Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Come on, man.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

This blog will pay for itself.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Everybody saw this coming.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

White supremacy is terrorism.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

“woke” is the new caravan.

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Reader Interactions

135Comments

  1. 1.

    MrSnrub

    I’m going to the Eagles game today – my first NFL game in 14 years. Looking forward to it.

    Did you see the Colbert Christmas special? It’s an instant classic. The best was John Legend – "Eggnog without nutmeg is like turkey without a duck and chicken inside it."

  2. 2.

    Tymannosourus

    What could go wrong?

    The Detroit Lions, the Seattle Seahawks and the family talking politics under the influence of Pinot.

  3. 3.

    Comrade Jake

    We caught the Celtics game last night. Great game against Golden State. The C’s were down a dozen at halftime and had a blistering third quarter. Good times.

  4. 4.

    Comrade Jake

    I like the idea of an evening NFL game on Thanksgiving. I’m not sure how I’m going to come out of the triptophan coma to be awake for it though.

  7. 7.

    Atanarjuat

    Out of curiosity, what’s everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving dish?

    I’ve always been partial to stuffing, but have also enjoyed sweet potatoes sprinkled with brown sugar.

    -Country First.

  8. 8.

    smiley

    It’s a shame that the only potentially decent game (Philly/AZ) will be seen in only a few dozen households.

  9. 9.

    Paul in Boca

    @Comrade Jake: You must be one of the twelve people in America who subscribe to the NFL channel, as that’s the only way to see this evening’s game.
    @amorphus: my apologies!

  10. 10.

    smiley

    @Atanarjuat:

    Out of curiosity, what’s everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving dish?

    I’ve always been partial to stuffing,

    Me too. But the sandwiches the next day are awesome also.

  13. 13.

    mellowjohn

    happy family dysfunction awareness day, everyone.

    and amen to sandwiches (dark meat on toast) the next day.

  14. 14.

    canuckistani

    @Atanarjuat:

    Mashed turnips with butter and brown sugar swimming in turkey gravy. Or sausage-based stuffing. I may take up celebrating American thanksgiving as well as our own, just for that extra turkey dinner.

  15. 15.

    T.Scheisskopf

    "What could go wrong?"

    Bitest thine tongue, Cole. Dear Leader’s ability at screwing up air sandwiches knows no holiday. If he gets into the cooking wine, we could well be doomed.

  17. 17.

    Englischlehrer

    Well, I’m sick and working in Germany, that’s what could go wrong! Actually, there are so many holidays in southern germany that I shouldn’t complain, just bummed there won’t be much updating going on on my favorite news websites…

  18. 18.

    John Cole

    Out of curiosity, what’s everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving dish?

    A gutbomb mixture of stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and cranberries mixed together and drowned in gravy.

    If I had to choose one thing that was my favorite, though- stuffing.

  19. 19.

    ThymeZone

    I read the NYT article on turkey farming the other day and I never want to eat another factory turkey again.

    Aside from the inhumane aspects, there is the matter of whether this product is fit to eat. Yuck.

    Accordingly, I am starting a new tradition today, which is the Baby Seal With Stuffing Dinner.

    Details later.

  20. 20.

    smiley

    @The Grand Panjandrum:

    Hahahahaha! America just got Rick Rolled by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

    Care to explain for those of us not watching?

    If you’re not interested in parades or football, there’s a House marathon on USA and a The Closer marathon on TNT.

    @Don SinFalta:

    The lamp on my projection TV died last night. No TV for this holiday.

    OHHH THE HUMANITY!!!

    Sorry dude.

  23. 23.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    @smiley:

    Care to explain for those of us not watching?

    Rick Astley just came trotting out from the covered portion a float and sang his infamous "Never Gonna Give Up." I don’t know if the Macy’s folks are aware of all internet traditions but I got a kick out of it.

    I’ll see if anyone has youtubed it yet.

  24. 24.

    Spotty

    Let’s see, a parade float or a balloon could get away from its handlers, somebody could break his fool neck playing football, and the turkey probably will be dry.

  25. 25.

    Tymannosourus

    @Atanarjuat:

    This year I am making a fantastic blueberry crumble dessert. SUPER easy to make, and everybody loves it. I also add a little orange extract to the home made whipped cream for my thing de resistance.

  27. 27.

    gnomedad

    What could go wrong?

    This.

    Take a relatively healthy food (give or take TZ’s turkey factory report) and turn in into an artery-clogger. It’s the American Way.

  28. 28.

