# Thanksgiving



## Brook (May 27, 2009)

Was just wondering whether you guys do a "traditional" Thanksgiving: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpking pie? Or, conversely, do you use the bounty of the earth that we, as hunters and fishers, collect, to celebrate the holiday?

BTW, y'all do know that Thanksgiving is the only American holiday whose only purpose is gluttony? But it didn't actually start that way.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Usually do a bird and all the fixings, will occasionally do a venison roast. Haven't ever had fish on Thanksgiving.


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

did a watermans thanksgiving last year, raw and steamed oysters, steamed clams, fried fish, and steamed and grilled shrimp... 

will prolly just fry up a turkey this year with a couple sides...


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## O Shin Rin (Aug 31, 2009)

Rockfish1 said:


> did a watermans thanksgiving last year, raw and steamed oysters, steamed clams, fried fish, and steamed and grilled shrimp...
> 
> will prolly just fry up a turkey this year with a couple sides...


Diff deep fryin a turkey and a ham ..... yep I said ham. Deep fry a ham year before and when I took it out while still hot packed brown suger all over it , everyone said that it was burnt so I was like ....Well It's Mine Then 
went and took a nap and when I woke up it was over half gone .

So try it sometime ease it in and cook till burnt and pack it B suger mmmmmmmm


jerry


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## kooler (Nov 2, 2006)

seems we always do the traditional turkey deal but i would be open to a seafood bounty for sure. i did fry up a quart of oysters a couple years ago and loved that. as far as the side dishes, i think i could live off of broccoli casserole and cheese potatoes


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

O Shin Rin said:


> Diff deep fryin a turkey and a ham ..... yep I said ham. Deep fry a ham year before and when I took it out while still hot packed brown suger all over it , everyone said that it was burnt so I was like ....Well It's Mine Then
> went and took a nap and when I woke up it was over half gone .
> So try it sometime ease it in and cook till burnt and pack it B suger mmmmmmmm
> jerry


so what type ham did you use?... fresh, city cured or country cured?...


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

I do all the cooking at home...turkey for Thanksgiving and Ham for Christmas! I will, however, normally throw in something "non-traditional", such as a "cranberry chutney" or other fruit chutney with some Indian or other Near East spices, etc., and maybe a "fusion" vegetable dish.


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## O Shin Rin (Aug 31, 2009)

Rockfish1 said:


> so what type ham did you use?... fresh, city cured or country cured?...


I used one of the fully cooked hams basicly your just heating thourgh deep fryin it , then have a lrg bag of brown sug to coat and let set to cool .



jerry


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## Brook (May 27, 2009)

_and maybe a "fusion" vegetable dish. _

Of all the modern cooking terms, "fusion" is probably my least favorite. It often boils down to throwing in some Asian flavors to a dish that doesn't call for them.

More to the point, you can make a case that all cuisines are fusion, considering the cross-fertilization caused by wars, migrations, exploration, and other influences. But that's a topic for another discussion, I reckon.


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## Wilber (May 20, 2003)

Growing up we always had a big ol' Baked Rockfish, Oysters and Clams we got form the Bay, Collards, Red Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes and green Beans from the garden, quite an event. I didn't relize everyone ate Turkey till I got to school. I'll stick with the Rock.


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Brook said:


> Was just wondering whether you guys do a "traditional" Thanksgiving: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpking pie? Or, conversely, do you use the bounty of the earth that we, as hunters and fishers, collect, to celebrate the holiday?
> 
> BTW, y'all do know that Thanksgiving is the only American holiday whose only purpose is gluttony? But it didn't actually start that way.


The actually have harvest festivals in England and probaly everywhere in the world. Roughly the same thing, but no American Indians are being swindled


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## WV Cobbmullet (Dec 2, 2008)

We do thetraditonal turkey and trimmings but allways have oyster dressing not T-day without it.


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## rider3 (Jun 8, 2008)

we do it with all the fixins, but we usually fry the turkey.

Sweet potatos, mashed potatos, cranberry, green been casarol, lima beans, cornbread, pumpkin pie, gravy, and we gotta cook the neck and gibblets for granpa.


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## Brook (May 27, 2009)

_but no American Indians are being swindled _

That came later, dirtyhands.

What is pointed to in popular history as the first thanksgiving was a combination state dinner and harvest festival. And it was held in September. 

The purpose of the feast was to celebrate the first successful year in the colony (they'd almost all starved to death the winter before), and to thank the Indians for all the help they had provided. That year, at least, the Indians were seen as allies. 

Most of our "traditional" dishes were absent from that feast. There was no sugar in the colony as yet, so neither cranberry sauce nor pumpkin pie (indeed, no pies of any kind) were made. And, while there is no specific mention one way or the other, the evidence indicates that wild turkey was not on the table either. Beans would have either been shucked and dried or hung to dry as leather britches, so no such thing as a green bean casserole could have existed. Sweet potatoes come from the Carribean, and would have appeared much later; about the time the slave trade took off in earnest. 

Thanksgiving, as a national holiday, is attributed to Abraham Lincoln, who issued a proclamation making it such. Less know is the similar proclamation made by George Washington. In the later case, however, it was a one-time deal, whereas Lincoln made it an annual observance.

