3 Capitals-inspired Thanksgiving dishes

Slapshot, Washington Capitals (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Slapshot, Washington Capitals (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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Thanksgiving is this Thursday and for Washington Capitals fans there’s plenty to be thankful for. A future post will talk about that. But this post we’re going to have some fun with some Capitals themed dishes that you can make at Thanksgiving dinner.

Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

#3 Rock the Red cranberry sauce

Nothing says rocking the red like homemade cranberry sauce. It adds a flavor kick to any turkey that’s consumed and overall it just tastes good. Plus it’s red like the color Caps fans wear to every home game to Rock the Red. It’ll be an extra sea of red on Wednesday as all Caps fans in attendance will receive a red Capsgiving T shirt.

Here’s the instructions on how to make it via Natasha’s Kitchen:

Dissolve the Sugar – In a saucepan, combine your sweetener of choice with water on the stovetop, and bring it to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. 2. Add Cranberries and Cook – Add the cranberries to the pot and let them come to a low boil, then cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens. Remember to stir occasionally. 3. Cool and Serve – Stir in additional sweetener to taste, then leave the cranberry sauce to cool.

For ingredients and more click the link above the instructions.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

#2 Ovi stuffing

If there’s one thing about Alex Ovechkin, he scores goals and can stuff it in the net. He sits three points away from 1,500 in his career entering Wednesday night’s game with the Buffalo Sabres. He scored on Saturday night in their win over the Columbus Blue Jackets for his fifth goal of the season and 827th of his career.

Here’s how to make stuffing via Spend Pennies:

I prefer to cook my stuffing in a casserole dish (which would technically make it dressing) or to make Crock Pot Stuffing. Cooking the turkey and stuffing separately ensures that they both reach the right temperatures without overcooking. Stuffing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in a casserole dish.  If stuffing a turkey, stuffing should be room temperature or cool and not stuffed in the turkey until just before roasting. If you do stuff your turkey, remember to completely cool the stuffing first. If you don’t, the bird will sit at an unsafe cooking temperature for too long. If stuffing a turkey, the center of the stuffing needs to be cooked to 165°F because the drippings from the bird enter the stuffing.

The ingredients are listed in the link above.

Slapshot, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Slapshot, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

#1 Slapshot turkey

Slapshot is every Capitals fan’s favorite mascot. He’s also a bird and so is a turkey. But at least Slapshot is an eagle so don’t worry, we aren’t cooking him. We need him to entertain fans at games and to steal the Declaration of Independence from time to time.

Here’s how to make a turkey via The Pioneer Woman:

Preheat oven to 275°F. If you brined your turkey, rinse it well under cold water. Fill the sink with fresh cold water and allow the turkey to soak for 15 to 20 minutes to remove any saltiness. Pat the turkey dry and place it on a roasting rack, breast side up. Cross the legs and tie them together with kitchen twine. Cover the whole pan with heavy aluminum foil, tucking it underneath the pan. Roast for the first stage for about 10 minutes per pound (so, for a 20 pound turkey, about 3 1/2 hours.) Using a vegetable peeler, shave off thick slices of orange peel and slice them very thin. Combine with butter, rosemary, salt and pepper. After the first stage of cooking, remove the turkey from the oven and remove the foil (turkey will still be pale.) Smear the butter mixture all over the skin, in crevices, etc so that it’s totally covered. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, increase the oven temperature to 350°F, and return the turkey to the oven, basting every 30 minutes. Continue roasting the turkey until the thermometer reads 165°F to 168°F, then remove the turkey from the oven. Cover loosely with clean aluminum foil until you’re ready to carve!

More. The perfect Thanksgiving recipe for a Capitals win this week. light

For ingredients and more information click the link above. Those are your top 3 Thanksgiving dishes. Happy early Thanksgiving Capitals fans!

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