Thanksgiving turkey originally uploaded by Pete D
Last week’s poll which asked if you thought catered food sucked gave me the expected result that everyone agrees that, in most instances, it does indeed suck. There are some shining examples of places that do it well (Chowgirls and Satay 2 Go) but for the most part places either don’t take the time to do it right or are just not prepared.
And now on to this week… Recently, the Minneapolis Farm Market ran an impromptu poll on Twitter about what you like most about Thanksgiving dinner:
Vote. Thanksgiving meal poll: What matters most, turkey or sides?
And just a few hours later the results were in:
Turkey vs. Sides Poll: It’s sides in a landslide.
Now, this was of no surprise to me being that I voted for sides and watched as many of those that I follow on Twitter voted the same way. I am not a huge turkey fan as it is but man do I fucking love stuffing and pumpkin pie. This year however I am hoping that a free range turkey from Blue Gentian Farm (same place I picked up a ton of meat from) will change my perception of the bird. Only time will tell.
Anyway, I’m wondering which you prefer: turkey or the sides. If it’s the turkey, please share why that’s the case and if it’s due to some crazy recipe you best post that below as I need all the help I can get! If it’s the sides, please list which sides you like best and, as with the turkey, any recipes are more than welcome.
My favorite side is probably my mother’s stuffing. I have never had any other stuffing so filling, moist and tasty and while it’s my mother’s, I really think it has more to do with how it tastes rather than some nostalgic pleasure center being nudged every time I have it. Since I’m begging everyone else for their recipes, here is my mother’s (previously) secret, world famous stuffing recipe:
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1½ cups chopped celery
1 large onion chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1 zucchini
1 cup butter or margarine
7 cups soft bread cubes
2 tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp pepperIn large skillet sauté mushrooms, zucchini, celery and onion in butter until mushrooms are tender. Toss with bread cubes, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. Makes about 9 cups of stuffing or enough for 10 to 12 pound turkey.
Best Part of Thanksgiving Dinner
- Sides (43.0%, 23 Votes)
- Wine (23.0%, 12 Votes)
- Turkey (21.0%, 11 Votes)
- Thanksgiving sucks (13.0%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 53
Loading ...So go ahead and vote, share your thoughts on which is better, and any recipes you may have then have yourselves a very happy Thanksgiving! After you make your way through that long list of shit please be sure to check out our expired polls in the archive or read through the previous posts about polls here.
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November 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
first post!
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
the best part of thanksgiving, LEFTOVERS BABY!!
turkey soup, turkey sangwitches, turkey salad, turkey anything!! i’ll vote for the sides being as there’s no vote for L.O’s.
when the mrs gets outta the biscuit, i’ll get her stuffing recipe. it’s awesome.
bb
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
I voted for wine, of course, but I also prefer sides to the turkey. Stuffing is my favorite.
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Being an obsessive cook, I have figured out how to make a juicy, crisp-skinned turkey. That said, I really don’t care much for turkey. Our family T-Giving tradition is duck. Yum. Juicy, flavorful, can’t beat it.
Our family stuffing is bread, onions, apples, celery, poultry seasoning, stock, eggs, S&P, sugar. The apples really make it.
I like EVERTHING!
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I really can spell, I swear.
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
They don’t call it TURKEY day for nuthin’
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
One vote for “sucks”.
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
How can you not have pumpkin pie as a selection? Green bean casserole, cranberries as sides but the pumpkin pie rules.
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:29 pm
1. Congrats to bb stacker on 300 comments.
2. I didn’t include beer–I should have. That’s my favorite part of Thanksgiving.
3. Dessert = side.
Pumpkin pie does definitely rule.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:35 pm
dessert is not a side. a side is served alongSIDE of the main course, pie comes after, plebian!
I don’t love Turkey, and I don’t really love Thanksgiving. I vote wine.
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:09 pm
This is my favorite side growing up as a child. My Aunt would make this just for me. We always served this as the “Salad” rather than counted it as a desert.
Pretzel Salad
1 ½ cup Crushed Pretzels
¾ cup Melted Butter
2 Tbsp. Sugar
6 oz. Strawberry Jello
2 cups Hot Water
10-20 oz. Frozen Strawberries
8 oz. Cream Cheese
½ cup Sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
Directions
1. Mix crushed pretzels, melted butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Bake at 350˚ for
10 minutes. Cool.
2. Mix Jello, hot water and strawberries. Pour into a Bundt Pan and refrigerate until set.
3. Mix cream cheese, ½ cup sugar and cool whip. Spread on top of solid Jello mixture. Sprinkle pretzel crumbs on top and set in refrigerator overnight.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:40 am
I’m going to go off the beaten path and say that the food aspect is great, however I really enjoy the time spent with family over the holidays. Meals can be cooked at any time, but it takes the Holidays to get all of my family in one place for any amount of time!
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:52 am
Being a vegetarian and carb junky, I have to go with sides!
Even pre-veg, I wasn’t much of a turkey fan. I know vegetarians that totally get into the Tofurkey (which I think, just on principle, is disgusting – think about this: “turkey-flavored soy product.” Gross). I guess if I thought I would miss eating turkey, I might try it. However, my perspective is that not eating turkey will leave more room for the really important things:
1. Stuffing
2. Cream cheese mashed potatoes
3. Pie
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am
I love it all – turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries…mmmmmm (washed down with tasty Coca Cola, naturally).
We’ve hosted Thanksgiving for the last several years, mostly because I always have to work on Friday and I get cranky if I’m out and about on Thursday. (Yes, I am a hermit) The best part about hosting? The leftovers, of course!
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
If we’re counting pie as a side, then pecan pie is my vote. Yes, it is entirely too sweet and too rich but it’s something I get very rarely and I’ll eat it until I’m ill and love every minute of it.
For a more traditional side, it is that which is a pile of mashed potatoes topped with corn, slathered with gravy. Mix it all up!
My dad always made turkey on the grill (charcoal all the way) and I did it by myself for the first time last year and it was perfectly moist on the outside and juicy on the inside. If you want the exact cooking instructions let me know.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Well, in general the holiday season is one of the worst times of the year for me personally. Way too much stress, and things tend to go wrong at that time of the year.
But turkey day for me is about the turkey 1st, the gravy 2nd and mashed potatoes 3rd. All the other sides are just extras that I can appreciate, but I don’t necessarily need to be satisfied. That said, when I think about it, #1 ends up just being spending time with family.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I especially enjoy the 1100-mile round-trip drive. If there’s construction in Chicago, that’s just icing on the cake!
Having my only child 3500 miles away for this holiday is bittersweet – he is having the experience of his life ( americanineire.blogspot.com ), but we really miss him.
I guess the food really isn’t that important, no matter how good it is.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Missing option: Beer.
November 24th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Nils,
Are we related?
November 24th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Mrs. Marcos,
I’m sure if you go back a few eons, we probably are.
November 26th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 29th, 2009 at 8:04 am
[...] week’s poll asked what the best part of Thanksgiving dinner is for everyone. We ended up with the same result, much like the previous impromptu poll posted by the [...]