In both cases, however, it was not a day of feasting, but, rather, a day of solemnity and prayer. Much later, FDR, as part of his agricultural stimulus under the New Deal, made it a feast day; particularly the idea of celebrating with turkey. 

Most of our so-called traditional dishes date from then, and, in fact, many of them were developed and promoted by private companies to sell their products. Green bean casserole, for instance, was invented by Campell's.


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## TimKan7719 (Apr 4, 2008)

Brook said:


> BTW, y'all do know that Thanksgiving is the only American holiday whose only purpose is gluttony? But it didn't actually start that way.


They Celibrate Thanksgiving in Canada as well!!!!!!!!!!!


I Have a sweet brine for turkeys that I soak it in over night the day before I bake it makes a turkey Juicy!!!!!!


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## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

Cornish Hens this year. With most of the usual fixins. Low sodium versions.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

Wilber said:


> Growing up we always had a big ol' Baked Rockfish, Oysters and Clams we got form the Bay, Collards, Red Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes and green Beans from the garden, quite an event. I didn't relize everyone ate Turkey till I got to school. I'll stick with the Rock.


My favorite, baked Rockfish.

- Whole Rockfish that's scaled, headed and gutted (remove tail if too large to fit in the pan ) usually a fish just under slot will do for size
- steam 4-6 cups of rice with fresh onions, celery and mushrooms first
-layer of rice (use about 1/2 to 2/3 of it) in the bottom of the pyrex dish after spraying it down with the Pam olive oil spray
-lay the rockfish on top of the rice and stuff the belly cavity with remaining rice
-cover the Rockfish with whole bacon strips and then cover dish with alum foil
-bake in 350* oven for an hour
-uncover Rockfish and broil until bacon is crisp

A large Speck will replace the Rockfish just fine but they're a little more difficult to find around Thanksgiving. Good eats and I usually wind up eating more Rockfish than turkey


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## MetroMan (Mar 7, 2009)

We usually have the traditional fare at family gatherings...

Turkey (the in laws deep fry theirs), ham, collard greens, fresh green beans, sweet potatoes/candied yams, stuffing(dressing), baked macaroni & cheese, potato salad...etc


No matter where I eat though....ain't nothing like my mother's stuffing. Good lord...when I lived there, I would eat it for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.


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## drawinout (May 11, 2008)

Traditional. I'll probably do a bird, stuffing, collard greens, mashed red potatoes, and cornbread. It's going to be a fairly small Thanksgiving for us.


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## Brook (May 27, 2009)

Well, judging from this thread and other discussions I've held on this topic, it looks like about a 5/3 ratio between those who go the "traditional" turkey & sides route and those who cook something else.

We're in the minority group. In fact, the only time we have turkey for Thanksgiving is when we're guests at somebody else's place. Otherwise we use the bounty of the earth. You can see this year's planned feast at: http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/Thanksgiving-dinner.html

Ironically, we eat a lot of turkey at other times of year. Usually we'll stock the freezer with two or three birds now, when prices are low (I heard that Wally World, as a lost leader, will be selling birds for 40 cents/lb, btw). At least one of them will get smoked. 

This is the time, too, to stock up on fresh cranberries. They freeze well and can be used in many dishes, including putting up your favorite cranberry sauce. Here's the recipe we use:

*Cranberry Conserve*

In a large, heavy saucepan combine 1 pound raw cranberries (about 4 cups) and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer until the berries pop, about 8 minutes. Stir in 3 cups sugar, 1 cup crushed pinapple, 1/2 cup golden raisins, and 1 seedless orange, pith removed and chopped fine. Simmer the mixture, stirring from time to time, for 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. 

Pour the mixture into canning jars, adjust the lids, and process in a boiling water bath ten minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 pints.


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

that cranberry sounds good... here's the recipe I use mostly...

Cranberry Relish

2- 12 oz bags cranberries
one 3 oz box orange jello
Two 3 oz box’s cherry jello
2 1/2 cups water, boiling
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 oranges, ground... one & 1/2 with peel, 
one & 1/2 without peel
one can crushed pineapple w/juice
2 apples cored skin on

grind the berries, apples, oranges and pineapple to the consistency you like... 
mix the jello, sugar and boiling water... when jello and sugar are dissolved add to ground fruit... mix well and put in fridge to set up... best if left sit for a day or 2 till everyone gets to know one another…


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## MetroMan (Mar 7, 2009)

Whats funny (could be considered sad depending on how you look at things) is that the only cranberry sauce I've EVER had is the stuff from the can. Open the can..slide the "cranberry cylinder" out, and lay it on a plate. Slice off what you want. 

LOL...I love that stuff!!


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## Brook (May 27, 2009)

Did you happen to see the Iron Chef Thanksgiving show? At one point Ted Allen, who was moderating one of the teams, rummaged around the pantry. And what does he find? You guessed it: a can of jellied cranberry sauce, just like the one we all grew up with.

So maybe even the pros find it useful. :beer:


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## Fins&butt4me (Sep 7, 2009)

We do both the Turkey and an East Tennessee country ham. Along with all of the fixings. I hate pumpkin pie though so we always have my favorite desert apple rings.


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