MommaJ

My make-ahead gravy is from this NY Times recipe, though I cut it in half, not ever needing 3 quarts (!) of gravy in my world:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/dining/191grex.html

The nice thing about this approach is that you can get the gravy done early in the week and just heat it up before serving. The more stuff I can do ahead of time, the happier I am. You could even make it this weekend and freeze it--there were tons of turkey parts for sale in my supermarket today.

I don't know how this is possible, since the word "brine" implies salt, and it's the salt that carries the flavoring and moisture into the meat. So what magic process is Trader Joe using? Would love to hear back from anyone who tries this product.

I love Brussels sprouts, but too many others either don't or think they don't--I tried a tasty recipe last Thanksgiving and it went over like a lead balloon. So it'll be green beans with almonds (again) this year for a green veggie.

Here's my menu so far: brined turkey breast with make-ahead gravy, Silver Palate cornbread/sausage/apple dressing, homemade orange/cranberry sauce, corn pudding (brought by a guest--it's a family heirloom recipe), The Pioneer Woman's no-knead rolls; green beans with almonds, sweet potatoes in a form yet to be determined (I'm bored with my casserole recipe, and would like to find something less sweet), spiced pumpkin pie (Bon Appetit) made with no-roll pie crust (Joy the Baker) and some dessert involving chocolate. (Notice how i gravitate toward recipes with the word "no" in them...) And one guest told me she'd bring "an apple pie I have in the freezer", whatever that means.

BunsenBurner

The TV idiot will not survive Thanksgiving in my house. We always have a green salad, and I have never made or had someone bring a mincemeat pie (bleh..)

chocchipcookie

^^They are probably using salt in the brine recipe, but the taste is not salty, that's what they are saying. I haven't tried it yet, but will buy one next week. I have brined in the past at home using an online recipe and again the taste was moist, but not salty even though the brine I used involved salt. So I guess the answer is yes, salt is involved, but doesn't taste salty, just moist and flavorful from the salt without leaving a salty taste.

Shrinkrap

Costco has a brined turkey too, but it gets sort of "hammy" when you brine too long, so I don't know how that will work.

Kajon

Are you guys telling me that I will end up with a dry old bird if I don't brine it? I just didn't want any of my high blood pressure relatives to blow a gasket with all the salt.....

Shrinkrap

No, it just makes it easier, with more room for error.

If you read the science behind it I think you will find there is little if any increase in sodium. And for the record, most people with high blood pressure are not salt see sensitive.

momofthreeboys

Oh wow...the brine issue....we have tried turkey all sorts of way, including almost setting the garage on fire the second year we deep fried. We've even sealed the roaster with bread dough to keep the moisture in after a quick brown, we've tented, not tented etc. etc. but we've never found a better way to make juicy turkey than with an overnight brine. I've tried a few, but finely settled on apple cider brine...we don't use alot of salt in the apple cider brine so it's not salty. We also rinse the turkey after the brining and before we stick in the roaster. The turkey really does stay moist. I add brown sugar or maple syrup and juniper berries and peppercorns plus some salt to my brine and whatever else my mood brings. After we rinse the turkey we do season with salt, pepper, etc. again.

Onward

I am taking a carrot dish that I have never tried. Shredded carrots, green onions, a little sugar and salt, roast for 45 min. I am also making a sweet potato salad that has dried cranberries and granny smith apples in it.

Maybe I will try the brussel sprouts sometime. That recipe looks good.

Kajon

Onward, give us details on the sweet potato salad!

zeebamom

Either last year or the year before we had dueling Brussels sprouts sides. My mom's had cream and parm spcheese. Mine were braised from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. Both went.
The braised green beans with tomatoes, also from Molly's book are a great side to roast turkey.

momofthreeboys

Onward, yes, that sounds delish. I didn't have sweet potatoes on my menu, but a sweet potato salad with cranberries and apples works for me as I've never been fond of the hyper sweetened brown sugar type recipes. Would work for the anti-salad mother of mine, too.

gosmom

what Kajon said.....

colorado_mom

"If anyone is looking for a great gravy recipe, I have a great tip. Buy a jar of Williams Sonoma turkey gravy base." - Or... do what I do. Use corn starch/water mixture (set a few minutes) to thicken the turkey juices. Then stretch it with a jar of Heinz gravy. To me that's a better way than using jar gravy for the leftovers.

PS - We have plenty of juices cooking with a Reynolds turkey bag. It's been our method for years - would not cook a turkey any other way.

shellz

Martha Stewart's Turkey 101 works everytime. Heck, with a bottle of wine and a few sticks of butter as a warm basting liquid, what can go wrong? Seriously...the best. The only part that still gets me nervous is the first hour of cooking....at 500 degrees. The bird is draped in a butter-wine drenched cheesecloth, and it is meant to get BLACK! After the first hour, the temp is turned wayyyy down and the bird is basted every 15 min or so (I cheat...sometimes it's 30) with the butter-wine broth. So. So. Amazing. The oohs and ahhhs as the picture perfect bird lands on the table are worth it. BTW we call it drunken turkey. Kinda festive, right? ;-)

http://www.marthastewart.com/268764/...-and-gravy-101

Shrinkrap

Wait...the turkey or the cheesecloth go black?