It's time.
I have had my Thanksgiving menu where I want it for about five years and it hasn't changed at all for the last two. Changing my Easter menu into the 'Low-Class, No-Class, White Trash, Trailer Trash Easter Menu' after I got it where I wanted it is something that worked well; I've wanted to try doing turkey chili for Thanksgiving for a few years since coming to the conclusion that it is the food that most typifies American cuisine, so...
It's Time for...
The Turkey Day Thanksgiving Redux Bro Dude Menu!
I'm not sure how many years I will do this, but I did the Easter version for four straight years before merging it back and crossing it with the more traditional menu, so this may be the menu for the next 3-4 years. The things that make this not 'low-class, no-class, white trash, trailer trash' like the Easter menu was for four years are quite obvious. For one, a veggie tray. Two - a full roast turkey and, even though it is being relegated to sandwiches but unlike the baloney sandwiches on that Easter menu that included white bread, these are accompanied by multigrain bread. Three, there's actually a decent amount of effort put into the layer dip and turkey chili-tater tot casserole. Finally, the pumpkin pie is made from scratch. As for the remaining menu items...the boxed mix jalapeno cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, and the cranberry soda as a substitution for cranberries are all items one might find on a 'low-class, no-class, white trash, trailer trash' Thanksgiving menu if one ever wanted to go full 'low-class, no-class, white trash, trailer trash' for Thanksgiving.
Veggie Tray with Dip
Thanksgiving 7-Layer Dip
Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches
Turkey Chili-Tater Tot Casserole
Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing
Classic Green Bean Casserole
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry Soda
----------------------------------------------------
VEGGIE TRAY WITH DIP
I was going to do chicken nuggets or chicken tenders here, to kinda act as the fish sticks from the 'Low-Class, No-Class, White Trash, Trailer Trash Easter Menu' but just thinking about it made me thirsty.
Carrots
Broccoli
Celery
Mushrooms
Dip (175 g. Sour Cream + 175 g. Olive Oil Mayo + 1 packet Vegetable Soup Mix + 2 g. Lemon Pepper)
----------------------------------------------------
THANKSGIVING 7-LAYER DIP
Unlike previous versions, this contains no turkey chili in it. The reason for that, obviously, is because Turkey Chili is elsewhere on the menu. I could have just changed it to a 6-layer dip, but I decided to add a drizzle of... cranberry barbecue sauce to make it more appropriate for the occasion. I also did make one other change. It's something I've thought about doing the previous times I've done this and this seems like the best version to test it out on... using a cheese dip instead of shredded cheese.
dish: 11" x 7"
Cranberry BBQ Sauce
Pickled Pico
Avocado Salsa
Sour Cream
Corn Salad
Cheese Dip
White Bean Dip
LAYER 1: WHITE BEAN DIP
Basically the same ingredients as guacamole.
500 g. cooked White Beans
110 g. Green Chiles
20 g. Minced Garlic
20 ml. of Lime Juice
1/4 tsp. Cumin
salt (as desired)
fresh Cilantro (chopped)
* Simmer beans, chiles, lime, garlic and salt in small sauce pot for about 20 minutes
* Allow to cool, mash into a smooth, dip-like consistency
* Mix in fresh cilantro
* Layer evenly in bottom of dish or pan
LAYER 2: CHEESE DIP
420 g. Cheese Dip (jar)
* Layer evenly atop the beans
LAYER 3: CORN SALAD
20 g. Corn Oil
450 g. Corn
10 ml. Lime Juice
30 g. Olive Oil Mayo
2 g. Chili Powder
* Add oil to a hot pan or skillet followed by corn
* In mixing bowl, combine lime, mayo, and chili powder
* When corn starts to brown and pop, remove from heat
* Combine corn and sauce in mixing bowl or pan and mix well
* Allow to cool
* Layer evenly over cheese
LAYER 4: SOUR CREAM
420 g. Sour Cream
* Layer evenly atop corn salad
LAYER 5: AVOCADO SALSA
Avocado salsa mixed with fresh avocado is the way to use that stuff.
180 g. Avocado Salsa
360 g. Avocado (soft)
* Whisk avocado into avocado salsa until consistent and chunky but smooth.
* Layer evenly atop sour cream
LAYER 6: PICKLED PICO
Onions are ja bad idea for a layer dip, unless they are green onions, so...
115 g. Black Olives (sliced)
80 g. Green Olives (halved)
80 g. Jalapeno Slices (jarred)
* Layer evenly atop the sour cream
LAYER 7: CRANBERRY BBQ SAUCE
A new addition to this layer dip. I might keep it even when turkey chili returns to this dip. I guess I'll have to change the name to 8-Layer Dip. Money.
