Let's talk turkey

[Freak Out]

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped celery with leaves
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound bulk country pork sausage
2 tart apples, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped
1 cup dried pitted cherries
6 cups stale bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup tawny port
1 cup chicken broth well seasoned with salt and pepper

1.Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the celery and onions over low heat until softened but not browned (10 Minutes), transfer to large mixing bowl
2.Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon until it is cooked through and lightly browned. Add the sausage to the vegetables in the bowl.
3.Stir the apples, hazelnuts and cherries into the sausage mixture. Add the bread cubes and toss lightly. Sprinkle with the salt, thyme, sage and pepper. Toss lightly again. Add the port and stock and toss until well blended.

Stuff a bird or cook it on it's own. If you stuff a bird do not pack it tightly and remember to sew or skewer the ends closed. Take some pan drippings if you like and mix with the extra to cook in a casserole dish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[packinpatland]

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped celery with leaves
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound bulk country pork sausage
2 tart apples, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and chopped
1 cup dried pitted cherries
6 cups stale bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup tawny port
1 cup chicken broth well seasoned with salt and pepper

1.Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the celery and onions over low heat until softened but not browned (10 Minutes), transfer to large mixing bowl
2.Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon until it is cooked through and lightly browned. Add the sausage to the vegetables in the bowl.
3.Stir the apples, hazelnuts and cherries into the sausage mixture. Add the bread cubes and toss lightly. Sprinkle with the salt, thyme, sage and pepper. Toss lightly again. Add the port and stock and toss until well blended.

Stuff a bird or cook it on it's own. If you stuff a bird do not pack it tightly and remember to sew or skewer the ends closed. Take some pan drippings if you like and mix with the extra to cook in a casserole dish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow! This one sounds really good. The cherries, hazelnuts, and apples......
Thanks!

[Little Whiskey]

No kidding......with stuffing like that, who needs turkey?!

actually, turkey is my least favorite of the thanksgiving dinner items. I love stuffing and all those pies. its nice to have an occasion where pie is the preferred dessert.

[Iron Mike]

I distinctly remember getting up early one Thanksgiving and walking into the kitchen, where my Mom was emptying the contents of the giblet bag into a saucepan.

Me: What are you cooking THAT for??

Mom: It goes into the dressing.

Me: No dressing for me today, thanks.

[Badgerinmaine]

I'm from WS.....married to a Yooper. (We've been 'out of the area', for 30+ years). Once a Packer fan, always a Packer fan.

We are all part of a plot to infiltrate New England with Packers fans. I am doing my part up north

There have long been connections between New England and Wisconsin, by the way. Lots of settlers went the other way during the 1800s--just look at all the Maine place names alone on the Wis. map--Augusta, Portland, Bangor, Casco, Lewiston, Ellsworth, the town of Maine near Wausau--not to mention the rest of New England (New London, Norwalk, Hartford, Danbury, Burlington, Fitchburg, Stoughton) and New York (Albany, Brooklyn, Cazenovia, Utica).

[Freak Out]

I'm from WS.....married to a Yooper. (We've been 'out of the area', for 30+ years). Once a Packer fan, always a Packer fan.

We are all part of a plot to infiltrate New England with Packers fans. I am doing my part up north

There have long been connections between New England and Wisconsin, by the way. Lots of settlers went the other way during the 1800s--just look at all the Maine place names alone on the Wis. map--Augusta, Portland, Bangor, Casco, Lewiston, Ellsworth, the town of Maine near Wausau--not to mention the rest of New England (New London, Norwalk, Hartford, Danbury, Burlington, Fitchburg, Stoughton) and New York (Albany, Brooklyn, Cazenovia, Utica).

Lobster is more of a thanksgiving tradition then turkey is. Is that what you cook?

[MadtownPacker]

Re: Let's talk turkey

I've got 18 coming for dinner. One of the out-of-towners has suggested we brine the turkey. I've never done this or even tasted a brined turkey.
Has anyone done this? And if so, is it worth the effort? And what is a recommended brine mix for a 20+ turkey?

Tell the snobby bastard he will be lucky to get a cold turkey sandwich.

