TCD is Thankful for Thanksgiving @ The Fort 2014

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Wow... WDW and Disneyland!  Man.... it's good to be TCD and family :)

 

The oil-less cooker... I'm confused (yes, I'm a BAD cook)... basically is it a small oven?  Looks like it's hooked up to a propane tank, but you leave the lid off when you're cooking something?  What type of things can you cook it in and...where did you get it?

 

Sad to say, but if you were able to cook a 16lb turkey in there, then it may be larger than the oven in our house as I could barely fit the 10lb bird that I bought.  Our home was build in the 60's and it still has the original (small) built-in oven.  Works though... but, as I said, I'm a bad cook.  Haha, maybe it's the oven and not the cook? 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

The oil-less cooker... I'm confused (yes, I'm a BAD cook)... basically is it a small oven?  Looks like it's hooked up to a propane tank, but you leave the lid off when you're cooking something?  What type of things can you cook it in and...where did you get it?

 

 

The Big Easy uses infra-red heating to cook.  It is made of double walled stainless steel, with the propane burners enclosed between the two walls.  The heat radiates inward and cooks whatever you have in it.  Designed for turkeys, but you can cook any kind of meat, including roasts, wings, ribs, etc.   

 

They are available in tons of places.  Been around for a decade or so I think.  I originally got mine in 2007, and just gave it to a friend of mine a few weeks ago and it was still like new.   

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

The Big Easy uses infra-red heating to cook.  It is made of double walled stainless steel, with the propane burners enclosed between the two walls.  The heat radiates inward and cooks whatever you have in it.  Designed for turkeys, but you can cook any kind of meat, including roasts, wings, ribs, etc.   

 

They are available in tons of places.  Been around for a decade or so I think.  I originally got mine in 2007, and just gave it to a friend of mine a few weeks ago and it was still like new.   

 

Thanks.

 

Why did you give it away?  Did you get a chance to cook anything other than a turkey?

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Lowes has the Big Easy in sale for $79.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Lowes has the Big Easy in sale for $79.

 

Thanks... Lowes online shows me $89.  Was that price at your local store?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Thanks.

 

Why did you give it away?  Did you get a chance to cook anything other than a turkey?

 

A long time ago I think I did a pork roast.  Been awhile.  It sat unused for quite some time.  I haven't eaten meat in a while. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

A long time ago I think I did a pork roast.  Been awhile.  It sat unused for quite some time.  I haven't eaten meat in a while. 

 

Gotcha...

[clakey 9]

Loving the report!  Looking forward to the Cali TR.  I hope you and the girl's have a great time. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Page 6 bragging rights, jumping in really late to this party but working my butt off for the Christmas rush. Great trip report as always, family together for Thanksgiving GREAT!!!!!!!! Seeing Rocky make a Fort appearance even better but the best thing of all is heading to Disneyland the best of them all, have a great time.

[Starbuc71 162]

Andrew, that is awesome that your going to Cali. I can't wait to see your comparison of Disneyland and Disney world. I was there when I was 7 and barely remember. It's funny how alot of Flotidians say California is so lucky to have the California adventure with cars land and all that, yet most who say that don't know how luckey we are to have 4 parks and easy access to them. Disney land is smack in the middle of hustle and bustle. Have fun

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

This thread is ripe for a hijack. Why hasn't that happened yet? You people are slacking.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Thanks... Lowes online shows me $89. Was that price at your local store?

Yes. I was at lowes and happen to see it. The only reason I noticed it was because of this TR.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Yes. I was at lowes and happen to see it. The only reason I noticed it was because of this TR.

Stop staying on topic.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Stop staying on topic.

On topic?

Are you just jealous that y'all don't have a Big Easy?

Or is it that your jealous that your not in the a big Easy?

Or is it too easy to hijack a tr?

Hijack? Like an airplane?

Airplane? In 17 days we will be getting on a plane. We will be heading to Orlando.

Orlando? Thy as were our driver will meet us to take us to Port Canaveral.

Port Canaveral? That as where we will get on the ship.

Ship? It will take us to the Bahamas.

Bahamas? That's where they have the Junkaroo celebration.

Junkaroo? That's a celebration like the one they have in New Orleans.

New Orleans? It's also called the Big Easy.

Big Easy? Isn't that a cooker that you can use to cook a turkey in?

Turkey? Did you know that TCD cooked a turkey at the Fort?

The Fort? That's where TCD and his gang stayed at for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving? Let's get back to this TR. And quit trying to hijack it.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Wow.

