Thanksgiving Plans

Just wondering what the plans are for your holiday. How many are hosting the meal and who is blessed enough to be invited somewhere else.

We are invited somewhere else. I will be bringing collards and a homemade apple pie for the meal.

Usually it's at my house. I LOVE my wifes turkey!

She also make this thing with yams & a pecan curst which is similar to a pie, but it's not a pie. I really don't know what it is apart from being very good. It's her own invention.

We'll probably just have my mom & a couple of her family over (they also love the turkey)

I look forward to a day of not working, start drinkin' wine early & watching football.

This will be our father's last Thanksgiving....he is dying from emphysema. At this point, we don't know if he will even be here for Christmas. Hospice comes in to take care of him and we try to visit whenever we can. It's been difficult; I dearly love my father.

Anyway, my sister and I decided to have Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house this year. We said that we would do all of the cooking, which means that we'll do the cooking at our own houses and then take everything to my parents. There will be 12 of us total and that's going to be difficult b/c my parents down-sized several years ago and now live in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. But we'll make do and it will be fine.

Our menu:

Turkey and Dressing (my sister)
Crock Pot Stuffing (me b/c the turkey won't hold enough stuffing to satisfy all 12 of us)
Baked Corn (my sister)
Mashed Potatoes (me...it's a make ahead recipe so I'm not rushing around at the last minute)
Gravy (my sister doesn't do gravy, so I'm making it with turkey wings on Wednesday night)
Asparagus with Leeks (me by request from mom)
Sweet Potato Casserole (me....not the mashed kind; this is something different that I tried last year and it was a hit, it's chunks of sweet potato with granola, maple syrup and dried cherries)
Relish Tray (my dad and I both just love pickles and such)
Confetti Coleslaw with Honey-Celery Seed Dressing (me)
Garlic Parmesan Rolls (me by request from my dad, so even though we're having stuffing, if my dad wants rolls, then he's getting rolls)
Cranberry Sauce (my mother who has somebody to help her make it)
Pumpkin Pies (my sister)
Chocolate Pecan Pie (me)
Sugared Pecans (I'm making them specifically for my mom, who asked me to...we'll just put them on the table with the desserts)
Assorted cookies (and I really have to get started on them!)

Thank goodness for crockpots and buffet servers!

Afterward, my sister and I will take some desserts to our aunt (my dad's sister) in the nursing home. I'm going to bake some extra cookies for the nursing home staff, too. Our aunt will have a nice Turkey Day dinner, but she loves pumpkin pie. And she just loves to eat cookies.

(My sister has promised to give me the turkey carcass, so I can make broth with it that weekend. Around here, it's akin to blasphemy to throw away a turkey carcass without using it to make broth first!)

Originally Posted by Winchester

This will be our father's last Thanksgiving....he is dying from emphysema. At this point, we don't know if he will even be here for Christmas. Hospice comes in to take care of him and we try to visit whenever we can. It's been difficult; I dearly love my father.

Anyway, my sister and I decided to have Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house this year. We said that we would do all of the cooking, which means that we'll do the cooking at our own houses and then take everything to my parents. There will be 12 of us total and that's going to be difficult b/c my parents down-sized several years ago and now live in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. But we'll make do and it will be fine.

Our menu:

Turkey and Dressing (my sister)
Crock Pot Stuffing (me b/c the turkey won't hold enough stuffing to satisfy all 12 of us)
Baked Corn (my sister)
Mashed Potatoes (me...it's a make ahead recipe so I'm not rushing around at the last minute)
Gravy (my sister doesn't do gravy, so I'm making it with turkey wings on Wednesday night)
Asparagus with Leeks (me by request from mom)
Sweet Potato Casserole (me....not the mashed kind; this is something different that I tried last year and it was a hit, it's chunks of sweet potato with granola, maple syrup and dried cherries)
Relish Tray (my dad and I both just love pickles and such)
Confetti Coleslaw with Honey-Celery Seed Dressing (me)
Garlic Parmesan Rolls (me by request from my dad, so even though we're having stuffing, if my dad wants rolls, then he's getting rolls)
Cranberry Sauce (my mother who has somebody to help her make it)
Pumpkin Pies (my sister)
Chocolate Pecan Pie (me)
Sugared Pecans (I'm making them specifically for my mom, who asked me to...we'll just put them on the table with the desserts)
Assorted cookies (and I really have to get started on them!)

Thank goodness for crockpots and buffet servers!

Afterward, my sister and I will take some desserts to our aunt (my dad's sister) in the nursing home. I'm going to bake some extra cookies for the nursing home staff, too. Our aunt will have a nice Turkey Day dinner, but she loves pumpkin pie. And she just loves to eat cookies.

(My sister has promised to give me the turkey carcass, so I can make broth with it that weekend. Around here, it's akin to blasphemy to throw away a turkey carcass without using it to make broth first!)

