Turkey Day preparations

Fermion said:
Want to serve hot apple cider but damn if I can find anything at the grocery store to serve it in. What do people do, use a small crock pot and ladle? This shouldn't be so hard lol.
Click to expand...
A coffee pump carafe
 
Most of the prep is shopping and cleaning, and that's been the past week. I also decided to get the tree and lights up in advance this time so I can relax after thursday.

I do a bone-in-breast only, not enough interest in the other meat in our small setting, and FIL is celiac, so no stuffing a full bird if we did get one. That means extra gluten free stuffing, gravy, and pie for him. Group is me and DH, FIL and GF, and my parents, we've been hosting them for a few years. It's nice that they really get along well. (DS goes to her in laws).

We start out the afternoon with an charcuterie. Bird and stuffing are about the only american traditional parts. No cranberry, no yams. Instead it's potato gratins, spinach gruyere souffle, english-style bread sauce, brussel sprouts, and a chocolate pie for my dad. Other than the pies it's all from scratch.

I tried to make a pumpkin pie one year from a good recipe, but it was so bad DH had me throw it out, which he never does. Thankfully I'd made a test pie the week before. This year I got a costco one. It's way too much pie for us, but it's half the price of any other store. (the GF one for FIL at whole foods is $20 but it's worth it to see how happy it makes him!)
 
ArmchairMillionaire said:
We tried that last year. Our crock pot cooks a little hot, and after 8 hours, it was still raw in the center. We don't have one of those beeping thermometers. DW doesn't really like turkey, anyway.

We're meeting family and friends at a casino Thanksgiving Day Buffet this year. It's about 50 miles away.
After last year's fiasco, DW stated unequivocally that she's never making a Thanksgiving dinner again.

So it's going to cost us $30 per person, plus tax & tips, but... Happy Wife, Happy life, right?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the idea for next year. I toyed with going to a restaurant buffet, but the only ones that looked good were the Hershey Hotel at $80/person-no thanks. Our local casino offers a turkey plate for $30.

We live 2500+ miles from family, so we go to them every few years. This year, I bought a smoked turkey at Costco. I plan to cut it up before heating it and covering the breast so it doesn't dry out. There are a lot of Thanksgiving meal ingredients that we don't like much-cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and candied sweet potatoes or yams, for example. Plus, we prefer to eat low carb. So making my own stuffing/dressing with very low carb bread and pumpkin chiffon pie filling as a pumpkin mousse with some sugar and some artificial sugar works well to lower the carbs. Skip the rolls, have mashed cauliflower with or without a little potato, gravy made with guar gum instead of flour, roasted Brussels sprouts, and skip the rest. Our favorite soft drink or tea in large stemmed glasses we got as a wedding present. It will look a little like drinks from Star Trek-DH likes blue Mio, I like Mt. Dew Baha Blast, and DS likes a bright red Mio or Pepsi. Simple fun. Making most of it today so we can relax tomorrow.

We're planning to watch the first Wicked movie together on prime video in the basement home theater over dessert and coffee instead of board games this year.

I'm hosting a large group rehearsal on Black Friday so the tree will go up in the family room this weekend after that.
 
badatmath said:
I thought you bought a new small house. Did I mistake that or did you get rid of it? I sometimes think I'd like to move into an apartment again in the future but it has been so long I'm not sure I remember what it is really like.

I'm doing nothing festive for the holiday so no prep needed.
Click to expand...
aja I thought so Too!
 
More Cowbell said:
I’m having a heck of a year, so picking up the T-day turkey breast meal from upscale market, enough for just DH & I. I’ll visit DM also and bring a pie, but not staying to eat. And yes, walking before and after!
Click to expand...
I feel like we are of like minds - a day of endless eating just doesn't ring my bell anymore, now that my metabolism has slowed to that of a snail. I am currently very thin, and wish to wake up same the day after Thanksgiving, thank you very much! :LOL:
 
badatmath said:
I thought you bought a new small house. Did I mistake that or did you get rid of it? I sometimes think I'd like to move into an apartment again in the future but it has been so long I'm not sure I remember what it is really like.

I'm doing nothing festive for the holiday so no prep needed.
Click to expand...
street said:
aja I thought so Too!
Click to expand...
You are both way behind. He moved to a senior living apartment earlier this year. That smaller house purchase was last year or earlier.
 
Last edited:
Today I will pick up a caramel cake I ordered from a local bakery. My contribution to Thanksgiving day at my nephew’s hunting camp in Alabama. A good central meeting point for our family and it’s a neat rustic house he has there. The drive over is very pretty through the countryside with a couple of Mayberry type towns to see.
 
audreyh1 said:
I really love home smoked turkey. It’s not limited to Thanksgiving either.
Click to expand...
I do too. We have turkey in the traditional fashion for Thanksgiving, but I smoke a smallish turkey breast and take it to the in-laws' for Easter and Christmas, where it supplements the ham that they prepare. There is never any leftover smoked turkey.

Aside from recently smoking a turkey in advance, my holiday meal contribution has always been cleanup, not cooking. Years ago, when all of the in-laws got together in one house, it was also my personal duty at Thanksgiving to take my four young nephews out of the house for a hike or wrestling/football in the yard or something like that to keep them out of the way while the cooking was performed.
 