I cant wait for the DL TR!

Thanks for the Fort tour as always!

GAG leftovers as a prelude to Thanksgiving dinner?

Awesome.

[caveat lector 181]

Similar to some fellow fiends above, I'm glad to see Rocky roaming to Fort grounds......tether balls beware!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I haven't forgotten about this trip report.

 

I couldn't wait to get the Disneyland one going.

 

You know what blows my mind?

 

Thanksgiving was exactly two weeks ago.

 

And Christmas Day is exactly two weeks from today.

 

I need another week.

 

But let's get this report cranked back up.

 

First. I'll respond to your comments. and then I'm going to work on an update:

 

Glad to see Rocky making an appearance in your trip report. Disneyland?! That's awesome! Seeing the aftermath from all of that rain nearly gives me a panic attack. We've been in some heavy rain, in our tent, but overall we've been pretty lucky that it wasn't enough to destroy our stuff. We requested the 1500 loop for our January trip. I'm really nervous about ending up in 2000. I've never set foot in that loop, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to end up over there!

 

Yes, Rocky was happy to be back at the Fort.

 

I hope you end up on 1500.  2000 is not a bad loop, it's just that they allow groups to pack in to those sites.  Hopefully January is not a time for groups.

 

Have a great time at Disneyland!

 

Thanks.

 

We did!

 

I'm in and you're off to Cali...   Enjoy your time, and have fun in Disneyland.    I'm glad you were able to have Thanksgiving at the Fort.

 

Glad you made it in John.  Be sure to check out the Disneyland trip report.

 

I have been in both 1500 and 2000 loops. 2000 has more sites therefore ore people and noise, but have been in 1500 when it had some large groups in it and it was just like 2000 loop. I have no real objections to either loop.

 

You're right- if they put a big group in 1500, it can be just as bad as 2000.  The 2000 loop is a nice loop, if they would just enforce their own rules, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

Have a safe trip. I can't wait to read about it!

 

Well, that report is underway, so keep reading!

 

That turkey looks beautiful.  And I'm glad you made gravy.  That's the beauty of the Big Easy compared to turkey fryers....you get the drippings.  You do have to be careful not to use a salty marinade or injection though if you intend to make gravy....or it will be the saltiest gravy in the history of gravy.  Don't ask how I learned that. 

 

That turkey did come out nice.  And thanks for the reminder for me to make gravy.  Luckily the rub I used was some kind of low sodium variety.  Maybe it was made with gravy making in mind.  My gravy wasn't too salty.

 

I may have to skip the epic Disneyland trip report I am sorry to say. Whenever I see all the awesome stuff DL has and then I think about Avatarland it puts me in a bad mood.

 

Yeah, you had better skip that report.

 

Disneyland has way more nice stuff than Disney World. it's not even funny.

 

New wish list item - that Char Broil gadget will be mine some day! 

 

It has given me some ideas for a modification to a charcoal design we tried while camping in the woods with the scouts....

 

That Oil Less Turkey Fryer is the bomb dot com.  That cooked up a perfect turkey in about two hours.  You can't beat that!

 

Hope you have a great time with your daughters!

 

Thanks, MaryAnn.  I did.  A trip we will never forget.

 

Had a great time at Disneyland.

I can't wait to hear your opinion of Disneyland and California Adventure.

I spent so many days of my youth running around that park. And so I'd love to hear what the what the younger members of the TCD gang think. so I hope you include the twins opinion.
Since they've spent so much of their childhood at the World.

 

The trip report is under way.  Spoiler alert- we all loved Disneyland.  A lot.

 

I'd love to hear about how things used to be there.  I know a lot has changed.  Maybe you can tell me over a beer at the Fort some day.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

A few more to respond to, and then we'll be on our way:

 

 

I love your TRs - couldn't agree more about the people who have a major mess at their campsites - sadly there seems to be way more of them then there used to be and you're right Disney management is NOT prepared to deal with them.  Unfortunately though it seems to be the way society is going now and I think it's a basic lack of respect that people have for anything or anyone else anymore.  It makes me sad.  

 

You'll love Disneyland - initially it just seems so SMALL compared to WDW - everything just seems so close together - but it's great fun - best show there, at least I think, is the World of Colour - absolutely beautiful - on the other hand hubby, who loves roller coaster, is a big fan of California Screamin" - you and your girls will have a blast!  Look forward to hearing what they like best.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

We did love Disneyland, and it did initially seem small, but there is so much to do there!  We did see World of Color, and you can read my new TR to find out what we thought about it.  We all loved California Screaming.  That might be Disney's best roller coaster.