    Laura W

    @Atanarjuat: Stuffing, garlic mashed taters, and whole cranberry sauce. I can’t choose one. OK, stuffing then (with lots of nuts and sausage). I am not cooking a thing. Maybe a Digornio pizza. Too much other crap to do today and following two days. Like call mom and grandma in Napa. I hate the phone so much that I had to put this on my daytimer so I’d not blow it off (as easily) and I vacuumed just now. Considering that I hate to vacuum, the fact that I did it first tells the story.

    The only thing I hate more than the phone is a parade, any time of year, live or on tee vee, so I guess that’s something to be grateful for.

  30. 30.

    J. Michael Neal

    It’s Big 10 College Hockey Showcase weekend. The Gophers host Michigan tomorrow, and Michigan State on Saturday. (Wisconsin gets them in the other order.) This is my second favorite college hockey weekend of the season. I only go to the folks’ for Thanksgiving every other year, the years we play in Ann Arbor.

  31. 31.

    South of I-10

    @Laura W: It’s going to be a veritable cornucopia of dysfunction. How can you hate parades? My daughter just asked why they weren’t throwing anything from the floats. Parades = Mardi Gras to her.

  33. 33.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    For me to give someone amnesty, they have to have had some kind of redeeming quality to begin with, so please forgive me if I don’t participate in Atan’s phony question suggesting a desire to make everyone like him after he treats everyone on this blog like shit, no matter HOW graceful we’re supposed to be on this day.

    PS – I don’t do Turkey day, or Christmas, or Easter, or…

    I will treat today like any other normal day, just like I normally do.

  35. 35.

    ThymeZone

    Mashed potatoes are a perfect food. Mashed by hand, very slightly lumpy, with cream, butter, and salt, and served immediately …. cannot be improved upon.

    Only people of low degree and with serious personal deficits would add things to this dish, like garlic, or cheese, or god knows what … gift cards …. air miles ….. anything at all.

    Make good mashed potatoes, make them at serving time, and leave them alone. Simple is good, less is more. Don’t try to be Martha Stewart. Just mash em and serve em.

  36. 36.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    which is the Baby Seal With Stuffing Dinner

    I would suggest Sashimi and Sake, but they’re closed today. :(

  39. 39.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    Mashed potatoes are a perfect food. Mashed by hand, very slightly lumpy, with cream, butter, and salt, and served immediately …. cannot be improved upon.

    Perhaps one of these days I’ll let you try my mashed potatoes. :)

  40. 40.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    The thanksgiving spirit of the pilgrims and native americans no longer lives in you.

    The pilgrims were religious extremists and the native americans got screwed.

    p.s.- Jesus loves the way I shun the traditions of men. ;)

  41. 41.

    Laura W

    @South of I-10:

    How can you hate parades?

    Easily, it seems. I hate a lot of stuff other people love: fireworks, trick-or-treaters, Christmas carols, kids, company, and Billy Joel, to name a few.
    Off to walk the dog, which I love.

  42. 42.

    jeffreyw

    A glob of sausage/apple dressing awash in turkey gravy has to be the bestest ever turkey day side.

    Tho a nice mac n cheese has fans in this household.

    And the green bean casserole with mushroom soup and those french fried onion thingies is def a runner up.

  44. 44.

    demkat620

    Macy’s Rick Rolls America Video.

    That is hilarious. Somebody over at Macy’s has obviously got a clue.

    Stuffing, definitely the stuffing. Made with Martin’s potato bread.

  45. 45.

    Svensker

    "Eggnog without nutmeg is like turkey without a duck and chicken inside it."

    We had a turduckhen a few years ago, ordered from a farm in upstate NY. Cost a fortune. It was horrid. Sticking with a nice traditional sage-y turkey this year. Lots and lots of stuffing and gravy, the whole reason for the feast, imho.

    Why oh why would they put the Lions on the TV today. National humiliation? Plus sucky football. Harrumph.

  46. 46.

    ThymeZone

    what’s everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving dish?

    My world famous baked squash recipe.

    It’s so good, I gave myself a gold medal for it.

    It’s butternut and spaghetti squash, steamed, peeled, cut up and mixed, retaining some of the spaghetti squash texture, with butter and salt, baked in a casserole dish until just brown on top.

    You can make it a day ahead and reheat it in the oven on serving day.

    The texture thing is the key. You want enough of the spaghetti squash texture to have texture, but not enough that people who don’t know what you did would know that it is spaghetti squash. That is the perfect point at which to stop mixing the cooked squash before baking.

