Cozy Veeky Forums Thanksgiving Thread?

Going to probably be alone and eating ramen or something easy

Why do you hate your family?

Steak sounds great...I fucking love steak. What cut? How are you going to prepare it? Medium rare, right?

I'm sorry that you had shitty turkey growing up. It sounds pretty awkward anyway, what with the whole having to go to some old family at church. It's easy to overcook a turkey and it sounds like they did. Sucks, bro.

It sounds like you just need to go to a good Thanksgiving. If you have any friends, maybe try to see if you can come with them as a refugee Thanksgiving misfit.

At least cook yourself a steak like the user above.

I don't have anything to cook a steak on user, I'm povertycore here

Brother and I live in America. He's married to an American and has a kid, so they're doing TG and I'm going over there for it. My parents fly in from ye olde country for the week Monday and are staying with him this time.
My father will cook up a dry-as-fuck turkey (well, the breast will be; the thigh should be good, at least). I'll make and bring turkey gravy as well as mashed potatoes with onions and kale. I may also bake a loaf of bread if my sis-in-law doesn't do it.
The spread will include the turkey, three gravy boats (one with pan drippings, one with mushroom oil and the last with my homemade gravy), the mash, bread dressing, cranberry sauce, crudité and prawn cocktail. There will be other things that my brother and my sister-in-law will prepare (my mother knows nothing of American cooking, so she's stays out of the kitchen) but I don't know what they are yet.

My brother is going to go on and on about politics despite the fact that he knows it's a highly divisive topic of discussion and will only serve to make everyone there upset. I'm fairly centrist. Our father leans one way and mum even further in that same direction. My brother, however, has the complete opposite opinion. My sister-in-law, who shares by brother's views, won't discuss politics because she doesn't like contention to be a recurring theme with family get-togethers. My bro, however, has no qualms about telling us all, unprompted and out of nowhere, how whatever opinion he believes we might have is wrong though none of us have brought any opinion up and we usually don't have whatever opinion he thinks we have. Despite many attempts from each of the rest of us to change the subject to something else ("how's everyone back home?" "have you been following [insert show here]?" "you have to see this video!" "this turkey isn't as dry and horrible as it usually is! ::cheeky grin::") my brother will still keep trying to push buttons until everyone feels uncomfortable.

>My brother is going to go on and on about politics

Just tell everyone to ignore him. Pretend like he isn't even there until he learns to control himself.

>Why do you hate your family?
They're awful people

>What cut?
Whatever is cheap, probably a flat iron or two
>How are you going to prepare it?
Salt, whole black peppercorn, butter. Pan fry.
>Medium rare, right?
Probably, I have yet to master getting rare from a pan.

>If you have any friends
:^ (

If you have a stove to cook ramen on, you can cook a steak. Just tell me what you're working with and I'll tell you how.

What country are you from? Your brother sounds like a fucking cunt, man. Tell your dad to do a wet brine on the turkey about 24 hours before he cooks it and to baste constantly and it won't be dry!

Seriously, that dude sounds like, in his mind, Thanksgiving is his big moment to SHINE and convert

>they're awful people
Fair enough
>flat iron
Dude that's an underrated cut. Make some fajitas! Go all out with the whole thing and make yourself some badass fajitas!
>getting rare from a pan with a flat iron steak
It's really just about searing the fuck out of each side for about 60-90 seconds and then, i promise you, it's DONE (medium rare).

> :^ (
Bro, I would invite you to our family's Thanksgiving. You'd feel warmth and have juicy turkey, fill up on sides, drink spiked egg nog and be ready to watch football with the rest of us. I'll think about you on Thanksgiving, senpai. Cheers, mate.

Moved out of the folks place back in August. We're having thanksgiving at my house together, since I was the one who made thanksgiving every year for the last 5 years anyway. I think they forget how to make anything.

Going to make the basics: turkey, yams, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, bread, pumpkin pie, peas, green beans, baked beans, and a small ham.

Enough for the 7 of us.

Sounds pretty comfy, user!

What are your "secret" methods for the potatoes? How are you doing the peas and the green beans? Also...what method are you going to do the turkey with? And why no mac and cheese!? Interested because I just hosted a Friendsgiving where I did fucking EVERYTHING and it all turned out pretty great but I'm always curious about other ways people do things.
Also, what part of the country are you guys all from? OP here - I'm living in the north Georgia Appalachian mountains and will be doing Thanksgiving with my folks out at their farm about 2 hours south in the rolling piedmont pine country.

