Thanksgiving Feast and Black Friday Traditions

Thanksgiving is always a day of food indulgence and family traditions and I have the honor of making the turkey every year. This year I made 2 turkeys so there would be lots of left overs and we skipped making a ham. Each and every person added something special and delicious to our family feast and for that I am truly Thankful!

 The smaller of the 2 Turkeys

 My favorite side - Olives!

 The Big Turkey!

 Of course there was Pumpkin Pie

 Uncle Fred's Homemade whipped cream

 Oh ya - Cherry Pie

It wouldn't be the holidays without Chocolate cream pie - Don't fret - the cream was added after the picture!

Friday

While many people find their savings by getting up early and going shopping with the masses I have my own traditions for saving money on Black Friday and of course it's food related! Next to the leftovers the next best thing that comes from cooking turkeys is the homemade broth I make from the bones. Every time we cook a turkey or a chicken I take the carcass and break it up cover it with cold water and bring it to a boil. I  strain the liquid into a separate pot and do it all over again. I usually make a full day of this and will refill the pot of bones several times. Each time you boil them you will end up with a little different stock. The first time will be more clear with a high fat content, the 2nd and 3rd time you will end up with more of the creamy collagen from the bones which will give your stock a silky feeling in your mouth with a great creamy flavor. I usually mix all the batches together prior to packing them for the freezer.

 Waiting for it to boil...

 The finished stock - Beautiful and Tasty!

The next tradition I have around Thanksgiving week is the processing of Ariel's and my deer. After skinning the deer I debone it so that the meat doesn't get the strong flavor from the bone marrow. I put the meat into my large cooler and finish processing it into steaks, stew meat, ground burger and of course a roast or two.  

 Boneless Deer

 The most amazing meat a boy could ask for.

 Making sandwich steaks for Alex

 Thankful for my kids - because I still use a crank grinder

 They take turns - get it turns, because they turn the crank!

 Yes - they are mine, they are real and all natural :)

Packaged and ready for the freezer

Not only do we save money by filling the freezer with fresh homemade broth and organic venison we get to enjoy the savings throughout the entire year while eating some of the best food anyone could ask for!