    If it is not the best squash dish you ever ate, your money back.

  50. 50.

    Perry Como

    Mashed potatoes are a perfect food. Mashed by hand, very slightly lumpy, with cream, butter, and salt, and served immediately …. cannot be improved upon.

    Lies. Bake the potatoes, scoop out the insides, mash with butter, Mexican crema, salt, pepper, fresh grated horseradish and chives. Use the skins later with cheddar and bacon. Or put the mashed potatoes back in the skins and top with cheddar and bacon and bake. You can improve on perfection. At least, I can.

  52. 52.

    gnomedad

    @CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII:

    please forgive me if I don’t participate in Atan’s phony question suggesting a desire to make everyone like him after he treats everyone on this blog like shit

    Yup. If he were serious, he could drop the "Country First" poke in the eye.

    — Dessert First

  53. 53.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    If your analogy holds, then atanarjuat just gave us all smallpox.

    Ah, you get my point!

  54. 54.

    NonWonderDog (НеинтереснаяСобака)

    @Svensker:

    Turducken is so 2002. This year it’s all about the turbaconducken. It’s… so… beautiful.

    And the Lions have played on Thanksgiving since Thanksgiving football has existed. The Lions invented Thanksgiving (pro) football. Dallas stole our shtick thirty years later–Thanksgiving is our day to suck, and has been since 1934.

    Please don’t take it away from us, it’s all we have left.

  55. 55.

    Perry Como

    @South of I-10: Thanks. I got the idea from Mesa Grill. While I won’t be making those today I made them Tuesday night. They went on top of beef cheeks braised in a Rioja. A sheppard’s pie kind of thing.

  56. 56.

    ThymeZone

    You can improve on perfection. At least, I can.

    Well no, you didn’t improve on anything. You created a whole nother dish, some freaky thing you might find at the State Fair.

    Mashed potatoes are simple, elegant, hot, and perfect.

    If you take them and play with them and mold them into figures of Republican Presidents, you don’t have mashed potatoes any more. You have day room food.

    Please don’t speak of disfiguring a great American tradition. Were you raised by Jim Jones? My god.

  57. 57.

    gnomedad

    Turducken is so 2002. This year it’s all about the turbaconducken.

    OMFSM. If the religious right wants to go after something "unnatural", why can’t they take this on?

  58. 58.

    Perry Como

    Please don’t speak of disfiguring a great American tradition.

    Right. And next you’ll be telling me that using transglutaminase to bind chicken, duck and turkey together to make a roulade is somehow unnatural.

  59. 59.

    ThymeZone

    If the religious right wants to go after something "unnatural", why can’t they take this on?

    I think a law that says that a turducken is the union of one turkey, one duck and one chicken is called for.

    That’s what our Christian Founders intended.

  60. 60.

    Woodrowfan

    Ugh. Parades bore me (oh look, another band and some tissue paper stuffed into chickenwire on a trailer, zzzzzzzzzzzz) football never interested me, and I hate shopping in crowded Malls.

    Oh the other hand, turkey and dressing is cool and my wife bakes a lot between Thanksgiving and New Years and she makes a great sugar-free pie, and muffins, and breads, etc.

  61. 61.

    smiley

    @Perry Como: .

    Or put the mashed potatoes back in the skins and top with cheddar and bacon and bake. You can improve on perfection.

    Twice-baked potatoes are a holiday tradition in my family. Yummy. Stuffing is still my favorite, though.

    @South of I-10: I plan to eat my weight in rice dressing.

    My mother is from Pa. so we always had white bread stuffing. My country north Louisiana grandmother would bring a casserole of corn bread dressing. Both yummy. I’ve never had rice dressing but I know it’s common down south. Myaybe I’ll give it try one of these years.

  62. 62.

    ThymeZone

    next you’ll be telling me that using transglutaminase to bind chicken, duck and turkey together to make a roulade

    Only God’s mighty power can bind together the fowl.

    We are simply carrying out His will.

    Take your transglutwhateveritis and go to the Devil.

  64. 64.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    Only God’s mighty power can bind together the fowl.

    What fowl God has joined together let no foul put asunder?

  65. 65.

    passerby

    I like the idea of an evening NFL game on Thanksgiving. I’m not sure how I’m going to come out of the triptophan coma to be awake for it though.

    Same here, Jake. My plan is to serve up some potent Irish Coffee with whipped cream and all.

  66. 66.

