I always make a traditional Thanksgiving feast, these years with just chicken and turkey parts (pasture-raised from Northstar Bison) rather than a whole turkey that we used to get. Still with the side dishes, I make enough to eat for the week of Thanksgiving, and to freeze some for the week of Christmas until New Years. I make bread stuffing with cut-up giblets, onions, garlic, and celery baked in a separate pan with juice from the bird parts, winter squash, mashed potatoes, green peas, and cranberry sauce.
This year my nephew and his new wife may be visiting, so I might cook extra, and probably make a pie of some kind.
A year ago on some forum, completely unrelated to cooking (perhaps technology or politics) someone asked the off-topic question of what everyone planned to eat at Thanksgiving. Most replies were the usual fare, but one guy said his mother always made a tourtiere (French Canadian meat pie) and he posted her recipe. It sounded intriguing so I followed the recipe, not for Thanksgiving but some weeks later, and it was beyond delicious! Definitely that is a dish I will be making again even if not on "turkey day."
View attachment 70236
View attachment 70237
The ingredients are:
1 lb Ground Pork and 1 lb Ground Beef (I used Ground Bison)
Salt 1 teaspoon
Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Thyme, 1/2 teaspoon
Sage, 1/4 teaspoon
Nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon
Ground Cloves, 3/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon
Water, 3/4 cup
Crust (I make a butter, flour, and salt crust)