Successes/disasters for Thanksgiving meal? Ours went well, and

D

dawnnys

Well-known member
the chestnut stuffing was a big success and rum-sweet potato casserole was good too. We didn't have many leftovers because we didn't have it at our house, so I am roasting a turkey today. House smells great, a mixture of Douglas Fir wreath (bargain shopping this a.m.) and turkey/thyme.

I wouldn't say "disaster", but corn muffins were dry and tasteless. Oh well, will make them into stuffing for today's bird. 'Hope you all had a good day.

P.S. I also bought an "Ice Cream Sandwich" Android tablet this a.m. Huh? Anybody got tips for me to use a tablet? This is all new to me :eek:) TIA

Recipe was from w-s:

8 cups cubed day-old corn bread

2 cups cubed day-old country-style white bread,

crusts removed

1 1/2 lb Italian pork sausage, casings removed

1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil, if needed

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup roasted and peeled chestnuts, quartered

1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as

sage, rosemary and thyme

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow gratin pan.

Spread the corn bread and white bread out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the olive oil to the accumulated fat in the pan, if needed. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage. Add the corn bread and white bread, the chestnuts, herbs and stock. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.

Transfer the dressing to the prepared gratin pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until browned and crispy, 35 to 40 minutes more. Serves 10 to 12.

 
Guests liked this (or pretended to); I did not...at all: Sweet Potato Gratin w/ Ginger + Orange Zest

I apologize if I got this recipe from someone here! I just didn't care for it. In theory, it looks/sounds great. My brother LOVED it. Something about the texture--grated sweet potatoes--and the flavor seemed off to me, though. (I followed the instructions exactly as written, I swear.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/dining/192mrex.html

 
hmmmm.... Very similiar recipe to the one we make (Marlene Sorosky) although hers has a praline

topping. I really enjoy this recipe. I use it as a guide, and every year it tastes a bit different, but always a hit. Marlene's recipe seems to have more of an orange flavor than the NYT recipe.This year, I used the mixer vs. the ricer... I am guessing your recipe just needed a lil extra zing with the praline??

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=177590

 
Ours went well also. It was at my in-laws house. So I am making

our turkey dinner right now. The house smells wonderful. All very traditional today. I am sad though because usually the in-laws send home the creamed onions, but not this time. Oh well.

 
Ours went well - but I did throw these leftovers in the trash: REC Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

I saw this in a Daisy sour cream ad - it looked really good. It wasn't
smileys/frown.gif

Bland, even though I did add the "missing" salt to the ingredients. I think it was a combination of the fact that we usually have sweet potatoes with a "sweet" treatment, and not enough spice in the ingredients.

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
29 ounce can sweet potatoes, drained
1/3 cup Daisy Brand Sour Cream
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
3/4 cup dry Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using 1 teaspoon of butter, grease a shallow 1-quart casserole. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small nonstick skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

Place the sweet potatoes, sour cream and onion/garlic mixture in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process the mixture for 20 seconds or until smooth, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides if necessary. Add the parsley. Pulse 4 or 5 times or until the parsley is
chopped. Spread the potato mixture in the casserole dish.

Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small microwavable bowl; microwave on High for 30 seconds or until melted. Add the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese to the melted butter; mix well.

Sprinkle the mixture over the potatoes. Bake the casserole for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

http://www.daisybrand.com/recipes/recipe.aspx/432/Savory+Sweet+Potato+Casserole

 
The new recipe that was the big hit - REC: Pumpkin Parmesan Biscuits

These are gorgeous - a lovely yellow color, nice and fluffy and delicious.

This was from the November 2012 issue of Food Network magazine - from an article about make ahead breads for Thanksgiving.

I made them on Wednesday, cooled completely and wrapped in a Ziploc overnight. I re-warmed them in a 300º oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced, plus melted butter for brushing
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon parmesan. Add the diced butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Mix the pumpkin and cream in a small bowl and pour over the flour mixture. Mix with your hands or a fork to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle using a floured rolling pin. Cut out biscuits using a 2-inch-round cutter and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the biscuits cool slightly before serving or cool completely and freeze (see below).

MAKE IT AHEAD Let the biscuits cool completely, then freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to 5 days. To reheat, arrange on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pumpkin-parmesan-biscuits-recipe/index.html

 
tried 2 new things and liked both

1. Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs from Bon Appétit, November 2001. I think someone else here recommended it. I decreased the white sugar and simmered it longer. I loved this and will stock up on cranberries to I can make it again and again.

2. Baked-Spiced-Butternut-Squash-with-Apples-and-Maple-Syrup. I made several modification to this to make it less sweet, easier, and require less time in the oven. I replaced the apple juice with chicken stock, cut the squash in cubes, added a handful of dried cranberries, stirred everything together, and simmered in my big LC braiser until the turkey came out then popped it in a hot oven to finish. This dish was both beautiful and delicious.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Spiced-Butternut-Squash-with-Apples-and-Maple-Syrup-15643

 
One FRC near-disaster: husband wandered over to the oven

about half an hour after we'd put the turkey in, saying, "Oh, I'll just put the child lock on." Imagine me levitating off the couch, hurtling through space, and landing in front of the oven in time to say, "No. NO NO NO NO NO. That's not the child lock! That's the self-cleaning lever, which will lock the thing and we'll have turkey jerky faster than you can say 'crispy critter.'" I don't think I've moved quite so fast in the last year. smileys/wink.gif

A non-FRC small disaster: a friend emerged, shrieking, from our bathroom (which we'd cleaned, top to bottom, hours before everyone arrived) at having seen ONE OF THOSE BUGS. Yes, those. The kind New York is famous for. (And I don't mean bedbugs.) I was outraged! We have the exterminator in as a preventative measure every single month, and I've never seen one of these in our apartment! We never leave food out, and we have screens on the windows, so I don't know how it got in. Yet the little bugger picks right smack in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner to make an appearance. Boy, was I steamed.

 
Just when I thought I was done laughing for the night... Your descirption of the incident with J

just made me laugh!!! You forgot to mention that lil Barb is due in a few weeks, sooo it made me laugh even more!

Bummer about the bug.... I have to be honest, I have no idea what you are describing... Mickey? Stink Bug (They are very big here although not since Sandy)...

Around 3:00; I just say, it is what it is... if they discover dirty laundry hidden in the closet, oh well.... (Same for a bug) : )

 
My gingerbread was dry and overbaked, and my roasted pears were not good.

I don't know what happened because I've made both before and they were fine. However, I'm going to turn them into a gingerbread trifle; hopefully all the custard will give some moisture to the gingerbread. Whipped cream can fix anything. smileys/smile.gif

My dad, bless his heart, made a creamy squash/corn dish that just was not good. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I'm gonna pitch the leftovers. (He didn't think it was all that good, either.)

Everything else was fine, although this was our first year without a Blue Hubbard squash--just couldn't find any. We went with a butternut squash and it was fine.

 
These are in the oven now. I'm thinking they'll go well with split pea soup for dinner.

 
They're delicious, though the soup was not the ideal pairing. I'm thinking they'd make great sliders

Ham and Chutney, Beef and horseradish, who knows?

 
I'm glad you liked them - I agree about the sliders. These biscuits are responsible for

at least half of my weekend weight gain - they are very delicious, even at room temp. Next time I will bake and freeze them, since I have little self-control when it comes to anything biscuity/sconey...

~sigh~

 
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