Many families long ago decided that turkey would not be the staple item at the table on Thanksgiving. I remember friends who mentioned they ate ham on Thanksgiving and turkey on Christmas, and that is just completely backwards. Now people go with the tofurkeys and leg of lambs to change up Thanksgiving dinner. more…
Today’s the day people. Thanksgiving has officially started. But wait, how can that be? You’re probably checking your calendar right now wondering if there’s been some sort of rip in the space time continuum. No, but if you want to enjoy the holiday you must prepare now. So I’m going to provide you with menu ideas and when exactly you should begin working on them. That way when you wake up on Thanksgiving morning there aren’t a bunch of cranky cooks in a cramped kitchen trying to get dinner complete without bloodshed. more…
Ingredients
For turkey
1 (14- to 16-lb) turkey
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons softened and 5 tablespoons melted
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 onion, quartered
4 large fresh thyme sprigs more…
Ingredients
1 gallon hot water
1 pound kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 pound honey
1 (7-pound) bag of ice
1 (15 to 20-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey more…
Ingredients
For the Brine
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup honey
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
½ Tbsp allspice berries
½ Tbsp fennel seeds
1 gallon ice water more…
I had no idea there was anything missing from my Thanksgiving plans. I know what I’m doing, where I’m doing it, and even when. I’ll be skipping the actual holiday to celebrate one week later at my parent’s house. But then I came across the Turkey Cannon, possibly the most ridiculous item to graze my computer screen in over a week. The phallic tool is essentially a “beer can chicken” contraption. more…
We’re closing in on Thanksgiving, and that means it is preparation time. Yes you really should at least start thinking about getting ready for the big day. In fact there are things you can be doing right this moment to make the festivities go smoother. For one you can prepare all of your pie crusts and stocks for freezing until ready to use. See? I’ve just saved you hours of labor on the day of the feast. You probably like me a lot right now, and it was such a simple suggestion. Want more? more…
Thanksgiving is a holiday of tradition. I love Christmas, and my wife loves it even more, so by extension my enjoyment of the holiday has grown. But Thanksgiving is my holiday of choice for this season. The food, the family, the afternoon nap. These are the great moments I remember year after year. And within that are some disastrous recipes that I cannot believe were ever attempted. So I’ve decided to kickoff the Munch Monster Thanksgiving celebration by sharing the 5 worst recipes ever attempted by me. more…
© 2009 Munch Monster