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For many years, I prepared very LARGE holiday dinners for my family. I have six children, so the daily meals I prepared were on a large scale anyway, but for the holidays, I went all out, and we usually had at least some extended family visiting, so preparing a meal for 20-30 people is not difficult for me.
BUT, this year, all of my Thanksgiving plans have fallen through, and it seems there will only be 4 people at my house for dinner. I guess I'm al little out of my element with this and I thought I'd ask some advice. I bought a small turkey that I think will fit in my large crockpot. I like the idea of not using the oven, since it gets so hot here, and if I can just use the oven for the rolls and the stuffing, that will keep our atmosphere more pleasant. Have any of you ever cooked a whole turkey in a crockpot? Do you have any suggestions for making it work?
I also decided not to make whole pies this year. I don't eat pumpkin, but my family does, so at the very least I'd have to bake two pies. I just don't see us eating that much, so I'm going to make turnovers instead.
Any other suggestions on making a thanksgiving dinner for a small group? I look forward to all the appetizers and side dishes as much as the turkey and trimmings, but I hate to waste food, so I welcome your experiences.
posted
I've not made turkey in my crock pot, but I have cooked whole chickens in there. I think my recipe should work well for you.
Remove the innards, rinse well with cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub a little salt all over the bird, inside and out. Stuff orange halves, as many as will fit, inside the cavity. Truss the bird, and put it in the crockpot. Sprinkle fresh rosemary leaves over it, and put a few orange halves in there around it (and under it if you have room). Pour 1/2 to 1 cup fresh orange juice over all and cover. Cook 8-10 hours on low for a 5 lb bird.
You could add a few cranberries with the oranges if you want, or use a few sliced apples, peaches, or almost any other fruit for interesting flavors. :-)
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If it doesn't fit, you can completely seal with a foil tent until it cooks down enough to fit, btw.
Jello salad is a tradition at our Thanksgiving table, but you don't need the huge casseroles of it that most of the recipes make. How about Applesauce Jell-o instead?
I have more ideas, but we're running off so as not to be late for dinner, so more later.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Well. Now I know what aspectre was referring to in the Euphemism thread!
Boon, that chicken recipe sounds really yummy. I'm always looking for good crockpot meals because we get home from church at 6:30 pm (ridiculous hour). I will definitely try that--not for thanksgiving, but some Sunday!
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Boon
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posted
It tastes wonderful, but it usually falls apart when I take it out of the crock.
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Falling apart usually means it's perfect. And yeah, it sounds fabuloso!
MauiBabe, your idea of doing turnovers instead of pies is awesome. Um, sorry, no, I have no ideas or suggestions. We'll probably go out for Chinese or Indian for Christmas, what with it being just Fahim and I, and me being the only one who celebrates it. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Yeah, when I cook chicken in the crockpot, I usually either plate before serving or just stick the whole crock on the table, depending on how fancy I'm being. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Theaca: hey, quid, do you and Fahim exchange Christmas/holiday presents?
No. I'd like to, but he's a bit difficult even with birthday/anniversary - as in, he's never celebrated his birthday before and sees no point. Anniversary is just an extension of that.
However, when my sister and her family were here, they wanted to hold a gift exchange with us, and since there's a nephew (then at almost four) and a niece (then at 14), it became more fun. And yeah, then he willingly participated.
I think I need to train him on the concept of celebrating these things is fun.
His father and brother had their birthdays a few days ago, and the way things are going right now, it looks like his parents will have us over for lunch/dinner every weekend they're in town - not for the respective birthdays, but most likely next weekend. Fahim's suggested that, if I want to, I could make his father & brother a cake and bring it along. Well, I'd likely make brownies cuz that's just way more fun... Anyway, point being that maybe, just maybe, he's starting to get into it a bit. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Brownies aren't more fun than cake... And cake is tradition! Now, a giant cookie cake, that could be fun... How about a brownie cake?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I have a daughter who has never liked cake, so one year for her birthday party I made brownies with ice cream and toppings... kind of a make your own sundae thing... It was very popular and I agree more fun than cake.
I've never really like the texture of chicken cooked in a crockpot, but I've done turkey breasts before and that was all right. I like the idea of stuffing the bird with oranges and cranberries. I think I could make that work. Thanks for the suggestion.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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I used to own a crock pot, but stopped using it because I found the stove to be much more versatile. I make slow-simmered things (like, simmered for a whole day and then some) all the time. I just start it in a pot on the stove, and then continue the slow cooking over a very low (covered) flame. This is actually a very traditional Jewish cooking method for the Sabbath that predates crockpots by, oh, a few millennia.
I have made "Turkey in the pot" and it came out just fine:
Onions and celery cut up and thrown into the pot. Go crazy, toss in some carrots, too. Or maybe some whole small red potatoes. About a teaspoon of salt and a cup of water. Plunk in your favorite turkey parts -- either the breast or the legs. If you are only cooking for 4, you won't be needing the entire bird. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, sage, or whatever your heart tells you would go with the turkey. Plunk on a tight-fitting lid, and burn the flame on high for 15 minutes. Then lower the flame and cook for another hour. Peek in to make sure that you are at a simmer -- you want the cooking liquid to be moving a little, but not boiling like mad and not just sitting there, looking like a warm bath.
quote:Originally posted by maui babe: I have a daughter who has never liked cake, so one year for her birthday party I made brownies with ice cream and toppings... kind of a make your own sundae thing... It was very popular and I agree more fun than cake.
They've never had brownies before - one of the times we were over there, they asked about the kinds of food we ate in Canada, and then I made the mistake of telling them the kind of food I grew up on, which I hated. In reality, they were asking what typical Canadian food was, and once I figured that out, I told them there is no such thing - there's just far too much ethnic variety.
Then last time we were there, Fahim's mom had made caramel pudding (which was very good, of course ) and she asked what kinds of puddings we made in Canada. See, puddings here are very common, and they include custards and the like. Well, where I'm from, sure, there's pudding, but that's not the only kind of dessert and it's sure not the most common. So... on to explaining pies. And then I remember my brownies, like how could I forget? And explain that to her... So, yeah, it'll be more fun to introduce them to brownies. Way, way, way more fun. Sri Lankans love sweets, and his family loves chocolates, or so Fahim tells me.
Yep, brownies are more fun. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Brownies aren't more fun than cake... And cake is tradition! Now, a giant cookie cake, that could be fun... How about a brownie cake?
But my brownies... Yum!
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: (And I'm so glad they're so happy with you. You deserve it. )
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