11.19.2013

Thanksgiving Traditions

Hi Everyone
 Happy Tuesday
So excited to start off this week by sharing
 with you all some of
 our families favorite {and fun} Thanksgiving 
traditions


Tradition #1
is our annual
 turkey cook off 
It started when handsome husband bought a
 deep fryer 6 years ago
and because my sister in law almost burnt her house down
 that same year deep frying her turkey

via

{chinese food for Thanksgiving dinner that year}
We decided it might be wise to cook a traditional turkey in the oven too
 just in case
so we ended up with two turkeys
and.....
the turkey cook off was born
Now every year we each cook a turkey
we have two categories for the contest

1. Presentation or overall look of the turkey
and
2. Taste of the turkey


via
The deep fried turkey is cooked in peanut oil outside for half the time it takes
 to cook a turkey in the oven
The  fried turkey can look like road kill when you take it out
because the outside is  really crispy but
  the inside is amazingly juicy and delicious

via
The traditional  oven roasted  turkey comes out
 looking like a Norman Rockwell painting and
makes a great presentation on the dinner table

The Voting takes place after the meal
 with a secret ballot
and every year so far
Taste has gone to the deep fried turkey and
Presentation has gone to the traditionally cooked turkey
 a tie which means
 we have plenty of left overs for the family to enjoy


Tradition# 2
At the dinner table our most cherished tradition takes place
 This is when we all hold hands for
  Prayer
 and then everyone goes around
 the table saying what they are grateful for
There is always  laughter and tears and wonderful conversation
and every year we realize how truly blessed we all are
 and how much we have to be grateful for


Tradition #3

Next is great grandmothers walnut stuffing
 which is a tradition that has been passed down
 from generation to generation
the key to this stuffing is to use stale bread
otherwise the stuffing is too soft


Walnut dressings recipe
10 oz  walnuts chopped
11/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
 1 cup butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 med celery stalks chopped
4 med onions chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
6 slices stale rye bread
6 slices stale pumpernickel bread

mix together and put into turkey cavity 

helpful hint

be sure and roast the walnuts
 in a skillet for 4 to 6 minutes stirring before
 adding them to the rest of the ingredients

 super simple recipe and once you try it
 you will not make a boxed stuffing again
also we have added craisins or raisins
 and even apples to this recipe and it is always deicous

Hope you are all enjoying getting
 ready for Thanksgiving too


romantic saying for today

"I Love all of you all the time"
unknown


Pam

8 comments:

  1. oh Pam Thank you for all the suggestions! you know I am still new here....we do not have Thanksgiving in Italy. I love the Walnut dressing recipe and I will pass it to Deano. He cooks two turkeys every year.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you my FRIEND.

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  2. Traditions are a special part of holidays for me. It's fun to hear about yours. I've never eaten a deep fried turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your family recipe. Your kitchen is so beautiful. I love this time of year and gathering with our family and friends. I would so enjoy sitting at your table. ♥

    ~ Lisa from Indiana ~

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  4. I wish my husband liked walnuts because that dressing sounds amazing! Maybe I can sneakily try it this year. We are going to smoke our turkey this year. Cannot wait to try that. Being in the South, we are LOVING all the smoked meats!

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  5. We've never tried deep fried turkey yet. Either one sounds good to me though. We had our thanksgiving in October so I'm all ready for Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Blessings, Pamela

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  6. YUM, cant wait...I wonder who will win this year!! ;)

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  7. Thanks for sharing your treasured traditions with us! My husband is from New Orleans, and he knows how to cook a mean fried Cajun injected turkey! Have you ever had a turducken? It's a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. Sometimes we have those when we visit New Orleans....we've had them at The Southern Yacht Club! YUM!

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  8. YOu know, I had a traditionally cooked-in-the-oven turkey this year that was the best I have ever had, and they said they had "brined" it overnight before roasting? I don't know exactly what this means, but I plan to find out, so I will let you know. It was amazing, even the white meat was soft and juicy and moist, I have never had a turkey so good, and it looked lovely too.

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