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Post by craftedbys on Nov 28, 2022 20:55:00 GMT
Now that our kitchens are (finally) clean again and (most of) the leftovers are eaten, can we share what was a hit and/or miss at Thanksgiving?
I had a few hits this year.
Biggest hit was the Brownie Bottom Chocolate Mousse cake. Thank you Pintrest. Very easy and oh so delicious.
Someone suggested a layer of chocolate genache on top, but that would be too over the top.
The sausage balls with Italian sausage and boxed stuffing mix instead of breakfast sausage and bisquick was another hit.
I accidentally baked them at the wrong temp (thank you, ADHD) and they came out firmer and a bit crisper than the trial ones.
Last hit wasn't a new recipe, but I made Watergate salad for the first time in six or seven years. DH actually tried some and liked it, which is amazing since he has never been a fan of any type of fluffy or jello type salad.
My biggest miss of the holiday was trying to make some cranberry sauce with fresh berries without a recipe. D'oh.
If I would have followed my gut it probably would have been fine, albeit a bit runny. But nooo, I had the brilliant idea to add a bit of unflavored gelatin to it to help it set up. Ended up with cranberry jello molded into the shape of my Rubbermaid container.
Share your hits and misses (and recipes)!
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,916 
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Post by naby64 on Nov 28, 2022 21:09:21 GMT
The big hit for us was the turkey on our table. My DD made a Spatchcock turkey with a delicious herb butter. And no real recipe. I sent her a text today to get the recipe because I am craving it. She laughed and said it was a mish mash but she would write it down. She has never done a turkey before and has only been cooking for the last 2-3 years. She knocked it out of the park! And her homemade mac and cheese. Oh my goodness!
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Post by Katie on Nov 28, 2022 21:10:39 GMT
We had two family dinners.
Hit: My brother grilling the turkey (charcoal). Soooooo good!
Miss: paying $90 for a local natural farm-raised 18lb turkey. It was good, but I canât say it was worth the extra $$$. We like the idea of helping a local farm, but Iâm not sure itâs worth paying triple the price.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,592
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Nov 28, 2022 21:20:38 GMT
Hit: Bon Appetit's "simple is best" stuffing. Should've tripled the recipe.
Miss: future son-in-law's fennel salad. This is not a crowd with sophisticated palates.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Nov 28, 2022 21:21:45 GMT
Hits:
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. I made a huge 9x13 pan of it.
That reminds me, huge hit for me was doing all the brownies and cakes (and turkey!) in disposable pans for easy, easy clean up.
No real misses, foodwise.
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Post by monklady123 on Nov 28, 2022 21:25:06 GMT
We had a very small Thanksgiving so nothing very fancy. The biggest hit for me was that we did NOT have turkey! woo-hoo! I do not like turkey and I can never find a small enough one so we end up with tons of leftovers. I try to freeze the leftover meat to make soup or casserole or something, but often end up throwing it away.. I mean, it's still turkey even in that soup. lol -- Anyway, we had cranberry-jalapeno meatballs that I found at Costco, then we had the usual sides. The biggest miss was this sweet potato thing I saw as I was browsing, called "hasselback" sweet potatoes. Google to see what it's supposed to look like. Seemed easy enough and the recipe I found used the air fryer. Dh was driving out to dd's apartment to help her take apart some furniture for her move, so I sent her Thanksgiving dinner with him. Which meant her sweet potato was a test. I figured I'd make mine and dh's later so we'd have them hot out of the air fryer. The recipe said to cook them "until the were soft inside and crispy outside". Well I cooked it for longer than the recipe said to, and the inside wasn't cooked but the outside was starting to burn. grrr... So I ended up taking it out and putting it in the container with the other raw veggies that I was sending for dd to roast in the oven. I told her to put the sweet potato in with the other vegetables. Then I didn't even bother trying it for me and dh. I hate cooking.  |
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,254
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Nov 28, 2022 21:42:56 GMT
Our hits were the Butternut Squash Hash with Bacon by Emilybites.com, the bacon wrapped stuffed dates and the link sausage because who knew we all wanted another option besides turkey and ham. Also someone made spice cake whoppie pies and they were divine. A nice, bite sized dessert.