>Cozy Veeky Forums Thanksgiving Thread?
>> How far are you traveling, if at all?
Parents, brother and nephews are doing my house. They're traveling 1-4hrs.
>>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving?
It used to be a little of everything. Used to host 50+ people with extended families on both sides, but grandparents aren't around anymore the past few, so no more flights and reunions going on. /sad
>What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid?
Had no hated dishes,really unless you count smoked fish dip or some pickeld herring on the relish trays, but I do miss the tomato aspic and weird green marshmallow jello mold, and the tins of rum balls, fruitcake, and fudge that would be make in anticipation of christmas to come. My favorite is all of it, but I look forward to the pecan-cheesecake pie the most, and carrot souffle. I adore a good blue cheese ball with crackers.
>>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Election is over. the democrats are a minority here. Everyone in my family has a job, savings, houses, few complaints about high taxes or other nonsense. Only thing left to talk about now is criminal charges for corruption. Prior to the election though, geez the anger at Hilary was always just under the surface, ROFL. Best to avoid the topic.
>>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
All of it. Mom will get in there with an apron at some point and takeover the turkey gravy making, I'm sure. She has the perfect hand with salt, and just the right amount of coffee, giblet and neck stock, cracked pepper. She knows the "smell" to know when to baste the turkey too. Pro tips will happen. I'll be making ahead a few thing, already bought some cocktails fixins, the cranberry-orange-walnut mold, pies, and some marinated mushrooms for the relish tray. Got some olives chilling. I'm doing a calamondin (key lime) pie for the freezer today.

Maybe 30-45 minutes away. I spent Thanksgiving at my grandparents house every year, but this year things are a lot different.

I'll be with my gf's family this year, so I don't know what food they serve other than Turkey and stereotypical foods. I know her aunt makes Roman Egg Drop soup which is supposedly amazing.

Not cooking or helping at all. I'll be with her family and not mine this year, it'll be different for sure.

Thanks for the thoughful answer, user.

Where are you from, exactly? Like I said I am from the north Georgia mountains but celebrating near the city of Monroe, GA in the farm country.

I grew up going to Thanksgivings with upwards of 50+ people there too. Was the best. Sadly, my grandparents aren't around anymore either (I know, the feels are real this time of year) except for my one grandmama, who is a badass and will still be helping me out.

My family is mostly upper middle class to upper class, so there isn't much political turmoil except in our ironic city-dwelling progressive liberal young cousins who live in gentrified areas of downtown, but they're still my little cousins and when it's Thanksgiving time, it's all about eggnog and bourbon, football, and food.

The anticipation for Christmas holidays is super real at our house too. My dad always started our family listening to Christmas music officially on Thanksgiving night...usually the first two Manheim Steamroller Christmas albums.

Man I'm nostalgaing all up in this thread. I hope this thread stays alive.
Keep posting more cozy Thanksgiving feels, anons. Or even sad ones so that us cozy TG anons can try to cheer you up!

>roman egg drop soup
I'm highly intrigued! I remember the first time going to a girlfriend's family's Thanksgiving. I remember smugly thinking that our family did it better. Of course, our family is a lot bigger than her family was and her family is country as fuck so half of most of their recipes came from a bag, a box, or a can. Anyway. Good on you, mate...you're scoring major sex points by going with her to her family's thing, which to her, is just as cozy as any of ours.
Guys for real, tell me what part of the country your from when you post stuff. Gives me this warm, we're all in it it together at this time of the year vibe.

NE Georgia mountains here.

Nothing secret. Usually golden potatoes using carrots and buttermilk.

Peas and green beans are being cooked in butter on the stove. Green beans are getting some cashews thrown in.

Turkey will be oven baked with salt pepper parsley and basil, with some stuffing obviously thrown in later. The stuffing is rye bread based with peppers and onions thrown in with turkey juice.

Actually a lied, there is some secrets. My sourdough bread, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce are all my grandfather's secret recipes that he entrusted me with before he passed away.

I was thinking of Mac and cheese, but I've never had it with thanksgiving and don't want to throw the family off.

Oh and I'm in PA. In a suburb of Philly about an hour west or so.

My grandparents aren't hosting this year, but when they did it was typically them, myself, my uncle and his wife, and my great grandmother (who passed a few years ago). It was very small, they usually catered the turkey and just made the stuffing and mashed potatoes, but we were together. It's my dad's parents and I don't talk to my dad, but I was always close with them. He works Thanksgiving.

My mom usually never did anything on Thanksgiving. I feel shitty for not staying with her but she insists I go with my gf.

Her family is huge, and they make everything from scratch and have at least 20+ people there from my understanding.

The Roman Egg Drop Soup I've never had, anywhere, but my gf's brother raves about it.

I'm from Long Island, NY.

Awesome! So when you say carrots and buttermilk in the potatoes, I'm assuming you're mashing up cooked carrots into the mashed potatoes too? And the buttermilk is used instead of regular milk? For me, it's always
>boiled potatoes,
>a super generous amount of butter
>heated heavy whipping cream
>tons of sour cream
>eyeball the fuck out of that shit with salt and pepper
Tell me your variation.

Your stuffing recipe also intrigues me...what with the rye and everything.

Try mac and cheese, dude....find a good recipe with a roux and fine cheeses and just go for it. You'll blow their minds. PA...nice! Fellow original 13 colonies bro! Happy Thanksgiving!
Sounds like I have more in common with your girlfriend's family than I do with your family. Having said that, if you're going with her, then expect a real treat about the warmth of the holiday, the value of women fussing in the kitchen for hours to make from-scratch food, and how awesome Thanksgiving can be.