    South of I-10

    @Smiley: My Mom makes really good rice dressing and corn bread dressing. Unfortunately, that is not where I am going today. I need to learn how to make it. I have tried before, but it wasn’t very good.

  67. 67.

    passerby

    I plan to eat my weight in rice dressing.

    My favorite dish on the holiday table.

    Today I’m using Savoie’s dirty rice mix to give me a reasonable facsimile to what mom used to make from scratch.

  68. 68.

    Comrade Stuck

    Funhouse Dispatch– Happy Thanksgiving to All. Even you Atanut.

    And remember , "Don’t eat the Brown Gravy".

  69. 69.

    Genine

    I’m watching Neverwhere to decide if the Marquis would make a good Doctor. It’s a Brit-tastic Thanksgiving.

    I think the Marquis would make a good Doctor. He has the right attitude. I also loved how he spoke.

  70. 70.

    Michael D.

    @ThymeZone:

    Aside from the inhumane aspects, there is the matter of whether this product is fit to eat. Yuck.

    There’s a reason we have gravy, stuffing, salt and pepper – the turkey is not fit to eat on its own. I recommend going out and shooting a wild turkey. I don’t eat the meat anymore, but wild turkeys are much tastier if you’re going to bother.

  71. 71.

    smiley

    @South of I-10: When my wife and I divorced, we split up the cookbooks. I was, however, able to keep my really old (1974), stained, frayed copy of Talk About Good. There’s a recipe in it for rice-cornbread duck dressing (the only thing duck about it is duck gibblets). It looks pretty good and basic. Maybe that’s where I’ll start.

    BTW, the recipe is interesting also because the author says it’s a combination of a couple of other recipes, one of which she says was taught to her by a "colored maid" when she first moved to Lafayette. I doubt that story is in more recent editions of the book.

  73. 73.

    ThymeZone

    I recommend going out and shooting a wild turkey.

    Good idea. I am trying to get on a list for a shoot with Dick Cheney. I hear he’s quite the marksman.

    We might not get a turkey, but a nice stuffed lawyer would probably be okay as a second choice.

  74. 74.

    Charity

    I’m cooking dinner for my family for the first time ever. Turkey’s in the oven, mashed potatoes are warming in the slow cooker. So far, no huge disasters. I’m watching a little DVR’d Lions/Titans and relishing sitting down for now. Happy happy T’giving to y’all!

  75. 75.

    J. Michael Neal

    My professional sports loyalties all stayed in Detroit, but I’m very glad I never cared much about the Lions. The question is no longer whether this team is going to go 0-16. It’s whether they are the worst NFL team of all time. I’m not sure the 1976 Buccaneers were this bad.

  76. 76.

    Atanarjuat

    Thanks, everyone, for all those Thanksgiving dish ideas. It made me hungry just thinking about how delicious they sound — and I just ate lunch!

    I’m on my way now to my sister’s place to prepare for the some truly fowl consumption later this evening. I just hope the bathroom scale will be kind to me in the morning. Ha! I wish. :-D

    Happy Thanksgiving again, people. Enjoy the rest of the holiday.

  77. 77.

    Dennis - SGMM

    Happy thanksgiving to all. Thank you, John, et al, for providing me with many hours of entertainment.

  79. 79.

    DRD 1812

    Ah, yes, the venerable tradition of football on Thanksgiving. The ten and one team takes on the goose egg and eleven team. The nation sits on the end of its couch wondering if the Lions can pull this one out.

  80. 80.

    Zzyzx

    Wow, this game is probably singlehandledly creating massive amounts of family tension across the country due to the lack of Tgiving distractions.

  81. 81.

    KRK

    What could go wrong?

    This would not be asked by anyone who spent more than one Thanksgiving in my part of the world. We seem to be safe this year, but wind storms and the resultant power outages are a Thanksgiving tradition here in western WA. There go football, parades, dinner, the whole shebang, at least temporarily.

    I remember as a kid listening to a local radio station after the power had gone out one Thanksgiving afternoon. People were calling in and lots were asking "my turkey is only cooked halfway, what can I do?" And I distinctly remember thinking, "Come on, people, what did you do LAST YEAR when this happened?"

    I once spent a year living in a somewhat sketchy communist-era dorm in eastern Europe, and the only day the electricity went out was when everyone back home would have been celebrating Thanksgiving.

    As for Thanksgiving food, it’s all good, even for those of us who skip the turkey and sausage. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I realized one could cook Thanksgiving food for oneself, for meals other than Thanksgiving, and enjoy the flavors without the family stress.