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I am sitting here crying after reading your post. I lost my dad last year. Like you, I knew what was coming and took every opportunity to spend the time with Dad. Your parents are blessed to have children who love them and share love with them like you and your sister are doing. Your menu sounds wonderful. You are really showing your mother and dad the kind of stuff you are made of. Please share some of your recipes with us, especially the sweet potato and coleslaw one. One last note, God bless you for sharing with the aunt in the nursing home and the workers there. Dad spent the last year and a half of his life in a nursing home. I learned how special those folks are. Happy Holidays. I am sorry for what you are facing, but you can feel free to PM me if you get in a situation where you need to vent. Prayers and hugs to you and your family.

I lost my father last year, too, wow so many of us losing our dads.

We already had Thanksgiving here in Canada, it's in early October. Since we are American/Canadian for a couple of years we tried to celebrate both, but I gave up making the huge turkey dinner while everyone else was in school and at work... it wasn't worth it. So, this year it will be just another day here in Canada.

This is the first year I am not going to be spending Thanksgiving with "my family". It is a tradition for us that we all get together at someone's house and have a big throw down with loads of food and all the distant relatives and friends that live in town come and we just eat until we want to die, watch football, do jigsaw puzzles together and play with all of the grand kids (my nieces and nephew). There is usually about 30-50 people there plus children, and enough food to feed about 100. This group includes my mother, father and my stepmother, my siblings in-laws, etc.

This year my husband and I are starting a new tradition. It is our first Thanksgiving together even though we dated for most of 3 years before getting married (long story). We are going to his father and step-mother's house for the weekend. Originally they were going to come to the big celebration with my family "back home" but that didn't work out. (Next Paragraph)

I am excited to be spending the holiday with my new extended family but am sad for the cause. My brother (whose house we usually hold the event at) has said some VERY hurtful things about myself and my sister, and we have decided our holiday would be better spent elsewhere. My sister just gave birth to a pre-mature little girl and doesn't want to host at her place. My new home with DH is 5 hours away from the rest of the crew, my sister doesn't want to drive so far with the baby, and my father has to work the day before and after Thanksgiving, so driving and staying here isn't an option. We have decided that next year we will try to host at our house when the situation may be different!

As for what I will be contributing... This year I am making three pies, two tried recipies and a new one. My father in law is diabetic so I am going to use "Whey Low" instead of sugar for everything in my pies (LOVE that stuff for baking!). I am making an apple pie, pumpkin pie and I am going to use a new recipe I found for a Pinto Bean Pecan Pie. My father in law's favorite pie is pecan, but until this recipe I hadn't figured out a way to replace the Karo syrup in the recipe I always used. I hope this turns out great, I will let everyone know! I am also making a cornbread dressing using my family recipe so that I won't miss out on my favorite thing. My husband has asked me to make my cream cheese and salsa balls appetizer since he really loves it, so I'll be doing that too. When we arrive at my in-laws I am going to help cook there also, not sure what all I will be making except I know I've been hooked into mashed potatoes and deviled eggs.

Originally Posted by blueyedgirl5946

Just wondering what the plans are for your holiday. How many are hosting the meal and who is blessed enough to be invited somewhere else.

We are invited somewhere else. I will be bringing collards and a homemade apple pie for the meal.

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Yep I am blessed to be going to Russ' sisters house this year. She's a very good cook and I'll go and help her earlier. Just setting the table and stuff like that. I'll bring something over, probably a couple of bottles of white wine since we're having turkey. Later in the day we will go visit my sister and her family, it sounds like a nice day and I will have a clean kitchen and no aching back

I was just talking to my sister Kimmy about this earlier. We decided that we're going to do Thanksgiving at her house this year (and then I'll go with Jack to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family too at his mom's house later that day).

Unfortunately, part of my family is essentially pretending that the holidays just don't exist this year since our Nannie passed away recently. It's actually her birthday today My sister and I decided our Nannie would rather us spend the holidays lauging and celebrating rather than moping and pretending they don't exist, so we're just planning to make the best of things. Hopefully we can get the rest of my family (mom,aunt,cousins,other sisters) to follow suite and all come over to Kimmy's house that day! I think they will once we tell them they have no choice and we've already planned out everything!

I'm actually making out my recipe & grocery list at the moment and wow...it just keeps growing! (I'm doing most of the cooking). Hopefully everything will turn ok well; there's a lot of "new" recipes on my list this year!

Since my sister's husband died in 2009 we have started a new tradition of going out to eat and then to a movie on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Someone earlier mentioned wanting a way to cut the sugar in pecan pie.
This is a great recipe. My family never liked the Karo syrup pie, but they love this one.

Pecan Pie
Mix and melt one stick of margarine. Add one cup of sugar and mix it good. Put in two eggs which have been beaten thoroughly. Mix well. Add one teaspoon of vanilla flavoring and three teaspoons of cider vinegar. Chop and add one cup of pecans.l (Do NOT use more). Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. (Preheat oven first) I promise you cannot taste the vinegar in the finished pie. It is wonderful.