 

Wow... WDW and Disneyland!  Man.... it's good to be TCD and family :)

 

The oil-less cooker... I'm confused (yes, I'm a BAD cook)... basically is it a small oven?  Looks like it's hooked up to a propane tank, but you leave the lid off when you're cooking something?  What type of things can you cook it in and...where did you get it?

 

Sad to say, but if you were able to cook a 16lb turkey in there, then it may be larger than the oven in our house as I could barely fit the 10lb bird that I bought.  Our home was build in the 60's and it still has the original (small) built-in oven.  Works though... but, as I said, I'm a bad cook.  Haha, maybe it's the oven and not the cook? 

 

Dave answered your questions about the cooker correctly below:

 

The Big Easy uses infra-red heating to cook.  It is made of double walled stainless steel, with the propane burners enclosed between the two walls.  The heat radiates inward and cooks whatever you have in it.  Designed for turkeys, but you can cook any kind of meat, including roasts, wings, ribs, etc.   

 

They are available in tons of places.  Been around for a decade or so I think.  I originally got mine in 2007, and just gave it to a friend of mine a few weeks ago and it was still like new.   

 

Yup.  I've only cooked turkey breasts and now a whole turkey in mine, but I'm going to try a roast beef soon.

 

One thing I was concerned about was how much propane it would burn in two hours.  The answer is barely any.  I filled my tank just to be safe, but it still feels full.

 

Lowes has the Big Easy in sale for $79.

 

I think I paid $89 for mine at the Home Depot two years ago.  That's a good deal!

 

A long time ago I think I did a pork roast.  Been awhile.  It sat unused for quite some time.  I haven't eaten meat in a while. 

 

Oh, a pork roast.  That's a good idea!

 

Loving the report!  Looking forward to the Cali TR.  I hope you and the girl's have a great time. 

 

Glad that you like it, Chris.

 

You've already checked in on the Cali report, so you know that trip went great.

 

Page 6 bragging rights, jumping in really late to this party but working my butt off for the Christmas rush. Great trip report as always, family together for Thanksgiving GREAT!!!!!!!! Seeing Rocky make a Fort appearance even better but the best thing of all is heading to Disneyland the best of them all, have a great time.

 

Hey Rennie, thanks for checking in during your busy time.  You sure work a lot for a retired guy. 

 

I hope the Christmas rush isn't too bad for you.

 

Andrew, that is awesome that your going to Cali. I can't wait to see your comparison of Disneyland and Disney world. I was there when I was 7 and barely remember. It's funny how alot of Flotidians say California is so lucky to have the California adventure with cars land and all that, yet most who say that don't know how luckey we are to have 4 parks and easy access to them. Disney land is smack in the middle of hustle and bustle. Have fun

 

Good points.  Disneyland has a lot of nice stuff.  But Disney World collectively has way more.

 

Wow.

I cant wait for the DL TR!

Thanks for the Fort tour as always!

GAG leftovers as a prelude to Thanksgiving dinner?

Awesome.

 

Hey Aaron, thanks for checking in.

 

Yup, nothing beats fried chicken for breakfast.

 

Similar to some fellow fiends above, I'm glad to see Rocky roaming to Fort grounds......tether balls beware!

 

Good call on the tetherball.  Stay tuned.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

For those interested in more info on The Big Easy, I found this PDF which is the owner's manual and has lots of interesting info: http://assets.academy.com/mgen/24/10080724.pdf

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

For those interested in more info on The Big Easy, I found this PDF which is the owner's manual and has lots of interesting info: http://assets.academy.com/mgen/24/10080724.pdf

 

Thanks, Marty.

 

That helps me too, as I am not sure where my owner's manual is.

 

There are also many YouTube videos showing people cooking with the Big Easy.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Finally, I have an update.

 

We left off looking at that beautiful turkey which I had just set on the cutting board.

