<p>Love the turkey. Must have: turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes (style can vary), and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, all homemade. The sides can be experimented with- sometimes a green bean casserole, fresh peas, cornbread, brussell sprouts, fresh fruit, and additional desserts, depending on the guests and their preferences. But the seven “must haves” are sacred!</p>
<p>I’m obsessed with cornbread stuffing. That’s the whole point for me. I love roasted brussels sprouts, too, but I make them all winter. The stuffing is a once-a-year treat.</p>
<p>“I am making roasted brussels sprouts with yams and chestnuts.”</p>
<p>I roast them all together.</p>
<p>Well, I’m roasting a turkey on the rotisserie in the Weber kettle grill, stuffing cooked in the bird (to be mixed at the end with some extra roasted in a pan), and gravy from the turkey drippings.</p>
<p>No sides. No canned cranberry sauce. No snacks. No dessert.</p>
<p>So, I guess you could say that the turkey is pretty important! :)</p>
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<p>Baloney. :)</p>
<p>I’ve cooked stuffing in the turkey every time since forever. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the middle of the stuffing is at least 160 degrees before taking the turkey off the grill. I’ve never killed anyone yet with my turkey and I’ve never had a dry turkey. </p>
<p>I’m actually inclined to think the stuffing prevents the turkey from drying out, mostly because there’s so much butter in the stuffing.</p>
<p>BTW, the stuffing usually hits 160 before the deep inner thigh meat right next to the cavity. It’s all done a little while before the popper pops, although not usually long enough to make any difference.</p>
<p>just like the last 56 years…</p>
<p>The day starts with a fancy glass of eggnog , whipped cream and nutmeg and the thanksgiving day parade on the TV in the background.</p>
<p>Turkey and all the standards. No deviation. None. </p>
<p>Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, crescent rolls and apple and pumpkin pie.</p>
<p>Always stuff my turkey…it’s awesome.</p>
<p>Lotsa people go ga ga over the Thanksgiving meal but it has never been a favorite of mine in terms of food. I don’t hate it but don’t love it. I consider the food a tradition though. Doing it all this year, but I don’t make or eat pies and so my dessert is not a traditional one. My turkey is a fresh local turkey.</p>
<p>idad, you prepare your turkey on the grill - I bet the dude was talking about oven roasted turkeys. I, too like my food grilled better than oven-roasted, however, I will stick with the tradition and shove my bird in the oven. Yup, I caved in when I saw a miniature turkey at the store today and bought it - usually, the birds are gigantic. 
The turkey breast can be saved for later eatin’.</p>
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<p>I can’t help it if an “NPR chef” doesn’t know how to cook a turkey! 
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<p>I’ve never cooked one in an oven.</p>
<p>I love turkey, and ONLY when it’s prepared like a traditional thanksgiving turkey, so I always look forward to it. We used to have a ton of sides when we did thanksgiving with the extended family, but we stick to immediate family only now and make only what we like-- turkey, mashed potatoes (preferably potato buds, not real potatoes), stuffing, and rolls. That’s all we do. The stuffing and potatoes are by far my favorite part, but it wouldn’t be thanksgiving without the turkey! We got a 26lb turkey for five people just so we’d have the leftovers… unfortunately now I think we are expecting 2-3 more people than planned.</p>
<p>Normally we just do pumpkin pie, but now that I am allergic to mom’s recipe we are doing apple this year, too. Sort of funny, because my sister is horribly allergic to apples-- but there will be something for everybody.</p>
<p>I have been making turkey for over 30 years with the stuffing inside. The stuffing is always delicious and the turkey is perfect. My husband insists I make a turkey with stuffing here even though we go to my sister’s for thanksgiving because mine is so much better. I can’t understand this new notion of not stuffing the turkey. There’s a reason they call it stuffing. I do have to get up pretty early in the morning to do it right, but it’s worth it.</p>
<p>I can’t stand stuffing the turkey. I don’t like how the stuffing tastes after being in the bird :D. We have to have turkey on Thanksgiving if for the smells alone.</p>
<p>The stuffing is the best part when it comes out of the bird! Nice and moist from the drippings and crunchy on the outside. Heaven. That and the liver with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper.</p>
<p>I like turkey leftovers. For Thanksgiving, I’d be happy with just mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.</p>
<p>Sorry, but the Norman Rockwell painting is imprinted in my mind, and the turkey is CENTRAL!</p>
<p>EPTR, the crunchy bits of stuffing never make it to the table at our house. Somehow the cook and the carver are in there with the stuffing and something happens to them. Must be aliens or some lost dimension.</p>
<p>We used to go to my Grandma’s for Thanksgiving and we always had turkey for the tradition along with a ham because it went over better. After she died, my mom started making Thanksgiving dinner and we just had turkey. Those years just weren’t fun. Now, we usually go to my Grandpa’s house. His wife makes both ham and turkey for every holiday and “family” dinner. And we always make our own turkey because it’s cheap and the family likes sandwiches and everyone loves turkey and dumplings.</p>
<p>After seeing the tiny smoked turkey H brought home I had him go get some fresh turkey legs-at least now we’ll have some crisp skin and enough meat for leftovers. SIL’s ham is, well, HAM, which in my world is an Easter food and I don’t like traditional stuffing, cranberry sauce, or mashed potatoes and gravy with ham. My pies are done and just chilling until tomorrow.</p>
<p>I personally love turkey and the sides. However, that only happens if I went to my more Americanized relatives in the 'burbs as my immediate family didn’t have the oven, kitchen space, or the time to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving feast growing up. </p>
<p>It also doesn’t help that I’m the only one in my immediate family who enjoys turkey at any time. Interestingly enough, this also seemed commonplace at many childhood neighborhood kids’ families. Most of them felt like the rest of my immediate family did…turkey meat was far too bland. </p>
<p>One great thing about the holiday…the post-Thanksgiving discounting of unsold turkeys. Makes great sandwich meats, quickie dinners with veggie sides and mashed potatoes, etc. :)</p>
<p>I grew up in New England so I don’t quite understand some of the things that people add to their Thanksgiving day meal…ham being one of them. I live in an area with a lot of Italians so I have seen lasagna added to menus. All foods I love, but to me don’t fit with turkey ;)</p>