So What is Everyone Making for Turkey Day?

Truth be known, I am not a huge fan of the traditional roasted turkey on Thanksgiving. Traditionally what we do is brine and BBQ / smoke our turkeys and they come out fabulous, but each year we like to try different things. The same ol'-same ol' gets boring after a while. So this year we're going to do something different still.

Rather than cook a whole turkey we're going to do a turkey roulade instead. This will consist of (4) flattened turkey breasts wrapped around a mushroomy seasoned stuffing mix. We're brining the turkey breasts (that's on now) and tomorrow we'll flatten them, coat them with a candied cranberry glaze, and wrap them around the stuffing. Then we'll smoke the whole thing for about 6 hours.

For side dishes we're going with something a little different this year also. We're going to make a roasted corn, cooked in a roux with smoked paprika and then added cream cheese and heavy cream. It's like a creamed corn, with a Southwest flair. If you were watching the Food Network over the weekend you saw this dish made, and it looks fantastic! We are going to do traditional mashed taters. We'll get some drippings off of the turkey, but not a lot, so what we did is to filet the breasts off the turkey carcasses and we're cooking the carcasses down now for a super rich turkey stock to make the gravy from.

What are you making for Turkey day?

We are dry brining our bird tonight. Tomorrow we'll butterfly and roast it with an herb seasoning rubbed up under the skin, basting with butter every 20/30 minutes.

We're making a mussel/sausage stuffing. Cream cheese mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and having store bought key lime pie for dessert.

If my aunts get back from TN, (the one’s brother passed on Sunday) we are just going to do lasagna, salad and cheesy bread. Was going to do the whole turkey breast and trimmings, but life happens when you make plans. If they don’t, looks like a pizza day for me.

Untraditional for sure. But an easy and filling meal with family is what it is all about.

a reply to: ketsuko

Wow, the mussel / sausage stuffing sounds great! Love me some mussels! Never tried cream cheese mashed taters either...interesting. Hmmmmm **thinking**

When you roast your brussel sprouts do you cut them in half and roast them with olive oil? What spices do you use?

ETA - "Butterfly"...or spatchcock?

ETA2 - The inlaws always make oyster / sausage stuffing, but I'm not a fan of that at all. Raw oysters are fine, but cooked oysters are nasty. I love mussels though. Just love, love, LOVE 'em!

a reply to: Ahabstar

Well, that's different. We totally break the mold at Christmas. Don't do turkey at all, or ham. Sacrilege, I know. We usually do a prime rib.

But now that you've mentioned pasta...maybe we do a giant spaghetti pie! OOOoooh MAN!! That stuff is the BOMB!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

We do the whole traditional roast turkey with stuffing for Thanksgiving, and then mix it up at Christmas. My kids wouldn't have it any other way. They are actually spending Thanksgiving proper with their sweeties' families, and we're having our turkey feast on Friday. But my daughter won't eat anyone else's stuffing... and my son won't eat anyone else's cranberry sauce... so they always want our own Thanksgiving dinner. And I'm always happy to oblige!

I do make a good roast turkey though (if I do say so myself!). Nothing fancy. Other than salting and peppering the inside of the bird before stuffing, my seasonings are a simple bouquet garni of rosemary, sage, and chives that I stick in the pocket between the skin and the ribcage. And I smash a clove of garlic and shove in there as well. Along with the green and yellow onions in the stuffing, it infuses the whole turkey with flavor -- and the stuffing of course. Then mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole -- that my son makes from scratch and it's soooooo yummy! -- raised yeast rolls that my daughter-in-law makes from scratch, broccoli, and green salad. I think that's it...

For dessert my daughter makes pumpkin cheesecake, and I'm making an apple crisp this year instead of apple pie. We all love a good crisp!

We all love leftovers too. We're not sure which is better actually, the original dinner or the leftovers.

Oh, I forgot to include dessert...we're doing a Boston Creme Pie (which is one of my favorites).

It's just a store bought one, but the ones from the bakery are really good.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Can't forget dessert!!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Smoked (45 min to an hour) and then roasted Duck

Smoked cubed pork belly burnt ends

(might smoke a turkey since I'm rocking and rolling anyways)

Turkey Chili

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
What are you making for Turkey day?

Myself drunk and my friends and relatives annoyed.

Bacon sarnies...

We are poor and from Europe so looked down upon...

Happy pig out and thanksgiving to our Murican reidents.

Please think of those who do not have what you have...

Sending any of that to the local homeless shelter FCD?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

originally posted by: Lagomorphe
Sending any of that to the local homeless shelter FCD?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Our's here will only take full pans of food, like it's been prepped but not touched.

Rummaged leftovers are not accepted. Though many of the churches in this area will pool and volunteer to cook for the shelters this time of year.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I thought it was the same? We cut out the backbone - spatchcock - and then press the bird flat to roast - butterfly. We can roast a 13lb bird in a couple hours that way. We save the carcass, giblets, and backbone to make stock with. We'll also roast our stock veggies underneath the bird to get roasty and catch some drippings.


i'm no oyster fan myself, and our son isn't too fond of stuffing. But he loves mussels. We have a mussels moulinere we make, and this partcular recipe sort of riffs on that using sourdough bread, most of the same flavors, and the cooking liquor to make the custard. You also throw in nduja if you can find it, but we generally use our local butcher's homemade green chorizo instead since we can't reliably find nduja (only seen it once around here) and kiddo is a real tender mouth spice wise.

We generally just do the Brussels easy/peasy - half or quarter and season with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I can't do plain mashed taters. They taste like sand. So we add cream cheese and garlic for flavor; makes 'em tolerable to me.

a reply to: ketsuko

Eh, it seems we have a couple sweet potatoes sitting there in with theroot veggies I got when they were on sale. Might cube those down and rioast with the Brussels. Sweet will go well with the bitter sprouts.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

OMG, that sounds awesome! I'll be right over.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker

originally posted by: Lagomorphe
Sending any of that to the local homeless shelter FCD?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Our's here will only take full pans of food, like it's been prepped but not touched.

Rummaged leftovers are not accepted. Though many of the churches in this area will pool and volunteer to cook for the shelters this time of year.

Hoping so... those without deserve better... thanksgiving is just once a year...

Live everyday as if was or is the last one is how I see things nowadays...

Screw those that brag all the time and say nothing about what they offer...

a reply to: Lagomorphe

The shelters here give at least a meal a day. And I think two during the winter.

As for bragging about what they have, and not what they offer... I think that's a misconception. People like to talk about things they enjoy. I don't think anyone is bragging that they can make a large dinner, rather they are excited to be able to, hence Thanksgiving.

You're not going to hear many talk about their charities. No sense in it. It's not charity if you expect something for it, even if that's affirmation.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Stuffed manicotti is up there. Or you could do stuffed cabbage rolls prepared in similar fashion if someone has a gluten problem. Johnny Marzetti is a Columbus, Ohio thing similar to spaghetti pie only made with elbow macaroni.

Something about baked pasta that changes everything.

What am I making?

Plans to attend Thanksgiving with family at their house.

I’m bringing the wine (and maybe some apricot mead).

I’m told there will be smoked turkey, which is fine (not a big fan of the traditional fowl.

Tonight, though, I’ll be finishing off the leg of lamb I made for Sunday dinner.

With potatoes and onions roasted in the pan juices and butter.....

I’ve been giving Thanks for days!