Thanksgiving

[DVC~OKW~96]

What do you do? Do you have friends in? Family? Do you go out for dinner? Ignore the day all together???

I know that at some points in our lives the 'traditional' holidays can be stressful in more than one way.

So then? How do you spend this holiday?

 

[soulmates]

Normally, I'd have all my children home, but alas, this year, it's just the 3 of us. Our tradition is pretty simple. We get up around 8ish and I make Orange Rolls with icing for breakfast and we gear up for the Macy's Day Parade!! My kids would stay glued, while I get dressed and start cooking. I always do a turkey, mashed potatos, Garton ( french sausage side dish, family tradition), stuffed mushrooms, rolls, green bean cassarole, cornbread stuffing, and a pie. We normally eat around 1ish. My Beloved LOVES her football, so after dinner, football is ON at our home. Thank the lawd we have 4 TV's, because I can only take so much of it. The kids & I always watch Miracle on 34th Street, and some Christmas movie to get us in the spirit. Early to bed, cuz the next day is BLACK FRIDAY and we women, LOVE TO SHOP!! Normally, the tree and decorations go up that Saturday. Pretty simple in our home. Not alot of traveling. We switch Christmas & Thanksgiving w/ my parents each year. This year we're at their home for Christmas. IF memory serves me, only ONE year did we eat out and it was HORRIBLE! Nothing like a home cooked meal, and leftovers after. The kids & I are really sticklers for staying with the plan. Christy is amazing at adapting. Being law enforcement, she's ALWAYS worked every holiday. So she was only there for part of the day. This will be her FIRST Thanksgiving home in over 15 years!! We will set a place at the table, in honor of Aaron who is in Afghanastan...we have much to be thankful for. Though he isn't with us, he's alive & healthy!

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

I own this holiday and I love it and it stresses me out beyond belief. This year I will be having my four brothers and their wives and their 7 kids. Also, my mother, my BIL with wife and two kids, my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins and a neighbor. Plus my family of four. So the total is 29. We spent this past weekend cleaning the house. I love all the prep and all the cooking. I'm not crazy about the clean up. The part that causes me great stress is the seating. I have tried buffet and shifts and anything else I can think of but it never seems right.

What used to be the "kids" table is now the "cousins" table. The oldest of the cousins is 21 and the youngest 1. That table is in the kitchen and there are too many cousins to sit at it. This year adding my cousins who are 25 and 20 is making me even more stressed. The 25 year old has social anxiety issues and I'm pretty sure he really doesn't want to be at either table. And the 20 year old is obnoxious and I'm sure she feels she is far too superior than having to sit at a kid's table. So there's my vent.

I will do all of my baking the night before. I will also cook a stuffed turkey the day before. Veggies will be peeled and cut up the night before. I will wake up early and put the 40lb stuffed turkey in the oven and go between the kitchen and the livingroom (watching the Macy's parade) until around 1PM when people start to arrive.

Menu:
Turkey
Gravy
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Squash
Creamed Onions
Turnip
Green Beans
Cranberry Sauce

All are made fresh except the green beans and the cranberry sauce. I used to make homemade cranberry sauce but everyone prefers the canned. I heat frozen green beens in the microwave just because I feel I should serve a green vegetable

For desserts:
Cheesecake made by me
Chocolate cake made by me
Frozen cream puffs with homemade (by me) ganache
Coconut cream pie if I have time
A couple of batches of cookies

People generally bring
Apple pie bought from the orchard
Another pie from the orchard
Homemade cookies
Chocolate cream pie
Flan
Whatever anyone else brings

I'm glad you posted this because it gave me a chance to get my seating situation off my chest and remember the fun I have preparing and cooking it all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!!!!!

 

[Mathfailure]

I have been stressing over the holidays because of our move this summer. It is too busy now for us to travel to 'home' unless we fly, and flying at Thanksgiving is not something I ever want to do. Crowds at airports, and the inevitable delays, would be too much for me never mind my children.

So we were facing a quiet dinner at home, not too bad, but smaller. Yesterday I was talked into joining some new friends for their traditional open house celebration. I think it will fill the void: lots of friends food and football. After we have had all the visiting my husband can take, he is the introvert, we will go home and put up the Christmas tree.

For our food, it is always turkey, gravy, baked sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, broccoli with cheese and lots of desserts. Problem is that my family does not like sweets but I love to bake. Go figure This year I get to make the desserts and bring them some where else so I don't end up eating them mostly myself.

Gee, this became long - sorry. It has been stressing me out and now I feel better.

