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View Full Version : Early Thanksgiving Dinner Reviews - CL Nov'01 and Others



Peggy
11-18-2001, 11:08 PM
I really enjoyed reading everyone's Thanksgiving Day menus on another post! I will not be hosting Thanksigiving this year, so we decided to have our family Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Since I used several recipes from the November issue, I thought I would post our reviews now. Perhaps this will be helpful to those who are still undecided about what to serve.

Cooking Light's Ultimate Roasted Turkey (Nov '01) - I followed this recipe exactly as written, except I passed on the giblets and neck in the gravy, because we aren't big fans of either. The turkey came out very moist and flavorful. The outside was a beautiful golden brown. I basted every 20 minutes, with the cider syrup while it lasted and then with the pan juices. The gravy was excellent ... with the onion and sweet apple flavors coming through. It was a little thin for me, so I added additional cornstarch to the broth to thicken it a bit. Overall, a very successful turkey recipe.

Mama's Corn Bread Stuffing (Nov'01) - I started by making the Mama's Corn Bread recipe. Wasn't very impressed with the finished cornbread...It seemed very dry and uninteresting. However, once I added the other ingredients and made the stuffiing it was just fine. I used fresh sage (about 2 tablespoonfuls) and that really jacked up the flavor. I've had better stuffing in my day, but this recipe was actually quite good.

Cranberry, Pear and Ginger Relish (Nov' 01) - This was great! Every year I try a different cranberry relish/sauce recipe and this one is among the best I've tried. Finally found a use for the crystallized ginger I bought from Penzey's recently!

Glazed Julienne Carrots (CL SuperFast Suppers Supplement) - My DH had requested glazed carrots so I thought I would try this new recipe. It was very easy and he really like them.

Creamy Onions and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Sunset - Nov '01) - We had a split decision on the potatoes. My DD and I really liked them, but my DH thought they tasted too much like sour cream. First you saute onion and garlic, then add 1 quart water and the cut up potatoes. After the potatoes are tender you drain them and add sour cream, whipping cream, butter, and mayonnaise (!) and mash or whip them. The sour cream flavor was assertive, but I liked them that way.

Lightened Waldorf Salad (CL BB Recipe) - I had printed this off the BB months ago and tried it once before. It was a very refreshing side salad to an otherwise "heavy" meal. I forget who posted it, but thank you to whomever it was!

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake with Cognac Cream (Nov'01) - We aren't big pumpkin pie people, so I made this instead. We had made it at my Supper Club and really liked it. Once again, it was very good!

Well, that wraps up our Thanksgiving Dinner this year! I was very pleased with the results! For wine, we had a Pinor Noir and thought that complimented the meal perfectly.

Now, I am exhausted, having been in the kitchen for about 10 hours today. I think I will head to bed!:p

Peggy

Lynne1975
11-19-2001, 06:28 AM
I agree with you on the cornbread. Mine came out so dry I could barely choke it down (even after dousing it with maple syrup!)

KelLeg
11-19-2001, 06:53 AM
Well, I was going to make that stuffing! Do you have a different one you would recommend??? I'm going to the store today and tomorrow. My problem is that my DH doesn't like anything like sausage or dried fruit in the stuffing.

Peggy
11-19-2001, 08:21 AM
KelLeg,

Actually the stuffing itself was pretty good. It was just that the plain cornbread was not exciting and it was very dry. I would say go ahead and make it as planned. But I would recommend using fresh sage in it.

Peggy

SusanMac
11-19-2001, 08:38 AM
I made that stuffing, but just used my regular cornbread recipe. If you have one you like, use that instead to insure it's not too dry. One key to this stuffing is to make sure the cornbread really has time to cool. I think the chix broth should cool, too, although the recipe didn't call for it. I was in a rush and when I went to mix everything together, the cornbread totally fell apart. Also, this stuffing was better the next day, so I'd recommend blending everything on Wed and baking it on Thurs.

Grace
11-19-2001, 08:40 AM
Peggy!!! Thanks for the GREAT reviews. I'm making the Ultimate Turkey on Thursday (first time I'm doing Thanksgiving, ever), and I'm glad to see that yours turned out. I wouldn't typically do something as big and important as the turkey with a new, untried recipe, but I trust CL enough. But it makes me feel even better to hear YOUR review! I ordered a fresh kosher turkey from the kosher butcher (we're not jewish, but they have the best quality meats there), so I'm hoping everything will be great.

Your meal sounds like it was wonderful. I hope you've recuperated! And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! :)

Terrytx
11-19-2001, 09:15 AM
Peggy, your meal sounds wonderful. Thanks for the great review.

KelLeg
11-19-2001, 04:34 PM
Peggy, thanks. I think I might make an old CL recipe called something like Speckled Cornbread dressing. Has anyone ever tried this one? It includes canned biscuits in it.

amcleod
11-20-2001, 07:50 AM
I have a question on this...I read the recipe and it calls for putting the apple, onion, and garlic (or whatever) in the cavity. But I wanted to stuff the bird. Do you think I can forget putting the apple, etc in the cavity and do the stuffing instead with good results? I don't see why not, but I need to check since this is my first Thanksgiving as hostess (ack!).

Thanks so much for any input!

Peggy
11-20-2001, 08:33 AM
Ann,

I think it is fine to stuff the bird and skip the fruit/vegetables in the cavity. You will still get the flavors in the gravy by putting the onions etc around the turkey in the pan. I don't think you can go wrong with your plan. Good luck with your dinner!

Peggy

amcleod
11-20-2001, 08:36 AM
Peggy, THANKS! I am going to do that then. I can't wait!

Lynn B
12-05-2001, 06:34 PM
Just wanted to add my 2 cents regarding theCRANBERRY, PEAR AND GINGER RELISH (Nov '01 issue).

This was one of the recipes that we got to taste-test in June when we were in Birmingham for our Weekend with Cooking Light. I loved it then, and was eager for the future issue that would contain the recipe.

I made it to take as a side dish to a friend's home. I used 2 Comice pears and 1 Anjou (because that's what I had!), and a mixture of dried cherries, apricots, mangoes and craisins for the "1 1/4 cup dried cranberries". I also used golden raisins for the 3 T of "raisins or currants".

Everyone raved! It was quite a hit, and as delicious as I remembered it. It was delicous with turkey and all the fixin's. :) I totally recommend it!

Lynn