Gobble Gobble

badwilson wrote:

On Friday I'm going to my
friend's in Bangkok for the traditional Thai holiday of Loy Krathong.
We're going to launch our krathongs (slices of banana tree stem
decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense) in one of
the klongs (canal) by her apartment building. Then we will cook some
fajitas (not Thai but my friend is from Texas) and watch all the other
candle lit krathongs float down the klongs from her 11th story
balcony.

Wow, that sounds beautiful! Think you could get some photos? I'd love
to see what that looks like.

I'm so happy I've got all these American friends, this way I
get 2 Thanksgivings a year. I had a Turkey Day already on October
11th when I was home in Canada. I never say no to turkey ;-)

Lucky you!

I'm spending tomorrow cooking for the dinner I'm going to on Friday.
I'm going to bring: squash casserole, spinach pie, mashed potatoes,
and a fruit crisp. There will be plenty of other food, too.

Joyce

badwilson wrote:
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This Canadian living in Thailand has a
great weekend of celebration lined up. On Friday I'm going to my
friend's in Bangkok for the traditional Thai holiday of Loy Krathong.
We're going to launch our krathongs (slices of banana tree stem
decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense) in one of
the klongs (canal) by her apartment building.

Ah, I remember that lovely holiday! The floating krathongs on the klongs is
gorgeous!

In Bangkok, on the Chayo Praya river, kids would dive in and swim out to the
krathongs and steal the coins some people put in them.

Jill

Then we will cook some
fajitas (not Thai but my friend is from Texas) and watch all the other
candle lit krathongs float down the klongs from her 11th story
balcony.
On Saturday night, we're going to another friend's house for
Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone is bringing a dish and it will be
great. I'm so happy I've got all these American friends, this way I
get 2 Thanksgivings a year. I had a Turkey Day already on October
11th when I was home in Canada. I never say no to turkey ;-)

"Charleen Welton" wrote in message
. ..
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all of those who celebrate this calorie
stuffed day. Thanks for our families, friends, cats, kittens, d*gs,
goldfish, chickens, birds of all sizes, colors and shapes. Thanks
for all that makes our lives healthy and happy!

Charleen
Mr. Pumpkin, who gets shrimp for the holiday
Aggie Marble, who smells shrimp and goes yuck
Victor Velcro, who will eat anything and lots of it

badwilson wrote:
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This Canadian living in Thailand has a
great weekend of celebration lined up. On Friday I'm going to my
friend's in Bangkok for the traditional Thai holiday of Loy Krathong.
We're going to launch our krathongs (slices of banana tree stem
decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense) in one of
the klongs (canal) by her apartment building.

Ah, I remember that lovely holiday! The floating krathongs on the klongs is
gorgeous!

In Bangkok, on the Chayo Praya river, kids would dive in and swim out to the
krathongs and steal the coins some people put in them.

Jill

Then we will cook some
fajitas (not Thai but my friend is from Texas) and watch all the other
candle lit krathongs float down the klongs from her 11th story
balcony.
On Saturday night, we're going to another friend's house for
Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone is bringing a dish and it will be
great. I'm so happy I've got all these American friends, this way I
get 2 Thanksgivings a year. I had a Turkey Day already on October
11th when I was home in Canada. I never say no to turkey ;-)

"Charleen Welton" wrote in message
. ..
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all of those who celebrate this calorie
stuffed day. Thanks for our families, friends, cats, kittens, d*gs,
goldfish, chickens, birds of all sizes, colors and shapes. Thanks
for all that makes our lives healthy and happy!

Charleen
Mr. Pumpkin, who gets shrimp for the holiday
Aggie Marble, who smells shrimp and goes yuck
Victor Velcro, who will eat anything and lots of it

jmcquown wrote:


Stuffing is basically bread *stuffed* into a turkey. Oh, it's not that
simplistic, I'm afraid. There are different kinds of stuffing. Some people
like to use dried cubed bread or dried crumbled bread which has been
seasoned with some dried sage. I prefer crumbled cornbread (ditto the
sage). The basic method is to add hot chicken or vegetable stock to the
dried bread along with a good amount of melted butter until the bread
mixture is moist. However, nearly all recipes call for sauteeing diced
onion and celery in butter until it is tender and adding this mixture to the
bread along with the stock and some salt & pepper to taste.

If you'd like to get more fancy, you can also saute some garlic and red or
green bell pepper along with the onion and celery in the butter; more
veggies, more butter. (No one said this is particularly healthy!) Now, to
further complicate matters, some people add browned ground pork sausage to
the mixture (drained of fat). Or cooked wild rice (which is not a rice at
all but rather a black grass seed). Or chopped oysters. Or chopped
chestnuts. Or chopped apples. Or... G

At any rate, the mixture is then stuffed loosely in the cavity of a turkey
and when you roast the bird the natural drippings further moisten the
stuffing mixture. Prior to carving the turkey, spoon ALL of the stuffing
out of the cavity of the bird into a serving bowl. But, stuffing can also
be placed in a bread pan and baked for about 20 minutes in a moderate oven
when the turkey is in final stages of cooking.

