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Food Thread: Weird But Good, Or Just Weird...It's All Fun On Thanksgiving

I think a lot of the fun of the Thanksgiving table (besides one-upping your smarmy 2nd cousin) is the seemingly endless selection of side dishes that people conjure. Do an internet search for "Thanksgiving Sides," or even check The Joy Of Cooking, and you will be swamped with straightforward or weird dishes. Hell some of the straightforward ones are weird. Cranberry Sauce? That horrid green bean and canned crispy onion dish?

And you people make fun of Haggis?

Anyway, my favorite one is a simple squash soup with crispy crostini (I think that's redundant) smeared with some goat cheese. I have been making it for years, although I have delegated it recently to one of the brats. It's my carefully honed recipe of course, because the idea of giving up all control over what happens in my kitchen is mad...MAD I SAY! (I have posted it and other recipes before).

But there are lots of little tweaks to things like mashed potatoes that can make them special without a huge commitment in time and money. Sure, fly in some fresh truffles from Perigord! But you can also make garlic mashed potatoes that are absolutely delicious! And those roasted Brussels Sprouts that are a fixture at your table? Add bacon and Parmesan cheese for a delicious change.

And for those of you with refined tastes, an oyster stuffing is hard to beat. You troglodytes can eat "dressing" if you want, but all red-blooded Americans know that it is called "stuffing." And if oysters are a bit too weird for you, good old sausage stuffing is hard to top for deliciousness. I use corn bread, but plain old day old bread will work. And if you really want to do it up right, bake the loaf yourself! Hell, I wonder how sourdough bread will work for stuffing? Has anyone ever used it?

As fun and tasty and different the Thanksgiving meal can be, it is just a bonus. The real treat should be the relaxed and happy time you spend with your friends and relatives. That has always been my policy, and I find the idea that the meal is more important than the company to be a bit dismissive of our humanity.

That doesn't mean that you should pull out the crappy bourbon...we are not savages!

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Garlic, cauliflower, zucchini, flour.

You know what I mean.

50%...easy!

So tell The Bureau of Labor Statistics and their political masters to stick it where the sun don't shine.

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From commenter (Lurker?) "Tyler"

Got a kick out of the Negroni meme on the food thread.

Speaking of the aforementioned cocktail, I did have a pretty amazing Negroni recently which the post reminded me of... at a great local seafood restaurant (in Omaha of all places)... they used the standard Campari and sweet vermouth combo but had a gin that was aged in a Sauvignon Blanc barrel... the gin smoothed the whole cocktail out and almost required a lemon peel to bring out the "bite" of the drink.

Of course "Tyler" sort of glossed over the fact that I think Negronis are repulsive. However, I will forgive him because he is a Sous Vider, and he does short ribs that look delicious!
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[Hat Tip: Iris]

I am no longer going to adhere to any sort of rule of polite behavior about politics. I won't bring it up when we have company, but if it is a topic, I will not pull any punches.

Like last night.

Yes, I slept on the couch (just kidding).

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Well, this looks interesting! Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Pie sounds impossibly decadent. Probably one of those tiny slice jobs...

Or...you know...half the pie after everyone has gone to sleep.

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[Hat Tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian]

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From commenter "Robert." Oh lord, it does sound like fun. But I don't have a 6" Springform pan. Why would anyone have a pan that small? I guess I will have to double or triple the recipe to fit my smallest Springform.

Maple Bacon Cake

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[Hat Tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian]

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Addendum I have neglected some important safety advice, but commenter "Joe Kidd" has taken up the slack:

meal prep hydration is a too often overlooked Thanksgiving safety element, so keep a chilled six pack or Vino Verde within easy reach. Maybe even designate a spotter or two to make sure you are regularly restoring those vital fluids that quickly dissipate in a hot kitchen.

What the hell happened to all the vegetables? And send me garlic that isn't grown in heavy metals and human waste in China, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls We know who shake their Manhattans! These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

$1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty of fifty years, but it is worth it!