75 g. Cranberries
60 ml. Water
80 g. Honey
15 g. Sugar
1 g. Mesquite Seasoning
3 g. Dry Onion
2 g. White Pepper
0.5 g. Cayenne Pepper (if desired)
* Simmer ingredients until cranberries are popped and softened
70 g. Ketchup
* Allow to cool for ten minutes, add ketchup, puree for 30-45 seconds
* Allow to cool to room temp, cover and refrigerate if necessary
* Drizzle over top of dip as desired
7-Layer Thanksgiving Dip
Tortilla Chip
Sweet Potato Chips or Crackers
* Serve dip with chips or crackers.
Then again, maybe I won't return turkey chili to this dip and I might keep the cheese dip and cranberry bbq sauce. Might be the best layer dip I've done yet and without the turkey chili there's no 'serve hot or cold' debate.
----------------------------------------------------
TURKEY & CHEESE SANDWICHES
Baloney sandwiches worked well for Easter, why not apply the same idea to Thanksgiving? I was this close to opting for deli sliced turkey, when I noticed the solution to all my Turkey Day problems was staring me in the face the whole time - cook a turkey the day before and just set it out for sandwiches.
Roast Turkey (pre-cooked and carved the day before)
1 pd. Yellow American Cheese
2 loaves Multigrain Bread
Cranberry BBQ Sauce
Poultry Blend Mayo
(150 g. Olive Oil Mayo + 2 g. Ground Sage +b2 g. Ground Rosemary + 1 g. Ground Thyme)
* Make a sandwich.
After having tasted it, the combination of the cranberry bbq sauce and the poultry blend mayo is a combination I never I needed or wanted. It's amazing. The you combine it with the delicious multigrain bread and a slice or two of cheese and... who cares about the turkey?
----------------------------------------------------
TURKEY CHILI-TATER TOT CASSEROLE
Wanted to do a turkey chili for Thanksgiving for awhile but I just couldn't get around it's feeling awkward with the rest of menu as I got to thinking about the plating and eating. I am guessing that the awkwardness that would accompany chili is why one doesn't see soups, stews, or chilis as main courses very often for holidays, though I have found a means to doing a stew for Christmas Eve that works quite well. I was still going to go ahead with doing a chili and then it slapped me in the face - tater tot casserole, the menu item that made the 'Low-Class, No-Class, White Trash, Trailer Trash Easter Menu' work so well.
TURKEY CHILI SAUCE
360 ml. Turkey or Chicken Stock
85 g. Tomato Paste
30 ml. Soy Sauce
15 ml. Apple Cider
2 g. Chili Powder
2 g. Marjoram
1 g. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1 g. Ground Sage
1 g. Ground Rosemary
1 g. Ground
1 g. Thyme
15 ml. Hot Sauce (as desired)
Salt & Pepper
* Combine ingredients in a sauce pot, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes
1 pd. fresh 85/15 Ground Turkey (preferably not frozen)
* Brown thoroughly and drain if necessary
175 g. (1 c.) (1) Yellow Pepper (diced)
175 g. (1 c.) Corn
85 g. (½ c.) White Onion (diced)
40 g. (1) Jalapeno Pepper (minced)
* Add vegetables to meat and allow to begin tenderizing
15 oz. Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)
Turkey Chili Sauce (recipe above)
* Add chili sauce and beans
* Simmer on low
Normally, I would recommend covering this while simmering but since it is going in a casserole I wanted it a bit more 'together' so I left it uncovered.
* Remove from heat when done, allow to cool, and spread evenly into 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" baking dish
480 g. Sour Cream
100 g. finely shredded Pepper Jakk Cheese
* Evenly spread sour cream atop meat
* Evenly sprinkle cheese atop sour cream
Tater Tots (frozen)
One could use sweet potato tater tots if they can find them, but there's only one brand that carries them in stores and I'm not sure one bag is enough to cover an 8" x 8" casserole. Plus that is not a brand I am familiar with and do not fully trust. It's a new brand and I'm not really sure it will be around in future years so why make a point of using it? I still did do one thing different with the tots and instead of regular tater tots I went with tater rounds. This is mostly just to differentiate it from my Sloppy Joe-Tater Tot Casserole
* Line frozen tater tots across top so no spaces remain and it is completely covered in tots
* Bake uncovered @ 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
----------------------------------------------------
CLASSIC GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
I was very close to making wild rice as a side dish to have with the chili. When I switched the chili to a casserole the rice became less necessary and opened the door for many people's favorite - green bean casserole. Also, surprisingly, this green bean casserole is actually less calories than the wild rice I was going to make. There are many ways one can make this dish, you may see that version from me around Christmas, but this menu is about a more simple and comfortable menu. While I wouldn't exactly consider this as 'Low-Class, No-Class, White Trash, Trailer Trash' as the Easter menu was, a quick green bean casserole definitely fits in better here than a homemade one.
