Thanksgiving!

I know many bloggers are out there, piously telling you what they are thankful for today.  That's not my style.  Today, you can be thankful for me.  It's ok.  Allow yourself to bask in my glow.  There's enough to go around. 

And as my gift to you I present a chronology of today's cooking.

We are at my parents' home, and after a big clam chowder meal last night, my body is prepared for the day ahead.

7:42   Wake up.  Stagger for a few minutes during morning preparation. 
7:48   Coffee.  Coffee brings clarity to life. 
7:50   Get the turkey out of the brine, rinse it thoroughly and dry it using paper towels.  Let it stand to continue to air dry. 
8:30   Making the cranberries. 
8:35   Cleaning up the stove where I wasn't paying attention and let the cranberries boil over.  My mom reminds me that nothing stains worse than cranberries. 
9:00   Do the dishes.  This will be repeated 7 or 8 times throughout the day.
10:30 Watch football.  My Fantasy Team is number 2 in the league, but I'm on a losing streak.  I have a rooting interest for several of the Thanksgiving Day games.
11:00 I eat a light lunch.  1 slice of bread, 1 piece of ham, a little cheese and 2 grapes. 
11:35 Start the broth for the stuffing.  Giblets, vegetable parts, apple peels, a little salt, sage, thyme and about 5 cups of water in a pot.
12:15 Assemble the rest of the stuffing. 
1:10   Dress and stuff the turkey. 
1:15   Turkey is in the oven.  It's going to cook for an hour breast-side down at 425 degrees.  Then another 45 minutes at 250 degrees. 
1:20   Help the family decorate the Christmas tree now that they've almost finished it. 
3:00   Flip the turkey breast side up, and admire its beauty.  Cook for another hour at 250 degrees.  Mom and my brother are starting to roll out crescent rolls and cooking the squash for the butternut squash soup. 
3:30   We start to set the table. 
4:00   I turn the heat in the oven back up to 425 degrees.  I take the bird's temperature.  It's about 135 degrees so far.  The race is on.
4:15   The dressing goes into the oven.  The soup is in the pot.  I start the bacon in a frying pan.
4:30   The turkey is out of the oven and is resting, covered.  The bacon is crumbled and the potatoes go into the pot to boil. 
4:45   The brussel sprouts are cleaned, split and in the frying pan. 
4:50   The potatoes get mashed.  All the final prep and meal comes together. 
5:00   We sit down to dinner. 
5:40   We all push away from the table, and the conversation slows to idle chatter. 
6:00   We start with dishes and threats of dessert.

What took days of preparation and hours of production, took only minutes to consume.  We relax and deliberate the condition of young people, these days. 

Please feel free to comment on your family traditions, your meals and recipes and any well-wishes you wish to send. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

For tomorrow's meals, we'll focus on leftovers.  Try:

Thanksgiving Sandwiches
2 slices of a sturdy Multigrain Bread
2 tablespoons Mayo
1 slice of Turkey Breast and a similar amount of Dark Meat
2 tablespoons Cranberry Sauce
1 large leaf of Lettuce
if you're really daring, 1 good spoonful of Stuffing

Assemble into a sandwich.  Eat it.  I like mine with a small dollop of yellow mustard and a few slices of swiss cheese.


Turkey Casserole
2 cups chopped Turkey
2 cups Stuffing
2 cups Green Beans or Mixed Vegetables
1 1/2 cups Turkey Gravy
Mashed Potatoes

In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, stuffing, vegetables and gravy.  Spread evenly into a casserole dish and top with a 1/2 inch layer of mashed potatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling and the potatoes are turning golden brown at the peaks. 


Cranberry Shortcakes
2 cups Cranberry Sauce
1 cup Sugar
6 Shortcakes (I like drop biscuits using half and half instead of milk and doubling the sugar)
1 scoop Whipped Cream

In a sauce pot over medium heat, add the cranberry sauce and the sugar.  Heat until the sugar melts and the sauce bubbles. 

Refrigerate until cool.

Heat the shortcakes, and split them open.  Spoon a generous helping of cranberries inside, and put the top of the cake back on.  Spoon another spoonful of berries on top, and add a scoop of whipped cream.