What are you making/eating for Thanksgiving?

[DianaCox]

We're having a medium-sized Thanksgiving dinner this year (on Friday, because I don't fight for Thursday with various in-laws). Me and Charles, my two kids and their S/Os, my father and his ladyfriend, her son and daughter-in-law, my stepdaughter, her husband and our granddaughter (that's 13 if I'm counting correctly) - if one or more other people show up, that will be fine too - I've got room for 8 around the dining room table (10 if they're REALLY cozy), plus 6 seats at the island counter.

I've ordered a 25 lb turkey and 8 lb Honeybaked ham. I've already made the cranberry sauce, and I need to start thinking about the rest. One vegetarian will be coming; there will be two birthdays to also celebrate (Charles and the quasi-sister-in-law, who is also the veggie) - ladyfriend is ordering some fancy-schmancy cake for that. Cornbread stuffing, with celery and onions, golden raisins, black olives and maybe some walnuts is non-negotiable. I'll have to make some without the chicken broth for the veggie, of course. I have some baby yams, string beans, cubed butternut squash. Someone will want mashed potatoes - I'll get the stuff from Costco made with creme fraiche. Usually I make a batch of potato leek soup too - but that feels like too much (but it's Charles' favorite and his birthday ...). Peas and pearl onions and mushrooms.

Hors d'ouevres - deviled eggs (thanks again to Costco and their pre-cooked and shelled hardboiled eggs) and maybe some ricotta/tomato/basil/balsalmic glaze on sourdough crackers. I'm not sure if we need more than that ... maybe ask others to bring anything else.

Saturday morning, we're going to pack up a bunch of leftovers and jump in the RV and go to Monterey for 4 days for Charles' birthday.

We're going to need a bigger fridge - or bring the the RV up early, leave it plugged in and use the fridge in it!

So - what are you making/eating?

 

[brooklyngirl]

This is the first year I won't be with my family for Thanksgiving, and I'm bummed about it. At least we have my husband's step mom and 4 little siblings less than 2 hours away, so we'll spend it with them. The thing with that, is that they have the worst eating habits I've ever seen in my life, and I'm a bit of a food snob. Take that, and the DS, and I would've died of malnourishment in their house, or killed all of them with toxic gas
Sooo, I'll be supplementing dinner with a few of my own dishes, but I don't want to be an asshole and make it like I'm bringing the ENTIRE meal, so I had to narrow it to a few essentials- my great grandmother's old fashioned bread stuffing (I don't care if it gives me bloat, it's my most favorite thing in the world!) and hubby's fave from my family's usual menu- corn pudding (so very noms!). SMIL will be making a turkey breast, jarred gravy, Pillsbury crescent rolls and canned corn, and texted myself and 2 other guests about making an actual vegetable today. I was shocked since nothing green ever passes any of their lips, she said she'd make frozen broccoli with cheese sauce for us, for the first time ever
Another guest, thank goodness, will be bringing cranberry sauce and green bean casserole, and there will be some desserts, plus I'm making low carb pumpkin cheesecake and tiramisu.
Maybe I'm being too nasty. She's trying. But my mom takes Thanksgiving VERY seriously and cooks for weeks beforehand. And they usually eat chicken nuggets every night. I'm more focused on being able to spend the day together, oh, and drinking wine
Either way, I'll be making a turkey breast and the some real veggie fixins the following day

 

[southernlady]

IF we stay home, it's a ham and green bean casserole...just us two.
IF we go to AL, then I don't know what we will be having.

 

[Barbara]

This Thanksgiving will be the end of an era for my family. For 50 years we have gathered at my parent's now my o' s house. Today my dad is gone and my mom is in an assisted living place and the house was just sold. Everything has to be out by December 16th. So my mom and I decided we'd have a simple meal at the house as closure. Mentioned it to my married siblings and now my sister and her family, my niece and her husband who live in NYC, one of my brothers and his daughter are coming! Only hold up? We pretty much stripped the house to sell. We have no pots and pans, no utensils, no towels pot holder--- everything needs to be carted in! Going to be a lot of work but I couldn't be happier. A nice ending for my mom and a good good bye to a house that we loved.

 

[southernlady]

This Thanksgiving will be the end of an era for my family. For 50 years we have gathered at my parent's now my o' s house. Today my dad is gone and my mom is in an assisted living place and the house was just sold. Everything has to be out by December 16th. So my mom and I decided we'd have a simple meal at the house as closure. Mentioned it to my married siblings and now my sister and her family, my niece and her husband who live in NYC, one of my brothers and his daughter are coming! Only hold up? We pretty much stripped the house to sell. We have no pots and pans, no utensils, no towels pot holder--- everything needs to be carted in! Going to be a lot of work but I couldn't be happier. A nice ending for my mom and a good good bye to a house that we loved.