If you can, get the recipe for "Roman Egg Drop Soup" and post it either ITT (if the thread is still alive by then) or ahead of time; I'm curious about what makes it especially Roman.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Not traveling this year unfortunately. I just graduated college last year, and while I was already kind of far then I could still travel easily. Now I moved from Florida to New York and it just didn't work out this year. I'm really sad about it, but my boyfriend and I are going to do our own Thanksgiving together. I think it will be nice.

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Nothing too exciting. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, etc. The only thing unique to my family I think is pearl onions. I won't be having them this year as the bf isn't a fan, but I miss them already.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Nope.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
I'm handling everything, and my bf will be my assistant as he always is in our kitchen.

I'm looking forward to making some new desserts this year. I'm thinking some pumpkin puff pastries and a cranberry cheesecake. I'm looking forward to making those the most, aside from the turkey.

The real name is Stracciatella, and I think she adds meatballs to it. You can find any number of recipes online, but basically from my understanding you add parmigiano reggiano and parsley to eggs and scramble, then drizzle it into simmering chicken broth while stirring to make tiny little strands.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
On the day of Thanksgiving we're going over to my boyfriend's house. Have to play the civil nice person card, since I can't stand his mother for being a rude bitch.
Day after I'm hosting at my house for the first time. My grandparents are coming out of town to be here. :^)

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Growing up, mom mother made the basics. A gritty and dry oven baked turkey. This weird bundt pan jello with cocktail fruit and marshmallows. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Green Bean Casserole.
I never really disliked any of it per se, though the jello thing drove me nuts. I hate canned fruit. Of course, putting a fresher spin on it with actual fruit makes it 1000% times better, and I'm so ready to make it and eat it all.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Extremely. My family is all republicans, and his is all democratic. I know on both days I expect to hear about two hours worth of this and that.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
Everything. It's my first year hosting and cooking my own Thanksgiving, and I'm planning on hitting it hard and doing everything as fresh as I can. Planning on turkey with thyme, sage, rosemary, butter, etc. Mashed potatoes and turkey gravy. Cranberry sauce. Fresh green bean casserole, with home made cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions. (Though I won't be making the onions. My mother will, since I'm deathly allergic. I can't even have any in my house while they're raw.) Dressing, fried brussel sprouts and bacon, etc. Also thinking about making mac and cheese.

Of course, any advice on the turkey would be super appreciated.

...

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Flying down from uni to be with family during Thanksgiving break. It's about 360 or so miles, not too far, only about 45 minutes by Q400.

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Staples are meat, rolls, and garlic mashed potatoes with butter. I wasn't a picky eater then, or now. I'm looking forward to the prime rib; we tried it one year instead of turkey and have been doing prime rib ever since.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
My family's pretty politically neutral. I've already told them I voted for Trump when they asked me.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
I'm making the au gratin potatoes! ' v ' and maybe something fried, I haven't decided yet

European here, thanksgiving sounds comfy af, we don't have anything similar here. Christmas eve dinner is the biggest holiday here but big family gatherings aren't very common. Also the atmosphere tends to be more calm and "spiritual", no football and bourbon, probably because of roots of this holiday and all the traditions related.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Diving ~350 miles to my mom's house. She has no family left in her area because it's a goddamn awful place and we all moved far, far away. It's going to just be me and her for a whole four days oh god what have I done?

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Mom's making a turkey with some amazing saugsae/apricot stuffing. I told her this stuffing is the sole reason I'm coming. I also told her that I like cranberry sauce, even though I don't. I know she likes it and I don't want her to go without just to please me.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
I've been hearing about politics for two straight months from my asshole coworkers, so this dinner will be a welcome reprieve.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
I'm in charge of a vegetable. Mom likes to do most of the cooking. I usually do carrots in a ginger sauce, but she's not too big on carrots so maybe I'll do something else.

Sounds like a lot of fun, except for having to be nice and civil around your boyfriend's mom. Take that as an opportunity to observe some of their cooking methods and some of the logistics their family uses.

As far as turkey goes, try using a wet brine and soak that turkey for about 24-36 hours. The past two years I've hosted a Friendsgiving and made a turkey myself, I used a brine and it turned out great. 2 gallons of water, a cup of brown sugar, 3/4 to 1 cup of salt, some rosemary, thyme, two oranges quartered juiced and squeezed out parts left in there, same for two lemons, add some garlic, some onion, allspice berries, peppercorns, some dry white wine, and anything else you can think of and soak the turkey in that for 24-36 hours before. Make sure you baste the turkey as you cook it

Feel sad for you brother, but if that's what you have, then Happy Thanksgiving!

Sounds pretty comfy, user! Being with family is awesome. We actually usually save something like a prime rib or a London broil for our Christmas Eve dinner. We're also having a 2nd Thanksgiving dinner after real Thanksgiving so my brother-in-law can be there and I think then we're just doing something seafood-ish. It's not what you cook, it's that you cook together! Cheers!