Misses were the rolls (heated up too soon and they got hard) and a couple of the desserts that were either too dry (cakes) or too sticky/gooey (pies)
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Post by papersilly on Nov 28, 2022 22:18:22 GMT
hits: smoked prime rib (that DH smoked himself) and the smoked turkey from costco. both were very flavorful. will do another smoked prime rib for xmas dinner.
miss: non-starch veggie sides. we've never found one we all like so we struggle with that kind of side every year.
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Post by melodyesch on Nov 28, 2022 22:25:09 GMT
HIT: DH smoked the turkey on the grill and it had a nice, Smokey flavor. I donât care for turkey, but this one was pretty good.
HIT: The pot pie I made with the turkey leftovers. It was Pioneer Womanâs recipe, but I added cubed potato and it was so good. Weâll definitely do this every year.
MISS: My DH insisted on making the stuffing using White Castle hamburgers. The recipe is on their site. I donât like stuffing anyway, but this was not good. DH said it was tolerable, but I think he was just saying that since I said ahead of time I thought it would be gross.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 28, 2022 22:32:36 GMT
Hit were the cornbread dressing and the Key Lime pie for dessert. It's my mom's dressing recipe but this year I tweaked the recipe a bit. DH & DD said it was better than ever. Now to make notes of the tweaks I made before I forget. The other hit was my usual key lime pie, but this time I made the crust from scratch. Also made the whipped cream from scratch.
The miss (for me anyway) was the turkey. DH spent a fortune on a fried turkey from a local cajun restaurant. He said it was okay, DD thought it was a bit too spicy. I don't eat turkey so there was a Honeybaked Ham that was the usual hit. DH admitted later that it was interesting to try the fried turkey but he doesn't see doing that again.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,882
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Nov 28, 2022 22:46:25 GMT
Hit was the mashed potatoes. I started using Yukon Gold potatoes for mashed potatoes instead of Russett after a tip I heard somewhere online. They turn out much creamier and are delicious even if the potatoes cost a little more.
Miss was the crustless pumpkin pie. I was tired of making crusts after making the other two pies (pecan and cherry as the family demanded) so decided to just use muffin liners in muffin tin without a crust. They were very wet and the paper liners did not like the wetness of the pumpkin goo very well. No one was eating them (I put them in with the appetizers) so I threw them away...
ETA: I forgot when I went to make the deviled eggs the (new) mayonaise jar in my pantry smelled weird so I threw it out and used sour cream instead. They weren't bad but they weren't the same, and next year I will make sure to have a back up jar of mayo just in case...
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,146
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Nov 28, 2022 22:51:07 GMT
A hit at my house was green bean casserole made with all the canned crap. I haven't made it in years because I didn't think anyone liked it. It was the first dish that was empty!!  |
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Post by hop2 on Nov 28, 2022 23:41:01 GMT
Hits
Brunch time charcuterie ( cranberry Stilton & softened goat cheese with pumpkin jam, thyme & walnuts on top were the faves here )
Roasted Brussel sprout halves with salt, pepper, thyme, sage & hickory syrup.
DDâs home made Mac n cheese
âFrench onionâ style vegetable broth gravy
Misses
My Turkey breast was over done
I havenât gotten the stuffing combo that meets our varied dietary needs just right yet
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Post by myboysnme on Nov 28, 2022 23:41:15 GMT
I paid for all the food and DIL and DH cooked everything.
The miss for us was a small second turkey I bought to go in after the oven was free so we could take it for leftovers. DIL never put it in the oven and was going to do it Fri. Husband brought it home and cooked it Sunday but of course it needed to be thrown out. Complete waste of money.
No other fails. Everything was fabulous.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Nov 28, 2022 23:42:09 GMT
craftedbys for homemade cranberry sauce you only need a bag of cranberries, 1 cup sugar (or less) and 1/4 cup water. Cook until all the cranberries pop. It will firm up when it cools. The pectin in the cranberry skins will give you the thickness needed. My recipe includes diced apples, dried cranberries and a lemon. Itâs very tart and is really good on toast.
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Post by littlemama on Nov 28, 2022 23:48:43 GMT
I didnt cook much, most of it was prepared. So, it was okay. I missed my homemade stuffing!
