Thanksgiving

Since moving across the country, and I work in a hospital, out Thanksgiving Day meal has been decidedly small for most of the last 15 years. We once were in Orlando with DS's high school marching band, and we had Universal Island's of Adventure all to ourselves-it was an outstanding day. This year I get off work Thanksgiving morning. So we've made reservations at a local restaurant. No leftovers which is a huge bonus. We might go bowling that night. Hope we can visit my sister in future years.

I miss the family gatherings my parents and father's sisters families pulled off when we were young.


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sengsational said:
First T Day that we are hosting! Only 13 people. Both kids are coming "home". I'm doing the turkey, an 18 pounder, in the Orion Cooker. First attempt at turkey, but I've done ribs several times, and the supplied instructions were accurate. Bad time to be experimenting, but sometimes you gotta live on the edge! And I'm on the hook to do the Christmas bird too.
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I hosted about the same number a long time ago. Some things I did:

I found the turkey takes much longer to thaw than all the books say. I had to plan pots, serving dishes, utensils and time. Laid everything out ahead of time. Prepared stuffing ingredients and dessert in advance. Made extra stuffing in a casserole dish-

Put together the plans for each dish on index cards, including serving dish, cookware, and start times. Planned start times for everything- had a master schedule so I wouldn't run out of burners or oven space and I wouldn't have to think.

People will want to help. So you have index cards and can assign tasks.

Make sure drinks are served before the meal and have a glass of wine while cooking. Then no matter what happens, everyone will say it is the best meal ever!



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Anyone tried the Turkey and Cranberry/Apple sausages at Trader Joes?


Us Brits tend to keep a low profile on those US holidays: July4, T-Day! ;o)
 
Blended/whatsit in-law (and outlaw) family gathering of 20 people at step-MIL's (I swear I have a trailer park's worth of extended family). Since FIL has increasingly advanced Parkinson's I smoke the turkeys (a 20 pound monster crazy SIL bought from the organic whatsit store plus a 14 pound usual turkey I bought) and contribute assorted sides. Since BIL and hisfamily finally moved to the area I will likely bring a 5 gallon keg, CO2 tank, and tap (and FIL has a wheelbarrow to put us back in vehicles for the trip home). Thinking seriously about critter-whacking in the mountains the next day. I went yesterday morning and it was almsot a purifying experience (lugging 25 pounds up a couple thousand feet will do that) despite the fact that I brought home a single Abert's squirrel.
 
EastWest Gal said:
...
I found the turkey takes much longer to thaw than all the books say.
Click to expand...
Dodged that bullet...bought a "fresh" bird from Trader Joes.
EastWest Gal said:
Make sure drinks are served before the meal and have a glass of wine while cooking. Then no matter what happens, everyone will say it is the best meal ever!
Click to expand...
Great idea, but....too bad they're all Babtists. One thing is for sure....I'll have a keg tapped!

The rest of the details are not in my purview, thank goodness,...I'm only the bird cooker.
 
15-20 family/friends eating turkey then watching Seahawks beat the 49ers.
 
I have left my hubs to fend for himself. I will be visiting relatives but not for the TG festivities, medically related.


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EastWest Gal said:
I hosted about the same number a long time ago. Some things I did:

I found the turkey takes much longer to thaw than all the books say.

Put together the plans for each dish on index cards, including serving dish, cookware, and start times. Planned start times for everything- had a master schedule so I wouldn't run out of burners or oven space and I wouldn't have to think.
Click to expand...

+1 on the turkey taking a while to defrost. Ours has been in the fridge for almost a week and I think it's still not fully defrosted (it's in the back of the fridge where it gets cold). Should be fine for the brine bath on next Tuesday.

I have to label my cookware so I make sure I get the appropriately sized pot or pan for the various amounts I cook of each thing. Green beans go in the 8x8, cream corn in the 9x13, stuffing in the 12" round, etc.
 
We are driving to the Sierra foothills for dinner with friends. They just bought a (five star!) cabin as a getaway place. So we'll celebrate that, plus my friend's DH recently landed a dream job after being unemployed for 5 years. Oh, and there will be dogs running around instead of kids, including one very cute Corgi named "Hoover".
 
We have no family nearby and very little family left. Although we are invited to friends' yearly, their friends are unfriendly (it's like being back in high school) so since last year the two of us eat at home and join them all for dessert. Then we talk to the hosts a bit and to one other couple who are not in the 'in' crowd.

It's just like being with relatives who don't like you. LOL.

I will be making ham for DH and WFPB-me will have a lentil loaf. There will be sides of a salad, roasted vegetables, mushroom gravy, sweet potatoes and my famous cranberry orange relish. And something with pumpkin.


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This year it will just be me, DW, DD and DS. DD is between jobs/cities and will be living with us temporarily starting today for about a month (we think). DS is lives about 45 min away. DD wanted to have it at his apartment (as an excuse for her and DW to clean his place for him). He firmly and politely declined.