Hey, Euro bro. Thanksgiving is super cozy. Christmas eve dinner is a big holiday for my family too. I guess Thanksgiving is pretty much sort of like that, but it kind of happens all day. Usually our family is ready to sit down and eat around 2-3pm. That's just long enough for everyone to snack, visit, and get hungry. Afterwards, it's naps, then the bourbon and egg nog/bourbon and coffee really start flowing in time for football (American football).

I wish you had some American friends to piggy-back on a Thanksgiving feast some time. It's like an all day cozy thing.

>Christmas eve dinner

Here in the States my family usually has dinner on Christmas day instead. Lots of us have to work on Christmas Eve, so it's harder for us to get together for dinner then. It's also a lot less spiritual for us. Half of my family aren't religious at all. We just enjoy the food and the company.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
I'm going to my friend Marie's house. I tutor her in Morse Code. I live 850 mi from my family and so I've spent the last two Thanksgiving's with her and her two sons.

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving?
Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie

What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid?
I can tolerate cranberry sauce now. Used to hate it.

What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Leftovers :3

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Not with family so no.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
I'm making some white chocolate cranberry no-bake cookies.

Yeah, my wife's family, which is much smaller than mine, traditionally did theirs on Christmas Day night instead. For me, it's like the climax of the Christmas season - that Christmas Eve dinner with jazzy Christmas music on in the background and all of my family getting together.

>i tutor her in Morse Code
>I live 850 miles from my family
Wait, what? Morse code tutor? You have to be trolling lol

I agree with you about leftovers...that's the best. We hosted a Friendsgiving a couple weeks ago and I made a turkey and some other sides. I used the leftover turkey to make a from scratch Turkey Pot Pie!

So good.

>live on the other side of the country from family(FUCK YEAH!)
>most friends are in the same boat
>decide to have a Thanksgiving dinner of people who don't live near family, 12 people in total
>buy giant turkey and damn near everything for the whole meal so everyone can come to my house and cook together/drink
>one by one people start changing plans/pulling out
>now 2 people have to consume a 20 pound turkey and all the fixins'
This is fucked. My girlfriend can't even get people from her work to come because they all have plans.

I need help anons. I got invited to a 'Friendsgiving' potluck at my uni and I'm not sure what to make. I feel like making both a side and a dessert (a guy is already taking care of the Turkey). It'll be around 15 people, maybe a bit more. I'm torn between doing a classic mashed potato or something but I also kind of want to have fun with it and maybe do something that does a classic with a twist.

The big catch though is that they have to be able to be premade/easily reheated and also easily carried around a metro/bus/walking through a busy city situation. I'm also not in the USA, so a lot of the classics like green bean casserole are a can't do. (haven't seen cranberries or pumpkin either)

sad because I'm away in Wales for thanksgiving and missing out on my American thanksgiving dinner

Make super-buttery mashed potatoes. They won't get that weird dryness from reheating like most mashed potatoes do.
And what sorts of pudding mixes and snack cookies to you have access to?
If you can get some butterscotch pudding mix, vanilla pudding mix, cream soda, and Nilla Wafers(or something equivilent) then you can make a kick-ass pie.
Look up a Nilla Wafer pie crust recipe for the base.
Reduce 2 liters of cream soda down to 4 cups on the stove.
Mix 3.5 cups of the cream soda with the pudding instead of milk, but add 2 tsp of xanthan gum to thicken it(since it won't set otherwise).
Put the mixture in the cooked pie crust and refrigerate overnight.
Whip the other half cup of cream soda in some heavy whipping cream when the pie is set and put it on top.
You can also add some butterscotch syrup to the pie crust after it's cooked to have some more flavor and a layer between the pudding and crust to help keep it from getting too moist.

It's really tasty and unexpected, so you'll stand out.

>jazzy Christmas music

My mom plays the same smooth jazz Christmas CD every year and it drives me nuts. I really should buy her another one.

This year I'm doing mashed potatoes with roasted garlic mixed in, it never fails to please

Why the hell would an american ever be in Wales during thanksgiving? I mean you're not looking at one of the highlight economies of the world. I suspect they'll be able to get along without you for a couple of days.

Are there other, more subtle reasons (wink, wink) you can't quite get away for the family?

Why spend the money to fly all the way to America just for Thanksgiving? That's just stupid.

>why spend....

wink, wink.

I love you guys. This thread is so comfy and pleasant I'm tearing up over here.

That doesn't mean anything.

>what are you doing on thanksgiving
Avoiding my family. Might do some shit with my flatmates
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving?
The inevitable family shouting match, death threats and police involvement.
No, I'm not even joking. It happens every year.
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
I'm not even going to pick up the phone
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
no

>tfw you work on Thanksgiving
Th-thanks

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?

I'm having about 20 family members over to my house
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?

Standard stuff. I like cranberry sauce which I hated as a kid. I'm looking forward to dressing and rolls the most because I'm Veeky Forums and don't eat those things unless it's a special occasion

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Worried? No I'm excited. My aunt is a staunch ultra liberal who talked non stop shit about trump and all of us who supported him for months prior to the election. I'm not going to say anything unless she brings it up, which she will, which is when I will trigger her and then laugh.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?