Kathleen

 

[soulmates]

I own this holiday and I love it and it stresses me out beyond belief. This year I will be having my four brothers and their wives and their 7 kids. Also, my mother, my BIL with wife and two kids, my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins and a neighbor. Plus my family of four. So the total is 29. We spent this past weekend cleaning the house. I love all the prep and all the cooking. I'm not crazy about the clean up. The part that causes me great stress is the seating. I have tried buffet and shifts and anything else I can think of but it never seems right.

What used to be the "kids" table is now the "cousins" table. The oldest of the cousins is 21 and the youngest 1. That table is in the kitchen and there are too many cousins to sit at it. This year adding my cousins who are 25 and 20 is making me even more stressed. The 25 year old has social anxiety issues and I'm pretty sure he really doesn't want to be at either table. And the 20 year old is obnoxious and I'm sure she feels she is far too superior than having to sit at a kid's table. So there's my vent.

I will do all of my baking the night before. I will also cook a stuffed turkey the day before. Veggies will be peeled and cut up the night before. I will wake up early and put the 40lb stuffed turkey in the oven and go between the kitchen and the livingroom (watching the Macy's parade) until around 1PM when people start to arrive.

Menu:
Turkey
Gravy
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Squash
Creamed Onions
Turnip
Green Beans
Cranberry Sauce

All are made fresh except the green beans and the cranberry sauce. I used to make homemade cranberry sauce but everyone prefers the canned. I heat frozen green beens in the microwave just because I feel I should serve a green vegetable

For desserts:
Cheesecake made by me
Chocolate cake made by me
Frozen cream puffs with homemade (by me) ganache
Coconut cream pie if I have time
A couple of batches of cookies

People generally bring
Apple pie bought from the orchard
Another pie from the orchard
Homemade cookies
Chocolate cream pie
Flan
Whatever anyone else brings

I'm glad you posted this because it gave me a chance to get my seating situation off my chest and remember the fun I have preparing and cooking it all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!!!!!

I LOVE it! I'm SO like you, the MORE the merrier! Last year, we had a ton at my home as well, and I was SO in my element! This year, will be very quiet indeed to our normally LOUD get to gethers! Your very organized. I do alot of my cooking the night before as well. Abby, my 14 year old, is trying her hand at her 1st, apple pie from scratch! I would LOVe to be a fly on the wall at your home...this year, I'll really miss the chaos of it all.

 

[soulmates]

I have been stressing over the holidays because of our move this summer. It is too busy now for us to travel to 'home' unless we fly, and flying at Thanksgiving is not something I ever want to do. Crowds at airports, and the inevitable delays, would be too much for me never mind my children.

So we were facing a quiet dinner at home, not too bad, but smaller. Yesterday I was talked into joining some new friends for their traditional open house celebration. I think it will fill the void: lots of friends food and football. After we have had all the visiting my husband can take, he is the introvert, we will go home and put up the Christmas tree.

For our food, it is always turkey, gravy, baked sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, broccoli with cheese and lots of desserts. Problem is that my family does not like sweets but I love to bake. Go figure This year I get to make the desserts and bring them some where else so I don't end up eating them mostly myself.

Gee, this became long - sorry. It has been stressing me out and now I feel better.

Kathleen

I think it's an AEWSOME idea to join others and be apart of a gathering. Go & enjoy!

 

[soulmates]

What do you do? Do you have friends in? Family? Do you go out for dinner? Ignore the day all together???

I know that at some points in our lives the 'traditional' holidays can be stressful in more than one way.

So then? How do you spend this holiday?

Great post! I love these sort of posts...missing my 2 older kids alot, this really helps!

 

[Mathfailure]

I agree, but realized that it is hard for me to be the one going to another's house and not the one being the hostess. Guess I need to learn to recieve and well as give.

Kathleen

 

[soulmates]

I agree, but realized that it is hard for me to be the one going to another's house and not the one being the hostess. Guess I need to learn to recieve and well as give.

Kathleen

I would have a hard time with that as well..but it sounds fun!

 

[OrlandoMike]

Typical menu here, we just have to bump it up to Tuesday becasue we both work on Thursdays.

We have invited a few people over who also have to work on Thursday this year. Disney "Family".

 

[ConcKahuna]

We found out about a month ago that one of my DH's cousins lives about 30 minutes from us, so we are going to her house for Thanksgiving

He volunteered us for pies. I plan on making a mince pie, pecan pie, and probably apple and blueberry as well. Maybe a sweet potato pie too.

 

[wallyb]

Just 3 of us at my house -
but we're making food for 12.

 

[Saxton]

I'm doing all the cooking but it will be at my parents' house. There should be about 10 people and most of the menu is pretty traditional but I'll be experimenting with a few things. I cook like my Mom - I always make way too much food ... on the plus side, no one ever goes home hungry!

