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Well, I suspect with all us food lover's and cooks out there in Blogland, there will be a flurry of food posts about Thanksgiving in the next couple of days! After two days of prepping and cooking, Friday, Sat., and Sun. will be filled with great ideas for leftovers!
Our T-day meal was about 3:30PM, and I can say I didn't screw up one dish! All came out on time, and the bird was flavorful and moist... Brining a turkey is a pain in the butt, but it is worth it- I guarantee!
1. Cranberry relish- a coarse texture and tart, some orange added- I don't use it, but the people who did liked it.
2. Mashed potato casserole- Yukon golds boiled and mashed, with additions of sour cream, butter, salt, and pepper.. Made a day ahead, and heated before dinner- son's girlfriend liked them a lot!
3. Gravy- I admit to mixing jar turkey gravy with pan drippings, and spices.. it's no fail and quick.
4. Asian green bean casserole- I put bean sprouts, water chestnuts, sliced mushrooms, soy sauce in with the green beans and cream of mushroom soup, and top with fried onions and crumbled bacon. Earthy, with the water chestnuts giving a pleasant crunch.
5. Rolls- Bakery fresh, with butter and honey
6. Sage sausage dressing- Dry bread cubes, sage sausage browned with chopped celery, and chopped onions (undrained!), chix broth, and butter- all poured at once over the
bread cubes, covered and baked. I am not allowed to make any other on Thanksgiving!
7. Roast turkey- 17.8 lbs. Brined overnight, trussed, with celery tops and a sliced orange in the cavity for moisture, coated with olive oil and roasted for 3hrs. loosely covered, then another hour uncovered. Left to rest for 20-30 minutes, then carved... As always, moist and tender!
8. Graham cracker crust pumpkin pie, done in a rectangular baking pan.. Dense, and with whipped cream it was a hit!
The bones were made into stock, which will probably be our turkey noodle soup supper tonight!
I wish I could have taken more photos, but I was a little busy! Hope you all had good ones- tell me about your T-day!