Okay, salad servers–and don’t get me wrong, I love salad–when you serve it at Thankgiving dinner, do you serve it as a separate course, or just put it on the table? For me, it would have to be a separate course. Or at least on a separate plate.
@doschicos , I have a turkey in my freezer, and I was thinking of cooking it ahead of time in order to make really good turkey stock to take to NH for the gravy.
@sabaray That is somewhat like my recipe, but not exactly. Since I can’t find it online, I will type it in here.
Warning, it is LONG!
4 fresh poblano or anaheim chiles, preferably a mix of red and green (I actually use diced pickled jalapenos, if you want a shortcut)
2 cups corn kernels with pulp (you can use frozen)
3T cornstarch
6 oz sharp cheddar
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 C thinly sliced scallions
3 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (I use more)
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne (I use chipotle)
4oz Monterey Jack, cut into small dice
Roast fresh chiles over gas flame or under broiler until charred all over, seal in paper bag for 10 min, then rub off skin, trim, discard seeds, and cut into 1/4 in dice. (Confession, I have never actually done this. I just dice them. My bad.)
Preheat oven to 375, in a food processor, puree 1 1/4 C of corn with the cornstarch.
Finely dice enough cheddar to make 1/2 cup, Grate the rest and set aside.
In a small skillet, cook the scallions in the butter for 3-5 min until softened and set aside to cool somewhat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, stock, salt, sugar, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Add the puree and the remaining whole kernels/pulp. Whisk to blend well. Stir in the sauteed scallions, chiles, and diced cheeses. Spoon into a well-buttered 8 in square baking pan. Sprinkle the grated cheddar on top.
Place pan in a larger pan and pour in enough warm water to reach halfway up the side of the baking pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until the pudding is golden around the edges and just set in the center. Serve hot. Serves 6.
I have always cooked this for a lot of people, so I usually double it, and I cook it in a pottery baking dish.
I’m wondering how it would do if cooked directly in a crockpot…
Our salad goes right on the table. But that’s how we dine at Thanksgiving - family style - no dinner “courses”. I don’t understand the oddity of having salad for T-Day dinner!!!
We always have a green salad. Every year though we say we need to make a smaller one as with so many other items the salad usually gets a smaller spot on the plate.
We go to my mother in laws as I have for my entire married life
She will roast a turkey
Stuffing usually a basic one done inside the bird, some years she will do a casserole ( I’m thinking this year of offering to bring a casserole version as my D and H won’t eat it from inside the bird
Green beans sautéed with garlic
Homemade applesauce from my MILs Apple trees (this is a favorite tradition with the grandkids
Cranberries made from the recipe on the bag
Brisket (bil makes as he doesn’t like turkey)
Roasted sweet potatoes seasoned with herbs
Mashed potatoes made by me
Gravy - my MIL just serves the juice from the turkey. My kids like the gravy from the packet or I buy it from the gourmet market premade
Green salad made by SIL
Some red cabbage concoction my other SIL makes which no one eats but her
She is offering corn bread this year which we have never had. We all figure her current bf must want cornbread.
We have alot of desserts
My SIL insists on a cheesecake, pumpkin pie and apple pie from Costco. She also will bring a big box of Sees candy
My niece is making a chocolate cheesecake
My D an Apple pie
My sister will bring a dessert as well.
My sister will bring appetizers and my MIL will put out crackers, cheese and hummus
We eat around 6 which I still have to adjust to. Growing up my family ate mid day.
Most of us will spend the night. We usually have bagels for breakfast Friday morning. I might add a muffin.
This year between everyone I think we will have 7 dogs.
My youngest comes home from college on Fri and i asked what he wanted to eat. His reply…anything Home cooked, but could we please have Turkey Devonshires the day after Thanksgiving! Warms my heart that our annual stretch the turkey as far as it can go tradition is alive and well! For those who don’t know what they are…think SOS. But with a lovely cheese sauce, bits of turkey, piled on toast, topped with a partially cooked piece of bacon…stick it under the broiler until it’s nice and melty. So good!
One salad that looks pretty in the fall is mixed greens, sliced Bosc pear or a red skinned pear, some Gorgonzola cheese and candied walnuts.
I am very glad to report that for the first time since their mom died, my stepdaughters are showing some interest in planning the whole meal. They want mac’n’cheese to start (which I have only made from the Kraft box). I’ve been researching recipes-- is Gruyere essential? Costs more than the turkey! Appreciate any tips if you’ve made it before.
Any other melting, nutty cheese will do, but I always use a blend of gruyere, emmenthaler, parmesan, swiss, and cheddar for my mac n’ cheese. If your recipe calls for a king’s ransom worth of gruyere, just adjust the proportions, it’s really just a nutty type of swiss cheese. A Jarlsberg works well, but my family likes a blend of cheeses.
Personally, I feel that there is no subbing for gruyere if that’s the taste you want - more gourmet, more adult. If you want a more classic American style mac and cheese, I’d use a blend of sharp cheddar, monterey jack and even some Velveeta (low brow but it does make it creamy while the other cheeses in the mix add flavor).
MIL had a recipe for a leftover casserole, mostly stuffing, then chunks of turkey and cranberry sauce. Delish. I think mixed with gravy. You can add in anything that makes sense (eg, sweet potato slices.) It probably came from the back of the stuffing mix bag- she wasn’t a searcher, when it came to recipes.
BB, she had a lot of treasures from those old women’s magazines, too. Sometimes, it’s nice to make some hierloom recipe from before we counted fats and sodium.