 

While the turkey was cooking, we had prepared our side items and had those warming in this triple crock pot thing we got for tailgating:

 

 

It was time to carve the turkey.  I've never done that before either.  But, it wasn't hard.  Please note my Fort Wilderness shirt and my jorts (Go Gata).  I was supposed to have time to change before we ate, but the turkey got done sooner than planned, an we moved everything up.  So no wardrobe change for me.  I got to eat my turkey in jorts:

 

 

Here's the spread before we dove in.  Those pans in front had broccoli au gratin and sweet potato soufflé that we got from Publix.  We just had to heat those.  Then we had mashed potatoes which Mrs. TCD had made at home and brought with her.  in that triple crock pot, we had green beans, corn and gravy from Publix (in case my gravy failed).  The other crock pot had mac and cheese in it (that was the back up plan in case the turkey failed),  that blue pot has some stove top stuffing (next time I'm going to stuff the bird),  and we also had rolls and cranberry sauce.  I think that's everything:

 

 

Mrs. TCD and the girls had set the table.  I set that turkey leg on there before I took the photo and messed up the aesthetics.  Sorry:

 

 

Mrs. TCD is a pre-school teacher, so we always have things like this around:

 

 

 

Isn't that cute how Rocky wanted to be in the picture?

 

Wait, it was a trick, he really wanted to get at my plate:

 

 

That dirty dog got my mashed potatoes:

 

 

Our first Thanksgiving feast at the Fort was a huge success.  We were all stuffed.

 

We spent the afternoon chilling around camp.  Twin #1 had to go to work, so she left after a bit.

 

Rocky and I took a couple of long walks:

 

 

 

Our site  as viewed from the old tracks:

 

 

We did quite a bit of looping.  And, we ended up here:

 

 

There were many Snapchat videos filmed at the tetherball court, and for a while, Rocky had an audience.

 

He wore himself out playing tetherball.

 

We had some turkey sandwiches for dinner, and then some of us ventured out to head to the MK to say hello to Twin #1.  Mrs. TCD volunteered to dog sit.  Rocky was asleep, and probably was down for the night, so that wasn't terrible duty.

 

We didn't time our departure very well, and got held up at the dock while the Electric Water Pageant was performed:

 

 

For no reason that we could ascertain, there was a kid in a gorilla costume on the dock trying to scare guests leaving the boat.  Nobody was amused.  Except for maybe the kid in the gorilla costume:

 

 

As you can see in that last photo, the fireworks were already going off before we boarded the boat.  Which meant we kind of got a fireworks cruise:

 

 

The MK was busy, as expected, but we had some FP+'s reserved and got to ride Space Mountain:

 

 

We rode some more rides, and spent some time visiting with Twin #1 and her coworkers.  Some of them didn't get turkey for Thanksgiving, as they were far from home.  It stinks that they had to work tonight, but that's how it is in the hospitality field.

 

As we headed out, we saw that Candy Cane Garden was ready for Santa, but he wasn't there:

 

 

Wow, Thanksgiving was late this year- just 28 days to Christmas (now there are only 14) :

 

 

And that's all I have from Thanksgiving.

 

Rocky got me up early on Friday morning.  He kept hearing sounds outside the camper, and he just had to investigate.

 

We took a walk around the loop.  Some new neighbors had arrived on Thanksgiving, and this was their set up. They were breaking rules like crazy by parking their utility trailer off of their pad and keeping their decorative lights on all night long:

 

 

Now look at that.

 

A Buffalo Bills fan.  I've never seen one of those before:

 

 

Rocky and I headed back behind the 800 loop on the pet walk.  Look at all the tents set up behind the sites here:

 

 

Some people were walking by with a small dog that was not on a leash:

 

 

Rocky was thinking that dog would make a nice breakfast for him:

 

 

I wonder if these folks were trying to get around the no tents off your pad rule by setting up their tent under a screen room?:

 

 

Another tent off the pad behind a site:

 

 

There were a lot of washed out areas back here from the storms earlier in the week:

 

 

The site behind the two trailers you see in this photo is our site:

 

 

Here's another washed out area:

 

 

The sun was just hitting the tops of the trees on the other side of the canal:

 

 

All of the rain did not help clear the slime out of the canal behind the 800 loop:

 

 

That's 30 photos.

 

So we need to stop here, even though we're not done with our walk.

 

In the next update, we will head back to the site and head out on the cart.

 

And we will do our good deed for the day.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Another great update!  I'm happy to see Rocky and Mrs. TCD at the fort.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

The whole crew together at Thanksgiving....and at the Fort!

That is awesome.

You have seen a Bills fan at the Fort before. I promise you.

You may not have recognized him without his Mrs. Bates wig though.

[Beckers 1,136]

Better be careful with Rocky eating the 'taters or you will have Rocky Jar

And what is up with fiends and random people dressing like gorillas? Didn't DIT have a gorilla run in?

[caveat lector 181]

Looks like a wonderful bit of family time. That's a pretty sweet site. Seeing those train track remnants must have made you nostalgic