  84. 84.

    demimondian

    @Charity: What a wonderful tradition — the first time suffering in the kitchen as "Mother figure".

    FDDD played sous chef to me this morning, so I could sit and watch the middle one play video games. Now *that* is the perfect -tofurkey- Sage-and-pepper-stuffed-Butterball-clubbed-baby-seal day!

  86. 86.

    Juan del Llano

    No TV, no parades, no football, no turkey, no family. Hah!

    Should be a pretty good time with friends later, though. About 30 people, and there will be turkey there. Pies, too! I like turkey, but only the first few bites. After that, just gimme dat pie.

  87. 87.

    Dennis - SGMM

    Out of curiosity, what’s everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving dish?

    The last one I wash after dinner’s over.

  89. 89.

    MikeL

    What could go wrong?

    Someone could put an ad for a book called "Stealth Jihad" on your blog site.

    That would suck

  90. 90.

    toujoursdan

    Typical American assimilationism.

    First they take over our radio and TV, then they buy our stores (Who took over Hudson’s Bay Company and Eaton’s?), then they take credit for our inventions (basketball, electric lights and Blackberrys) and finally they are taking our citizens.

    C’mon back to Canada….

  91. 91.

    ninerdave

    @Punchy:

    NFL plus turkey n gravy plus nephew n niece makes Punch a happah campah

    My wife and I are convinced that Nephews and nieces are the ultimate way to have kids. All the benefits with none of the downside.

  92. 92.

    srv

    The thanksgiving spirit of the pilgrims and native americans no longer lives in you.

    Well, I made an offering for y’all sins on Alcatraz this morning, where the Ohlone Tribe holds an annual Sundance. Many tribes, and the Aztecs must have had sixty or so dancers. A dozen or so veterans from the Alcatraz Liberation 40 years ago.

  93. 93.

    ninerdave

    Menu for today at my house, if anyone is curious.

    * Deep Fried Turkey with herbed butter and citrus injection.
    * Garlic Truffled Mash Potatoes
    * Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta.
    * Green Bean Caserrole a la Alton Brown
    * Cranberry relish with Grand Marnier
    * "Pink Salad" Which is a family recipe that’s essentially a cranberry ambrosia type thing.
    * And my Mom’s stuffing with is the best thing ever.

    Oh and copious quantities of martinis and wine.

  95. 95.

    Jay C

    @Atanarjuat:

    Wild rice: preferably with nuts – not only great in itself, but also one of the few genuine connections to Native American foods around.

    @ThymeZone:

    Good idea. I am trying to get on a list for a shoot with Dick Cheney. I hear he’s quite the marksman.

    We might not get a turkey, but a nice stuffed lawyer would probably be okay as a second choice.

    Good idea, but you’ve got to be sure to try to bag a young one, preferably just out of law school, otherwise they can get dry and stringy after you cook them. And don’t use any from "white-shoe" firms: they tend towards blandness….

  96. 96.

    greynoldsct00

    Menu for today at my house, if anyone is curious.

    * Deep Fried Turkey with herbed butter and citrus injection.
    * Garlic Truffled Mash Potatoes
    * Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta.
    * Green Bean Caserrole a la Alton Brown
    * Cranberry relish with Grand Marnier
    * "Pink Salad" Which is a family recipe that’s essentially a cranberry ambrosia type thing.
    * And my Mom’s stuffing with is the best thing ever.

    Oh and copious quantities of martinis and wine.

    Jeez NinerDave, that sounds wonderful! and you didn’t invite us?

    Have a good turkey day everyone, my family and friends are due to arrive any minute.

  97. 97.

    ninerdave

    Jeez NinerDave, that sounds wonderful! and you didn’t invite us?

    My family coming over is more than enough thank you. I’ll invite y’all over for the superbowl when I get up at 5am to light the BBQ for ribs and brisket.

  100. 100.

    Ned R.

    My tradition was sleeping in this morning. Hooray!

    I’m actually going to be making this for the big dinner I’m attending, simply to offset all the starch. Not traditional, but damned tasty and effective, so bring it.

    Hope everyone’s holiday’s good!

  102. 102.

    Cain

    @schlagle:

    We just got Rick Rolled by the Macy’s Day Parade. That’s what can go wrong!

    I was dozing in bed (yes still.. I was up drinking whiskey with a right wing buddy of mine.. i don’t think i’ve ever held so many guns) when I heard Rick Astley and I thought "shit, I got rick rolled on thanksgiving!"

    cain

  103. 103.