Now, aren't you glad you asked? LOL

I suppose I got what I asked for. ) My family started eating turkey
for yule sometime in the 80s (early 90s?) when they became more easily
available in Finland (the traditional yule meat is ham here). My sister
makes it with a bread and mushroom stuffing. There's some sherry there,
too. I was just wondering if the American stuffing is anything like
that. I'm a vegetarian for most of the time, but I do eat meat
occasionally (once a month or so), though I'm supposed to avoid animal
protein. So, I do eat some turkey, but now that you told me about
'cavities' I'm not so sure. ;o) I suppose I knew where the stuffing goes
but lived in some degree of denial.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

jmcquown wrote:


Stuffing is basically bread *stuffed* into a turkey. Oh, it's not that
simplistic, I'm afraid. There are different kinds of stuffing. Some people
like to use dried cubed bread or dried crumbled bread which has been
seasoned with some dried sage. I prefer crumbled cornbread (ditto the
sage). The basic method is to add hot chicken or vegetable stock to the
dried bread along with a good amount of melted butter until the bread
mixture is moist. However, nearly all recipes call for sauteeing diced
onion and celery in butter until it is tender and adding this mixture to the
bread along with the stock and some salt & pepper to taste.

If you'd like to get more fancy, you can also saute some garlic and red or
green bell pepper along with the onion and celery in the butter; more
veggies, more butter. (No one said this is particularly healthy!) Now, to
further complicate matters, some people add browned ground pork sausage to
the mixture (drained of fat). Or cooked wild rice (which is not a rice at
all but rather a black grass seed). Or chopped oysters. Or chopped
chestnuts. Or chopped apples. Or... G

At any rate, the mixture is then stuffed loosely in the cavity of a turkey
and when you roast the bird the natural drippings further moisten the
stuffing mixture. Prior to carving the turkey, spoon ALL of the stuffing
out of the cavity of the bird into a serving bowl. But, stuffing can also
be placed in a bread pan and baked for about 20 minutes in a moderate oven
when the turkey is in final stages of cooking.

Now, aren't you glad you asked? LOL

I suppose I got what I asked for. ) My family started eating turkey
for yule sometime in the 80s (early 90s?) when they became more easily
available in Finland (the traditional yule meat is ham here). My sister
makes it with a bread and mushroom stuffing. There's some sherry there,
too. I was just wondering if the American stuffing is anything like
that. I'm a vegetarian for most of the time, but I do eat meat
occasionally (once a month or so), though I'm supposed to avoid animal
protein. So, I do eat some turkey, but now that you told me about
'cavities' I'm not so sure. ;o) I suppose I knew where the stuffing goes
but lived in some degree of denial.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

In article ,
(Mischief) wrote:


But at least I'll be able to go home for Christmas.

I'm now trying to decide, should I give the kitties turkey or ham on
Thanksgiving?


Kristi

Friskies has a fairly yummy looking Turkey & gravy flavor. Happy Thanksgiving
All.
Suz
Macmoosette
=^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^=

"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life."
--Faith Resnick



|\__/|
(=':'=)
(")_(")

In article ,
(Mischief) wrote:


But at least I'll be able to go home for Christmas.

I'm now trying to decide, should I give the kitties turkey or ham on
Thanksgiving?


Kristi

Friskies has a fairly yummy looking Turkey & gravy flavor. Happy Thanksgiving
All.
Suz
Macmoosette
=^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^=

"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life."
--Faith Resnick



|\__/|
(=':'=)
(")_(")

I'm so happy I've got all these American friends, this way I
get 2 Thanksgivings a year. I had a Turkey Day already on October
11th when I was home in Canada. I never say no to turkey ;-)


I think every day is Thanksgiving for Smokey. After two and a half
years of indoor life as a pet, he never fails to marvel at the sight
of a full food bowl.

Would that we all had his Thanksgiving spirit.

--Fil

(you can have ONE BITE of turkey sandwich, Smokey....just ONE.)

I'm so happy I've got all these American friends, this way I
get 2 Thanksgivings a year. I had a Turkey Day already on October
11th when I was home in Canada. I never say no to turkey ;-)


I think every day is Thanksgiving for Smokey. After two and a half
years of indoor life as a pet, he never fails to marvel at the sight
of a full food bowl.

Would that we all had his Thanksgiving spirit.