I'll be cooking the turkey. Been doing it the last few years and I really enjoy all the prep that goes into it. Pro tip: deep frying is the only way to go.

Me and my parents are going to grandmother's house, about an hour away.
The only staple I can remember is sweet potato casserole with a bottom crust made of glazed donuts and topped with marshmallows and pecans.
Nearly all of our family has the same political alignment except for my aunt, and I don't even think she'll be there.

I'll be making a winter squash soup, and also bringing some baklava that I made today.

Boo hoo

Post stories or fuck off back to tumblr

>smooth jazz

It's not the same as just like..."cool" jazz. Like Miles Davis kinda stuff. Think like the music for Charlie Brown. Smooth jazz is the shit you hear on the Weather Channel.

I fucking love garlic roasted mashed potatoes

Love you too, user. Contribute though? Your plans?

Sounds rough, mate. Maybe you should find another thread?

Where do you work? Any chance of getting off early?

Deep fried turkeys are the shit. My family has a bunch of hunters in it so we usually do a roasted turkey, a smoked wild turkey, and a deep fried turkey. Deep fried turkeys are incredible! Make sure you own your liberal-ass aunt if she tries to get salty.

>sweet potato casserole with a bottom crust made of glazed donuts and topped with marshmallows and pecans.

Sounds pretty naughty, user! lol tis the season I guess. A good winter squash soup is always fantastic. My wife and I made a Thai Coconut Butternut squash bisque not long ago. Was gooooood.
I love this thread, guys. Let's keep it rolling! My cozy fantasy is to be able to pull this thread up in 2 days and comment on it from my parents' house as we're all starting to prep the food for Thursday.

>Deep fried turkeys are the shit

How do you deep fry a Turkey?

I'm assuming you have one massive fuck off pot and fill it with oil, or is is cut-down?

Your first guess was correct. You basically have a YUUUUUGE deep frier and fill it with oil. You'll need like a propane tank and a bunch of shit but it's GOOOD mane

visiting my mom, about 20 minutes drive away

salad, turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie

she's still in denial

carve the turkey & clear the table

WOW!

We don't tend to do this in Bongland but it looks good, obviously we don't do Thanksgiving and I wouldn't risk it for Christmas but it looks good for BBQ time, next summer.

Sounds like a pretty easy haul for you, user. Do you use an electric meat carver or just the old fashioned way?

Don't be scared of it, Bong-user! It's just deepfrying it. I'm sure with a little bit of research online, and having the proper tools, you would have successfully created the most amazing, delicious, crispy-skinned turkey you've ever had. Turkey is a great centerpiece for Christmas dinner too. I would implore you to give it a try! People might give you funny looks if you're cooking a whole turkey in the middle of summer, so....lol

Do you dunk the whole turkey in any sort of batter, or just fry it uncoated?

I'm a retail slave so I'm going in to work at 6 unfortunately. My mom and my stepdad are going to come down and we'll eat. Any good restaurants that do a Thanksgiving spread?

Not him, but I deep fry turkeys too. No, you don't use batter or any coating. Just make sure it's well dried off when you pull from the brine before placing in the oil.

I have to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but one of our eaters is a coeliac so it has to be gluten free. I'm thinking of making the pie crust with almond flour, do you guys think that would taste good? I'm also wondering how to incorporate the pumpkin seeds; I just made a pumpkin pie yesterday for a different Thanksgiving celebration so I'm wondering how I can modify the recipe to keep things interesting for both me and those who have already had some of the first pie.

>Moved back in with parents
>Not allowed to cook at all, do all my cooking when they're gone in secret
>Nowhere to cook on Thanksgiving
Maybe they'll go out and I can cook while they're visiting extended family. Really want to make a full spread like I did last year when I lived on my own.

I guess I'll answer the OP too

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Don't really know yet. Had a family Thanksgiving yesterday and will have a neighborhood Thanksgiving on Wednesday so it might end up being nothing or a leftover situation.
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
1. Mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, my mom does peanut butter on celery and has an olive assortment, apparently it's a New England thing.
2. I like sweet potatoes/squashes more now, and for some odd reason I didn't like pumpkin pie when I was a very young child but it's my favourite pie now.
3. Probably the mashed potatoes. I'm excited, I just perfected my recipe.
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Nah we're smarter than that.
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
A fair amount, I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, and cranberry sauce this year, as well as pumpkin pie (see previous post)

why can't you cook? do they think you're a child or are they just mentally deficient?

also nice dubs

Probably a mix of the two. Despite their protests to the contrary I know that they don't want a 23 year old in their house anymore, despite paying rent and helping out when I can with cash. Always complaining when I try cooking something so I don't have to eat fast food. Still, when I sneak some cooking in I can at least store it in the fridge.
Don't get a teaching degree, friends.

Have you attempted to reason with them? You could cook for them and if you clean then there's no reason for them to oppose it.

