Thanksgiving, Traditions and Leftovers

[charming23]

We have always switched off Thanksgiving every year with my Aunt except for the fact my mom makes the Turkey every year.

Ours is a fairly traditional meal, we do throw in surprises or tweak recipes occassionally.

We always have enough left overs that we get one more "meal" and a small lunch out of it. My favorite is to take leftover mashed taters and mix in turkey and corn and fry them in a little butter like a potato pancake and then put cranberry relish on top, yummy.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We never have leftovers. We have Thanksgiving with my Mom's side of the family and it's about 50 people. I would love to have a Thanksgiving where we could all sit at one table instead of three cafeteria tables and it's so loud you can barely hear the person next to you.

Our only tradition is that all of the cousins either go out for a movie or to a bar after dinner. There's 22 of us (that are old enough to go to a movie by ourselves or bar anyways) so it's always fun to catch up (although we all see each other at our annual family reunion in the summer and at Christmas).

My Dad always makes a huge bowl of collard greens every year. They are what I most look forward to at Thanksgiving . I don't really care about Thanksgiving food. My brother and I always joke we eat better the other 364 days of the year because there's usually so many people (and so many people don't bring "real" food) that with the 2-3 people that are cooking all day we barely have enough food to cover everyone that's there (although a lot of people do bring pies; we'll end up with 10 uncut pies at the end of the night and no other food).

We used to all draw names for gifts to buy at Christmas but after World War III (my aunt didn't want any of us to do it anymore instead of just their family not doing it and my Mom was standing her ground for tradition) a few years ago we don't do that anymore. I didn't ever care about the gifts but it was fun to unwrap silly things and laugh and joke at Christmas and to try to figure out who got who's name at Thanksgiving.

 

[laurie31]

oooh, I love Thanksgiving leftovers!

For my side, we go to my parents' and my Mom sends us home with enough food for a week - lol. It's just us and them, though. My brother doesn't do family holidays.

For DH's side, we eat with his parents (usually around 20 people) but everyone brings a dish or three. She does the turkey and dressing. I bring sweet potato casserole, tomato casserole, corn pudding, and sometimes homemade mac and cheese.

We also have green beans, rolls, several types of congealed salad, pears with cheese, and a few other things.

For dessert there is pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cake, custard pie, and sometimes chocolate pecan pie.

We eat at noon, then we reheat it all for dinner that night!

Then I take home the leftovers of what I brought (if there are any) plus his mom gives us dressing to take home too. We eat it all weekend. Yummy!!

 

[minkydog]

Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving, and it's one tradition I really don't like to miss out on. We live 400 miles from our families, so we rarely have Thanksgiving with them. Two of the best Thanksgivings we ever had were when we met up with the rest of my sibs and mom at a state park. Most of us pre-made our dishes, but Dsis cooked our turkey in her camper oven. We set up our smorgasbord in one of the pavilions, hung Christmas lights and made a big fire in the fireplace. After the meal we all split up the food for leftovers. People in the campground told us they were jealous--we looked like we were having a great time! (we did)

Last year we took the camper down to visit SIL & MIL in Florida. SIL insisted on making the entire meal herself and refused to let me do anything. I did make a salad, collards, and cupcakes and SIL didn't want to serve it. She underestimated the amount of just about everything so we didn't have enough food and almost none of it was our traditional meal. It was the first time in my life that I went away from the Thanksgiving table hungry.
.............................................
This year we're staying home. Well, we're going camping the week of Thanksgiving, but we'll be home Tuesday. I cook over half the meal on Wednesday. Here is our traditional holiday meal. At Christmas I add a ham.

Turkey
white bread/corn bread stuffing(mixed together,) and giblet gravy
homemade whole cranberry sauce
baked sweet potatoes
mashed potatoes
green peas
collard greens or cabbage
carrot souffle
asparagus w/hollandaise sauce
succotash(limas & corn)
pistachio fluff
pickles & olives
rolls
pumpkin pie
coconut pie
apple pie
leaf/pumkin/apple cut-out sugar cookies

It sounds like I'm cooking for an army, but usually it's just the 5 of us. This year we'll probably have 6--I'll invite Christian's nurse to join us. He's a single young man from Kenya and has no family here. He was asking about the origins of Thanksgiving just last night; he doesn't know much about American holidays. Samuel doesn't cook much for himself, other than African foods(cornmeal mush, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, corn & beans all mixed together.) He ought to fit right in!

 

[live4christp1]

We have always gone to my mom & dad's. We live just up from them so mom would cook the turkey while I cooked the ham. Then she and I for the most part would get the rest of the stuff ready. My sister would go down there the evening before and help her get macaroni salad, potato salad, etc. ready.

Last year my mom was sick so we cooked for her. My niece went to their house (mom & dad's) and cooked the turkey, I did the ham....etc.

This will be our first Thanksgiving without my mom and even as I type this my eyes are filling with tears just thinking about it. I don't know what we are going to do. My dad mentioned why didn't we just go out to eat.

We've always done a huge meal.....(we do have a pretty big family though) turkey, ham, dressing, chicken & dumplings, yams or sweet potato caserole, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, dressing, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, rolls.....desserts usually included coconut cake, chocolate cake, pecan pie, cheesecake, toll house pie, etc. Thanksgiving has always been one big day of togetherness with family and while last year was different and mom didn't feel good....she was there.....it will never be the same again.

 

[C.Ann]

Extremely important!!! I like the leftovers better than on Thanksgiving when everything is first prepared..

 

[DVC Sadie]

I cook a turkey, dressing and a couple of other of our favorite things the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, while I am cooking my contribution to whomever's meal we are attending on Thursday, Not for supper that night but to have for the weekend while I am in and out from shopping. Plus, its our tradition to eat hot turkey sandwichs for supper Thanksgiving night while we watch our first Christmas movie of the season.