    Indylib

    My husband is standing duty today so no traditional Turkey Day fare until tomorrow. Today’s menu was fried organic eggs, applewood bacon, homemade cinnamon rolls and non-alcoholic bellini- like concoctions. My kids mixed sparkling cider and sparkling grape juice with innumerable combinations of apricot nectar, pear nectar, fresh sqeezed orange juice and cherry juice.

    Tomorrow’s menu. Roast Turkey, apple/bacon cornbread stuffing, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, made with cream and real butter, giblet gravy, reg. turkey gravy, roasted sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, green bean casserole sans mushrooms, made with bacon, fried onion and parmsan, fresh cranberry sauce with orange peel, and homemade rolls followed by homemade pumpkin and Door County cherry pie.

    Yes, my kids like bacon, if I add it they will eat it.

  106. 106.

    Brian J

    I’m just about to go over a relative’s house for dinner. I’m going to bet that I’m told I’m overweight about five times, told I’m a communist/socialist/naive young liberal who will change when he’s older eight to ten times, and told that I’m doing nothing with my life (sort of true, but besides the point) about six times. The question is, does another implication that I’m responsible for Sean Penn going to see Hugo Chavez or something similar count once or twice?

    I’ll check back later tonight and report the results.

  109. 109.

    Polish the Guillotines

    Heading down to my brother’s later. I’m on sweet potato duty. Yams, actually. Mashed, with bourbon, OJ, butter, spices, brown sugar and then baked with a pecan streusel topping.

    Not the world’s biggest yam fan, but these are goooood.

  110. 110.

    Stuart

    Delurking for a moment to second Jay C’s suggestion of wild rice, but you have to find the REAL wild rice, not that black, hard, tastes-like-gravel crap that passes for wild rice in grocery stores. My mom could make the greatest wild rice stuffing around, but you have to start with some real Anishinaabe manoomin (our word for the real stuff).

    Love the blog, and drive safe everyone.

  111. 111.

    Tymannosourus

    @srv:

    I made an offering for y’all sins on Alcatraz this morning, where the Ohlone Tribe holds an annual Sundance.

    Thanks, I guess?

  114. 114.

    Brachiator

    @Tymannosourus:

    This year I am making a fantastic blueberry crumble dessert. SUPER easy to make, and everybody loves it. I also add a little orange extract to the home made whipped cream for my thing de resistance.

    This sounds absolutely delightful.

    A dear friend of mine typically invites folks over to a Thanksgiving pot luck. She, her sister, and her mother are all excellent cooks who also compete to out-do one another. But of many dishes over the years, my all time favorite is probably macaroni and cheese. Seemingly simple, but when done well, with butter and a well defined crust, it is sublime.

    I bring the wine. This season, I am liking an Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay, a Frei Brothers Russian River Chardonnay, a smattering of California and Italian Pinot Grigio and a couple of California and Australian Pinot Noir (here specific winemakers don’t interest me as much as investigating what the region has to offer, hit or miss).

    And with that, a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

  115. 115.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    Shit. I’ll tell you what could go wrong. The one fucking cat that never begs for food could hop up on the counter, tiptoe to the stove, start to help herself to the poultry and then nearly kick the bloody mashed potatoes to hell and gone when you yell.

    Fucking cats. Who wants a cat?

    She’s lucky she’s too damn skinny to cook.

  117. 117.

    ninerdave

    @Polish the Guillotines:

    Heading down to my brother’s later. I’m on sweet potato duty. Yams, actually. Mashed, with bourbon, OJ, butter, spices, brown sugar and then baked with a pecan streusel topping.

    That actually sounds really good. I hate yams, yet I’d try that.

  118. 118.

    South of I-10

    Wow! That was tasty and drama free. Now I just have to face my high school reunion tomorrow night. Hope everyone had a great day.

  119. 119.

    pattonbt

    @Tattoosydney:

    Being a US expat on the other side of the world here with Tattoosydney (way over in Perth) I can say this is a depressing thread.

    I love my new adopted country (and my birth country) and see myself being here the rest of my life, but I sorely miss Thanksgiving every year. It is by far the best holiday I have been exposed to in my life – there is no equivalent. And no matter how I try and recreate it here in Aus, it just isnt the same.

    Nothing makes me homesick like Thanksgiving (and the thought of authentic Mexican food).

    Enjoy the day all – food, football and fall.

    And lets all be thankfull that in less than 2 months we will have adults in charge!

