Arkansas Blog

What time do we eat?

Nah, I don't think so.

Although my family is into the whole typical traditional Thanksgiving fare, if it were up to me we'd have chicken instead of turkey. (Since the '50s Dad has roasted the turkey and Mom has made both "regular" and oyster dressing). We kids--and now some grandkids--fill out the rest of the menu potluck-style. I usually bring a turkey alternative, most often pork.

But when it comes to turkey, give me the dark meat. Y'all can have the breast meat from those freakishly engineered breast-heavy commercial birds.

Whenever tofu is "tricked" into attempting to resemble meat is ends up tasting like hotdogs. No thank you. If you want tofu here's what you do...buy the firm tofu that comes in a tub, not the cardboard/foil kind. Slice the thickness in half and place back into the tub with a mixture of soysauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, a pinch of brown sugar and a couple dashes of sesame oil. Let this marinate for several hours in the fridge. Grill the tofu "steaks" over a low to medium fire until it firms up a bit. This method also works in an oven. The texture becomes rather meaty and is nice over brown rice or sliced and served cold with crackers.

That being said, I'm fixin to brine a fresh turkey and smoke the sucker over pecan wood all day Sunday. Some will be saved for Thursday, the rest sliced and frozen. The smoked turkey bones and skin make a wonderful stock when slowly simmered with veggies and seasonings. This stock is a really nice touch in gumbo, bean soup, chili, tortilla soup.

Happy Gluttony Day Everybody! It's got the be the most American holiday ever.

I ain't eating that imitation meat crap. I want the real stuff...and lots of it! The further we get away from fresh, 'real' food products, the worse our health gets. Soy bean is a wonderful/nutritious food source (I'm fond of soy nuts); but tofu turkey is taking things too far. Yuck!

I'm a dressing/gravy fan...so I basically use the turkey to get the gravy. (And, cornbread is the ONLY route to go dressing wise...mmm, I can't wait.)

I say it's regurgitated bologna. Bring on the grilled hamburgers and oven-baked steak fries for Thanksgiving! No food left on plates, and everyone is thankful for not having to get up early and stuff stuff up the arse of a turkey. That's what Odamae is thankful for.

Max! You don't put eggs in your dressing and moisten it with chicken broth? A nice southern boy like you?
Now I like tofu and plenty of it -- in hot and sour soup.
But this Thanksgiving I'd make oyster dressing to memorialize Richard Allin, if I weren't allergic to the darn things. So it's the usual cornbread dressing with plenty of chicken, celery and onion. Which reminds me -- I'd better check the freezer and see if I have enough extra cornbread pieces stashed. Hubby has taken to feeding the soup, stew or beans to the dog and eating cornbread and milk for supper when I agree to make a pan.
Whatever that may say about my soup, stew or beans, it does say a lot about those nights that the dog is not a really welcome guest in our bedroom. Beano for dogs?

The further we get away from fresh, 'real' food products<<<

Dang Miss Z, if you knew how old the turkeys are , the one you are about to eat, then you would retract that, unless someone brings home a real bronze or black from the woods.

Zelda, it's really not that bad. But it's really not that good either.

Thanks, pollen. Got a recipe for that Chickett stuff?

At our family Thanksgiving gathering, Mamaw makes CHICKEN and dressing. However, we also have a turkey(roasted) and a ham (also roasted). I prefer the ham to the turkey; always have, even on a Country Store sandwich.

This year's menu will also have corn casserole, creamed potatoes (not mashed, you know), gravies (yeah, probably at least 2 types), rolls, etc.

Both the soybean and domestic turkey are highly genetically altered these days (and turkey pumped up with lord knows how many antibiotics etc.).. they both require about the same amount of heroic effort to make them taste like something other than bleached cardboard.. If I must eat domestic turkey at all I prefer the deep fried method.. Once you go wild turkey baby, you will have a whole lot of trouble enjoying the blob sold for turkey in the store.. AT least buy a free range turkey.. the taste is much better, imo.

Though the final decision hasn't been made here on the Kings River.. I suspect a mandarin orange, wild rice, mushroom stuffed Cornish Hen ( a dozen of them) and or wild rabbit or wild goose will make it to the table.

