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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Early Thanksgiving


Early Thanksgiving



It is turkey time.  By the time I post this, my Thanksgiving will be over.  Due to logistics, to get the most relatives possible to the table, we do the holiday the weekend before.  This year it was Saturday in the late afternoon to accommodate several guests who are hairdressers.  The weekend before Thanksgiving is apparently a very busy weekend for hairdressers.

Thursday it was my job to buy the bird.  We need about 22 pounds to feed a large crew and still have enough to send everyone home with “a plate” ( It’s an Italian thing.)  The bird cost $40, but with $400 worth or grocery purchases in the month you get a free, or discounted turkey.

After all our shopping this month,  I was still short $40 of the $400.  I started grabbing high cost items.  Soap, Advil, Pistachio nuts, and other items that have a long shelf life.  Just made it.  For an extra $40 of groceries I got a $40 bird for $10!  I felt like those crazy coupon people on a TV show where they buy $1000 worth of stuff and after cashing their double coupons only have to pay 17 cents.

Half of Friday was spent cleaning the house and helping Mrs. C make the stuffing, which also has to be enough to send some home with guests. 

Mrs. C makes the best stuffing ever.  Her recipe:

1. Take one giant load of sausage, heat until brown and stir and break up until your arms hurt. 

2.  Fine chop a ton of celery, mushrooms, and green peppers.

3.  Fold the celery, mushroom, peppers into the broken-up sausage.

4.  Add dry bread crumbs until Mrs. C says stop, then mix everything with a couple of eggs.

5.  Add chicken broth until Mrs. C says stop.

6.  Add a bit more crumbs, broth, and or eggs as Mrs. C sees fit based on how it feels when she stirs it all up.

7.  Put some of the mixture in separate pans for guests to take home and refrigerate.

8.  Next day cook in oven for about an hour.

9.  Pile it on your plate with turkey, bean casserole, carrots, mashed potatoes, Waldorf salad (a WASP touch to an Italian feast) cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes.

10.  Wash down with wine, undo belt buckle, and digest for a half hour before coffee and choice of several pies.

When the real Thanksgiving comes around, we relax.

18 comments:

  1. Thank you JoeH. You have made me hungry.

    God bless. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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  2. Happy Thanksgiving (whenever it is - or was!)

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  3. We don't entertain anymore so our Thanksgiving meal is whatever we want to eat. We did all that work for years and years and no one would lift a finger to help. We mentioned it one year that if folks didn't start helping next year then that would be the last meal. They didn't help and we told them at the end of the dinner that we weren't doing it anymore. They had a meltdown. Bless their hearts.

    Have a fabulous day, Joe. 😎

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  4. I'm full just reading about this feast--thanks Joe :)

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  5. What time shall I be there? Oh, hell, I missed it again.

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  6. I hope you've been enjoying the leftovers!

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  7. Over here the stuffing goes inside the bird and gets cooked along with the turkey/chicken/duck/whatever. I hate it that way and make separate stuffing just as you do. I don't know anyone else who does. I should add here that I 'used to' make separate stuffing. These days I don't even cook a bird, just buy one from the rotisserie at the supermarket and toss out their god-awful stuffing when I get it home.
    I also understand the "send them home with a plate" thing, it's a nice custom among friends and family.

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  8. Good gracious, it's years since I stuffed a bird. Reading this has made me yearn for the good old days.

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  9. That's a very traditional meal. Don't most Italians have stuffed shells with their other high carb Thanksgiving? LOL. My husband is only one quarter Italian, so ours is a traditional meal as well.

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  10. 11. Nap!

    Yes Bjoux, we have lasagna and a full Italian feast along with the American traditional turkey etc.

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  11. Sounds like you planned to make a crowd quite sleepy. I'd try that stuffing but it seems unless you have Mrs.C to tell you when to stop, it might not turn out so well.
    Kick your feet up tomorrow and just enjoy the quiet.

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  12. I am already drooling for tomorrow! At our office, after the last patient of the day has left, we close the doors, crank up the music and the entire staff ~ Docs included ~ cleans the office from top to bottom. In exchange we all get Wednesday off with pay, and those who cook have an extra day for preparing!

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  13. That stuffing sounds amazing! I have never had sausage in stuffing, might have to try that sometime. Wow, I remember the good old days in the store where if you spent $100 you got a free turkey. Of course that was 25 years ago so I'm sure with the cost of inflation $400 today would buy what $100 did back then.

    Happy (quiet) Thanksgiving!

    betty

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  14. Dang! I think Jilda and I could actually fit both events in our schedule next year. Your celebration and ours! We’re cranked (no pun intended.)

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  15. wow what a deliciously sound recipe filled with love and cooperation :)

    Happy thanks giving dear joe !
    hope you guys may enjoy together many more

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  16. Do you think Idaho is too far for Mrs. C to send a plate? I'm Italian I get the whole plate thing and a plate from your home sounds delicious! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Mrs. C! :)

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  17. You make stuffing like we do... I need Supervision... Happy Thanksgiving!

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  18. She cooks like i do, you cook until it looks and feels right.

    Hope you have had a great Thanksgiving!

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