Thread: Thanksgiving Recipe Contest!

OK ladies and gents Halloween is behind us and we are looking toward thanksgiving so in the spirit of the Holiday We are holding a Thanksgiving Recipe contest. The rules are these recipes must be real recipes that your family uses or has used in your Thanksgiving Celebrations Or a Celebration popular in your country (Don't want to leave anyone out) So no coping Recipes off the internet!!!!!
The recipes will be judged on originality, Ease of preparation and of course how much it makes the judges mouths water. The prizes will be paid in game room bucks! So make sure you check out the new Game Room!
1st prize 20 thousand game room bucks and bragging rights!
2nd prize 10 thousand game room bucks
3rd prize 5 thousand game room bucks
this contest will run until Thanksgiving day so get those recipes posted!!!

Ok guys our judges for this contest are DwarvenChef, gssixgun, icedog, and ZethLent each Judge will select a recipe from the entry's that they find most intriguing and prepare it as part of their meal and report back the winners will then be selected from this group. I know we have so great cooks on here so lets get those family recipes submitted and have some holiday fun!

one to get us started

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen cranberries, thawed
• 2 oranges, juiced and 1 orange zested
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the cranberries just begin to burst, about 15 minutes.

Complete Dinner:
1) Ask nice girl out on a date
2) After many dates, confirm that she can cook
3) After a fun courtship, get married
4) Watch football, drink beer, and wait for dinner to finish cooking
5) Take trash out and help clean up so step 4 happens again.

I think we have a winner, well done Slarti' verry funny!

Sourdough pecan dressing:


1lb loaf of bakery sourdough (not presliced), diced into 1/2" cubes, put on a cookie sheet, brushed with melted butter using a pastry brush, (~3tblsp) (can do this after slicing but before reducing to a dice if you want to simplify application and don't mind gloves/greasy fingers), sprinkle with 2 pinches of kosher or coarse sea salt, toasted in 300degree oven for 5-15minutes (until color just starts to change)

1 large white onion, minced
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

(saute individually (or together but added at intervals if you are a regular cook)) in a further tbls butter on med high heat finish with a pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted pecans, processed or chopped finely

1 1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
1/2 tbls fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbls fresh chopped sage leaves OR 1 tsp dry chopped sage leaves (not ground)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tbls honey or 1 tbls molasses

Mix Dry ingredients and slowly add:

1 pint fresh chicken/turkey stock heated + 1/4 cup melted butter

Until stuffing binds

Stuff into:

1 small chicken skin or large turkey breast skin (Use the stuff that was inside to make the required stock if you like)

Punch holes in skin with clean nail/boning knife/turkey kit needle/whatever and sew closed with butchers twine

Heat large cast iron skillet. Sear the bundle on all sides.

Place bundle in roasting pan

Insert roasting thermometer, set alarm to 175 degrees
Put roasting pan into 350 degree oven until alarm goes off.

Remove, serve as haggis.

Here is a recipe that we got from my brother in law years ago. We usually triple the recipe to make sure we have some left over. Yeah, it's that good. \

I put the recipe onto Tastyplanner.com. You can see it here:
Ginger Cranberry Rellish by Teamjt - Recipe - Tasty Planner

Jerry

Ingredients for Brine:

1 Gallon Hot water
1 Pound Kosher Salt
2 Quarts Vegetable broth
1 Pound Honey
1 7 Pound bag of ice
1 (15-20 pound Turkey)
Vegetable oil for rubbing

Directions:

Use a new lawn and leaf bag to line a 50-60 Quart cooler (cooler will retain scent of brine if you do not do this)

Combine hot water and salt in large dutch oven or stock pot, Stir until salt dissolves. Stir in the honey and vegtable broth (you may need to heat gently to get honey to completely dissolve). Pour mixture into lined cooler and add ice and stir. Place turkey in brine, Breast side up and cover with cooler lid. Brine overnight or up to 12 hours.

Remove Turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird with the vegetable oil and stuff if you choose.

Place in 400 degree oven and bake one hour. After one hour if the skin is golden brown, place aluminum foil over breast areas and continue cooling per package instructions or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. . Let sit 30 min, carve and enjoy

For those who would like to do this on a grill to smoke it:

Preheat grill to 400 degrees, place soaked wood chips (hickory work great) in the smoker box if you grill came with one, or make a tray out of double thickness aluminum foil making sure you turn up the edges all around. Place this direcly on the charcoal, or on the metal bar over the gas flame if using a gas grill. Set Turkey over indirect heat and follow the above directions to check after 1 hour. After one hour also replace the wood chips with a fresh batch, Continue cooking for recommended amount of time or until internal temp reaches 160. Let sit for 30-60 min.

Carve and enjoy!

(really isn't as complicated as it sounds )

This turkey comes out very moist and flavorful, Even the breast meat that tends to be on the dry side.

Have a good Thanksgiving everyone.

The following is a version of the recipe that my family has used for generations. It’s not really a “Thanksgiving” recipe as Russians don’t celebrate the holiday. Of course living in America now my family does so I guess it just became the appropriate dish for my grandmother to start making decades ago.

Turkey (Approx. 4-4 ½ hrs):
Turkey (approx. 15 lbs.)
1 ½ lbs. Bacon (regular bacon, don't use sugary or maple smoked)
Salt / Pepper

Stuffing (15 minutes):
1 ½ lbs. Pecans or Walnuts (either one creates a different but distinct flavor, I myself prefer walnuts)
3 lbs. Liver (calf)
French bread cut into cubes (remove crust)
Bread crumbs (amount depends on the mixtures consistency)
½ - 1 cup Milk
5 eggs (beaten)
Celery (three stalks, medium slice)
*Sour Cherries 2-3 cups (optional, if you can find em’ I recommend)
*Raisins1-1 ½ cups (you can use raisins instead of cherries as well)
Salt / Pepper


To make stuffing:
Chop up the nuts into small pieces and set aside. Sauté the liver for about 3-4 minutes just to brown it. Put liver into blender and lightly blend. Be careful you want to lightly blend and chop it’s not a margarita so don’t go crazy :-) You want it to have a consistency like hamburger so if you own a grinder like I do this works better.
Put the chopped liver in a bowl, add nuts, bread, milk, eggs, celery, *cherries, and mix by hand. Add breadcrumbs based on desired consistency but it should be somewhat wet, imagine moist meatloaf.

The bird:
Obviously clean the bird, inside and out. Place the stuffing mixture inside the turkey and either “sew” it closed or stick skewers through it in an X pattern to close it. Salt / Pepper the bird. Cover the whole turkey with bacon; legs, back, breast, etc. Then tie with string just as you would say a stuffed loin. Stick a meat thermometer into the breast area. Roast in oven, covered in foil, at 400⁰ F for 45 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375⁰ F and continue to roast for 3 hours. At this point you need to also start basting the turkey every 15 or 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue roasting and basting until the thermometer reaches 175⁰ F. prick the thigh and if the juice is clear the turkey is done.

Drain juices into a bowl and slap in the freezer while turkey is resting for about 10-15 minutes. After resting cut the tie string, pull out the stuffing. Take the bowl from the freezer with the drained juices and remove the fat layer that has formed at the top, use the juices to pour over the turkey.

And the Winners are
1st place CarrieM
second place Caddy59
and third place to controlfreak1

Congrats to everyone and thanks for entering!!!!! I will get your accounts credited tonight!