So, I guess I sort of cook a meal just to have "leftovers".

Sounds good and smart to me.

It is wonderful to have a meal prepared and all ready to go for dinner especially if one is doing the Black Friday extravaganza (or circus) as we called it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Extremely important!!! I like the leftovers better than on Thanksgiving when everything is first prepared..

I knew you would love it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

We have always switched off Thanksgiving every year with my Aunt except for the fact my mom makes the Turkey every year.

Ours is a fairly traditional meal, we do throw in surprises or tweak recipes occassionally.

We always have enough left overs that we get one more "meal" and a small lunch out of it. My favorite is to take leftover mashed taters and mix in turkey and corn and fry them in a little butter like a potato pancake and then put cranberry relish on top, yummy.

Well that sounds good. I've never tried that before with leftovers.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving, and it's one tradition I really don't like to miss out on. We live 400 miles from our families, so we rarely have Thanksgiving with them. Two of the best Thanksgivings we ever had were when we met up with the rest of my sibs and mom at a state park. Most of us pre-made our dishes, but Dsis cooked our turkey in her camper oven. We set up our smorgasbord in one of the pavilions, hung Christmas lights and made a big fire in the fireplace. After the meal we all split up the food for leftovers. People in the campground told us they were jealous--we looked like we were having a great time! (we did)

Last year we took the camper down to visit SIL & MIL in Florida. SIL insisted on making the entire meal herself and refused to let me do anything. I did make a salad, collards, and cupcakes and SIL didn't want to serve it. She underestimated the amount of just about everything so we didn't have enough food and almost none of it was our traditional meal. It was the first time in my life that I went away from the Thanksgiving table hungry.
.............................................
This year we're staying home. Well, we're going camping the week of Thanksgiving, but we'll be home Tuesday. I cook over half the meal on Wednesday. Here is our traditional holiday meal. At Christmas I add a ham.

Turkey
white bread/corn bread stuffing(mixed together,) and giblet gravy
homemade whole cranberry sauce
baked sweet potatoes
mashed potatoes
green peas
collard greens or cabbage
carrot souffle
asparagus w/hollandaise sauce
succotash(limas & corn)
pistachio fluff
pickles & olives
rolls
pumpkin pie
coconut pie
apple pie
leaf/pumkin/apple cut-out sugar cookies

It sounds like I'm cooking for an army, but usually it's just the 5 of us. This year we'll probably have 6--I'll invite Christian's nurse to join us. He's a single young man from Kenya and has no family here. He was asking about the origins of Thanksgiving just last night; he doesn't know much about American holidays. Samuel doesn't cook much for himself, other than African foods(cornmeal mush, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, corn & beans all mixed together.) He ought to fit right in!

Wow minkydog, that is some spread for 6 people! I'm envious, in a good way.

I can relate to having a family member underestimating the amounts of food needed to feed a large crowd. Frustrating, isn't it?

 

[Spinning]

we have a very small family. But I cook a huge amount of food because the next day we have the Left over party! We go into our small town and see Santa arrive and flip the switch for the lights, I am beyond tired since I go Black Friday shopping with my BFF...early!
So it is one of the most fun days! Everyone comes expecting to eat on paper plates, warm the food up themselves and help themselves to what ever is in my house, including adult beverages....sometimes we do order pizzas but we have a blast! It gets bigger and bigger each year! LOL! So I love left overs!
Oh and I do tuck away enough turkey and stuffing for some sandwhiches for the next few days! YUM!

 

[MiniGirl]

How important is it for you to have Thanksgiving leftovers after the main meal is consummed?

We use to go to my MILs house for Thanksgiving but I still cooked a traditional feast either on the following Saturday or Sunday so I could enjoy the flavors all over again.

I know for me that I need to have turkey leftovers for sandwiches and I love left over stuffing.

What consitutes a traditional Thanksgiving meal for your family? With all of the different cultures I know that everyones idea of Thanksgiving is different.

Leftover turkey is VITAL because we freeze it and make turkey gumbo for Christmas.

Thanksgiving is our big holiday meal. We fry up a turkey and make all the fixins' to go with it -- sweet potato casserole, green beans, lima beans, corn, stuffing, a couple of different pies. You name it. We save a little bit of the turkey for sandwhiched but freeze most of it. Christmas is a much simpler affair in our house -- just Gumbo, some really good crusty french bread, a salad, and maybe some pecan pie.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Leftover turkey is VITAL because we freeze it and make turkey gumbo for Christmas.

Thanksgiving is our big holiday meal. We fry up a turkey and make all the fixins' to go with it -- sweet potato casserole, green beans, lima beans, corn, stuffing, a couple of different pies. You name it. We save a little bit of the turkey for sandwhiched but freeze most of it. Christmas is a much simpler affair in our house -- just Gumbo, some really good crusty french bread, a salad, and maybe some pecan pie.

What a great idea! We just don't have enough leftovers to save enough for gumbo but it sure would be easier than starting from scratch, especially if serving for Christmas Day.

 

[DVC Sadie]

we have a very small family. But I cook a huge amount of food because the next day we have the Left over party! We go into our small town and see Santa arrive and flip the switch for the lights, I am beyond tired since I go Black Friday shopping with my BFF...early!
So it is one of the most fun days! Everyone comes expecting to eat on paper plates, warm the food up themselves and help themselves to what ever is in my house, including adult beverages....sometimes we do order pizzas but we have a blast! It gets bigger and bigger each year! LOL! So I love left overs!
Oh and I do tuck away enough turkey and stuffing for some sandwhiches for the next few days! YUM!

Now that sounds fun!