OK, so none of you palenecks ever eat tamales on T-Day? Mama always hooks em up by the dozen this week and through December. You Whiteys would love them.

[Partial]

Stuffing on thanksgving is my favorite food of the year. Those recipes sound delicious!

[Zool]

Re: Let's talk turkey

I've got 18 coming for dinner. One of the out-of-towners has suggested we brine the turkey. I've never done this or even tasted a brined turkey.
Has anyone done this? And if so, is it worth the effort? And what is a recommended brine mix for a 20+ turkey?

Tell the snobby bastard he will be lucky to get a cold turkey sandwich.

OK, so none of you palenecks ever eat tamales on T-Day? Mama always hooks em up by the dozen this week and through December. You Whiteys would love them.

I miss them so much. You cant get good tamales up here. My buddy in LA used to hook me up the day after thanksgiving. A dozen of each.

[MadtownPacker]

Re: Let's talk turkey

I miss them so much. You cant get good tamales up here. My buddy in LA used to hook me up the day after thanksgiving. A dozen of each.

Yeah tamales dont grow in the cold. Gotta be closer to Mexico.

What kind did your buddy give you? pork? chicken? jalapeno and cheese? Did his Mom say "here mijo, give em to tu amigo gabacho that dont got no mujer"?

[Freak Out]

Re: Let's talk turkey

I miss them so much. You cant get good tamales up here. My buddy in LA used to hook me up the day after thanksgiving. A dozen of each.

Yeah tamales dont grow in the cold. Gotta be closer to Mexico.

What kind did your buddy give you? pork? chicken? jalapeno and cheese? Did his Mom say "here mijo, give em to tu amigo gabacho that dont got no mujer"?

There is nothing like a good tamale.....I've made many after thanksgiving with leftover turkey. Enchiladas as well........nowhere near as good as MTPs mother can though I'm sure. I'm coming down bro.

Have the green sauce and the green leaf ready.

[Zool]

Re: Let's talk turkey

I miss them so much. You cant get good tamales up here. My buddy in LA used to hook me up the day after thanksgiving. A dozen of each.

Yeah tamales dont grow in the cold. Gotta be closer to Mexico.

What kind did your buddy give you? pork? chicken? jalapeno and cheese? Did his Mom say "here mijo, give em to tu amigo gabacho that dont got no mujer"?

12 cheese, 12 beef, 12 chicken. You would think that would last me a while, but maybe a week.

[Cheesehead Craig]

I'm having country-style ribs for Thanksgiving this year. Courtesy of my mother-in-law who loves not having traditional foods for holidays.

[packinpatland]

I'm from WS.....married to a Yooper. (We've been 'out of the area', for 30+ years). Once a Packer fan, always a Packer fan.

We are all part of a plot to infiltrate New England with Packers fans. I am doing my part up north

There have long been connections between New England and Wisconsin, by the way. Lots of settlers went the other way during the 1800s--just look at all the Maine place names alone on the Wis. map--Augusta, Portland, Bangor, Casco, Lewiston, Ellsworth, the town of Maine near Wausau--not to mention the rest of New England (New London, Norwalk, Hartford, Danbury, Burlington, Fitchburg, Stoughton) and New York (Albany, Brooklyn, Cazenovia, Utica).

Lobster is more of a thanksgiving tradition then turkey is. Is that what you cook?

I was just reading Philbrick's book, Mayflower, the pilgrims reached a point where they had little to eat but lobsters.....got sick of them.......can you imagine that?

And about those tamales, Mad........when I used to live in AZ, we always had them Christmas Eve. Lady across the street would make them for the whole neighborhood........I don't think I've had better ones since.....and that was 1960!

[Badgerinmaine]

Lobster is more of a thanksgiving tradition then turkey is. Is that what you cook?

I am always at one of my in-laws in Connecticut for Thanksgiving these days, so I don't cook anything :P

Seriously, lobster has plunged in price so much lately that people are trying to talk up the idea of having lobster for Thanksgiving here in the papers. I've never heard of anyone ever doing it, but this would be the year to try!