Last edited:
Will have kids and grandkids here. DH does not like turkey, so I have a small ham and picked up some smoked turkey breast.
I make the potatoes, gravy, green beans, and pies (pumpkin and chocolate cream this year).
DD will bring sweet potato casserole, sausage dressing, fresh cranberry-orange salad.
DS will bring rolls.
Also have a veggie tray and charcuterie board for snacking earlier in the day.
 
timbervest said:
Low key just the two of us and a toned down turkey meal. Spending Friday for 2nd Thanksgiving with the kids at DS's house including new DGD who arrived last Friday!!!
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the new little one!
 
badatmath said:
I thought you bought a new small house. Did I mistake that or did you get rid of it? I sometimes think I'd like to move into an apartment again in the future but it has been so long I'm not sure I remember what it is really like.

I'm doing nothing festive for the holiday so no prep needed.
Click to expand...
Sold it after a couple of years in it. Very lonely place, and the new 55+ apartment complex is a very fun place to be. Should have done this sooner but was not thinking straight after my wife passed away.
 
Just picked up a brined turkey from a very cool butcher here in town (Revival Butchery). Our dinner will be on Saturday so it is wrapped and in the fridge. We have somewhere between 15-20 people, so this Turkey is an 18lb bird (ham also) so I don't think I will be cooking in my Traeger smoker. Last time I did that the skin was not right anyway. Debating doing an hour or so of smoke in the Traeger and then transferring to the oven.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Flieger
 
@aja, glad you like it. I used to think when I was younger a 55+ would be nice in the way that college was nice as in surrounded by people my age who were potentially friends. But now that I'm older I'm afraid it would be depressing to listen to the old folks talk about their ailments so IDK. So many people I see can barely freaking walk and that would not make good company for me.
 
badatmath said:
@aja, glad you like it. I used to think when I was younger a 55+ would be nice in the way that college was nice as in surrounded by people my age who were potentially friends. But now that I'm older I'm afraid it would be depressing to listen to the old folks talk about their ailments so IDK. So many people I see can barely freaking walk and that would not make good company for me.
Click to expand...
I have not met one person here that talks about their ailments. Maybe you are confusing this kind of place with a assisted living/nursing home? We have active folks here and a very active calendar of events. Take a look at this place's Facebook page or their website:

The Lakes at Woodhaven Village (Conroe, TX)
 
aja8888 said:
I have not met one person here that talks about their ailments. Maybe you are confusing this kind of place with a assisted living/nursing home? We have active folks here and a very active calendar of events. Take a look at this place's Facebook page or their website:

The Lakes at Woodhaven Village (Conroe, TX)
Click to expand...
We don’t hear about people’s ailments here in our 55+ neighborhood either. We hear about people’s travels and planned travels. People talk about their pets (because they are out walking them) and only occasionally their grandchildren.
 
Last edited:
imjustawarrior said:
I wanted prime rib, but I got out voted. Everyone else wants turkey, so turkey it is. I'm also the only one that likes pumpkin. My wife will make me a small pumpkin dessert that is so good. Graham cracker crust, cheesecake, pumpkin pie on top of the cheesecake, with a pecan crumble topping. It is amazing.
Click to expand...
I just got out voted on the pumpkin cheesecake pie. It is now going to be cherry pie. :cry:
 
imjustawarrior said:
I just got out voted on the pumpkin cheesecake pie. It is now going to be cherry pie. :cry:
Click to expand...

imjustawarrior said:
I wanted prime rib, but I got out voted. Everyone else wants turkey, so turkey it is. I'm also the only one that likes pumpkin. My wife will make me a small pumpkin dessert that is so good. Graham cracker crust, cheesecake, pumpkin pie on top of the cheesecake, with a pecan crumble topping. It is amazing.
Click to expand...
Sounds you got outvoted on all that you were hoping to get.

-Bummer.
 
For the last ten years or so we've been going to whatever relative was hosting Thanksgiving that year but this time everyone has made plans to scatter to the winds. So DW and I are staying home, planning on grilling some chicken breasts marinated in Good Seasons Italian salad dressing (you mix it from a package with water, white vinegar and oil). I also plan on making some mashed potatoes (they have to be riced - no lumps) and probably some lima beans or some veggie we have on hand. And that's it, there's only the two of us and we not ones for heavy meals.
 
Everyone one in my family has a small house/apartment and most people are handicapped or just old and don't want to do the work for a large meal. We went out to Red Lobster for a Thanksgiving meal today. My Mom is using a walker after shattering her knee so we didn't want to go anywhere with a lot of people and no one had space for 6 people and food. No decorations for any holiday anymore as it just causes too much pain if it's even possible for most of us to partake. Christmas we will probably just limit it to the 4 of us(my parents, Brother, and I) at parents house. Just a small ham and potatoes meal and chat for a few hours and that'll be it. Nothing fancy these days.
 
Somebody, naming no names, came home earlier with four pies. It's a good thing I requested a smallish dinner this year.
 
imjustawarrior said:
I just got out voted on the pumpkin cheesecake pie. It is now going to be cherry pie. :cry:
Click to expand...
I will admit I was interested in the recipe for that pumpkin cheesecake pie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Thanksgiving 2006
2
shiny
shiny

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom