Thanksgiving Checklist: Best Birds, Pies, Parades & 17 Events

admin Posted OnNovember 15, 2017

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Mark Kramer's Thanksgiving 2020 Turkey Feast

Thanksgiving Checklist: Best Birds, Pies, Parades & 17 Events: Here’s a handy guide to where to shop for Turkey Day and what to do on Thanksgiving Weekend.

Hard Facts About The Turkey

How much to buy: 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lbs per person depending on how much you like left-overs.

Heat oven to 450 degrees and drop to 350 when you put the turkey in the oven.

Cook turkey to 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the thigh.

Plan on 13 minutes of cooking time per pound if roasting or 15 minutes per pound if stuffed.

Stuffing your turkey? Just don’t do it!

Alton Brown, host of Iron Chef America says “turkey stuffing is evil!” That’s because the porous stuffing in the middle of the bird can soak up juices that may contain salmonella bacteria. If you do this you must heat the stuffing to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. And because the stuffing will take longer than the rest of the bird to reach 165 – you’ll wind up drying out your turkey. PS – Alton Brown also says, “if you cook the stuffing outside of the bird it is no longer stuffing, it’s dressing.” Live with the nomenclature.

Where to buy your turkey?

Chappaqua Village Market is the go to place for Thanksgiving Turkey if you live in 10514. They sell Bell & Evans All Natural Premium Turkeys 10-32 lbs; D’Artagnan Certified Organic Fresh Premium Turkey 8-28lbs and Rare Heritage D’Artagnan Fresh Premium Turkey 8-11lbs. Plus fresh wild game (must be ordered by 11/6) and pies. (12 King St., Chappaqua, 914.238.4948; www.chappaquavillagemarket.com)

Village Prime Meats, our favorite Armonk store, is the gourmet’s choice in 10504. There you can get an all natural, fresh killed Plainville Turkey (10-30lbs) at just $3.99 per pound. Plainville turkeys are raised on a small farm in upstate NY with no hormones or antibiotics. (475 Main St., Armonk, 914.273.5222)

Turkey fresh from the farm

Harvest Moon in North Salem: If you want to go straight to the farm try Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem. They raise Heritage Breed – Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys with the extra veggies and apples they grow. These vegetarian fed and antibiotic/hormone free birds range in size from 17-28 lbs. Their birds, priced at $5.50 per lb. have “less fat so they naturally cook faster!” They also offer 11 kids of fruit and pumpkin pies. (130 Hardscrabble Rd., North Salem, 914.485.1210; www.harvestmoonfarmandorchard.com)

John Boy’s Farm/Outpost: John Ubaldo’s farm, in Pound Ridge, offers two varieties: a rare Heritage from the 1800’s called White Holland, and the more typical Bronze Turkeys, which are one of the most popular American breeds. Turkeys are roughly 16 to 24 pounds and sell for $7.25 per lb. You must order your turkey by email and then pick it up at John Boy’s Outpost in Bedford. To order please email: johnboysmarket@aol.com (1 Court Rd., Bedford)

Outsourcing your bird?

According to the National Turkey Federation, 91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. But a study by the consumer research firm NPD Group, one in three households will not cook their own turkey. If you’re one of the 33% who flip the bird duties to someone else.

Susan Lawrence Gourmet Foods: Chef Mark Kramer can ease your load so you can watch the parade and the dog show. His Free Range Natural Stuffed Fresh Turkey is seasoned with fresh herbs and pre-basted in with butter and brandy. His Thanksgiving menu offers a host of Hors d’oeuvres, sides, soups, pies and festive holiday desserts and breads. (16 N. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua, 914.238.8833; www.susanlawrence.com)

Where to buy Thanksgiving Pies

Salinger’s Orchard, Brewster: Our favorite pie source come from Bruce Salinger’s Orchards in Brewster (just off Hardscrabble Rd. (Exit 8 on 684) Bruce grows and sells 18 varieties of apples, as well as pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, pumpkins, tomatoes and other local vegetables not to mention pure local honey. His wife Maureen, does the baking and makes “incredible fruit pies at incredible prices,” including apple, peach, red raspberry (our fave) pumpkin and pecan. Your mom will love the apple strudel. (230 Guinea Rd., Brewster, 845.277.3521; www.salingersorchard.com)

Where to buy sausage for your stuffing

John Boy’s Outpost, in Bedford, has the most amazing pork sausage without casing for $16 per lb. John told us, “it’s just straight up ground pork” from his Pound Ridge farm’s Berkshire pigs. He just adds salt, pepper and sage. “The pigs live in the woods I grind my own feed with no chemicals and US sourced organic vitamins and minerals only.” (1 Court Rd., Bedford, 914.205.3900)

