As stores deck the halls for Christmas this time of year, I can’t help but feel sorry for one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving! This noble holiday does not get the attention it deserves. That is why Haute Apple Pie will be celebrating next week with a Virtual Thanksgiving Potluck. We’ve invited five of our favorite foodies to bring a dish to the table in preparation for the main event.
Rachel, Kendra, Alison, Michael and Lauren will be dishing up sides, desserts and tasty beverages as well as sharing a few of their Thanksgiving thoughts with us.
But a Thanksgiving meal wouldn’t be complete without the bird, would it? While cooking up a turkey may seem simple, there are many ways to make it happen. You can roast, grill, deep fry, stuff, marinate, brine, slow-cook and heck, some even cook a turkey breast in the microwave (HAP does not condone this method). While I love you all, I’m not sure I have enough friends on hand to come eat a big bird right now and have not accumulated enough Turkey Perks at Pick N Save to save some cash, so I am dishing up some recipes from around the web that have been certified as solid ways to get the bird ready for the big day.
Photo courtesy of Butterball
Deep Fry: Deep frying a turkey requires some skill, an open outdoor space and lots of care, because it is quite dangerous. However, it taste delicious. Check out this video with some help from Paula Deen on how to deep fry a turkey.
Brined and Roasted: My friend Erin from Hot Dinner Happy Home recently posted her recipe for homemade brine and roasted turkey. Far less dangerous than deep frying, juicy and delicious and you can roast your veggies at the same time!
Grilled: Grilling a turkey may not have the inside of your house wafting with turkey delight, but your neighbors will thank you. This simple grilling method gets five stars on allrecipes.com and better yet, it frees up your oven so you can have more space for those sides!
Stuffed: Now some say you shouldn’t stuff a turkey for contaminating reasons. I throw that advice out the window as I’ve been eating my Grandma’s stuffed turkey my whole life and never once felt sick (well…maybe from over eating). Alton Brown from The Food Network provides this classic recipe for a stuffed turkey. If you are wary, you can always use a bag for the stuffing.
Slow Cooked: It is not advised to slow cook an entire turkey, and it would be difficult to find a slow cooker large enough. However, slow cooking a turkey breast is a great option for a smaller thanksgiving meal. If you are only hosting a small amount of people or if you are all by yourself for Thanksgiving, this is a simple way to get that great Thanksgiving turkey taste without all of the fuss. And again, your oven is open for other dishes. I made a similar recipe a few years ago and it was delicious!
Join the Party!
Join us next week for our Virtual Thanskgiving Potluck! Feel free to bring a dish to the party by posting a recipe in the comments section or on our Facebook page.
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So happy to be included! Can’t wait to see what the other bloggers have cooked up!