  120. 120.

    smiley

    @pattonbt:
    I’m sympathetic, Patt. I used to live in a country that doesn’t do American Thanksgiving (but had great Mexican food — because it was Mexico). My suggestion (maybe you’ve tried this)? Have a big dinner party, sometime near when we do Thanksgiving here (maybe Sat. night), and ask your family/friends to bring food for or donate food to a local charity. That and saying thanks to the deity of your choice might bring back the feeling. Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie might help but maybe you should try enchiladas, chile rellenos, and tamales. And rice and refried beans. And flan. I love flan. American football I can’t help with, unless you access the internets and record a game or two.

  122. 122.

    South of I-10

    @Laura W: I’m having some as we speak. The reunion is going to be a trainwreck. I can’t wait. I have a couple of friends going with me, we plan to sit in the corner, drink wine and mock the proceedings.

  123. 123.

    Krista

    The only thing I dislike about American Thanksgiving is that the weekend tends to be pretty short on blog posts and comments, because everybody’s busy stuffing their faces. It leaves we poor Canadians to actually have to talk to each other. And that’s just not right.

    Oh, and yeah…I’m all about the stuffing. My FIL makes a very, very tasty oyster stuffing, whereas Mom makes traditional bread stuffing. This xmas, they’ll EACH make it…how awesome is that?

  124. 124.

    Ed Drone

    What can go wrong is the special-order (can’t be returned) rear storm door, finally delivered after weeks of waiting, doesn’t damn well fit! We had to provide them with exact measurements, top, middle & bottom widths, and left and right-edge heights, and it is too narrow. It has a frame that fits within the wooden door frame, but with the left and right metal framework in place, the door misses the jamb by 2/3 inch. Unfortunately, a 1" board is too thick to use as a spacer, so I’m stuck. I’m trying to figure out what to do.

    Sigh. A waste of my morning, and a good portion of the afternoon, and then a meal that was on the cool side by the time all of us were seated, topped off by two football games that were so one-sided as to be boring.

    Not my day.

    Ed

  125. 125.

    Jennifer

    Unfortunately, a 1" board is too thick to use as a spacer, so I’m stuck. I’m trying to figure out what to do.

    Ummm…how about ripping down a 1x to 2/3" of an inch and using it as a spacer?

    Back to turkeys, I didn’t read the NYT piece about factory-farming turkeys, but then again, I don’t need to since it’s impossible to find a grocery store turkey (outside of Trader Joe’s, and there isn’t one within 300 miles of here) that hasn’t been injected full of chemical crap they call "broth".
    No, it’s not "broth", it’s saltwater and assorted chemicals, and it makes the turkey taste like ass. Butterballs are the worst offenders – the cat won’t even eat them. But all the grocery store brands have been given "the treatment", so I started buying the mega-expensive bone-in turkey breasts at Whole Foods several years ago. This is a real issue for me, because 1) I eat a lot of turkey and 2) the crap they sell in the deli is even worse than the frozen whole birds – they "glue" several breasts together and well, yuck. Considering the deli crap is like $8 a pound, the organic turkey breasts at $4 a pound are a real bargain. I cook one up every couple of months and since I get something like 20 or 25 meals out of each one (by the time I cook down the carcass and make the turkey and rice soup), the price is not so bad after all.

    As for the deep-fried turkey, that’s just wrong. It puts a lot of oil into the bird, which is essentially the biggest – though not only – thing wrong with a Butterball. Again, yuck. I find that I have no problem cooking a juicy bird just by rubbing it down with salt, basting with butter, and cooking it breast-side down for most of the time – then flipping it over for the last 30 or 45 minutes. For most of the cook time, the juices are running down into the breast meat; the last segment of cooking just browns the skin nicely.

  127. 127.

    ninerdave

    @Jennifer:

    Have you considered mail order food? Sounds strange by some of my friends swear by it.

    As for the deep-fried turkey, that’s just wrong. It puts a lot of oil into the bird,

    No it doesn’t. I’ve been doing it for about 10 years and never have any problem with oily meat. The skin gets nice and crispy and the meat is tender and juicy.

    If you have oily turkey meat then your either aren’t cooking it hot enough or you’re leaving it in too long.

    It is imho the only way to do a whole bird. And no it won’t work with just a breast.

  128. 128.

    Jennifer

    ninerdave – hey, food preferences are neither right nor wrong, they are just what they are – preferences. The few times I’ve had deep-fried turkey (I’ve never made one that way) I haven’t liked it. Maybe I just prefer turkey to be not as juicy as deep-frying makes it. FWIW, I’m not a fan of brining the bird, either – that also makes it moister than ideal for my taste.

