Favorite Thanksgiving recipes?

Poststructural Pub
1

I thought it would be fun to start a thread to share our favorite not-so-top-secret recipes for traditional or not-so-traditional Thansgiving meal items.

Mine is one I got from my grandmother from North Carolina.

Cranberry-Apple-Orange Chutney

12 oz bag fresh cranberries*, rinsed and dried
2 medium apples, peeled and cubed
2 medium oranges, seeded, peeled and cubed or pureed, reserve one rind
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup Grand Marnier liqueur
up to 3 or 4 Tbsp. sugar or Brown sugar to taste

In a medium saucepan place place all the fruit, nuts and spices and heat to boiling.
You’ll note that it makes its own liquid, so it will boil. Simmer, covered, stirring often to make sure things don’t stick to the pan. Chop the orange rind as finely as you can and add about 2 Tbsp. I don’t use Navel oranges, as the rinds are too thick, but to each their own. I usually let this simmer almost an hour, then I taste it to see how much sugar I need. Last night I probably added only a couple of Tbsp of Brown sugar. You don’t want it too sweet yet, because the liqueur sweetens it a lot. I find that if it seems too bitter at this point, I add a pinch or two of salt.
Once it’s all gooey and lovely, take it off the heat, and stir in the Grand Marnier. Yes - take it off the heat first. You want the alcohol IN the concoction. Trust me.

Chill as long as possible ( a couple of days, if you remember to make it in time ), as the longer it sits, the better it gets. Serve at room temp - not ice cold.

Leftover chutney is great for breakfast, too. :smiley:

*You can usually only get these this time of year, but if you want to make this recipe some other time, buy lots of these bags and throw them right in the freezer. The berries are self-sealed, so they won’t get freezer-burn.

2

I like the one where you stuff cornbread and whatnot in a turkey and then bake it till it’s good and done.

3

I’m going to be making a tofu-based , stuffing-filled loaf with mushroom gravy. Did it a few years ago too, instead of a Tofurkey. Can’t remember to what extent we liked it, so this time I’ll have to take notes. It’s promising that I didn’t throw the magazine away though. I will have to report later, since I know many of you are clamoring for a veggie Thanksgiving entree.

4

Turkey Recipe.

Clean shotguns, screw in special super expensive turkey chokes onto guns. Collect all the turkey calls and put them in wife’s fanny pack. Get dressed in camo, double check the ammo. Put everything in truck, ask wife “You got everything?” wife says “You betcha, how about you?” “Oh ya sure” I reply. We head out, get to the site and set up, it’s still dark, a pair of Great Horns are talking off in the distance. We finish getting set up except I can’t find my seat pad, I look at my wife longingly, “I asked you before we left if you had everything” is all she says. She sits down on her seat pad, I sit on the bare, damp, cold ground. Within seconds my rear end is numb and wet.

The edge of the woods are starting to brighten, we check our watches and we find we are ten minutes into the legal hunting period. The wife starts some calling with her slate call, nada. Minutes tick by, then hours, she has gone through every call in her arsenal. The wife asks" Why did you pick this spot?" I reply “Because there is a grass species here that has seed heads that they like to graze on,” “What grass?” she says, “The tall pale grass right there” I say as I wave my hand out over the field. She pulls out her binoculars, darn, I forgot those too! She scans the field, and then hands me the binocs. “I think all the seed heads are gone” she says. I take a look, what the heck! There isn’t a seed head as far as I can see. I’m starting to panic, when suddenly we hear some movement in the woods off to our side. It’s getting closer and closer to the woods edge where we are set up. We feel the adrenalin starting to flow, we’re ready! Then I see it, a buck and here we are loaded for turkey! He ambles out into the field with no idea we are watching him. It’s getting close to dark and we decide we have had enough. We pack up, the buck takes a look at us, he doesn’t care, he sees absolutely no threat.

On the way home we stop at some friend’s farm who pasture raise turkey and chickens. They had asked us this summer if we wanted them to reserve a bird for us. Of course we said no, as we were going to get our own, just like we didn’t do last year. They were very amused by our adventure but more importantly they took pity on us and sold us a bird. Next we drove to the local vegetarian health food store and picked up a Tofurky for the boys, I don’t think we made a very good impression with our choice of camo clothing.

5

Very funny :laughing: Has your bum warmed up yet? :laughing:

Are you and your wife meat eaters and your kids veggies?

6

Just my humble opinion but if the nuts were left out, this would make a really great garnish for vanilla ice cream soup.

Vanilla Ice Cream Soup:
Stir ice cream until it reaches a soft-serve consistency. Voila! It’s now healthy. It’s a soup.

7

I personally think you should leave out the cranberries,apples,oranges,walnuts,cinnamon,ginger,nutmeg and sugar.

8

And here you seemed so staid, Pammy!

Once you’ve left all that out, pour what remains into the ice cream soup. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top.

9

So much for my trolling for interesting recipes …

10

Sorry, all of mine are a mystery to me right now. Seems we’re having an Italian Thanksgiving meal. I will be given the recipes in the morning at which time I will be expected to produce a meal by 6:00pm. I do know there is a turkey involved, just don’t know which one it is…

11

Is this some kind of contest? A dare?

Either your diners like to live dangerously, or you are very, very good in the kitchen . . .

12

Not a recipe as such, but something I look forward to each year. I love leftover homemade cranberry sauce (I vary the recipe each year) on good multi grain bread with peanut butter. The tartness of the cranberry sauce really cuts through the heaviness of the PB, and the two taste fabulous together.