Just tested a pumpkin bread recipe this week.. It's a winner and will have to make more x2 for the week ahead. ALso pumkin bread toast with a bit of good butter is a great way to start the day.

Eureka, I must vigorously protest your slanderous comments about the noble tofurky. Turtle Island Foods uses non-gmo ingredients and is a long-time opponent of genetically engineered foods.

They make a tofurky kielbasa that is actually pretty good. I was never a fan of all the fat and gristle in regular kielbasa, so to me this is an improvement over the real stuff. But, as someone else pointed out, processed food is still processed food.

How about that pumpkin bread recipe? I can substitute for the milk and eggs.

I always have a big fat hen, no turkey here, richer broth to go in the c/bread dressing.
I could eat tons of fruit salad, love it, don't know why I don't make it more often.

Yeah, I know lwood...groceries are often about the choosing the least of evils, rather than choosing the best. But as my local Kroger's selections grow (lots of organic/free range selections these days), and my education/awareness grows, I do better. In general, I'm not a meat fan; but I like it organic, whole (not chunked/pressed) and from as least amount of suffering as possible (NO VEAL).

Vegan4hillary...'not the bad' doesn't sound like much of a sales pitch! Don't get me wrong, I like tofu/soy products; I just don't think packaging them thusly is appealing.

I agree about the hen versus the turkey, jazzy. Makes great gravy for my plate full of dressing. I don't know why I don't make fruit salad more often, either; it's delicious and relatively good for ya (like that matters ha!).

Vegan4Hillary - It's been twenty five years since I followed a strict veggie diet... but you are right the soy style sausages are often quite delicious.

left a link for the recipe at my name.. No white sugar of which many recipes call for as much as two cups per loaf. I don't mind white sugar myself.. but do enjoy other ingredients.

Hope this helps

P.S. I am tempted to raise the cooking temp and reduce cooking time for and extra crispy crust on my next batch.. Pumpkin bread crust is so tasty.

Eureka,
You can make any meat or poultry taste better if you water-smoke it. Currently water-smokers are inexpensive ($30-50) and provide a moist, slow-cooked turkey. I usu allow about 12-15 hours for a wild turkey (dressed weight 15-17 lb), more for a fattened domestic turkey. Use green hickory for the fire-smoke pan, about one inch diameter pcs, 2-4 " long. If you never have used a water-smoker by all means try it. It's worth the time/effort. Oh never use self-lighting charcoal. The kerosene used in it will permeate the meat.Water-smokers are much healthier and tastier than deep frying which always produce some heavy carcinogens. It's no accident that our deep-fried culture features colon cancer as the second most common type.

This year Thanksgiving dinner will really be traditional, like way back traditional. Last week our 11 yr old niece took her first deer. We will smoke a rump roast, basted with raw apple juice/carrots/onions and today I got a limit of trout which will also be water smoked. Some wild rice stuffing in the trout and actual yams will make it a genuine traditional meal. Corn is for feeding squirrels at our house.

For left over turkey, usu close to tasteless, here's a spicy way to ramp it up. It's called 19th Century Curry mix by chef Suzanne Quintner:

mix together -
2 tablespoon ground tumeric
5 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon ceyenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

store in a tightly sealed GLASS container. No plastic.

put a tablespoon of the mixture into a warming or sauce pan add 3/4 cup of water and simmer your pieces of turkey in it briefly. Yum.

Dang eLwood.. you make me wish I had some venison this year.. All my old hunting grounds are down south, to far away with to little time this year.. and the competition for WMA permits up here is fierce. ANyway, don't post your address or you will have a visitor from ES looking for leftovers on Friday. *g*

Thanks for the recipe, Eureka. Can't wait to try it.

Zelda, I know that's not much of a sales pitch; but it's the best I can do and still be telling the truth.

You'll like ES's bread Vegan. I've been using virtually the same recipe for several years. I substitute rich, creamy soy milk for the dairy, add some chopped pineapple while omitting the raisins. The only spice I use is allspice. Simple, easy, quick. Makes a perfect light breakfast food, spread with all-fruit jam, or some tahini.