scrubbedexpat091

I cooked one once for Canadian thanksgiving. Too much work, never doing that again....lol

Christmas I have never done much, was never a big family get together or dinner, and I just basically don't do much for it, I do like to decorate though, just no dinners, too much work for so few people...

Pica

i love cooking big dinners for family butsadly we'renow living too far apart.

Jerseygirl

We always had largish family Christmas, Boxng Day, NY Day, Easter Sunday dinners. Lost my appetite for cooking once we crossed the pond...just not the same anymore.

Pica

That's a wee bit sad JG

BubbleChog

Cooking for 16 people. Friends and waifs and strays as. Share hosting with a friend and it's at their house so I get to come home to calm afterwards and not have to deal with clean up. It's supplanted Christmas Dinner because Mr Chog never celebrated Christmas so he's taking a while to come round to the idea and we've made some of our own weird traditions


Friend is frying the turkey and making the gravy and Mac and Cheese and Mashed potatoes

I'm cooking
Roast potatoes roasted in Goose fat
Sweet Potato Souffle, with marshmallows on half and caramelised pecans and cornflakes on the other half
Pigs in Blankets
Sausagemeat and Thyme Stuffing,
Sage and Onion stuffing,
Home Made Cranberry and Orange sauce
Bread Sauce
Carrots and Broccoli
Bourbon Maple Roast Parsnips
Mustard Mash Swede
Yorkshire puddings

I'm making a pumpkin pie for the first time at the request of a preggers friend who has been craving it
And a Cherry Bakewell Tart for non preggers people

Leslie

Okay, gloomy guts .... this is the "What are you cooking/having/enjoying for Thanksgiving Dinner" thread. Not the thread.

Leslie

I need a good recipe for UK style stuffing if anybody cares to share.

BEVS

OhMy.

If I was closer I;d be onthe doorstep with a bib in place + a knife and fork and a woeful feed me look.

BubbleChog

I'm using Paxo for the sage and Onion as I've never been able to find a recipe I like

The sausage meat and thyme recipe I use is

125g unsalted butter
1½ lbs pork sausage meat
1 sweet onion, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 stalks celery, finely diced
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
250g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

smush it all together and cook it. I've cooked it in balls and in a loaf and stuffed in the bird.

Leslie

Perfect.

Nutmegger

I just wing it to come out like the kind my mother used to make, with fine breadcrumbs (not the chunks of bread used in the US), some finely chopped onion and celery, a beaten egg, melted butter, some chicken stock to moisten, salt/pepper and parsley/sage/rosemary/thyme until it looks/tastes right (I like it highly seasoned!). For me, the trick to making it "taste like home" is to put it in the oven in a pie plate, somewhat pressed down, so that it comes out crusty on the outside and can be sliced like a pie. Don't know if this was the norm, as I only ever had holiday meals cooked by my mother before I came to the US!

FinnDiego

Roasting turkey for the first time ever! It's a quiet week at work so I was watching carving videos half the day yesterday. Plus brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and I think I have cranberries so will try my hand at a sauce. And others will bring more sides and starters. A few bottles of wine, a few more, some port, beer, whisky, gin, and there might be some tequila lurking somewhere too...

I suspect we may have overdone it a bit for four people.

Leslie

Sounds delicious.

petitefrancaise

Chez Bridgwater we do this stuffing but cook it inside the turkey.... it is delicious.
Phil's Vickery TV - Cranberry Thyme & Ginger Stuffing

and if you wanted an easy peasy turkey recipe that gives you the most amazing stock for gravy :

Phil's Vickery TV - Phil's Perfect Roast Turkey

Bubblechog, I thought you were in Houston? I was about to invite you round for a potluck!! Your meal sounds amazing. Care to share the sweet potato souffle recipe?

BubbleChog

Sorry in GA

I bake the sweet potatoes skin on in the oven. Take them out and let them cool enough to get the skin off.
I caramelise a handful of pecans with brown sugar and chop them roughly.
In a bowl i mix the potato flesh, the pecans, a glug of maple syrup and a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until it tastes about right. mix in 2 eggs and pop in the oven to bake for about 30 -40 mins
Top with marshmallows and add back to the oven until they are melty and a bit browned