--Fil

(you can have ONE BITE of turkey sandwich, Smokey....just ONE.)

Marina wrote in message ...
CajunPrincess wrote:


[snip]

Hey now, for us who don't celebrate Thanksgiving, how about sharing some
recipes? So we can celebrate with you, at least in spirit. This stuffing
everyone talks about, what goes in it? I don't remember having
celebrated Thanksgiving when I lived in the US as a child, and Mum
wouldn't have known the recipes anyway.


Here's a few recipes for dishes that you would find at a lot of
Thanksgiving dinners (actually the Jalepeno Cornbread and the Spiced
Struedel Pumpkin Pie are slightly fancier versions of what you would
find in a lot of the Thanksgiving meals, but not that much different).
I think almost all of the ingredients could be found in Europe or
Australia but there may be one or two things that aren't sold outside
the US.

"Dressing" and "stuffing" are pretty much the same thing; it's
"stuffing" if you use it to stuff the turkey with; otherwise it's
"dressing". It turns out a little moister and denser if you use it to
stuff the turkey with and cook it along with the turkey but it's one
more thing to coordinate if you want to do it that way. You have to
be sure the stuffing gets to about 165 degrees F before you remove it
if you let it cook in the turkey.

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Seasoning:

2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 tablespoons ground turmeric
1-1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Dressing ingredients:

6 ounces (or 1-1/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup green bell peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
3/4 pound turkey, duck or chicken giblets (I usually just use
whatever comes with the turkey), boiled until tender then finely
chopped
1 cup turkey, duck or chicken stock (I use the chicken stock
you buy at the store)
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
5 cups finely crumbled cornbread (see recipe below)
1-2/3 cups evaporated milk
3 eggs

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and
set
aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter with the onions, bell
peppers, celery, garlic and bay leaves over high heat. Sauté about 2
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the seasoning mix and continue
cooking until vegetables are just wilted. Stir in giblets, stock and
Tabasco. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Add the cornbread, milk and eggs, stirring well. Spoon dressing into a
greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake at 350F until browned on top, about
35-40 minutes.



CORNBREAD

(See more elaborate recipe below; this simpler one would be better for
the stuffing)

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/3 cups milk
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350?F.

Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Separately, combine
the milk, butter and egg and stir into the dry ingredients just until
no lumps are present. Pour into a greased loaf pan or square baking
dish and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into
the center comes out clean.

Many traditional cooks in the Southern part of the US shun cornbread
made with sugar in it; I've always liked it a little sweet. I like
the more traditional kind made without sugar too.


OYSTER DRESSING

Seasoning mix:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Dressing ingredients:

About 20 small to medium oysters in their liquor, about 1/2
pound
1 cup cold water
6 ounces (1-1/2 sticks) butter
1-1/2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green bell peppers, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup very fine dry French bread crumbs
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely minced

Combine the oysters and water; stir and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Strain and reserve oysters and oyster water, refrigerate until ready
to
use.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat.
When butter is almost melted, add 3/4 cup of the onions, 1/2 cup
each of the celery and bell peppers. Sauté over high heat until onions
are dark brown but not burned, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients and mix well. When
onions are browned, stir 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and the
garlic into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking
for
5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 3/4 cup onions,
1/2
cup celery, 1/2 cup bell peppers and 1 stick margarine, and 1/4 cup of
the green onions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, and the bay leaves. Stir
until
butter is melted.

Continue cooking about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the
remaining seasoning mix and enough bread crumbs to make a moist but
not
runny dressing. Remove from heat. Stir in the drained oysters. Spoon
dressing into an ungreased baking pan and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, discard bay leaves and stir in the butter and the
remaining 1/4 cup each green onions and parsley.


SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (just boil them; remove the
skins and mash them up)
1 cup brown sugar (you can substitute molasses for some of the brown
sugar if it is available where you are; I like the additional flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnimon


Mix indredients and pour into greased 2 quart baking dish

Topping

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup dried coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup self rising flour


Mix together and pour over sweet potato mixture

Bake at 300 degrees F for 35 min.

This is one of my favorite dishes because it's so sweet it's like
eating a vegetable and a dessert at one time!


MASHED POTATOES (Basic recipe)

Ingredients:

2 pounds of potatoes (Any kind of baking potato with a non-waxy
skin will do; I like Yukons)
1 cup of half and half (or milk)
6 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper
Pinch nutmeg

Basic Instructions:

Peel and quarter the potatoes, then add to a large pot and cover with
water. Add some salt and bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes
are tender. (About 15 minutes); drain. Mash by your method of choice
eliminating most of the large lumps. (I use a tool called a "potato
ricer"; you can do it with a fork) Heat up milk to just below
simmering. Blend in butter and milk and mix until you end up with a
smooth consistency (if desired you can use a mixer and can make them
as fluffy as you like); season with salt and pepper.

