@rasam Smitten Kitchen has a recipe you may want to take a look at for the explanations of various things. (Though I agree with the other thread about the cream / meringue on top being extraneous.)
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Making stock today. I usually buy a few turkey parts to add to whatever chicken/duck bones/carcasses I have to use up, but no turkey parts were available at my local store this year. I did, however, qualify for a free whole turkey (had to spend a certain amount in the last two weeks, which turned out to be no problem with the insane price of groceries these days). Anyway, I broke down the bird and saved the leg quarters and breasts. Iāll try confit with the former and sous vide the latter for lunch meat. The rest is roasting up to go in the stock pot, and the skin is rendering for gravy fat.
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Thank you for checking. My expedition is being planned for tomorrow, Monday. It was really above the call of culinary duty to check on the duck!!! Yum.
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Finally got things figured outā¦ cooking for just 3, but we donāt all want the same sides or desserts.
Lunch is apps: Bagel Bites, spinach-artichoke dip and crackers, cruditƩs, etc. and plenty of Chex Mix.
Dinner: turkey, gravy (Serious Eats recipes for both), mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, green beans, rolls, āpink stuffā (Dream Whip, fruit cocktail, marshmallows, food coloring - MIL made this for holidays so DH wants it but heās the only one who eats it).
Dessert: toll house pie, pumpkin pie (SKās filling) (both of those in pie crust from Midwest Made), pecan sandie pie (NYT).
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Thatās really what itās all aboutāafter all, we can indulge in our food fantasies any other time of the year.
Iād give anything to go back to a Thanksgiving like that with my family, but itās not possible.
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This is a bit of a side conversation, but itās so great that you were inspired to learn to cook by yourself.
I meet so many people who donāt know how to cook because they grew up in families where no one cooked or people cooked very badly; and they never developed an interest in cooking. As a result they donāt know how good food tastes; or how to make a simple meal; have very picky and unhealthy food habits; and rely on almost everything packaged, processed, store bought. This pattern gets passed on down the generations seemingly.
We look at each other with mutual amazement for our respective food ways. 
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Another last minute planner checking inā¦
Three of us on Thanksgiving - younger son and fellow cook is currently in AU which is too bad from a food prep standpoint. Older son and I are pretty meh about turkey so we settled on the following:
Pork loin, roasted with something on it TBD
Mashed potato green chile casserole from a NM cookbook a friend gave me
Curried pearl onions - the only nod to tradition here
Roasted brussel sprouts - either a recipe on NYT with walnuts and pomegranate or roasted with carrots and squash
Probably going to skip stuffing unless spouse opts to buy a box of something that I can doctor up. Iām not a fan.
Apple dumplings with pecan butterscotch sauce (NYT) and spiced vanilla gelato (local place)
Iām departing the following morning to visit my sister and family in South Carolina where I will be indulging in shrimp and grits, collards, and other deliciousness that I stumble across in the farmers markets there.
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That sounds really good! Have you made it before? Can you share more details?
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I have not. Just got the cookbook from a friend who is downsizing. It is a pretty simple recipe - basically just mashed potatoes, canned green chiles, grated cheese, S&P. Mix everything together, put in a casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes or so at 350 F. until cheese has melted and is warm throughout. I will probably use frozen roasted Hatch chiles that I have in the freezer and add some roasted garlic to the mix. Maybe a little sour cream.
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Sounds delicious, thank you!
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I have DUUUUCK! Thank you, Desert-Dan. It was from a Walmart near me. $3.49/lb. Whole duck, not deboned.
Oddly enough, it was from a duck farm just a few miles from where I was raised, 1800 miles from where I now live.
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Thatās GREAT!!
Yes, I was telling my girlfriend about the duck I found at the Walmart near me and she wants some.
After Thanksgiving, Iāll wander back down to Walmart and get one.
What sides (starch and vegetable) do you serve with duck??
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Holy cow - that is a small city! How smart for everyone to bring a meal and share? Although Iād probably have trouble cooking or par-cooking everything at home and then packing it for another location. But I guess Top Chefs do it all the time, so itās not that uncommon. What a wonderful thing it must be to have a big family. When my entire entire family gathers, itās maybe 20 people. That includes all the in laws.
Itās funny how many of us love Thanksgiving traditional dishes, but never cook them the rest of the year. If I was in your shoes, Iād make the most of being with my family, and then cook the dishes I most liked when your kitchen is ready for you. It canāt be worse than a Swansonās frozen turkey dinner right 
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It also depends on the person. When I was a child, my grandfather was a marvelous cook. After he retired, he cooked anything and everything. He could make vareniki from scratch, gefilte fish, homemade pickles, napolean cake, as well as more basic things like soups and stews. My mom was a more than adequate cook in her own right, and her dishes were delicious, although her reportoire wasnāt huge. I grew up loving cooking, and continually expand what I make to ethnic cuisines, bread baking, and so on. My sister doesnāt cook a thing. Everything in her kitchen comes in a bag or box, and sits in the pantry or freezer till she is ready for it. We grew up with the same influences. The difference is the two of us. When she was a young adult (Iām older), I started buying her some starter cookbooks. None of it took. She just doesnāt care and isnāt interested. But she loves to eat.
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First, it is the seasonings with the duck which dictate the sides. I usually season the duck by cutting into and below the skin, and also into the breast meat itself, and stuffing the openings with chunks of orange with the peel on, garlic, and fresh rosemary from the backyard. LOTS of seasoning in lots of openings. Kind of like larding but not using any lard. The cooked orange chunks and garlic are also edible and tasty. I bake the duck covered, for moisture, and overcook a little to manage the fat content.
Usually one green veggie, like broccoli; and one other non-green veggie. I prefer acorn squash. We usually have a salad to relieve any guilt. Sometimes mashed potatoes.
The leftover duck chunks with skin intact are used for 2nd day as stuffings for crepes with prune sauce.
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I try to make Thanksgiving food a couple times per year. Itās easy to find turkey breast and sweet potatoes pretty much all year round. I buy a few extra bags of fresh cranberries for the freezer.
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We call them āout lawsā
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Wish I could have added that to my vocabulary for the many years I shared my life with them on both sidesā¦I do have a much-loved brother-in-law who has survived and am never disappointed to see him.
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We had an early Thanksgiving dinner last night. Everything turned out great, and one thing I did for the first time made a huge difference. I bought a half turkey breast, boneless, and did a dry rub for 24 hours. Then I made a bed of chopped apples, lemons, and onions with a little olive oil, and roasted the turkey on top of that - 350 for an hour and ten minutes. I did this in the morning, sliced it when it was cool and let it sit in the refrig until before dinner. I also put a little of the turkey gravy in the bottom of the pan. I took it out and let it sit for a half hour, and then reheated it covered with foil for about 20 minutes at 375. Took off the foil and served. Best turkey Iāve made - juicy meat and crispy skin. And the best part was not having to futz with carving it while trying to juggle the 8000 other side dishes we were having! Since we have a vegan in the family, I did the same thing with the tofurky, and it turned out fine as well. Such a stress reducer - Iām never going back.
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