One thing I did do to execute a bit more care is I actually made it right. If using French fried onions atop it makes more sense to use French style green beans. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't know this, it doesn't even say it on some packages but... trust me, it's supposed to be French style green beans if using the French fried onions on top. I decided to also add some onions and fresh mushrooms, sauteeing them with a bit of butter beforehand. If the recipe you are using does not call for raw onions and mushrooms then you will definitely want to saute them before adding them and baking the casserole. If you happen to have a bottle of white wine opened, using it here to deglaze would be fitting... I did not and was not about to open a bottle of wine for some green bean casserole. In keeping with the French theme of this dish, I also added a touch of Dijon mustard and a pinch of tarragon.
If you are using the canned green beans (I don't think they even make frozen French style green beans anymore, and if you want to French style cut your fresh green beans... go for it) then I'm going to recommend you drain them really well. I drained them, and set the collandsr on a small baking sheet and left in the refrigerator all day before puting the casserole together.
10 g. Unsalted Butter
100 g. diced White Onions
100 g. sliced White Mushrooms
1275 g. French Style Green Beans
298 g. Condensed Cream of Mooshrum Soup
180 ml. Whole Milk
10 g. Dijon Mustard
pinch of Tarragon
French Fried Onions
* For this particular green bean casserole, just use the instructions on one of the packages and make any additions if desired.
----------------------------------------------------
JALAPENO CORNBREAD STUFFING
I was going to make my own from scratch, but then I found this mix.
Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing Mix
Turkey or Chicken Stock
Because I am using stock, I reduced the amount of butter the recipe called for by more than half and then used it to saute the vegetables. I do occasionally make boxed stuffing and I will often omit the butter entirely, not because I have none but because I don't want to, and haven't had a problem with it.
Butter
30 g. diced Jalapeno
60 g. Onion
120 g. Celery
15 g. Dried Cranberries
15 g. Sliced Almonds
1/2 tsp. dried Sage
1/2 tsp. ground Rosemary
fresh Cilantro
* Prepare as instructed.
I added a bit of my own touch to this with some fresh jalapeno, onion, celery and... everyone's best friend when it comes to southwest inspired cooking - fresh cilantro. Also, for some texture and a bit of tang I added dried cranberries and sliced almonds. I also used turkey stock, as the recipe on the box only asks for water. I wasn't going to but I decided it needed some sage and rosemary so it smells like Thanksgiving.
Yes, I do know the difference between stuffing and dressing according to some people but... I don't care what the turkey says, it's stuffing me so it's all STUFFING and not dressing, dressing is a condiment and comes in a bottle.
----------------------------------------------------
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE
PIE CRUST
Pastry dough for 9" pie pan
* Center and unfold dough to fit into pan
* Crimp edges
PUMPKIN FILLING
425 g. Pumpkin
354 ml. Evaporated Milk
80 g. White Sugar
2 Eggs (well beaten)
3 ml. Vanilla
Spices
3/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ginger
* Preheat oven to 425 degrees
* Whisk the ingredients for the filling together until smooth
* Carefully pour into pie shell until near the edge
* Place a pie baking ring or foil around edges of crust to prevent burning
How you get it into the oven is your business, I put the pie pan with shell on a baking sheet and set it on the oven rack empty and then ladle the filling in from there and carefully put the rack back in.
* Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes
* Reduce temp to 350 degrees for another 50-60 minutes
* Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple hours.
----------------------------------------------------
CRANBERRY SODA
I was going to make a cranberry JELLO salad, then I remembered this stuff. There are a lot of different varieties of cranberry soda out there, one I went with was Sprite's Winter Spiced Cranberry, I then added some sugar rolled cranberries and a splash of cranberry juice for color, since that soda is clear.
White Cranberry Soda
Red Cranberry Soda
Cranberry Juice
Sugar Rolled Cranberries
* Pour into glass.
If one wanted to spice things up a bit and add some alcohol to this I'd probably suggest an ounce of gin per glass. I don't really like drinking alcohol when eating alot of food but to each their own.
----------------------------------------------------
All mostly made the day before.