  129. 129.

    ninerdave

    FWIW, I’m not a fan of brining the bird, either – that also makes it moister than ideal for my taste.

    HA! Well I always brine my bird too. hehe. So I guess I won’t put you on the guest list next year? ;)

    My main point was that oil doesn’t get into the meat. The skin prevents that, if you do it right. Different tastes I understand all too well since I cook Thanksgiving every year.

  130. 130.

    binzinerator

    @Polish the Guillotines

    Yams, actually. Mashed, with bourbon, OJ, butter, spices, brown sugar and then baked with a pecan streusel topping.

    Not the world’s biggest yam fan, but these are goooood.

    I am stuffed after our Thanksgiving feast, and yet, drool, drool. I love yams. I want that recipe. If I am interested in food after just feasting on a Thanksgiving dinner, then that’s a recipe to ask for! Will you share it?

    BTW: I gotta say, in spite of all the yummy runners-up, Fave Turkey-day food is stuffing. But of course!

    The feast Chez Binz:

    kosher turkey
    homemade rolls
    mashed potatoes (just potatoes and whole milk)
    turkey gravy (the real deal, from juices from the turkey)
    stuffing (with sausage and cranberries, Ohhh Yum!)
    homemade cranberry sauce
    salad with homemade dressing (from a cousin, need to get the recipe as it was awesome)

    Dessert was a letdown as the said cousin insisted on also providing it. It was a pumpkin trifle, but done a la Jiffy-Bake suburban kitchen style. It was as disappointing as his salad was awesome.

    I missed the pumpkin pie that I typically bake (I’m a darn good pie maker if I do say so my self.) Strawberry-and-rhubarb’s my fave (my own garden-grown strawberries and rhubarb, natch), tho my pumpkin is no slouch and is typically what I make for T-day dessert.

    NEVERTHELESS. It was a damn good feast and I am happy and stuffed. Very good, very good. Wonderful food, really wonderful good food, happy noisy family, and good wine. No time for TV. Jebus, it really doesn’t get much better than that. Not by much, and not hardly ever.

  131. 131.

    binzinerator

    Not the world’s biggest yam fan, but these are goooood.

    That should have been part of the blockquote. Sigh. Ratsa-fratsa blockquoting.

  132. 132.

    Ash Can

    We had our usual small, traditional, yummy dinner party here, with close relatives and the husband and his mother doing all the cooking. Flying in the face of the Thanksgiving tradition of family disfunction, we all get along beautifully, and a great time was had. Generous amounts of Beaujolais Nouveau don’t hurt, either.

    And as everyone awakens to thoughts of turkey-day leftovers for breakfast (known to happen in my household), here’s a little treat for those who haven’t seen it yet: Detroit Free Press sportswriter Michael Rosenberg on yesterday’s Lions game. As we all sat around in turkey comas last night, the husband read this article aloud to us. We all laughed tears. Enjoy!

  133. 133.

    Richard Stanczak

    Kudos to the Lions for helping to drive Americans away from their TVs. Hopefully, the time was spent by families in intelligent, constructive, non-confrontational discussion of the issues of the day.

    Yeah, right.

  134. 134.

    Polish the Guillotines

    binzinerator & ninerdave (and anyone else who’s interested):

    Start with about 4 pounds of garnet yams (they’ve got the best color). Scrub them and boil them until tender — skin on.

    In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup 1/3 cup OJ, 1/2 cup bourbon (Jim Beam Black Label is a nice compromise between too lame and too fancy), and 1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed). Whisk it together to dissolve the sugar.

    Separately, combine some spices to taste. I use ground clove, cinnamon, allspice, and ground ginger. About a half teaspoon each.

    When the yams are done and cool enough to handle (but still warm), peel them and toss them into a bowl with a stick of butter. Mash until the butter’s melted and incorporated. Salt to taste (kosher if you’ve got it).

    Stir in the liquid and mix in the spices.

    When everything’s incorporated, spread it into a buttered 9.5" x 13.5" baking dish. Cover with the streusel topping and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 min. or until the topping is golden brown.

    Streusel Topping:

    1 cup flour
    1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/4 cup chopped pecans
    6 tablespoons butter

    Squish it all together with clean hands until it’s a nice crumbly consistency.

  135. 135.

    Birdzilla

    WEe have only a short time left till the turkeys run everything and running this nation into amess AND OBAMA IS NOT MY PRESIDENT AND IM TIRED OF SEEING HIS UGLY MUG EVERYWHERE I GO

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