Thanksgiving Dinner
A success. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
A recap of the day:
First, up before church. I made a herb-seasoned butter log (for later use on the turkey), and prepped the roll dough. I actually attempted to make Grandmother Killian's rolls today.
Then, church at 9am. This Thanksgiving mass was my first time cantoring at the West Lafayette church. It went well, though they did mix things up a bit.
After church, we prepped the turkey, by putting butter coins underneath the skin of the turkey, spreading butter around the outside, and filling the cavity with fresh herbs, onions, and lemon slices. Simultaneously, Kristina prepared some sweet-onion tartlets. Unfortunately, since the tartlets baked on the rack below the turkey, in the end, the crust burned a little (though the stuffing was quite good). Guess we should have watched it a little more closely. The tartlets were joined by shrimp and cocktail sauce, chili-cheese dip, and deviled eggs for lunchtime appetizers. The turkey was timed for 3-4pm (though it actually finished a little before 3, unexpectedly).
When the turkey was suddenly done early, we enacted a flurry of activity preparing all the other courses. These included mashed potatoes, sweet-potato oranges (a recipe from friends), rolling out the rolls, veg-all casserole, green beans, gravy, and stuffing.
Cook's review:
Turkey: quite good. It was a little moister than a typical turkey, which I was pleased with. People who had the skin reported it being quite good. I would recommend this recipe again, though it was rather strange putting stuff under the skin. (The recipe came from Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, and is available at the food network website).
Mashed Potatoes (Thanks Matt): Matt did all the work draining, tending, and mashing the potatoes. These were typical mashed potatoes, and just as good as any I've made. Also, thanks to Matt's devotion, they were mashed quite thoroughly, for a smooth potato.
Sweet Potatoes (Thanks Matt and Kristina): Together they produced this dish. I didn't have it, because I don't like sweet potatoes, but Kristina liked it quite a bit. Also, with it being prepared in an orange peel, and having marshmallows melted on top, it made for a beautiful presentation.
Stuffing (Thanks Rebecca): Rebecca did all the work sauteing and mixing together these. I probably could have added more liquid to these, as they were a little dry, but with the gravy they were pretty good. The flavor was good, they just could have been a bit more moist.
Veg-All Casserole (Thanks Matt): Matt prepared the buttery topping for this one. Veg-All Casserole is always a crowd pleaser, and this time was no different. It was perhaps a little extra cheesy, but who doesn't like cheese!
Gravy: I can't say I was impressed by the gravy (also from the TV show with the Turkey). It just didn't have a flavor I was particularly interested in. Next time I'll probably just go back to normal gravy with potato water.
Green Beans (Thanks Mom): I guess these were fine. I don't care much for green beans, but they were decent.
Grandmother Killian's Rolls (Thanks Rebecca for buttering these before baking): I won't say they were as good as when Susan makes them, but they were quite good. They did rise, which is a primary challenge. Mainly I think they were a little tough, so next time perhaps a little less flour and a little less kneading. But I was please with them.
For Desert? We have some things which a friend of the Young's brought, and I'll be making a lemon-meringue pie (my favorite).
A recap of the day:
First, up before church. I made a herb-seasoned butter log (for later use on the turkey), and prepped the roll dough. I actually attempted to make Grandmother Killian's rolls today.
Then, church at 9am. This Thanksgiving mass was my first time cantoring at the West Lafayette church. It went well, though they did mix things up a bit.
After church, we prepped the turkey, by putting butter coins underneath the skin of the turkey, spreading butter around the outside, and filling the cavity with fresh herbs, onions, and lemon slices. Simultaneously, Kristina prepared some sweet-onion tartlets. Unfortunately, since the tartlets baked on the rack below the turkey, in the end, the crust burned a little (though the stuffing was quite good). Guess we should have watched it a little more closely. The tartlets were joined by shrimp and cocktail sauce, chili-cheese dip, and deviled eggs for lunchtime appetizers. The turkey was timed for 3-4pm (though it actually finished a little before 3, unexpectedly).
When the turkey was suddenly done early, we enacted a flurry of activity preparing all the other courses. These included mashed potatoes, sweet-potato oranges (a recipe from friends), rolling out the rolls, veg-all casserole, green beans, gravy, and stuffing.
Cook's review:
Turkey: quite good. It was a little moister than a typical turkey, which I was pleased with. People who had the skin reported it being quite good. I would recommend this recipe again, though it was rather strange putting stuff under the skin. (The recipe came from Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, and is available at the food network website).
Mashed Potatoes (Thanks Matt): Matt did all the work draining, tending, and mashing the potatoes. These were typical mashed potatoes, and just as good as any I've made. Also, thanks to Matt's devotion, they were mashed quite thoroughly, for a smooth potato.
Sweet Potatoes (Thanks Matt and Kristina): Together they produced this dish. I didn't have it, because I don't like sweet potatoes, but Kristina liked it quite a bit. Also, with it being prepared in an orange peel, and having marshmallows melted on top, it made for a beautiful presentation.
Stuffing (Thanks Rebecca): Rebecca did all the work sauteing and mixing together these. I probably could have added more liquid to these, as they were a little dry, but with the gravy they were pretty good. The flavor was good, they just could have been a bit more moist.
Veg-All Casserole (Thanks Matt): Matt prepared the buttery topping for this one. Veg-All Casserole is always a crowd pleaser, and this time was no different. It was perhaps a little extra cheesy, but who doesn't like cheese!
Gravy: I can't say I was impressed by the gravy (also from the TV show with the Turkey). It just didn't have a flavor I was particularly interested in. Next time I'll probably just go back to normal gravy with potato water.
Green Beans (Thanks Mom): I guess these were fine. I don't care much for green beans, but they were decent.
Grandmother Killian's Rolls (Thanks Rebecca for buttering these before baking): I won't say they were as good as when Susan makes them, but they were quite good. They did rise, which is a primary challenge. Mainly I think they were a little tough, so next time perhaps a little less flour and a little less kneading. But I was please with them.
For Desert? We have some things which a friend of the Young's brought, and I'll be making a lemon-meringue pie (my favorite).