I'm so sorry user

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Hosting this year

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
We usually go to my aunt and uncles place and they do a martha Stewart type deal with a nice centerpiece, Champagne cocktails, more light dishes than rich ones, and then uncle usually makes a bunch of pies from scratch. Used to hate chesnut soup and still hate it, fuck sweet soup, fuck it!! Looking forward to the turkey hoping to do it real nice.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Aunt and a couple uncles and sister are all raging liberals cause we're in Commiefornia. I'm more centrist but voted for Trump. Mom and grandpa are the only ones right leaning. Luckily we agreed back in the Bush era not to talk politics at family gatherings, and if it comes up it gets quickly steered towards something more pleasant. However I'm preparing for my uncle to include something political in his thanks. Hopefully not or I'll have to tear him a new asshole.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
Pretty much doing all of it this year but keeping it simple cause we're having 16 people. Turkey, gravy with just drippings, herbs, stock and butter. Then making some mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, canned soup green bean casserole, and canned cranberry jelly for nostalgic reasons, and then having some people bring a few more things like salad.

Having champagne cocktails and chips and crudite with a couple dips. Also just bought some higher end paper plates and disposable silverware so we dont have to clean many dishes.

No go on that. It's cool though. Once I get some cash I'll have my own kitchen again and I can get off this Dollar menu bullshit.
Regardless of what happens I'm gonna pick up a fresh turkey on sale on Friday and cook it over the weekend that they're gone.
Might try to actually make some pies since I've never given baking a fair shake.

good luck, godspeed

Can't. It's gonna be at his place. Can't very well ignore the host.

>tell dad to brine
He'll do the turkey however he does the turkey and no amount of information otherwise will ever change his mind. I've only gotten him to agree to give up gravy making in the last six years or so. His "gravy" is thickened with a cornstarch slurry like some Chinese pan sauce or something. It always tastes a bit... insipid. Probably due to the lack of fat from the roux in a proper gravy.
My dad's half American, born and raised in the US to one American parent and one foreign one. I guess since my grandmother's not American and not from a culture that makes any sort of gravy like that, he never learned how to make one, but he should still know better than to use cornstarch to make it.

>what country
Italy/Switzerland.

I find the best way to make mash that won't get that stiff dryness when reheating is to use cultured cream or soured cream instead of butter and milk separately. Gets the same fat content overall but somehow remains pillowy.
The kale-and-onion mashed potatoes I'm making I whip with bacon grease, though, because onion and kale have plenty of moisture already.

bump

any thoughts on this inquiry?

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Going back to my family's house from college, 8 hours away.
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
All the basics, just done really well. I just need to eat some perfect turkey and mashed potatoes ASAP.
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Nope, all right wing as fuck. Our Japanese exchange student is also red-pilled.
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
None, I come late.

>Japanese exchange student

Male or female?

Female. I haven't really met her since I've been at school, but my mom and sister say she hated Hillary for some reason. IDK

Try to give her the benis

she's kinda ugly. Okinawan nihonigger.

That's unfortunate

First time cooking a turkey this year. How do I not fuck it up?

I have a thought but you might not like it because it's not, strictly speaking, a pumpkin pie but rather a pumpkin cheesecake. Still here's my idea:

Buy gluten free graham crackers, arrowroot biscuits or whathaveyou.
Crush'em.
Mix with plenty of melted butter and press into a pie tin.
Allow to set in the fridge.
Morning of, mix together a tin of pumpkin puree (400g), some pumpkin pie spices or pumpkin pie spice extract, two packages (1lb) of cream cheese and a tin of sweetened condensed milk (400g).
Stir in the juice of one lemon and some powdered sugar of equal weight (one lemon has about 2tbsp of juice, so use about 4tbsp/30g of powdered sugar). It's important you use a fresh lemon and not bottled lemon juice because it won't set quite right.
Pour into the pie shell and set back in the fridge. The acidity of the lemon juice and pumpkin purée will try to curdle the condensed milk but the milk's sugar content (it's sweetened, after all) will disallow this from happening and it, instead, starts to thicken and gel.

Serve your gluten free no-bake pumpkin cheesecake.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?

Eating at a fancy chinese place that goes all out during the holidays, big waitlists and such
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Back home the centerpiece is our Big vats of Red Crab Gumbo

Before I couldn't handle buttered rice but after learning the method of their cookery is related to ancient west African notions of proper rice (whole, somewhat dry and completely separated grain by grain) I learned to love it

Gumbo and cobblers and dirty rice and red beans
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
People like my viewpoints and other than one BHI they generally all get along
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
Don't cook, not allowed to the women don't let men in the kitchen even if they wanted to Cook. Men cook outdoors on the grill but we don't do that during holidays.

Okinawans are the best. Broader, stockier, hairier, wider eyed, stronger jawed, tanner with curly brown hair sometimes.

Well men at least are p great

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?

Parents are hosting. I live across town. My brother is coming home from college, and my grandparents are coming from 5 hours drive away.

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving?

Your standard turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies.

We always have buckwheat stuffing with sausage that my mom's grandma used to make. Look forward to that the most every year.