It's hard work but good that y'all can close this chapter the way you want and the way your mom wants.

 

[JackieOnLine]

Barbara, that sounds like a good idea. bittersweet!

I'll be working, hope I don't get all swamped in self pity

 

[jillc]

Canadian Thanksgiving was a month ago (Oct 13), but I fly into Newark on US Thanksgiving day (the cheaper day to fly in) - so I might have some Turkey somewhere.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Beautiful idea @Barbara ! It'll be bittersweet, but you'll be so happy to have some final happy memories there all together

 

[newanatomy]

For us, it will be just hubby, me, my youngest son and my oldest son, DIL and my grand-daughter. Of course, I have a 22 pound turkey so we have lots of leftovers. I freeze the meat before we get too sick of it and use it for other stuff, yum.
I am keeping the meal very traditional: Meat, cheese, olives, peppers and crackers tray to munch pre-meal. Turkey, spinach parmesan cheese stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmallows, green bean casserole, crescent rolls and cranberry sauce for dinner. Pumpkin and coconut cream pies for dessert.

I hope I survive.

 

[DianaCox]

Oh yes - crescent rolls are a must - they are my son's favorite (he's a carboholic, despite having IBS issues), and his favorite thing to cook. And my one time per year that I make gravy.

 

[newanatomy]

Oh yes - crescent rolls are a must - they are my son's favorite (he's a carboholic, despite having IBS issues), and his favorite thing to cook. And my one time per year that I make gravy.

I won't eat the rolls. I make gravy about once a week still. I use cornstarch instead of white flour. I know it's bad carbs but, it keeps the wheat flour out of my diet. I may make two stuffing pans. One, without white bread cubes. I will have to see how adventurous I feel. I found a bread recipe online that is made with almond flour. Of course, they all are and so far, they are all horrible. I'll have to experiment this week.

 

[southernlady]

For us, it will be just hubby, me, my youngest son and my oldest son, DIL and my grand-daughter. Of course, I have a 22 pound turkey so we have lots of leftovers. I freeze the meat before we get too sick of it and use it for other stuff, yum.
I am keeping the meal very traditional: Meat, cheese, olives, peppers and crackers tray to munch pre-meal. Turkey, spinach parmesan cheese stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmallows, green bean casserole, crescent rolls and cranberry sauce for dinner. Pumpkin and coconut cream pies for dessert.

I hope I survive.

And traditional for me...the sweet potatoes would have a brown sugar/butter/pecan topping that is melted on the top in the oven at the last few mins. I don't do marshmallows on my sweet potatoes! And I don't do stuffing, it's cornbread dressing (sometimes with oysters added). And altho my dh adores pumpkin pie, I actually prefer pecan pie.

But the green bean casserole, the crescent rolls, and home made cranberry sauce are a given.

But neither dh or I care for turkey...too dry and this is LONG before the DS. In 18 years of marriage, I've cooked one turkey and that was because we had family over. I use to do Cornish Hens instead (LOADED with butter) but ham is a better option for us now as we both love it.

 

[Sheanie]

The usual turkey, brined. This year I'm only making food by special request. So a small amount of stuffing INSIDE the turkey. Yams for one kid, apple pie for him, too; but no nuts in the stuffing. Mr. Sheanie gets his coconut cream pie. Daughter wants pumpkin pie. So far nobody wants mashed potatoes & gravy, but everyone wants my yeast dinner rolls from scratch. Then after, we always bake Christmas cookies & frost them with sprinkles that I buy special for the occasion, including metallic ones to poison people with.

Then we are going shooting at the local target practice range. I hope this year they have the zombies that squirt blood.

 

[hilary1617]

We had to back out of our standard Thanskgiving plans at my BFF's mom's house where I arrive with wine and something from a bakery and have an amazing feast in exchange for keeping the peace between grandmothers with opposing political views. All four of us are at different stages recovering from serious bacterial pneumonia and now some opportunistic secondary viral infections. I, the most recently infected, am in charge, still very sick and have neither any cooking skills nor plans. I think I will order a premade dinner from somewhere and heat it. Any recommendations?

 

[DianaCox]

Um, how about a Skype party, where everyone stays HOME and keeps their communicable diseases to themselves??? No offense, but I would not want you anywhere NEAR my food prep!

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