Thanksgiving

[rps]

I just made my batch of queso for this holiday. It reminded me I had posted the formula here under the thread Super Bowl recipes. I thought I would revive that thread because nothing - not cranberry jelly, not red wine gravy, not the greatest new thing from "Chez Trendy" restaraunt - can match queso with turkey dressing. Then I decided to start this thread.

This year I am spatchcocking the turkey. For those of you with dirty minds, that means I am removing its backbone and butterflying the bird. A spatchcocked 14 pound turkey cooks in under two hours. More time for friends and family.

I will serve with piebald smash potatoes (white and sweet roasted, then smashed with sour cream), creamed leeks, herb dressing, Irish whiskey gravy, queso, butter sauted broccoli with mushrooms, my mother's avacado/citrus fruit salad with sweet and sour onion dressing, and two pies - fudge and sweet potato.

Write what you are having or what you believe would be the perfect Thanksgiving meal. It will be interesting to read all the responses.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

[Dutch]

You should really try Guajalote mole poblano. It it terrific.

[Paola Cat]

RPS .... The wife just made up a batch of queso. Very nice recipe. Thanks PC

[bigredbirdfan]

RPS,

After reading your menu (mouth watering on keyboard) I have decided to skip our family dinner and join your's

All kidding aside. We will have brown sugar and kosher salt brined turkey, hand mashed potatoes, pan gravey, wild rice casserole, green bean casserole, sage stuffing, pea salad, deviled eggs, wheat rolls, pumpkin, pecan and cherry pies. Only 24 of us this year.

[rps]

PC - Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the compliment.

BRBF - Your menu also sounds wonderful. I am only feeding a sister, her husband, a niece, her husband and daughter, a family friend, and she who counts the most (9 counting me). BTW, when I brine, I use sorghum molasses and pickling salt. Each dissolve well in cold water and the brown water is the perfect sweet and salty.

[rps]

Dutch -

In the movie "My Blue Heaven," the Steve Martin character remonstrates with some hit men who interrupt one of his anecdotes. I like to tell anecdotes. Forgive me a short one about mole.

I've mentioned before on this forum that I was born in El Paso and raised weird. One of the results is a view of Mexican cooking at odds with most of the United States. El Cafe Centro in Juarez did not serve Gorditas, Chalupas, or Fire Sauce. Chicken with rice is a spicy, but not hot dish. People are entitled to disagree with my tastes, but fried food that burns your tongue is not Mexican food. Mole comes as close as anything to being the definition of Mexican food. When made well, the sauce has so many levels and nuances of flavor you can get lost trying to sort them.

The best, all time mole I have ever eaten was a surprise. When the children were young, my wife and I made the obilgatory Disneyworld trip. National Lampoon did not film the trip, but it had almost all the drama and almost all the insanity as Chevy Chase's epic trip to Wally World. On the last day, we booked a spot at the Mexican restaurant for lunch, the big meal of the day. As soon as we walked in, it smelled right. No metallic canned bean smell. No stale chips. I ordered a pork flank in a mole. It was beyond description. On reflection, I should be ashamed of how much I ate.

I am sure a turkey in mole would be exquisite.

[rps]

Here it is a year later. Hope everyone had as good a year as I did (except for a few trolling motor troubles).

This years menu has some differences - the fudge pie will be a pecan chocolate one instead. I will do a broccoli/cauliflower/spinach gratin instead of the mushroom and broccoli. I will butterfly the turkey again. It worked great for moist meat and a crisp skin.

Tell us what you will do this year.

[zander]

We'll be chomping down on some pheasant and some quail, and grocery store turkey (never got a wild turkey this year yet). Hopefully I can add some deer tenderloins to the mix if I get lucky Thursday morning. I have no idea about the side dishes since that is not my department. I am ready!

[Wayne SW/MO]

Two turkeys, one in an oil less fryer and one smoked. Both are fresh and will be brined with special mixes.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Got two dinners to attend. One on the traditional thursday with the usual good stuff. The other with the in-laws on saturday down in Cassville. Looking forward to the Cassville meal myself... consisting of fried Jayhawk (2:30 PM starting time for them to be COOKED!) GO MIZZOU...