Thanksgiving?

[AdminAssistant]

what is the difference between stuffing and dressing? I thought it was the same thing

I think stuffing goes in the bird and dressing doesn't. I'm not sure. Mom usually makes chicken and dressing, which is a different beast entirely. Cook whole chicken, save broth. Make cornbread. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Add the crumbled up cornbread and the chicken to the broth, add spices (sage is a must), then bake in the oven.

[Andara Bledin]

what is the difference between stuffing and dressing? I thought it was the same thing

This is one of those things that's becoming more confused over time.

As far as I can tell, dressing is anything that you would cook with the meat. You "dress" the meat with it. This would include stuffing, which is specifically that which is cooked inside the meat.

At least, that's my take on it.

^-.-^

[Peppergirl]

Ooohhh...I may call up my aunt for her chicken and dumplings recipe.

Mmmmmm..

Will you share it with the rest of the class?

As much as I hate her....Rachel Ray and her 30 minutes meal show actually has some good turkey breast thanksgiving like meals for two.

Maybe google that bitch for some food ideas.

Almost violated rule #1.

I can't stand her either.

[CaroPhoenix]

The Rum family is thinking of going to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving. FIL & MIL are going to a wedding out of state & they won't be here for Thanksgiving (which means we don't have to go down to their house - Woohoo!). And I don't really feel like cooking everything and have Child think she can "help" Mommy. So I'm thinking of taking my folks (sister is on bed rest & I think her hubs is going to be ordering Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving-to-go for her & their little family).

But that's just me.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

So, I just came back from our monthly "supper club." The chick in the group with the native american background decided to her her own spin on "Thanksgiving."

The food was all native recipes...very unusual, and very "Autumn holiday" without being overly starchy, sweet, or processed. We ate it sitting around a campfire on rugs on the ground. It was AWESOME.

Menu was:

Small pumpkins stuffed with rice and sausage and baked. (tasted like there might have been some cheese in there, not sure). (southwestern tribes)

Peanut soup. No kidding. Peanut soup. I LOVED it. (Aztec)

Fry bread (pretty sure fry bread is a widespread thing)

goat cheese

soft cheese with blueberries

cranberries, crunched up and mixed with a a little citrus.

the best roasted pumpkin seeds I have ever eaten.

[Peppergirl]

Good God, RK...my mouth *literally* watered as I read that menu!

I'm sooooo jealous!

[trailerparkmedic]

How to roast a chicken:

You will need a whole chicken, a half empty can of beer, a roasting pan, a meat thermometer, 1 lemon, olive oil (or other favorite oil), salt and pepper, and whatever spices sound good. Poultry seasoning works. Other suggestions are rosemary, tarragon, sage and thyme.

Preheat the oven to 425. This is my preference for a crispy chicken, but will smoke up your house if you have any dirt in the oven. DO NOT PUT YOUR OVEN ON SELF CLEAN MODE THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING OR IT WILL LOCK UP. I worked at an appliance repair company call center, so trust me on this. I think ovens are programmed to screw up around Thanksgiving.
Your can of beer should be open and half full. Punch a hole or two in the top with a knife. Place the can in the roasting pan (or whatever oven safe dish will fit the chicken and has sides).
Remove the packaging from the chicken. The chicken will leak so do it over a dish or in the sink (but then wash the sink with hot water and soap so you don't get sick). Here's the gross part--reach inside the chicken and pull out anything you feel inside. You will probably find giblets and maybe a neck. Discard anything you find inside (you can make gravy out them if you want).
Put the butt of the chicken on the can inside the roasting pan. The chicken will be standing up on the drumsticks.
To ensure crispy skin: Dry the chicken with paper towels. Rub some oil on the chicken's skin.
To flavor the chicken: Season the chicken's skin with salt, pepper and herbs. Cut the lemon into slices and squeeze some on the skin and stuff as much of the lemon inside the top of the chicken (down the neck) as you can. Sprinkle some herbs inside the chicken. If you have fresh herbs, you can put them underneath the skin.
Pop the chicken in the oven. It takes an hour-ish, depending upon the size. I like to cook it until a thermometer inserted into the thigh (not touching the bone) reads 165.
Be careful when removing the chicken from the pan. You want to leave the can in the pan, but you may have to unstick it from the chicken first.
Let the chicken sit on a cutting board for a few minutes before you carve it. I wish I could give tips on carving, but my method is pretty much "hack away at it until a decent sized piece comes off."

The purpose of the beer is to tenderize the chicken. You won't taste it (well, maybe if you use something as strong tasting as say Guiness). If you don't want to use beer, use a soda can to hold up the chicken. You can also buy racks that hold up the chicken in the same manner.

[lupo pazzesco]

I usually spend Thanksgiving alone, so I make a turkey breast roast and a few sides.

Then I use the leftover turkey for meals for the next week. super simple.

[Food Lady]

I've always wanted to try shallot crisps on my green beans. You're supposed to slice them very thin and just deep-fry, not breaded, just plain. I'm thinking fresh beans coated in olive oil and oven-roasted, then topped with shallots. Some sweet potatoes could be done that way, too.

[AdminAssistant]

Well, he vetoed chicken, but I'll log the recipe for future reference.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, he vetoed chicken, but I'll log the recipe for future reference.

Aw. Roasted chicken is my favorite thing. It would be my second choice for Thanksgiving, if turkey was not an option for whatever reason.

My aunt does Thanksgiving; it's always the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, usually peas, etc. etc. (They do the turkey, my mom often brings the potatoes, and other people bring other stuff.) Yummy.

[telecom_goddess]

I"m going to roast a chicken today thanks to you people I have one of those chicken rack things that make it stand up. However I think I will probably just stuff it and cook it like you would a turkey.

BTW my method is a little different but I start the oven at 450, pop it in there and immediately turn it down to about 325 and roast it for like 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours.

[42_42_42]

what is the difference between stuffing and dressing? I thought it was the same thing

Stuffing goes in the bird. Dressing is more like a casserole and is baked by itself. People in some parts of the country/world may use the two terms synonymously, but in the American South, they are two VERY different things.

[taxguykarl]

If you've never cooked a turkey, I *HIGHLY* recommend you watch Alton Brown's Good Eats episode (if I remember correctly, it's called "Romancing the Bird"...someone correct me if I'm wrong).

There's just hubby and me, but I always cook a big turkey anyway because you can freeze the meat and use it later for lovely things like soups and casseroles (turkey tetrazzini!) and sandwiches (grilled turkey and swiss sandwiches!).

Yes, That is the correct title.
Transcript
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Consider also turkey pot pies. I freeze one or two every year.

[MaggieTheCat]

I think I'm gonna do a roast chicken as suggested by trailerparkmedic as well. It's just my husband and I on Thanksgiving; we won't be able to hold the big shebang until early-mid December, and I'm gonna do ham then anyway, so I'll do a bird on Thanksgiving. Actually, I think we're going to go out on Thanksgiving day (last year we went to an Indian buffet on Thanksgiving; the place was empty, the food was delicious, and I didn't have to do any dishes!) But I've been really hungry for a traditional Thanksgiving meal lately (damn you, food network) so I think I'll do chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, dressing, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry jelly, scones, and some kind of pie the day after Thanksgiving. We'll have a lot of leftovers, which is okay by me 'cuz I love making sandwiches out of all the leftovers the next few days.