>Politics

My grandparents are based conservatives, parents are liberals, but they usually don't get into it too deep.

>Assisting in the kitchen

As much as possible.

Thank you for the input! I was just thinking about switching to a pumpkin cheesecake instead and your reply seems to indicate that that would be a good course of action. I'll think more on it though.

Thanks again

>what are you doing

Visiting mom. Brother will be there.

>how far

Maybe 11 hours on the road, not counting a couple of hours at the in-laws, who are about half way there

>Used the be the standard classic.

Turkey, dressing, carrots, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. Maybe quiche. Mom became a vegetarian late in life a little while back, might be a bit different.

>worried about politics?

Nah, none of my family are bigoted dipshits.

>how much assisting

I'm offering to do literally everything. Mom always refuses.

Cooking at home with brother and the family. He's gonna fry the turkeys. I'm doing most of the rest. Sister gonna stop by to drop off stuffing but since she's married she'll be off with her family.

Basic side shit. Green beans, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls, sweet potato casserole, and a couple pies. Don't wanna make too much side shit because who knows who's gonna stop by with their own dish.

As a kid I never cared for green beans but man do I love them now slow cooked with some bacon, onions and mushrooms. Favorite is apple pie, can't recall ever having a shitty one. I make mine all thick with some bourbon. Pretty proud.

Politics isn't really an issue in my family. Everyone has been so pessimistically apathetic about it for as long as I've known them. Anytime shit comes up it gets shut down with this everything is always gonna be horrible and the rich are always gonna profit so fuck it. Nobody votes.

I'm gonna be doing the most cooking since mom is too old. But I love cooking so idgaf.

In Texas btw.

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
this year i'm having dinner with my parents at home; i'm an only child and most of my family lives quite a ways away.

>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
the typical turkey, stuffing, cranberries, potato/sweet potato dish, green bean casserole, etc.
in the past we've had potato kugel which was always subpar, and usually the item to look forward to most is the turkey neck.

>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
thankfully no because it'll just be the three of us, and we've talked enough politics over the coure of the year.

>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
i'll be whipping up bourdain's recipe for gratin dauphinois from his las halles cookbook. bretty excited lads

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Going to my home city about an hour away. My best friend is coming with me since we're roommates and his senpai lives across the country.
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Mac and Cheese (last year I was too far to have thanksgiving at home for the first time and had my first one without Mac and Cheese. Do white people eat mac and cheese for thanksgiving?) Corn pudding, turkey, meatballs, collard greens. I'll eat everything and brin tupperware.
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
Nah, I don't care, and even if I did I can deal with others opinions.
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
Not at all. Just bringing hot sauce and tomatoes.

>bigoted dipshits

Heheh guess you won't need any extra salt at the table cause you'll have plenty already

>what are you doing on Thanksgiving? How far are you traveling, if at all?
Having dinner with my dad at home.
>what kind of menu items are staples at your family's Thanksgiving? What are your favorites now but used to hate as a kid? What dish are you looking forward to the most?
Staples are stuffing, oyster casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, and sweet potato souffle. Used to not like oyster casserole much at all but now its my favorite. Oyster Casserole and Souffle.
>are you worried about having to talk about politics or hearing about the election with family members?
No, this year its just me and my dad.
>how much are you cooking/assisting in the kitchen this year?
We cant afford to really cook anything this year which is a huge bummer. besides some steak we have. So I guess not much.

There's always one of these assholes in every family. In mine, it's my sister. But it's not only politics, she thinks she's right about everything , always, and will shout you down if you dare to disagree.

mom's side of the family, just like every year. traveling about an hour

all the standard stuff like turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and cranberry sauce. we also have zwieback, ground cherry jam and pfeffernusse. when I was a kid I used to assume I wouldn't like stuffing so I never tried it. now it's one of my favorite thanksgiving foods. most looking forward to the zwieback though since we only have it once or twice a year

not really. politics don't usually come up

I'm in charge of the stuffing this year. this is my first year taking over a core component of the meal. every other year I've brought a new side like a soup or something, so if it didn't go over well it was no big deal. I've made this stuffing a couple times so I'm not worried about it turning out, I'm just annoyed that I have to make it at home and then reheat it.

OP here. MANNNN this thread is getting comfy with you guys. Wish we could have a cozy Veeky Forums chansgiving here.

Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving, user
well I guess it's good that you got the gravy making away from him. Corn starch....wow lol. He probably meant well
>all the basics, just done really well
My family too, user. Enjoy sharing an American tradition like Thanksgiving with a Japanese foreign exchange student. It's going to be something she tells her friends about for the rest of her life - make it count!
In my opinion, a wet brine about 24-36 hours is the way to go. I think I posted my recipe earlier up in the thread, but basically 2 gallons of water, cup each of brown sugar and salt, some peppercorns, whole allspice berries, two of each lemons and oranges that have been quartered and the juice squeezed into the brine first before throwing them in too, a couple bay leaves, FRESH rosemary and thyme, some garlic, some wine, maybe an onion...get creative bro!
>eats at a chinese restaurant on Thanksgiving instead of going back to big vats of fucking crab gumbo.
what?!?!?
It's always great to see grandparents. Cherish them, user. They have so much wisdom and life experience and often people don't realize how much they could learn about adult life from grandparents until it's too late. Glad politics won't spoil the evening.
Pumpkin cheese cake is the shit. My wife makes a killer one.
Have fun, user. Where are you driving to? >green beans
dude i was the same way! I used to hate green beans but now I love them. same for corn and asparagus for me. funny how our tastes change as we get older.
Sounds cozy, user! I'm using a few recipes from cookbooks too. Southern Living puts out an awesome cookbook every holiday season and I've come to enjoy some recipes from it.

Usually my Mom and I split the cooking 50/50. However, shes on crurches due to knee replacement, so Ill be doing the vast majority.
Dad and my brother take care of the rice dressing, corn bread dressing and the turkey
The women will take care of
>Pecan pie
>Seeet potato casserole with toasted nuts on top
>Fron scratcn german chocolate cake
>Broccoli and caulifour salad
>Green bean casserole with home made crunchy onions to go on top
>from scratch yeast rolls
>mashed potatoes with turkey gravy we make from the turkey drippings
>oven roasted brussel sprouts
We usually feed 15 people or more

OP again..wanted to respond to you but ran out of space

Sounds fun. What is your home city, user?
>mac and cheese
Dude, I've been obsessed with like some real deal homemade mac and cheese recipes over the last few years. It's weird, because my family doesn't usually make mac and cheese for Thanksgiving but lately, since I've been doing it so much, they've just kind of accepted it. lmao my mom will be like all nose-turned-up "mac and cheese AND mashed potatoes??" while she's eating every other savory side, pie, gravy, etc without question. I've found that the best recipes for mac and cheese never include pre-shredded cheese, always have at least three nice cheeses (white cheddar, smoked gouda, and asiago is one of my favorite combinations), heavy whipping cream instead of milk, and some kind of roux.
>collard greens
I fucking LOVE collard greens at Thanksgiving, but my family is white and never includes it. I went to my black friends' family Thanksgiving one year when I was living in LA and MANNNN that was incredible.

you sound pretty cool, user.

lmao I noticed that too. "bigoted dipshits"...sounds like a smug, condescending liberal's assessment of someone with a different opinion

It sounds like you and your dad will have a cozy and lovely Thanksgiving, man. Cherish time with your dad. I'll bet he loves the fact that you've finally started loving oyster casserole. I would try it at least, but that sounds kinda weird to me. Oysters are the only bivalves that I don't enjoy eating, though I wish I could.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that your sister was a huge Bernie supporter, was mad for a minute about the way he got screwed out of the nomination at the DNC, then became a typical #ImWithHer drone because "at least she's not DRUMPF, rite guiseeeee?" kind of person?

I am a recent stuffing convert too, user. Do you prefer stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey while it cooks or a stand-alone?

OP again. Sorry for the flurry of responses all at once. I hope this thread stays alive because damn it sure has the Thanksgiving spirit.

>from scratch yeast rolls
I tried those one year at Christmas Eve dinner. Kind of tricky, in my opinion, but man were they good!
>brussel sprouts
I've recently become a fan of these after hating them all my life. My favorite recipe is Alton Brown's grilled asparagus recipe with the dry mustard, smoked paprika, garlic, etc.

Sounds pretty comfy, user!

>Do you prefer stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey while it cooks or a stand-alone?

I don't think I've actually had stuffed in a bird stuffing to be honest. I'm pretty sure my family used to make stuffing like that though, but that was back when I figured I wouldn't like it. not sure why they switched to stand-alone, but our venue for thanksgiving did change and that was also around the time that there was that semi-crusade against cooked in bird stuffing over fears of salmonella, so who knows which was the reason.

I'm making cook's illustrated's extra crispy skillet stuffing. it's easily my favorite stuffing, although I've not yet tried cornbread stuffing

>Do white people eat mac and cheese for thanksgiving?

not in my part of the midwest at least. I hadn't heard of it until I learned a bit about southern cooking through people like alton brown. we just don't really do mac and cheese as a side dish, really.

nice! Gotta go with your favorite recipe. Of course, I must note that your family's fear of salmonella is warranted - if they just literally scoop the stuffing out of the turkey and eat it. Usually, we cook our stuffing in the turkey, and when we take the turkey out to rest, we scoop the stuffing into a baking pan and bake that shit for like half an hour more. Kills the bacteria, gets crispy, and definitely retains the flavor of the turkey drippings that got into it while the turkey cooked.

>alton brown

That dude lives like 45 minutes from me in Roswell, GA. I loved "Good Eats" and he is pretty awesome all around. I hear you about the family crusades about Thanksgiving...we went through a weird phase for a couple of years and it was all about including duck and pheasant instead of ham. We eventually just appeased the ham people by just making a fucking ham on the side too but wild game > store bought shit ham. Families can get weird.