May all your giblets be crossed (Thanksgiving 2021 thread)

Usual flow for me ...
* Tomorrow night, Friendsgiving with a crew that I basically only see once a year. I will almost certainly consume too much bourbon (and a gummy or two). I hear there's a hot tub involved this year.
* Will wake up in a stupor on the couch at Friendsgiving, drink a cup of black coffee and drive around Lynchburg trying to find a place to take a dump.
* End up at my buddy's mom's house for all-day debauchery, steak and booze consumption, and eventually take a Lyft to my old watering hole, where friends I haven't seen in a while will indiscriminately slide double shots of Jameson in my face.
* Hate myself Friday morning and drive back to RVA for the day. Maybe I'll try to sneak in a tee time in the afternoon if the weather is OK.
* Scoot up to NOVA to see my mom on Saturday. We'll watch football and be appropriately disappointed when Virginia Tech shits away bowl eligibility in Charlottesville. (In reality, it was shit away in Blacksburg against Syracuse earlier this year, but alas...)
* Drive back Sunday and hope that the 90-mile trip south takes less than four hours. 95 south sucks at most times, but the Sunday after Thanksgiving? Ugh.

 

My wife and I are hosting a small "Friendsgiving" this year (total 6 people). Given the variety and amount of food and wine that have been announced as the menu, we would probably be able to feed the entire US Coast Guard if they would all agree not to take seconds. Friday will be the making of turkey stock from the turkey carcass and ham stock from the ham bone. Saturday and Sunday will involve deep dives into the leftovers...

 

Daughter arrived this morning. Turkey is almost thawed. Prep has begun in earnest.

Turkey Trot in the morning, followed by watching parades and finishing any cooking, then gorging into a stupor. Visiting with family. Probably hunting on Friday morning, watching football this weekend, little of nothing else. Making stock from the fatbird carcass and any ham trimmings/bone, as jackfinarelli noted above.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, wherever you are. Be safe, hug someone and tell them you appreciate them.

 

@Driftwood, killing hogs on Thanksgiving? That's crazy. We always waited until it was cold-ass December before we butchered — but never after Feb. 1 because the hams might not cure if it got too warm. The coldest I remember was a -56 wind chill day when we butchered three or four. The tenderloin dinner (lunch to most folks) that day was damn fine, though.

 

My mom told me she didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving until she got married. It was hog killing time for her family, too. They usually had tenderloin for dinner and chops and biscuits that weekend.

 

Picked up the turkey today 17.4 pounds. All supplies bought. Son will start making gravy today. Our usual routine is big feast Thursday, leftovers Friday, turkey sandwiches Saturday and Sunday, turkey soup Monday

 

Well, today is two days before Thanksgiving, and it was after lunch before it hit 40 degrees. That's why we did it on Thanksgiving because it got cold enough. That's still a saying among the old folks: "It's cold enough to kill hogs" or "It's hog-killing weather."

 

Family getting together (about 15) after missing last year (Thanksgiving and Christmas); mom's cooking turkey again. I requested that everyone take a COVID test the morning before showing up to protect the older ones. Looking forward to the warmth of a family gathering again. Hope the same for everyone else.

 

Huge Thanksgiving at Casa De Chef beginning Wednesday evening going into Thursday evening.
Wife and son going with my parents to my sisters house back east Friday morning. I’m officiating state football title game Saturday…..leaving Friday afternoon……family driving up Saturday to watch the game……I’ll ride back with them….finish out Thanksgiving Saturday night into Sunday.

 

We’re having my in-laws, sister and BIL over for Thanksgiving. Regular turkey fare. Will battle the wife about football being on.

I’ll try to stay sober-ish.