My Thanksgiving Day menu:

[Lunabell]

Turkey, cut in to pieces and dry brined with salt. Roasted to a delicious and moist delight. Cut up, it only takes about 1 hour. You can take the breasts out at the perfect temperature that keeps them tender and succulent. Then, you take out the thighs, drum sticks and wings, I like them cooked a little longer.

Cranberry sauce. Canned because we prefer that.

Cornbread dressing from a box because we don't think there's really that much difference. And it's easier.

Mashed potatoes with lots of butter and half and half.

Gravy, made from the innards, neck bone and back bone.

Brussel Sprouts, fresh but sautéed with bacon to a still sort of crunchy bite.

Collards made with smoked turkey wings. My southern heritage.

Pinto beans, also made with smoked turkey wings. They are traditional for my wife's family. They call them brown beans. Mid Western.

And the piece de resistance? Homemade sweet potato pie with a pecan crumble topping. Served with real whipped cream.

Of course we started tonight and will finish tomorrow. I was going to make homemade Parker House rolls, but I am just too damned tired. 😆

[LisaM]

1. Here's mine.

Turkey, cooked the traditional way, with stuffing (bread, poultry seasoning, celery, and onions, broth, and melted butter).

Mashed potatoes with butter and (new trick I learned) heated milk, salt, pepper, and a scoop of sour cream.

Gravy (I simmer the neck and giblets all day, but discard them before I make the gravy and just use the liquid).

Squash halves with butter and brown sugar.

Corn.

Cranberry orange relish
Cranberry sauce (made with orange zest and some bourbon, along with sugar)

Rolls

Salad

Apricot chiffon pie with whipped cream. I usually make pumpkin chiffon pie but I had a special request this year for apricot, so I am going to give it a go.

There are only three of us, and all of us eat all these things, so I think we are good with quantity.

[Lunabell]

6. Apricot chiffon pie!?!

Apricots are one of my favorite dessert fruits! I love apricot cobbler and a chiffon pie sounds delicious. Happy gobble gobble!

[LisaM]

9. I think the hardest part is to get the puree the consistency of pumpkin.

I bought some canned pumpkin so I could compare them. The recipe seems to call for twice the amount of gelatin, too.

[woodsprite]

2. We're having dinner for 5 / dessert for 7

Turkey - 15 lbs, massaged with butter, salt, pepper, cavity filled with apple, orange, onions, celery, and aromatics.

Dressing - soft bread cubes mixed with seasoning, chicken broth, an egg, browned sausage, celery, onions, and butter. Hubby talked me into adding chopped apple this year.

Gravy - pan drippings, turkey broth, fortified with a packet or two of McCormick’s powdered mix.

Cranberry sauce - cranberries cooked down with apricot brandy, sugar, water, and spices.

Mashed turnips - mashed with a couple potatoes and carrots, and butter.

Green bean casserole with extra mushrooms

Curried fruit - apricots, pears, peaches, pineapple, and cherries, mixed with butter, brown sugar and curry powder.

Mac and cheese - made with cheddar, sauted onions, mustard powder, pepper, and smoked paprika.

Texas pecan pie - Tasting History’s recipe. Essentially spiced custard with pecans stirred through, topped with pecan halves, and meringue.

Minced fruit pie - could not find Nonesuch mincemeat for a reasonable price (Amazon $34/jar) so we’re trying this version. Dried cherries, figs, apple, raisins cooked with spices, a bit of molasses, and brandy.

Pumpkin pie - Mrs Smith’s frozen, because it’s everybody’s favorite.

[Lunabell]

4. Dinner for 5?

You will definitely have some leftovers with all that nummy food!!

[rsdsharp]

3. Everything sounds great! We're having 2 turkey breasts with apples, sage and thyme in the cavities,

ham, mashed potatoes, sage dressing, green bean casserole (I only do it about every 5 years), Anne McCord’s Leg, Heinz gravy (I can’t do gravy), rolls, pecan pie, chocolate pie and pumpkin bread.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Lunabell]

5. What a delicious spread!

Happy Turkey Day!!

[Hotler]

7. Fresh kielbasa and sauerkraut, pirogi's, warm german potato salad and pecan pie.

[Lunabell]

8. German Thanksgiving?

With an American ending. Sounds good to me!!