Community Chat

[LIndaMJ]

This Thanksgiving DH and I will be alone. We’ll cook a 14 pound turkey and walnut stuffing, gravy, rutabaga or turnip, sautéed mushrooms with cranberry sauce. Our leftovers wil last for a few days, quick and easy. We’re not sure about dessert yet.

[Financialgrl]

I'm 62, single and this is the first year I will be going out and not be with a large crowd.  Dad always wanted the whole gang together and I had Thanksgiving at my house eventually for a crowd of 25.  He died and we went our own separate ways but instead - we have summer barbeque gatherings instead where we can be outside cooking and everyone brings a side dish.

One of my brothers and his wife have no kids, I have no kids and we decided this year - we are going out.  The restaurant we have chosen has three separate seatings, two hours apart - -  so much easier!

[qvcfreak]

@qualitygal, Thank you. My son says I’m OCD but when he goes to his girlfriends house he says mom nobody wants to go in the kitchen. The mom always says, where to begin. He says I’m so glad how you do things.

I love it and I don’t feel rushed. I also buy several of those aluminum foil pans with lids to put everything away and send our son back to school with lots of leftovers. 

[cherry]

We will be eating out. I will probably have fish for my dinner.  I'm not sure

The restaurant we go to, has cornbread stuffing ,which I can't abide, so I will not be getting turkey

[deepwaterdotter]

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@catwhisperer wrote:

It's just DH and myself, so I usually buy a small turkey breast roast and cook it in the crock pot. Then I make homemade stuffing/dressing, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie.

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Replace the brussels sprouts with green beans and mushrooms and that's our dinner also.

[ALRATIBA]

The only menu will be the one at the restaurant!

[lulu2]

We're hosting a large family gathering. We have a traditional menu: (made by me)

turkey

stuffing

baked sweet potatoes

mashed potatoes & gravy

corn

green beans

whole cranberries with orange

Grands (rolls)

pumpkin pie

apple pie

[mousiegirl]

@Plaid Pants2  We always stay home, and I always cook.  Turkey, gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce from the recipe on the package, brussel sprouts, yams with marshmallows on top, some years mashed potatoes but with the dressing, this makes the meal heavier so usually don't make them, and I either make dessert or buy a pumpkin pie, then make the whipped cream.

My favorite part is munching during the day on cranberry sauce and stuffing.  There is always extra stuffing after the turkey is stuffed, so I bake it until crunchy.  I also eat the giblets.  I poach them, strain,  and use the broth in the gravy.

[Carmie]

Modern times are very different than they were years ago.  When I was a child, a turkey dinner was served at least once a month on a Sunday.  We always had a big Sunday dinner.

My Mother made everything the day of the meal.  Only desserts were made the day before.

i still serve a turkey dinner a few times a year that aren’t around the holidays.  I too, do not make any food ahead of time.  Cooking is second nature to me.

For Thanksgiving, we always have homemade pasta... everything is home made and not store bought.

We also have a Capon with the stuffing, gravy, mashed and sweet potatoes, a couple of vegetables, salad, shrimp, a antipasto tray, a fruit salad, bread and a ton of different desserts.

My big Italian family all gets together for this feast.  We oiled ‘t think of going to a restaurant.

[Starpolisher]

@BirdieGal

Would you mind posting your gravy recipe?

I always use the drippings from the turkey, mostly for the flavor.  It's a pain, waiting for it to cool, draining the fat and it's the last thing I do. Would love to be able to make it ahead of time!