TrophyHusband 0 #26 November 18, 2008 QuoteWe tend to do it a little early- maybe some time between 3 and 5. I think 2 is pushing it. Now that I am cooking most of the big meals, I can honestly say I don't want to get up at dawn in order to serve dinner any earlier than 3 or 4 pm. I just cooked an early Thanksgiving dinner last weekend- cooked all day and still didn't serve dinner until after 6:00. (I actually started the night before with the brine..........) I think about how my mom used to do that every year for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and none of us helped her much at all. Kind of makes me a little ashamed of myself! An appalling amount of work goes into those big "holiday" meals! i don't mind getting up early to cook, once in a while i get up at 5am to start the fire when i smoke a boston butt, and it won;t be ready until 6pm. you say you brined the turkey starting the night before. alton brown by chance? i use his turkey recipe and it rocks. it is a hell of a lot of work to put on a holiday meal, and i too did little to help out when i was younger. i love to cook and look forward to both thanksgiving ang christmas meals, but just a generation ago, the women were expected to put on these big meals whether they liked it or not. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #27 November 18, 2008 QuoteYou have to plan to have the meal served at a time that will not interfere with kick off for your favorite game; however, it has to be after the Macy's parade has ended. i'm a seahawks fan, and i think they're playing the cowboys on thanksgiving. i really don't think they will win that game. the way seattle is playing this year, i just can't plan anything around their games. i am a faithful fan and will never switch my allegiance, there's only so much i can give. while i hate parades, i tune in to the macy's parade towards the end to it. i usually have my christamas lights hung up before thankgiving day so i can turn them on when santa makes an appearance at the end of the day to signal the beginning of the christmas season. this year has been busy, so i'm not sure i'll have thme up in time, but i'm gonna try. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #28 November 18, 2008 Quote Your wife "SUGGESTED" 2:00PM... be a nice husband and LISTEN to your wife's suggestion.... Why have a miserable afternoon and evening because you got away with a 1:00 hr delay ? Just my $1.00 - $0.98 it's always best to listen to the wife's "suggestions". she may give me a little shit for having dinner ready late (she always does), but if she made life miserable, she would have to find a new cook/maid/manny/groundskeeper/sexual service provider.she told our guests "dinner is at 2:00, so that means it will be ready at about 4 or 4:30". the respose she got was "good, that means plenty of time to drink wine." "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #29 November 18, 2008 Quote Quote Well, hell, come over to our house. I have to work until 3 PM, don't get home until 3:30, so we eat around 4'ish. And I'll have dinner on the table, pies cooling on the racks, kids cleaned up and a tasty beverage in an iced glass when you get home sweetie! you guys may not remember me from my short time at kapowsin, but i remeber you and you guys rock! if all goes as planned, we will end up un western washington so we may just take you up on that some day. beware, my 3 boys inherited my dna.(how the hell do you make the ddevil emoticon?) "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vskydiver 0 #30 November 18, 2008 Quote Quote Quote Well, hell, come over to our house. I have to work until 3 PM, don't get home until 3:30, so we eat around 4'ish. And I'll have dinner on the table, pies cooling on the racks, kids cleaned up and a tasty beverage in an iced glass when you get home sweetie! you guys may not remember me from my short time at kapowsin, but i remeber you and you guys rock! if all goes as planned, we will end up un western washington so we may just take you up on that some day. beware, my 3 boys inherited my dna.(how the hell do you make the ddevil emoticon?) Ha! Your always welcome! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #31 November 18, 2008 thank you! "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #32 November 18, 2008 Quotewe're planning thanksgiving dinner, and just like every year, my wife wants to have dinner at 2:00 OK..I got the time. Now what's the address? We always had it around 2-3, too. Family tradition, I guess. The real reason is so the after-dinner nap gets done before it gets dark.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #33 November 18, 2008 Quote What about COLLEGE football? Only if Alabama-Auburn plays on Thanksgiving day. They haven't since the 1980s, thank God. This year's Iron Bowl is the Saturday after. Time to chop off those remaining unused fingers!!! "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cari 0 #34 November 18, 2008 Quotewe're planning thanksgiving dinner, and just like every year, my wife wants to have dinner at 2:00, but i would rather have it closer to dinner time. a 2:00 meal isn't dinner, its a late lunch. growing up, thanksgiving dinner has always been early in the day and it was the same for my wife, so i guess its normal, but why? it it so the old people can eat and drive home before it gets dark? since i'm doing the cooking, i have ultimate control over when the meal is served, but i will probably only push it out to 3:00 at the latest because i want my dear sweet wife to be happy. what time is normal for thanksgiving dinner? for you foreigners, do you have a holiday where you server an abnormally early huge meal? I always thought my family had early dinner on Thanksgiving so they didn't miss too much football. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #35 November 18, 2008 Quote Quote I think we usually have thanksgiving dinner relatively early so we can eat dinner then a few hours later we have room for dessert... But I'm not usually in the planning commitee for T-day Dinner I'm just tasked with setup and tear down... and in the last couple of years I've played with my camera doing goofy things like making time lapse videos... the time laspe vidoes would be cool. i would like to see something like that of me cooking. I'd like to take a panoramic of the room this year... I've posted it before but here's the time lapse of the Family dinner... http://www.scottgunshell.com/Vids/thankgiving.wmvLivin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #36 November 18, 2008 I normally just do a turkey breast and use a Tyler Florence recipe from a few years ago as a basic guideline then add whatever I feel like adding- garlic, fresh herbs, etc ................ The nice thing about just doing the breast is that it fits into a large stock pot that I will fit in the fridge overnight if it isn't cold enough outside. I enjoy cooking also, but if I am doing the cooking, I decide what time to serve dinner! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #37 November 18, 2008 Quote And I'll have dinner on the table, pies cooling on the racks, kids cleaned up and a tasty beverage in an iced glass when you get home sweetie! And she makes jumpsuits, too. It's good to be me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiver30960 0 #38 November 18, 2008 The women in my family always said is was such a huge meal that it was just good to have it over with early enough in the day that they could enjoy the rest of the holiday. Elvisio "over the river and through the woods" Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #39 November 18, 2008 Quote I normally just do a turkey breast and use a Tyler Florence recipe from a few years ago We brine the turkey for a day or two, a la Alton Brown's ginger vegetable stock recipe, then carefully roast the bird to 161 degrees Fahrenheit. Mmmmm.Perfect every time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #40 November 18, 2008 Do you make pan gravy with the drippings? My only issue with brining is that my gravy always seems to come out really salty. (The turkey is perfect........) And since I only do it once or twice a year, I don't get enough practice in order to get it right! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #41 November 18, 2008 i do the same thing as john and i've never had a problem with salty gravy. what do you put in the gravy? i deglaze the pan with wine, then add chicken broth and a little heavy cream. i don't know what could be causing your gravy to be salty, but try rinsing the bird really well after the brine and use low or no sodium ingredients in the gravy. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #42 November 18, 2008 I don't think I rinsed the bird this last time, so that moght have been part of the problem. I also deglaze with wine and use flour and chicken stock, but so far I have resisted the temptation to add heavy cream. I think I might just try that next time. It came out OK last time, just a litttle saltier than I would like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #43 November 18, 2008 Quote Quote And I'll have dinner on the table, pies cooling on the racks, kids cleaned up and a tasty beverage in an iced glass when you get home sweetie! And she makes jumpsuits, too. It's good to be me. Damn dude, pies on her rack and a Bever_ageYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #44 November 19, 2008 Quote Damn dude, pies on her rack and a Bever_age Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #45 November 19, 2008 Quote Do you make pan gravy with the drippings? My only issue with brining is that my gravy always seems to come out really salty. I drain the drippings, then separate the fat from the liquid. I then bring the liquid to a boil in a sauce pan. Then, for each cup of juice, mix 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small amount of cold water. Mix until all the starch is suspended. Stirring rapidly with a whisk, add the corn starch mixture into the boiling drippings. Don't add any salt. That's all I do and everyone seems pretty happy with the gravy. The actual crunchies at the bottom of the pan? Heck, Valinda and I sneak those while we're fixing the gravy.Are all these cooking tips going to hurt my guy card? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sunshine 2 #46 November 19, 2008 Nothing is "normal" to me. I'm just glad i have awesome friends to spend the holidays with. Don't care what we eat or do, just being around people that i care about is nice. ___________________________________________ meow I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vskydiver 0 #47 November 19, 2008 Quote Are all these cooking tips going to hurt my guy card? Like you even care if this is hurting your guy card! You're cooking pays off in dividends most guys only dream of. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpwally 0 #48 November 19, 2008 I knew it......i just knew it..... smile, be nice, enjoy life FB # - 1083 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #49 November 19, 2008 Quote Quote Do you make pan gravy with the drippings? My only issue with brining is that my gravy always seems to come out really salty. I drain the drippings, then separate the fat from the liquid. I then bring the liquid to a boil in a sauce pan. Then, for each cup of juice, mix 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small amount of cold water. Mix until all the starch is suspended. Stirring rapidly with a whisk, add the corn starch mixture into the boiling drippings. Don't add any salt. That's all I do and everyone seems pretty happy with the gravy. The actual crunchies at the bottom of the pan? Heck, Valinda and I sneak those while we're fixing the gravy.Are all these cooking tips going to hurt my guy card? Guys who cook are SEXY! Your "man card" is safe! With just cooking a breast, I don't normally have enough "juice" to worry about separating the fat- half of which is the butter I basted with anyway! I don't add salt but next time I will make sure I rinse the bird, use unsalted butter and low salt stock! Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #50 November 20, 2008 Quote Are all these cooking tips going to hurt my guy card? my culinary skills went a long way in wooing my hot wife into marrying me. if someone wants to take my guy card for being able to give out cooking tips, they can have it because i still get to go to bed with a hot chick every night. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