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Nov 28, 2022 23:48:59 GMT
Hit was the mashed potatoes. I started using Yukon Gold potatoes for mashed potatoes instead of Russett after a tip I heard somewhere online. They turn out much creamier and are delicious even if the potatoes cost a little more. Miss was the crustless pumpkin pie. I was tired of making crusts after making the other two pies (pecan and cherry as the family demanded) so decided to just use muffin liners in muffin tin without a crust. They were very wet and the paper liners did not like the wetness of the pumpkin goo very well. No one was eating them (I put them in with the appetizers) so I threw them away... ETA: I forgot when I went to make the deviled eggs the (new) mayonaise jar in my pantry smelled weird so I threw it out and used sour cream instead. They weren't bad but they weren't the same, and next year I will make sure to have a back up jar of mayo just in case... If you're up for trying again, MIL does crustless pumpkin pie in a glass baking dish. She butters it well, then shakes loose cornmeal around in it to coat. It's always delicious! |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Nov 29, 2022 0:03:18 GMT
Hits: everything I prepared because we're creatures of habit and I fix the same dishes every year.
Misses: I roasted an almost 14 lb turkey and the 3 of us finished it off too soon. Going for bigger next year!
We paid 97 cents a pound and it was delicious. I was surprised that Raley's had a bunch leftover for 50% off the day after Thanksgiving. Sadly I don't have room in our freezer to store it.
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Post by malibou on Nov 29, 2022 0:22:05 GMT
Hit for me was I was in England and didn't have to make a Thanksgiving meal! đ I did make lamb leg steaks, roasted potatoes and a salad though. It was awesome.
I'm not a turkey fan, and haven't made a turkey for Thanksgiving in a gazillion years, when I did, it was brined and then cooked/smoked on our BBQ over wood. Everyone else loved it!
When ds21 hit school age, we started travelling for that week because he had the whole week off. We never went out for a Thanksgiving dinner, we just had pizza or whatever else we wanted.
Usually the week before Thanksgiving I make a nice leg of lamb dinner for my English in-laws and call it Fauxgiving.
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Post by Skellinton on Nov 29, 2022 0:46:56 GMT
Everything was good at our house. Most stuff was the stuff we always have but I did do the mayo turkey this year and it was wonderful. I made two different desserts then usual, the invisible pie which everyone liked but I don't because I don't like jello although the chocolate crust was yummy
The chocolate caramel peanut butter tart was also super, super delicious.
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Post by Bridget in MD on Nov 29, 2022 0:58:07 GMT
The biggest miss was this sweet potato thing I saw as I was browsing, called "hasselback" sweet potatoes. Google to see what it's supposed to look like. Seemed easy enough and the recipe I found used the air fryer. Dh was driving out to dd's apartment to help her take apart some furniture for her move, so I sent her Thanksgiving dinner with him. Which meant her sweet potato was a test. I figured I'd make mine and dh's later so we'd have them hot out of the air fryer. The recipe said to cook them "until the were soft inside and crispy outside". Well I cooked it for longer than the recipe said to, and the inside wasn't cooked but the outside was starting to burn. grrr... So I ended up taking it out and putting it in the container with the other raw veggies that I was sending for dd to roast in the oven. I told her to put the sweet potato in with the other vegetables. Then I didn't even bother trying it for me and dh. I hate cooking. I've done hassellback potatoes in the oven, but not sweet potatoes. They are pretty good! In the AF tho, you probably needed to use a different function (ie baking vs air frying) if you can switch modes. My hits were: turkey was brined and roasted breast side down, so it was SUPER moist. Several people commented how shocked they were how moist it was. Another hit - my mom's butternut squash casserole with praline topping. Misses: I also usually use yukon gold potatoes but couldn't find them this year, so I got russet. I cooked a TON and my mom was in charge of the seasoning and she under seasoned as a precaution, so I thought they were bland as hell. Ya, i can add more but it just didn't taste right. Another miss: I made a brussel sprout recipe - followed the recipe but as it cooled, it became one lump of cheese & sprouts in a runny cream sauce. |
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Post by hopechest on Nov 29, 2022 1:11:16 GMT
Hit - Ina Garten's Mushroom, Leek and gruyere bread pudding instead of traditional stuffing. It was a huge hit and will definitely replace the traditional stuffing in our house.
