Customer's Guide To Easy Thanksgiving Shopping

[Gurndigarn]

My dad just doesnt want to deal with all the preparation it takes to make a turkey.

What preparation? Set in fridge three-four days before, remove neck/giblets, maybe throw some stuffing into it*, toss in oven for three to four hours.

Now, I'll admit that doing the full traditional meal, with about twelve different dishes, is a real pain. I usually limit it to turkey, stuffing, biscuits, pie, and maybe yams.


* Well, I do homemade stuffing, so that does add some prep time. But still, most of the time is waiting for it to cook.

[Seanette]

I like the oven bags for turkey. It seems to cook a little faster (unless you make the mistake I did a couple of years ago and put the lid on the roasting pan. I nearly served turkey sashimi), and stays a LOT moister.

[dragonflygrrl]

By the way, I am amused by people so desperate to get cans of cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is the easiest damn thing to make, not only for a holiday dinner, but in general. Short of toast, it is the easiest recipe I know. Quick, too. (If anyone wants a recipe for it that has a few nice twists on the original, send me a message. Would love to share Jester's cranberry sauce recipe!)

Oh, but you're missing the point, dear Jester! Canned cranberry sauce (jellied, not whole berry) is the ultimate in seasonal junk food! Every year my mother makes wonderful homemade sauce, and every year my dad and I eat the obligatory spoonful and then proceed to devour an unholy quantity of that nasty, classless goodness in a can! And every year we make the same tired old joke about how amazing it is that Mom is able to get those little lines on the sides of the cranberry sauce. Also, you can't beat it sliced up on a turkey sandwich later that night.

Although I'm sure your recipe is delicious; you strike me as a guy that knows his way around a kitchen.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And whatever you last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers do, DO NOT FORGET RULE #8!!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

And whatever you last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers do, DO NOT FORGET RULE #8!!

Refresh my memory, please. Rule #8 is?

[purplecat41877]

No, that's bad. That causes parts of the turkey to cook.

I didn't think of that. It's just that I use hot water when I want to melt a blob of ice and figured it would also work on a frozen turkey.

[Jester]

Oh, but you're missing the point, dear Jester! Canned cranberry sauce (jellied, not whole berry) is the ultimate in seasonal junk food! Every year my mother makes wonderful homemade sauce, and every year my dad and I eat the obligatory spoonful and then proceed to devour an unholy quantity of that nasty, classless goodness in a can! And every year we make the same tired old joke about how amazing it is that Mom is able to get those little lines on the sides of the cranberry sauce. Also, you can't beat it sliced up on a turkey sandwich later that night.

Although I'm sure your recipe is delicious; you strike me as a guy that knows his way around a kitchen.

Oh, I know all about canned cranberry sauce, and I do love it, and recognize it for what it is. And as a kid, I had many homemade cranberry sauces, and they could not compare. Mine doesn't compare...it knocks the stuffing (pun intended) out of the canned crap. (Here I have to take my hat off to my older sister, the oft-mentioned Wicked Witch of the West...my recipe is a variation on hers.)

As for your mom putting lines on the sides...I don't bother with any fancy molds...I just put the stuff in the fridge when it's done and let it jell in whatever conatiner I find.

And for your last point....smartassery turned off...thank you very much. That is very nice of you to say...and you are right. I do know my way around the kitchen. Hell, I have often said that if you give me a knife, a cutting board, and a skillet, there is nothing I can't make. Honestly, virtually my whole family cooks, and I doubt I have ever seen anyone more brilliant in the kitchen than the WWotW, including on tv. Too bad I can't have a civil discussion with the wench.

And gentlemen, a word of advice.....there is very little that makes an impression on a woman as well as a guy who can cook. Especially if it happens to be breakfast.

[CrimsonEmber]

This is why even though I get a Tofurkey, I buy it at least a week ahead of time. It's a good thing too. This year, they even sold out of those (Canadian Thanksgiving).

[Lace Neil Singer]

My boyf cooks, that is part of his appeal cuz I hate cooking. In any case, my mum does the Christmas dinner; she once threatened me with going away for Christmas, to which I replied, "I'll just go to a hotel." Not really, I'd go to my boyf's mum or dad.

[Becks]

Refresh my memory, please. Rule #8 is?

8. Since everyone knows how ignorant those clerks are, you must always remember to tell them to not put the eggs and bread in the bottom of the bag.


From my (semi)memorable post: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ead.php?t=2211

[Rapscallion]

This is why even though I get a Tofurkey, I buy it at least a week ahead of time. It's a good thing too. This year, they even sold out of those (Canadian Thanksgiving).

Oddly enough, considering the number of vegetarians at work, nobody likes those things.

Rapscallion

[zzapp the witch]

Jester's right guys. THE MOST loving, endearing, caring thing my bf has ever done, the one thing that never ceases to make me wake up with a smile no matter what is him making me breakfast, and getting the kids fed. I'd never had a guy do that before, and you have no idea how little mundane things like that will get you a good morning (and maybe a good afternoon while the kids are napping). It used to bring tears to my eyes that he would do something that nice for me.

Oh, and I haven't eaten turkey or even pumpkin pie in years. Though last year my grandma made a squash pie (out of some ugly as sin crossbreed in the garden) that tasted out of this world! Between that and putting olives on all my fingers to get my mother up in arms, I can tolerate Thanksgiving.

[trunks2k]

I have never cooked a turkey (duh, I don't like them!), but I have made mashed potatos. Biggest. Pain. In. The. Ass.

Mashed potatoes are a pain in the ass?! That's incredibly easy to make. You don't cook much, do you?

Red potatoes are the easiest to use, since you don't need to peel them, if using something like a russet potato, you should peel them first.

Wash the potatoes off, and cut them up into even sizes.
Put into a pot of water with plenty of salt.
Boil for about 20 minutes or until the break apart when you poke them with a fork.
Remove from heat and drain off all the water.
Add about 3 tablespoons of butter.
Start mashing, add cream or milk slowly until you reach the consistency you want.
Mix in salt and pepper to taste, even better is to add several cloves of chopped or roasted garlic.

[hawkchick11]

Between that and putting olives on all my fingers to get my mother up in arms, I can tolerate Thanksgiving.

I use to do that every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter.. actually, every family dinner.


Edit: Hell, I still do that.

[AFpheonix]

MMmm.....red potatoes with the skin on.....hell, you don't even need to mash those, or cut them up. Boil em' whole and serve.

Hubby doesn't make me breakfast that often, which is fine because I am rarely hungry in the morning. However, when I get home late at night, and there's some delicious smell from dinner that he's made for me, you can guarantee that he's getting a "reward" later.