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Holiday Cooking Tricks and Tips


Not A Rockstar

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Thanksgiving is coming soon in the US and politics aside I like the holiday as simply a day to be grateful and to share with family and friends. Pilgrims, shmilgrims.

Friend and I were chatting about family recipes handed down that make it special for us as memories and I decided to start a topic to share tricks or things or dishes you enjoy which make it special for you.

To start it off, we got bored with the obligatory green bean casserole and I amped it up with a chopped jalapeno stirred in with the beans before cooking it all one year which is The Way to make it now in my family.

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For Thanksgiving I'm going to make honey glazed carrots with sage butter...that and baked yams and apples with lots of cinnamon. Two favorites from childhood!

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1 hour ago, Jenn8779 said:

For Thanksgiving I'm going to make honey glazed carrots with sage butter...that and baked yams and apples with lots of cinnamon. Two favorites from childhood!

so you cook the yams and apples together? I need a new way to do yams this year... apples....

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Not this Thanksgiving...but one day...

I want to try a Trashcan Turkey!  I've had some and it was soooo moist and delicious.  so....

....for those of you, like myself, who never heard of it...here is what you do...

Buy a turkey...buy a new aluminum trash can....buy some charcoal and lighter fluid...and a T stake.

Hammer the T stake into the ground.

Stick that bird on the T stake.

Put the trash can over the whole thing.

Surround the entire trash can perimeter with a few bags of charcoal.

Light the charcoal.

Come back about 3 hours later and remove the turkey.

Wallah...enjoy

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Down here the big tradition is to deep fry turkeys. They inject them with spices, especially in the breast area, and drop them into the hot oil (usually peanut). 

No there is no batter and no it does not come out greasy (if the oil is properly hot first) as it seals as soon as it hits the hot grease. They come out moist with crispy skin.

My family likes smoked best though and while we do other things we usually get a smoked breast to pick on sometime in December :).

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5 hours ago, Not A Rockstar said:

so you cook the yams and apples together? I need a new way to do yams this year... apples....

I use canned yams so I don't have to roast them first. The apples are prepared similar to how you would prep them for a pie, mixed with brown sugar, a little flour, cinnamon, nutmeg. How much brown sugar depends on the apples. I like to use granny smith but sweeter apples need less sugar. Than I layer them in the baking dish and put little pats of butter around the top and sprinkle more cinnamon. I saw a similar recipe to mine recently with pecans and I might add them this year

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i'm going to make pumpkin pie.

take a pumpkin. slice out its guts.

cut that sucker up and bake the chunks at 400 until the skin comes off easy.

puree or mash (depending on the consistency you want) those chunks with eggs and milk and good things like such as cinnamon.

then you put it in a dang old crust and bake it up pumpkin pie style
 

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Just now, seaturtlehorsesnake said:

i'm going to make pumpkin pie.

take a pumpkin. slice out its guts.

cut that sucker up and bake the chunks at 400 until the skin comes off easy.

puree or mash (depending on the consistency you want) those chunks with eggs and milk and good things like such as cinnamon.

then you put it in a dang old crust and bake it up pumpkin pie style
 

I love pumpkin pie. Anything pumpkin really. And I like to roast the seeds too

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15 minutes ago, Jenn8779 said:

I use canned yams so I don't have to roast them first. The apples are prepared similar to how you would prep them for a pie, mixed with brown sugar, a little flour, cinnamon, nutmeg. How much brown sugar depends on the apples. I like to use granny smith but sweeter apples need less sugar. Than I layer them in the baking dish and put little pats of butter around the top and sprinkle more cinnamon. I saw a similar recipe to mine recently with pecans and I might add them this year

I was thinking through this apple idea and it wants pecans, so it was funny to read that :) I might do this this year.

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1 minute ago, Not A Rockstar said:

I was thinking through this apple idea and it wants pecans, so it was funny to read that :) I might do this this year.

LOL... great minds think alike! 

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15 minutes ago, seaturtlehorsesnake said:

i'm going to make pumpkin pie.

take a pumpkin. slice out its guts.

cut that sucker up and bake the chunks at 400 until the skin comes off easy.

puree or mash (depending on the consistency you want) those chunks with eggs and milk and good things like such as cinnamon.

then you put it in a dang old crust and bake it up pumpkin pie style
 

add a half shot of cognac (per pie shell, I use a full shot and pour out into two pie shells with my recipe) and the result is insanely good and obscure. Nobody knows what that is but they love it :) 

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2 minutes ago, Not A Rockstar said:

add a half shot of cognac (per pie shell, I use a full shot and pour out into two pie shells with my recipe) and the result is insanely good and obscure. Nobody knows what that is but they love it :) 

interesting. i don't keep alcohol around but unique touches like that are always good

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7 minutes ago, Not A Rockstar said:

add a half shot of cognac (per pie shell, I use a full shot and pour out into two pie shells with my recipe) and the result is insanely good and obscure. Nobody knows what that is but they love it :) 

Oh.. that is a great idea!

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Invest in a tiny bottle and keep it forever. I have a bottle from France I bought in 87, and it comes down for a shot worth every year is all, for cooking. You can't tell what it is but it adds a depth which is really interesting imo. Maybe a local bar would sell you a secret shot to try it once.

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Last year we did a cajun rubbed smoked turkey. It was the most delicious bird i ever did eat. 

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2 minutes ago, Overdueleaf said:

Last year we did a cajun rubbed smoked turkey. It was the most delicious bird i ever did eat. 

this sounds like the best of both worlds !!!

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This isn't for eating but my mom used to put several large oranges studded with cloves around and they just smelled so good. I'm thinking I'll do that this year.. just to remember her and enjoy it

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Think I have food on the brain now lol

Just found this in my mom's favorite bread cookbook from the early 60's and starred

Cheese and Wine Bread

2 cups biscuit mix

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon minced onion

1/2 a teaspoon dried herb of choice ( she has rosemary written)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

 2 or 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, Romano or cheddar cheese

Combine bisquit mix, sugar, onion and herb. Add the liquid ingredients all at once. Beat until smooth and turn into well buttered round cake pan. Sprinkle with desired cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until browned

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We usually roast 2 turkeys (2 different family gatherings) with homemade dressing, homemade baked beans with baked style beans, ketchup, brown sugar, sweet onion and some bacon bits that are already cooked, mixing all together well.   I add just a small amount of bacon grease to the beans to flavor and bake for 30 mins.  

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I also usually make pecan pie and/or a dessert called Chocolate Sin in a Bowl.   

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Those beans just sound yummy! You had me at bacon! LOL

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1 minute ago, tcgram said:

I also usually make pecan pie and/or a dessert called Chocolate Sin in a Bowl.   

Chocolate sin in a bowl?! Oh please share! :D

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52 minutes ago, Jenn8779 said:

Chocolate sin in a bowl?! Oh please share! :D

It's a pretty simple dessert. 

1 box brownie mix (9x13 size)

2 large boxes instant chocolate pudding mix

6 Heath (or skor) bars, broken into small pieces (I find that if they are frozen it's easier)  

1 large container extra creamy cool whip (or 2 small ones)  

Make brownie and pudding mixes according to directions.   Let pudding set in fridge and brownies cool.  In a large bowl, crumble half the brownies, put half the pudding mixture on top and spread.  Top with half the cool whip, then half the candy bars.  Layer in the same order and refrigerate until ready to serve.  I have found that making it the same day works better than making it ahead.  I usually chill for about an hour before serving.  

Edited by tcgram
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