This Old Chef

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!  I'm very grateful to all of you who follow my culinary exploits, and I hope you're as lucky as we are this year, to be able to spend the day celebrating life with those you hold dearest.

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I've been making Thanksgiving dinners since 1978, and I've learned a thing or two...  Which I would like to share with you!

Over the years, I've been blessed to work alongside and learn from some of America's foremost chefs.  Whenever…

I cannot believe it's already Thanksgiving!  2026!

My elderly parents warned me about time speeding up but, like every child, I didn't believe them.

Guess what.  They win.  

So here are two earlier This Old Chef posts, one that…

Here's a great memory of my very first time roasting a spatchcocked turkey, and my case for spatchcocking your Thanksgiving turkey...  Norman Rockwell was a painter, not a cook!

I know it looks like road kill but...

It's happened...  I've…

I'm still celebrating my first time having a recipe featured on the cover of Food & Wine magazine!  Food & Wine recently named this dish among its all-time Food & Wine Test Kitchen Thanksgiving Sides!

Check out my luscious Rutabaga…

Perhaps turkey cooked "en cocotte" is more to your liking this year, especially if you're opting not to serve an entire bird.  Here's my go-to recipe, from The Oregonian of all places, for your consideration!

Turkey Breast en Cocotte with…

You must you must you must try Julia's Cranberry Chutney, and catch my debut on thekitchn.com!

I'm proud to say that this is one of those recipes that's among This Old Chef's greatest hits!  Your family will love it, I promise!

Dressing...  Yes, I'm from Michigan and we called it "dressing" whether on the inside or…

Turkey sandwiches!  One of America's great contributions to world cuisine...

I had homemade bread that I'd made for the dressing... I had arugula... I had mayonnaise... and white meat from the Thanksgiving turkey.

Perfect.

But one must have potato chips…

OK, not exactly chicken pot pie…

But the biscuit topping pretty much banishes memories of a pastry crust.

And wow!  Is it easy!

Using butter instead of lard, and adding plenty of black pepper and minced chives, I made my…

I loved this part! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

In honor of the Founding Father who wanted the turkey to be declared our national symbol because the eagle was a bird "not of good moral character..." 

I thought you'd get a kick out…

OK...  This is totally not something I’d usually do.  But I ran across a mention of the general idea and I thought, “Well... I might just try this.”  And - surprise, surprise - they were really good.  My advice:  give…

There are very few culinary creations that can boast the rich flavor and luscious mouthfeel of risotto.  And that fabulous Thanksgiving turkey will provide you with the meat, and the stock, to make some of the best risotto you've ever…

You heard me, Turkey and Chocolate!  Here's a post-Thanksgiving experiment that worked amazingly!

Fortunately, your Thanksgiving sous chef has already prepared almost everything you need!

The Remains were gloriously arrayed before me...

I took gravy, peas, gingered root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, carrots), dressing, balsamic pearl onions, and some diced turkey, mixed it all…