Our neighbor invited over to his family's out of town gathering, but DH and I really love all the leftovers from Thanksgiving. We'll probably make our usual 16 pound bird for the 2 adults, 3 dogs and 8 cats in the family. We'll call DH's family who lives far away. They do get together on that day and we talk with them for a couple of hours. My family is dispersed across 5 states and both of my parents are gone so we don't congregate very often.

It's funny. Even though I don't feed people food to our critters, they know when mom is cooking turkey, cause that is the only meal of the year where they get a plate when we are finished eating. They all start to salivate about the time when the turkey aroma starts to permeate through the house.

I'll make the turkey with bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie for desert.

I guess we're doing Thanksgiving with my BFF from high school, who lives 3 hours away from us. At her house.

No I really don't want to drive there. I kind of want to do it here. But she doesn't want to drive- I think she doesn't want to leave her kitties at home. Can't help with the cats- but I really don't care if the Chiauaua (sp) comes here. It's smaller than Sneaky Pie And Sneaky Pie is afraid of it

I'll probably make a turkey sometime anyhow. The deals for it are just incredible, and I can get a couple of meals out of it.

We cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving last year, and we all commented on how sad it was that there was no black cat asking for a handout. Mistoflees LOVED turkey- when he was younger, one year he tried to jump the counter to get it.

But now we have Holly, and she loves chicken. And turkey. In some ways she's just like the cat we lost- she's all black, has yellow eyes and is almost as big as he was. But in some ways she is an entirely different animal. The way she follows Sneaky Pie EVERYWHERE. How mischevious she is.

Cheryl

We don't have thanksgiving here

I'd love to experience it though

I hadn't thought about it, actually. We haven't done much for Thanksgiving the past few years since Gary's heath issues became so debilitating. But I do love the tastes and smells! The oven in the RV fits a 12 pound turkey. Gary makes FABULOUS turkey and stuffing... I know how to do the stuffing, and I can do smashed potatoes (we like our mashed potatoes lumpy LOL). He'd have to do the gravy. He can't stand pumpkin pie, but I could buy a small one...

At the very least, we could be thankful for the good food!

We are doing Thanksgiiving resort style.

The resort restaurant will be open for park residents and guests only and my boss is providing deep fried turkeys, mashed potatoes and gravy, while the rest is potluck.
Then Friday after is my rehersal and Saturday my wedding.

Our plans are to have Thanksgiving at our house and invite another couple over, which we've done twice before since I moved to CA 3.5 years ago. We might have our other friend (Genever's 'Uncle') Scott over too. Last year I was flying home from England on Thanksgiving day, so I will make up for missing it! None of us has family out here, so it works out well to get together.

I'll make a Tofurky (i dont do the meat thing), and some sides, BF will probably make mashed potatoes, and our friends will bring over some actual turkey, I think they usually get a big turkey breast. Not sure about dessert yet, we're going to talk about it tomorrow night. And I'm sure there will be lots of good beers from the beer 'cellar' being shared as well.

I like that it's just a few of us, no stress (usually), just a nice big meal with good friends.

I can honestly say that Thanksgiving is still up in the air for me. Im leaving the decision up to BF and he doesnt want to say no to his dad cuz he doesnt want to offend anyone but he doesnt want to go because he knows that Im still mad at the whole situation...**I can hold a grudge like no other** Im at the point where Im still mad and livid at the people involved and I still dont wanna go because who in their right mind wants brussel sprouts for Thanksgiving...(his step mother makes the dumbest healthiest crap for Thanksgiving....one year she made lasagna in a slow cooker WTH?!?!)

Geez Im such a miserable beep....Aside from participating in SS this year I seriously am not looking forward whatsoever to any holidays this year!!!! Can I just stay home and eat pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be working, thats it and spending time with the cats

I will be having it at my house. Since my in-laws live behind us, it's easy for them to come over. I have a bigger kitchen and dining room, so it'll be logical to just cook most of the food at our house.

My parents, as usual, decline to come down from Charlotte

blueyedgirl5946........thank you for your kind words about Dad. He's a special person in my life and has always been there for me. I'm trying to be there for him, but I'm having a very difficult time dealing with everything.

The reason I'm taking cookies to my aunt's nursing home staff is because they have to work on the holiday; they have no choice. And they do a good job taking care of their patients. That's a way that I can let them know that I appreciate what they do. About once a month or so I take something to them; sometimes it's a cake, sometimes it's cookies or cupcakes. One of the ladies who's there when I come in always gives me a big hug and thanks me for taking such good care of them. It makes me feel good and I know they enjoy the treats.

I'll post the recipes when I get home from work tonight for you. Both the sweet potato casserole and the confetti coleslaw recipes are very good and the coleslaw recipe has been in my family for years and years.

And thank you again.