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Post by SallyPA on Nov 29, 2022 1:25:16 GMT
Hits- the simple stuffing recipe I used for the 2nd year in a row and a new cranberry fluff recipe I tried for my super picky eater
Misses- the macaroni and cheese for the very picky eater that was the very last thing I made and I just was out of steam. It was too dry. Also pumpkin pie- I made it bc I felt like I had to but literally no one ate it; I will not make it next year lol.
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Post by lisae on Nov 29, 2022 1:25:34 GMT
After 2 years in a row of homemade pizza, I did something a bit more traditional - pork with cranberry sauce. I've made this before and I admit it's easy but not my favorite. DH made no comment about the meal at all and he usually compliments my cooking.
Next year, pizza. (Like the Q's on General Hospital, if anyone watches.)
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Post by flanz on Nov 29, 2022 2:26:07 GMT
Hit was the mashed potatoes. I started using Yukon Gold potatoes for mashed potatoes instead of Russett after a tip I heard somewhere online. They turn out much creamier and are delicious even if the potatoes cost a little more. Miss was the crustless pumpkin pie. I was tired of making crusts after making the other two pies (pecan and cherry as the family demanded) so decided to just use muffin liners in muffin tin without a crust. They were very wet and the paper liners did not like the wetness of the pumpkin goo very well. No one was eating them (I put them in with the appetizers) so I threw them away... ETA: I forgot when I went to make the deviled eggs the (new) mayonaise jar in my pantry smelled weird so I threw it out and used sour cream instead. They weren't bad but they weren't the same, and next year I will make sure to have a back up jar of mayo just in case... If you're up for trying again, MIL does crustless pumpkin pie in a glass baking dish. She butters it well, then shakes loose cornmeal around in it to coat. It's always delicious! That sounds good! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 29, 2022 2:33:30 GMT
It was all hits at our house. DH cooked the turkey on the pellet grill and it was moist and delicious. We also had green bean casserole, mashed potatoes with homemade turkey gravy, stuffing, homemade Amish white bread, homemade pumpkin pie and lemon bars. There wasnât a single dud on the plate.
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Post by amp on Nov 29, 2022 3:14:23 GMT
It was mostly hits this year. i cooked a 100% plant based meal and everyone loved it. My omnivore son loved it so much he asked to have it again for Christmas. Hits: for the past several years, I made my mother's pumpkin pie recipe by substituting some ingredients for plant based ones, including making my own evaporated soy milk, which takes a long time. The pie didn't quite taste the same. It was OK, but not as good as the original. So this year, I made a new plant-based pumpkin pie from a popular recipe on-line. O M G. It was so good and SO easy to make!! Our family has a new favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Here it is: itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-pumpkin-pie/?fbclid=IwAR0d2MS77-2fxjnCedf0DGXbdw4xxUST-1IuDVwbH-eq-7eAkdy8nqou5Xs#recipeMisses: I cut up the jellied cranberry and put it on a serving dish, put it in the fridge...and forgot to serve it.  I forgot to buy plant-based whipped cream for the pumpkin pie, and of course, it was all sold out the day before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, the pie was still good without it. All in all, it went well. And most importantly, I cooked and enjoyed a meal with my loved ones.  |
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Post by cmpeter on Nov 29, 2022 3:39:24 GMT
Hits. Dhâs pie crusts. He made them in the food processor this year instead of by hand and they were so flakey and light.
Miss Mac n cheese with gluten free noodles. It end up way too dry. And, the person I thought was gluten free has gone back to eating gluten.
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Post by Merge on Nov 29, 2022 3:41:39 GMT
Hits: no turkey! We didnât miss it at all. Also a hit was the smoked ham we got from a local farm. Smoked but not cured. Completely different from any ham Iâve had before. It was delicious!
Hit: at Ina Gartenâs suggestion, I doctored up store prepared mashed potatoes and they were delicious. I probably wonât mess with making them from scratch again.
Miss: the apple pie was dry. Tasty and beautiful to look at, but dry. Not really sure what happened there.
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Post by brynn on Nov 29, 2022 3:51:50 GMT
Our thanksgiving dinner was only for two. The hit was the requested homemade cranberry sauce. The fail was the rotisserie turkey breast from the grocery store.
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