We'll have turkey and all the fixings, watch some football and take a walk if the weather isn't too bad. Some friends down the road are having a larger group (14) so we may stop by and visit briefly.
 
It will be just Mr B and I for dinner here at home. We will cook together. :D

I defrosted Mr Turkey overnight submerged in a 5 gallon bucket of cold water, and he is now in the refrig until tomorrow for the rest of the defrosting time.

Mr B scored a huge pumpkin pie at BJ's yesterday for $6. I'll freeze what we don't eat.

I have a box of Stove Top traditional sage stuffing on hand, but knowing me, I will toast bread and cube it and make the stuffing from scratch. I like to add chopped apple and walnuts to my stuffing and bake it separately.

Gravy will be out of a jar ;), supplemented by pan drippings.

I have sweet potatoes on hand, baked in the skin and scooped out and frozen in portions. Mr B likes traditional white mashed potatoes, so I'll put him in charge of that task. I'm still minimizing carbs so I'll have a small taste of the white potatoes.

I'm still 8 pounds lighter than I was a year ago, so I am focusing on keeping it that way. :D
 
I'll have my three kids home, one from Saudi Arabia. And tomorrow I will put on my annual dinner for 19 of my brothers, sisters and their kids. Life is good.
 
Four sons, 2 DIL's, and 5 year old Riley...granddaughter... Other, older granddaughter and grandsons away at school or with friends. Dinner for 9. 21 pound bird.

Reynolds turkey bag - bake
apple cider
red and white wines ala Aldi's
brown/giblet gravy
boiled onions
mashed potatoes
sweet potatoes
butternut squash
hamburg/veal stuffing (my mom's favorite)
green bean casserole (DIL's specialty)
potato rolls
pumpkin pie
ice cream
...and I get the neck! :dance:

A loving, close family who all get along, and just being here...Many reasons to give thanks.
 
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DH's Houston family isn't doing anything special this year, so we initially thought we'd take the RV out for a few days. Then on Monday DS let us know he was coming to town for the weekend (friend got tickets for a sporting event) so we decided to stay home. Yesterday I remembered that a friend who was recently [-]dumped[/-] divorced after 37+ years of marriage wasn't sure what she was doing Thursday (she's joining another family on Friday for their dinner). She welcomed the invitation (a respite from packing boxes in preparation for selling their house after the first of the year). So there will be 4 of us.

I got a fresh turkey from Whole Foods since I didn't really have time to thaw it. Plan to try the Julia Child/America's Test Kitchen technique of separating the breast and legs to roast separately, since I can't carve worth crap anyway. If you're interested, the video is here: Video: Revisiting Julia Child’s Roast Turkey - America's Test Kitchen

Note that you can watch the video just fine but you need to register to get the actual recipe. I really like Cooks Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen but their websites infuriate me.
 
A change of plans for us. While the roads here are clear and just wet, where we were going they have about 8" of snow and more coming. Between that and DW coming down with a bad cold we canceled rather than make her suffer the two hours or more each way and "share" the cold with everyone else.

So I went out and bought a chicken (which we like better than turkey anyway) some Bob Evans mashed potatoes (comfort food for her) and some lima beans. Between that and whatever else we have around nobody is going hungry.
 
I plan to see Gone Girl tomorrow unless we have ice or snow on the roads. I visited a large local grocer today thinking I would get a small organic turkey or turkey breast but they had none (decided to dispense with them this year which I found incredible). I bought some fresh Washington State oysters instead and will make oyster stuffing as my main entree: oysters, fresh cubed bread toasted, sauteed celery, onion, apple in lots of butter, parboiled wild rice, fresh parsley, boxed chicken stock, s & p. Will see how it turns out...hopefully good. I love oysters but would not eat them raw unless I was at a seaside location.

A friend called yesterday and tried to cajole me yet again into dinner at her daughter's house. When I found out about the 30 guests and the 7 kids under 5 I (gulp) made my excuses once again. So very kind of them but I am used to my more quiet routines. Said friend was widowed in her early thirties (28 years ago) when her Marine hubby died in a MVA and she worries needlessly about me as I was widowed fairly young, too but my circumstances were a little different. She had it much rougher.
 
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Menu for our Thanksgiving dinner:

Belgian endive salad with dried cranberries and pecans

Roasted capon with chestnut gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, oven-roasted butternut squash, and green beans

Apple pie
 
Originally it was going to be just the four of us (me, DW, DD and DS). Then I invited a close friend who is single and he is coming. Then invited the only maternal aunt/uncle I have left in the area and they will join us as well. So we'll be seven.

I'll set the turkey in the brine tonight and put it outside (currently 31F) and we'll pop that sucker in the oven mid-morning tomorrow.
 
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