.

[ApplegateRanch]

Use it all, stale biscuits (the unsweetened white-flour pastry-kind, for those of you outside the U.S.), bagels, soft pretzels, wheat, pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, saltines, and anything else even vaguely bread-like works. Clean out the fridge!

We toss the heels, and any other bread that goes stale, into the freezer throughout the year. It comes out for stuffing, and not just at holidays.

I would've voted for the runner-up!

Same here, with the FRESH CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE at #2...LOTS of relish; the turkey is #3.

Of course, when possible, that is WILD turkey for the holidays.

Store boughts get cooked a few other times throughout the year. (I'm a dark meat man; I HATE the way they have perverted the "dark" meat on tame birds! Anymore, it is just 'light' and 'lighter'.) It is a great excuse for stuffing and cranberry relish. BTW, try adding some chopped walnuts to the cranberry-orange.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Wow, this is great. Thanks Carlo.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Aren't you in South Dakota? For some reason it is in my mind that you are.

We have a definite over-population problem with our wild turkeys here. I killed and dressed two of them today for our dinner on Thursday. (PETA, forgive me.) Lots of really good dark meat on them. To satisfy the white meat lovers in our family I will will cook a store bought turkey breast.

Broncos will beat Dallas. What a great day!

[MozartLover]

Carlo sweetie, you wouldn't happen to have that recipe for Fancy-Schmancy Corn Casserole handy, wouldja?? Please please please????

[ApplegateRanch]

Yes, SD. Hot Springs. We have at least three separate flocks on the ranch, maybe four.

They breed beyond all reason. Run all over in town, too.

[Rushmore Rocks]

For your creme brulee, I suggest you get one of those little propane torches they sell at some of the gourmet kitchen shops. Also good for putting some "brown" on turkey and chickens. They are really a neat thing to have.

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks much!

[Rushmore Rocks]

I think we may have visited during the Thune campaign. I'm getting old and forget more than I remember. We live right behind Bear Country and the wild turkeys are taking over. Not to mention a mountain lion or two.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[SuziQ]

WooHoo recipes!

[EverOnward]

Hoping I'm always on your ping list! Thanks for the post -- I read recipe books like novels and your post makes for great reading and a delicious menu!

[ApplegateRanch]

Ummmmm...THUNE!

Yeah, we met then, at least on line if not otherwise.

Happy Thanksgiving back to you.

[Peach]

I got a propane torch just for the brulee. Now if I don't burn the kitchen down...

[DugwayDuke]

Momma used to say that some folks were as full of cr@p as a Christmas turkey. I never understood why she would say that until I asked her how to make stuffing. Essentially, stuffing is a bunch of cr@p in a pan. You can put almost anything in it you want.

The real key to good stuffing is that it should be runny when it goes into the oven. Stick your hands down in it. When you lift them out, the stuffing should run through your fingers like mud. If it starts out dry, it will end up dry. You can always cook it a bit longer if it's too moist, but you can't add moisture to it.

Momma (and mine) basic stuffing goes like this. (BTW, I use a big pan 'cause my family likes stuffing. I use one of those big aluminium pans about 14 x 18 x 6 inches. If the whole family is there, I may just use an aluminum broiler pan)

- Cook up enough corn bread to fill your pan about half full when crumbled. Add a little dry white bread if you like. Not necessary, but some folks think it is.
- Crack a few eggs into it. Maybe three or four for a big pan. Don't worry about the yokes, they'll break up when you mix it up later.
- Add a couple of cans of chicken broth and two or three cans of cream of whatever. (cream of chicken, mushroom, onion, whatever sounds good to you, I don't think I'd use cream of broccoli but that's up to you)

That's the basic recipe. Cornbread, broth, eggs, cream of whatever soup. After that, it's personal taste. You could:

- Add some celery, diced onions, what ever you want. Mushrooms work too. You can saute 'em if you like. I usually don't bother, they'll cook enough later. I like to add red or yellow peppers. Never green.
- A can of whole kernel corn and/or some chopped waterchestnuts will give a nice crunch. Some like 'em, some don't. Chopped nuts work too.
- Fry up some pork sausage, at least a pound, maybe two. crumble it in. (if you use sage sausage, you might wish to skip the sage spice). I like the hot sausage myself.
- Spices. Pepper, salt, sage, thyme, or just use poultry seasoning. What ever you feel like.
- Throw in some oysters if you like.
- By this time your pan should be getting pretty full, if not, add some more stuff.

Now stick your hands down into. Stir all that stuff up. Let it run through your fingers. Have fun, like making mud pies. When it has the consistency of mud, it's ready to bake. If it's too thin, add some cornbread or more stuff. If it's too dry, add some more whatever soup.

Put it in a 350-375 oven. After about an hour, check it with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it's ready.

Making stuffing is easy. Just remember what Momma said about some folks, whatever you feel like put it in (within reason, of course) and make sure it's like mud when it goes in the oven.