Village Prime Meats: Angelo’s breakfast sausage in casing, at $9.99 per lb., is the only sausage we buy for the AM. Works great in a turkey stuffing too. Angelo grinds the sausage himself using finest quality pork butts and his own secret seasoning recipe. (475 Main St., 914.273.5222)

From pigs to pigskin

Vikings vs. Lions on Fox at 12:30pm

Chargers vs. Cowboys on CBS at 4:30pm

Giants vs. Redskins on NBC at 8:3pm (don’t worry you’ll be nodding off by then, anyway)

If you love a parade… Thanksgiving starts on 11/19

Thanksgiving officially begins at 9am with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. More than 50 million people will tune into the broadcast. If you are crazy person you will attempt to see the parade live. Prepare to line up as early as 6:30 am if you want to be in the front row. The best place to watch? Try Central Park West between 61^st and 72^nd Streets. Macy’s advises people to leave folding chairs at home.

UBS Spectacular, Stamford – Sun, 11/19: 12pm: If you are not a crazy person but still would like to take your kids to a parade than Thanksgiving starts on 11/19 at the UBS Parade Spectacular in Stamford. It‘s a low stress version of the Macy’s Parade but still delivers 16 colossal helium balloons (up to 60 feet high) including Shrek, Mr. Potato Head, Bob the Builder, Scooby Doo, Kung Fu Panda Paddington Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Plus 12 award winning marching bands including the Silver Steel Drum Band. Sun, 11/19: 12pm. (Stamford Downtown)

What To Do Thanksgiving Weekend

Local! Ice Skating at The Harvey School – Fri, 11/24 & Wed, 12/28: 12:45-2:45pm: In cooperation with The Harvey School, Jim Whiting and his staff at Bedford Recreation offers two hours of public skating for all ages at The Harvey School ice rink on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. There will be a DJ spinning fave tunes and requests. Admission is just $5 and you must provide your own skates and no hockey playing. (The Harvey School, 260 Jay St., Katonah; www.bedfordny.gov)

Classic: Bedford Turkey Trot – Sat, 11/25: 8am: Billed as “the hardest 5K in New York”, the Turkey Trot raises funds for Bedford Community Table/Pantry. The course begins on Court Road at the Bedford Village Elementary School. The halfway point is at the top of Indian Hill Road – not for the faint of heart – and finishes at Bedford Village Memorial Park. There is also a 2-mile walk. Pre-registration required. 7am for sign-in. Walkers start at 8am, runners at 8:20 am. (Bedford Village Elementary School, Court St., Bedford; www.bedfordturkeytrot.org)

Local! The Enlightenment of Mr. Mole, Schoolhouse Theater – Thurs- Sun, 11/9-26: 8pm, Sun: 3pm: B.H. Barry’s new adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, the classic 1908 children’s novel about anthropomorphised animals in Edwardian England by Kenneth Grahame. B. H. Barry is a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award-winning fight director and choreography in theater, film television, opera and ballet. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

The Stanley Clarke Band, Paramount Hudson Valley – Fri, 11/24: 8pm: Four-time Grammy-winner and bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke brings his band that won the 2011 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Clarke was the co-founder, with Chick Corea, of the seminal fusion group Return to Forever. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

Tusk: Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sat, 11/25: 8pm: In this Benefit for Autism, Tusk covers Mick, Christine, Lindsey and Steve’s hits like “Landslide”, “Rhiannon, “Go Your Own Way” and the Bill Clinton campaign theme song, “Don’t Stop”. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Sponsored: Thanksgiving Weekend with Big Pussy @ The Heights at Brother Vic’s: If you haven’t been to this backwoods oasis for foodies and sound hounds in South Salem there’s three great shows (and dinner too)on T-giving weekend including: Soul’d Again, a 9 piece band with 4 horns performing classic 60s soul music on Wed, 11/22. On Fri, 11/24 Vincent Pastore’s Gangster Squad (Big Pussy on The Soprano’s) will make you an offer of classic rock-n-roll that you can’t refuse. And on Sat, 11/25, Brothers of the Road play The Allman Brothers song book. (920 Oak Ridge Drive, South Salem, 914.704. 8427, https://www.theheightsatbrothervics.com)

WTD Fave Rave! New York Botanical Garden Train Show – Wed, 11/22-Mon, 1/15/18: 10am-6pm: NYBG’s Holiday Train Show in the Enid Haupt Conservatory features over a dozen large scale & super-sized model train sets zipping across a half mile of track and a landscape of 140 scaled replicas of iconic NYC buildings made of bark, twigs, fruit, seeds and pine cones. Including the original Penn Station & Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral & the Brooklyn Bridge. (2900 Southern Blvd. Bronx; www.nybg.org)

Editors Choice! Springs, Sprocket & Pulleys, The Mechanical Sculptures of Steve Gerberich, Stamford Museum – Sat, 11/18 – Sat, 2/3: 18: The ingenious inventions of sculptor Steve Gerberich return to the Stamford Museum for a re-imagined Holiday Exhibition. Gerberich has gathered his most outlandish large-scale kinetic sculptures and installations for a showing of the “Best of Springs, Sprockets & Pulleys.” Working with old machine parts, kitchen utensils, furniture scraps, lighting fixtures, medical supplies, toys, and carnival figurines, Gerberich mixes the aesthetics of contemporary sculpture with the scientific principles of simple mechanical motion. Open Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm & Sun, 11am-5pm. (39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford; www.stamfordmuseum.org)

Local! Westchester’s Winter Wonderland, Kensico Dam Plaza: Fri, 11/24-Sun, 1/1/18: 5-10pm: Friends of Westchester Parks & Westchester Medical Center’s Winter Wonderland features a Holiday Circus, Santa Experience, Musical Light Show, Candy Cane Lane, ice skating, rides & food trucks. Plus a Tree Lighting (11/24) Princess & Star Wars Character Appearances (12/3,10,17 & 30) Holiday Pop Up Market (12/22-23) Kids Movie Night (12/27) & Family New Year’s Party with pyrotechnics and a ball drop (12/31)(1 Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla; www.winterwonderland.com)

USA Today’s Top Holiday Tour: Holiday Mansion Tours at Lyndhurst: Fri, 11/24 – Sun, 12/30: Described as one of the “Ten Best Historic Holiday Tours” by USA Today, Lyndhurst’s “A Very Duchess Holiday” is an over-the-top display of holiday ornaments paying homage to Anna Gould, the Duchess of Talleyrand, the last owner of Lyndhurst. The display features rarely seen children’s toys, holiday dishes, silver, jewels, and clothes that belonged to the Duchess. (635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; www.lyndhurst.org)

Santa Comes to Katonah on Shop Small Saturday – Sat, 11/25: 11am – 5 pm: How convenient. Start your shopping locally, say hey to the jolly old elf and get a free candy cane.

Local! Small Business Saturday: 11/25: American Express card members can earn up to 2X rewards at qualifying small businesses with an enrolled American Express card. Hundreds of local shops and restaurants will participate. To register your card and see who is playing go to www.americanexpress.com)

The Christmas Voyager, Westchester Broadway Theatre: Thurs, 11/22 – Sun, 12/23: In this musical by Robert Fitzsimmons (Christmas Inn) & Katherine Wheeler, a Starman journeys through time searching for the spirit of Christmas. His journey takes him around the world, touching down on a small American town, the North Pole and Dickens’ England. Along the way he is accompanied by a hit list of classic holiday songs. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center: Fri, 11/24: Sun, 12/31: Balanchine’s Nutcracker premiered at Manhattan’s City Center in 1954 and has been staged in NYC every year since. It is the most famous staged production of the ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s legendary score in the US. The production features elaborate stage elements, the most famous of which is the one-ton Christmas tree that grows from a height of 12 feet to 40 feet. (62-65 St. at Columbus Ave., NYC; www.nycballet.com)

The Magic Flute, Metropolitan Opera: Sat, 11/25-Sat, 12/9: The Met’s English-language family version of Mozart’s enchanting masterpiece has become one of the city’s essential holiday traditions. Evan Rogister conducts Julie Taymor’s spellbinding production, with special holiday pricing and a 100-minute running time. Nathan Gunn reprises his much-loved portrayal of the bird-catcher Papageno. Check dates & times. (Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center: metopera.org)

Polar Express in Imax, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk – Fri, 11/24 – 12/22: check dates & times: The Polar Express returns to the six story high IMAX® screen at the Norwalk Aquarium. Based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg about a boy who doesn’t believe in Santa Clause, and his magical trip to the North Pole. Polar Express has become a holiday classic on big screens and small. (10 North Water Street, Norwalk, CT; www.maritimeaquarium.org)

Local Santa! Armonk’s Frosty Day Parade – Sun, 11/26: 12:30-4:30pm: Activities begin at 12:30pm with train rides, clowns, magicians, Build-A-Frosty, face painting, cookie decorating, dance & music in Armonk Square, Frosty cartoons at the library, Frosty photo opps and a visit from Santa. The parade begins at 4pm and features more than 40 local groups, floats, music, costumes and an invitation to everyone to join the march down Main Street. Followed by a tree lighting ceremony at 4:30pm. Please remember to donate to Frosty’s Winter Warmth Project. (Downtown, Armonk; www.armonkfrosty.com)