Hope everyone has a fulfilling and fun Thanksgiving.
Which dish did you pull off the best this year?
24 thoughts on “November 23, 2023: Give Thanks”
I had a really enjoyable walk with Can of Corn yesterday on the upper trails in William O'Brien State Park.
It was neat to meet another Citizen in person (only my second one). Ben's a really interesting guy, and we had great walking weather.
Fun. Walk in the park is a good way to socialize.
Bo - exactly as you described it, great weather and truly enjoyable. Not for the first time, I was reminded what a great community this place hosts.
NBBW did dry-brining with kosher salt on the turkey this year. She stuffed the cavity with onion, lemon and orange slices, and rosemary/thyme/sage. I'm doing bone-in smoked ham from Brine's on the grill (already cooked, just re-heating).
We were going to go up north to my mom's but the new foster pup is just starting to act normal after a really stressful week (two full days of Tasmanian devilry) so we're staying home and taking it easy. Mrs. Twayn did the herb/spice rubdown last night. In about an hour she'll stuff it with chunks of onion, celery and orange, put it in a cooking bag with a cup or so of champagne and toss it in the oven. The beauty of this recipe is that you have to use the rest of the champagne so it doesn't go to waste and Mimosas are the perfect solution. I'll make my grandmother's cornbread stuffing recipe and boil the potatoes, but I'm not allowed to do the actual prep ever since the mashed potato soup debacle. Some green bean casserole, salad, dinner rolls, and a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle dry Riesling and we're good to go. Pie with coffee and a hearty dollop of Irish cream for desert. Then La-Z-Boy and TV. Happy Thanksgiving, citizens!
Did the potato soup debacle involve burning potatoes to the bottom of the pan?
Eventually, yes. It started with too much milk so the potatoes were runny. Normally I would just dump some instant potato flakes in to absorb the excess moisture but we didn't have any that day. So I put them in the oven to try to dry them out a bit but I had it too hot so the potatoes burned on the sides and bottom. It was second only to the year of the pink turkey for Thanksgiving disasters.
Mmmm, Reisling -- some of our local vineyards' best produce.
After 33 yrs of sharing Thanksgiving with Runner daughter's godparents and family, it's just the three of us this year, so Heavenly Ham made our smoked turkey, but we'll have all the fixings, plus both apple and pumpkin pies (yes Pepper, I said "pie"). The Macy's parade will be on (pre-recorded because sleeping in) and afghans and the recliners kicked back all afternoon.
I almost forgot, I'm thankful that this is the year I decided to start watching the Timberwolves again.
Depending on how you want to count, this has been a family for 20 years now and I'm thankful for it and all of you.
Wow.
I went to Popeyes and ordered 16 half spicy with red beans and rice, mac n cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy. #winning.
I love Popeyes, but the post-pandemic service and ownership of the three near me make it really tough to decide to go there anymore.
Our local Popeyes is run by an older Indian gentleman who learned customer service from the soup Nazi. The food is fine, but the transaction experience is always unpleasant.
Well, hopefully they had what you ordered, and it didn't take a half hour
He stiffed for for two apple pies last time through. I'm checking the bag before driving away from now on, though. Because I won't let a curmudgeon keep me from having my Popeyes.
We had a wonderful, relaxed meal with The Boy and his S.O.
The turkey (spatchcocked, dry brined, but only for a few hours, with baking powder in the mix; smoked with apple wood; despite the dry brine and baking powder, the skin was still too leathery) was great.
I filled the drip pan with onion, carrot, apple, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, dried Anaheim chiles, star anise, peppercorns, green cardamom, fresh rosemary,and a bottle of Bundaberg ginger beer. The drippings, onion, apple, chiles, garlic and mushrooms went into the gravy (I buzzed everything but the mushrooms with a stick blender, then added the chopped mushrooms). One of the best gravies I have ever made.
Mashed potatoes; sourdough stuffing with sausage, apple, sage, and dried cranberries; roasted Brussels sprouts; and, a new ombre this year, honey-roasted sweet potatoes and apples. That was a big hit. Not too sweet, with a kick from crushed red pepper flakes. NYT recipe.
Pecan pie and and apple cake for dessert.
3rd year of making a smoked turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Wet brine the day before for 10-12 hours. Pat dry and apply the joints sweet and smoky dry rub. The boneless roast was bout 5 pounds this year. I make stuffing with mushrooms and shaved brussels sprouts. All of it turned out amazing. So good. In the evening, we heated up an extra pan of homemade lasagna I had made a couple days earlier. Probably my best version ever. It was a good day.
glad you've recovered your appetite!
yes, fully recovered. Sinuses cleared just in time to get my taste and smell back fully.