 

[franandaj]

My parents alternate each year between my family (partner & me, and 10 cats) and my sister's family for Christmas & Thanksgiving. My sister's family can't afford to travel, and my partner is disabled and until she gets a few more bionic parts and gets the arthrits under control, she can only travel to Disney (warm climates, sister lives outside Seattle)

This year is Thanksgiving with the family, they arrive tomorrow and are staying through Monday. My FIL is 87 has severe dementia and lives at his house nearby with 24/7 caregivers. That said, this year we are having the turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, zucchini and pies on Wednesday night. Thursday afternoon we will take a platter of turkey sandwiches to my FIL's house and have lunch with him. We'll come back and cook up a Prime Rib, potates, green beans, and have leftover pies for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. We'll probably eat around 5:00 which is very early dinner for us.

We don't have any football fans in the house, so we'll probably watch a DVD after dinner. Most likely Up! since we couldn't see it in the theater due to my partner's RA which was flaring up badly when it was in theaters.

Saturday night someone I know got us reservations at Club 33 in Disneyland so we'll be at Disneyland Park that afternoon and evening! I can't wait!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

It's hard isn't it; missing someone at Thanksgiving, or any holiday.

ConcK!!! Blueberry pie!!! MMMMMMMmmm! Haven't had that in ages. No good blueberries here.

We've finally decided overall on what we are doing. We'll be having one of our "boys," the one with the boy of his own, my wife's Mother and her Aunt.

Like Wally, we are cooking for 12! LOL. What is it about Thanksgiving that brings out the need to have way too much food! LOL.

We will have turkey, dressing (oyster and "regular) gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry jelly, of course.

This year we are also having: cranberry sauce (a great concoction that features port) butternut, kale and bread 'pudding,' brussel sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta, baked hubbard squash, scalloped corn, gingered carrots, fig stuffed acorn squash, sweet potatoes with a pecan and maple syrup (optional) sauce, multi-grain dinner rolls, mini cheese laden biscuits, pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate pie, pecan tarts, whipped cream and ice cream as toppings.

Assorted wine, eggnog, coffee...

That's it, I think. LOL.

We do love to cook and feed people.

There are people who will be missing from our table, but we are focusing on the fact that they are all alive and out of harm's way (in that our military members are not in Iraq or Afghanistan this year).

We don't get really sappy, but we are very thankful that we are together, that our "boys" from South Florida are safe and with us, that my Mother (our parents overall) is still alive (close call recently) and that we both remain employed. Simple pleasures, eh?

And you know something? We are thankful for each of you here. It's part of our daily (mostly) life to come here and visit with whomever is posting on a given day.

Like it or not, we're family! (And there ain't nuthin' you can do about it Wally)!

 

[OrlandoMike]

And you know something? We are thankful for each of you here. It's part of our daily (mostly) life to come here and visit with whomever is posting on a given day.

Like it or not, we're family! (And there ain't nuthin' you can do about it Wally)!

I think this is the most important message with this holiday!

Afterall, it is a day to say "Thanks!"

 

[wallyb]

Like it or not, we're family! (And there ain't nuthin' you can do about it Wally)!

Hey - Why am I getting called out?
I'm thankful!

Thankful that there is an antibiotic to clear up most any "Issue".

 

[soulmates]

Hoping everyone takes lots of pictures, and we can share after?!!

 

[OrlandoMike]

Pie is in the oven!

 

[starann]

We will be having Thanksgiving here, as it is 'our' holiday. Each year it seems the number dwindle (as I talk to less and less of my family....not really a bad thing, as it has made a HUGE difference in MY happiness).

This year it will be DH, the boys and I, my mom (and her dog), her BF, my brother, my MIL and FIL and my stepmother and a stranger from Australia (a firefighter friend of DH's).

Before dinner to munch on:
beer bread
warn spinach and artichoke dip
bread pot fondue
cold antipast (my mom's BF is Italian, so we will have some meats and freash mozzarella)

For dinner we will be having:
Fried turkey
mashed potatoes
cranberry sausage stuffing
candied sweet potatoes
green bean casserole
corn and eggplant casserole
meat lasanga

For Dessert:
Apple pie
pumpkin pie
peacan pie
toll house pie
choc layer cake
and maybe some cookies if I so feel inspired!

The day will consist of me cooking and cleaning, my husband making hte turkey and everyone else watching football. Once diner is done, I will sit and look thru the sale ads and begin my prep work for shopping. Sadly, as with every year, I have to work at 8am, so shopping will be from 4am to 8am!!!!