Everyone used to think that mashed potatoes had to be fluffy and
completely free from lumps; but people now are making what are called
"smashed potatoes", where you use a little less milk and retain some
of the texture of the cooked potatoes instead of whipping the mixture
to a creamy, lumpfree consistency. I also like to leave about half
of the skins in the mashed potatoes; it gives it an interesting
consistency and contrast.

YELLOW SQUASH CASSEROLE

2 lb sliced yellow squash
2 eggs beaten
2 small onions minced
2-3 oz pimiento diced
2 tbsp butter melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Ritz Brand Cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers are a buttery flavored
cracker, don't know if they are sold outside the US*)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese (mild or medium; sharp doesn't work as
well) shredded
2-3 oz pimintoes (optional)
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
A few drops Tabasco Sauce (optional)

*Can use any type of cracker crumbs or probably dried bread crumbs
would work also. In the US the term "cracker" is used for a sort of
unsweetened crisp flatbread as opposed to something sweet made with
sugar, etc. as the word is used in Britain (i.e. what we in the US
call a "cookie").

Simmer squash in water 10 min till tender, drain and mash. Saute onion
in butter till tender, combine with everything, reserving 1/4 cup of
the
Ritz cracker crumbs. Spoon into greased 2 qt casserole dish, top with
crumbs. Bake 350F for 45 min or until crust is brown.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

4 cups cut green beans
2 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 Cup milk
1 (2.8-oz.) can French fried onions (like Durkee), divided
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook over
medium heat, stirring occasionally, until clear.

Clean the mushrooms and cut into quarters. Add to the sauteed onions
and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up their liquid and
most of it has cooked off.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir the soup and the milk into the onion mixture. Add about half the
can of fried onions, then stir in the Worcestershire, vinegar, brown
sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the green beans. Turn the
mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish and bake 25 minutes.
Sprinkle the remaining half-can of onions over the top of the mixture
and bake an additional 5 minutes.

JALEPENO CORNBREAD

3 cups Cornmeal
1/2 cup Flour
2 teaspoon Baking soda
2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoon Sugar
3 Eggs; beaten
2 cups Buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable Oil
1 lg Onion
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 cup Jalapeno peppers; cup up
1 oz Pimiento; chopped
15 oz can Cream corn
1 1/2 cup cheddar Cheese; grated


Chop the onion and the jalapeno peppers finely. Mix together the
cornmeal, flour, soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate
bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and oil. Add to the
dry ingredients with a few strokes of the mixing spoon. Don't beat
the dough---just stir enough to moisten all the particles. Fold in
the
onion, garlic powder, jalapeno, pimiento, corn, sour cream and
cheese.
Bake in a cast iron skillet in a 400 degree oven for 25 to
30 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick tests clean.

POTATO ROLLS

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup cooked potatoes (peeled and boiled until done then mashed)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water (110-115 degrees) divided
6 cups flour


In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add potatoes salt
and
2 of the eggs. Dissolve the yeast in 2/3 cup of warm water in a bowl;
add to the creamed mixture. Beat in 2 cups flour and the remaining
water. Add enough remaing flour to form a soft dough. Shape into a
ball; do not knead. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap
and let rise in a
warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide into
thirds. Shape each portion into 15 balls and arrange in 3 greased 9
inch
baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30min. Make an
egg wash out of 1 egg and 1 tbs water; brush over rolls. Bake at 375
F for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack to keep bottoms from becoming
soggy.

PUMPKIN PIE WITH SPICED WALNUT STREUSEL

I found this recipe on the web last year and tried it; it's a great
variation on traditional pumpkin pie. I used a frozen premade crust
instead of the making the crust myself; it might be even better with
the homemade crust. My sister is making pumpkin pie this year so I'll
have to wait to try the crust recipe.

Streusel

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Pumpkin filling

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust

1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

For crust:

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in,
using on/off turns, until coarse meal forms. Add 3 tablespoons water.
Using on/off turns, blend just until moist clumps form, adding more
water by 1/2 tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball;
flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be made 2
days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before
rolling.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer
to 9-inch deep-dish glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold
overhang under; crimp edges decoratively. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375?F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or
pie weights. Bake until edges begin to brown and crust is set, about
17 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until golden brown, pressing
with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer
to rack. Maintain oven temperature.

For streusel:

Mix flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl. Add
butter; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Stir in nuts.

For pumpkin filling:

Whisk pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in medium bowl.
Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla. Pour
into prepared crust.

Sprinkle streusel over filling. Bake pie until streusel is golden and
filling is set, about 45 minutes. Cool on rack at least 2 hours. (Can
be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.