I had a really enjoyable walk with Can of Corn yesterday on the upper trails in William O'Brien State Park.
It was neat to meet another Citizen in person (only my second one). Ben's a really interesting guy, and we had great walking weather.
Fun. Walk in the park is a good way to socialize.
Bo - exactly as you described it, great weather and truly enjoyable. Not for the first time, I was reminded what a great community this place hosts.
NBBW did dry-brining with kosher salt on the turkey this year. She stuffed the cavity with onion, lemon and orange slices, and rosemary/thyme/sage. I'm doing bone-in smoked ham from Brine's on the grill (already cooked, just re-heating).
We were going to go up north to my mom's but the new foster pup is just starting to act normal after a really stressful week (two full days of Tasmanian devilry) so we're staying home and taking it easy. Mrs. Twayn did the herb/spice rubdown last night. In about an hour she'll stuff it with chunks of onion, celery and orange, put it in a cooking bag with a cup or so of champagne and toss it in the oven. The beauty of this recipe is that you have to use the rest of the champagne so it doesn't go to waste and Mimosas are the perfect solution. I'll make my grandmother's cornbread stuffing recipe and boil the potatoes, but I'm not allowed to do the actual prep ever since the mashed potato soup debacle. Some green bean casserole, salad, dinner rolls, and a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle dry Riesling and we're good to go. Pie with coffee and a hearty dollop of Irish cream for desert. Then La-Z-Boy and TV. Happy Thanksgiving, citizens!
Did the potato soup debacle involve burning potatoes to the bottom of the pan?
Eventually, yes. It started with too much milk so the potatoes were runny. Normally I would just dump some instant potato flakes in to absorb the excess moisture but we didn't have any that day. So I put them in the oven to try to dry them out a bit but I had it too hot so the potatoes burned on the sides and bottom. It was second only to the year of the pink turkey for Thanksgiving disasters.
Mmmm, Reisling -- some of our local vineyards' best produce.
After 33 yrs of sharing Thanksgiving with Runner daughter's godparents and family, it's just the three of us this year, so Heavenly Ham made our smoked turkey, but we'll have all the fixings, plus both apple and pumpkin pies (yes Pepper, I said "pie"). The Macy's parade will be on (pre-recorded because sleeping in) and afghans and the recliners kicked back all afternoon.
I almost forgot, I'm thankful that this is the year I decided to start watching the Timberwolves again.
Awoo
the Mike Conley pacman 😆
Bite Bite
Depending on how you want to count, this has been a family for 20 years now and I'm thankful for it and all of you.
Wow.
I went to Popeyes and ordered 16 half spicy with red beans and rice, mac n cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy. #winning.
I love Popeyes, but the post-pandemic service and ownership of the three near me make it really tough to decide to go there anymore.
Our local Popeyes is run by an older Indian gentleman who learned customer service from the soup Nazi. The food is fine, but the transaction experience is always unpleasant.
Well, hopefully they had what you ordered, and it didn't take a half hour
He stiffed for for two apple pies last time through. I'm checking the bag before driving away from now on, though. Because I won't let a curmudgeon keep me from having my Popeyes.
We had a wonderful, relaxed meal with The Boy and his S.O.
The turkey (spatchcocked, dry brined, but only for a few hours, with baking powder in the mix; smoked with apple wood; despite the dry brine and baking powder, the skin was still too leathery) was great.
I filled the drip pan with onion, carrot, apple, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, dried Anaheim chiles, star anise, peppercorns, green cardamom, fresh rosemary,and a bottle of Bundaberg ginger beer. The drippings, onion, apple, chiles, garlic and mushrooms went into the gravy (I buzzed everything but the mushrooms with a stick blender, then added the chopped mushrooms). One of the best gravies I have ever made.
Mashed potatoes; sourdough stuffing with sausage, apple, sage, and dried cranberries; roasted Brussels sprouts; and, a new ombre this year, honey-roasted sweet potatoes and apples. That was a big hit. Not too sweet, with a kick from crushed red pepper flakes. NYT recipe.
Pecan pie and and apple cake for dessert.
3rd year of making a smoked turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Wet brine the day before for 10-12 hours. Pat dry and apply the joints sweet and smoky dry rub. The boneless roast was bout 5 pounds this year. I make stuffing with mushrooms and shaved brussels sprouts. All of it turned out amazing. So good. In the evening, we heated up an extra pan of homemade lasagna I had made a couple days earlier. Probably my best version ever. It was a good day.
glad you've recovered your appetite!
yes, fully recovered. Sinuses cleared just in time to get my taste and smell back fully.