Who's Doing Thanksgiving Dinner?

My sister was going to have dinner for everybody, but then my niece-in-law said she wanted to do it. That was fine; they live around Washington D.C and my sister, niece, and I were going to drive down the night before to help with prep work. The guys were going to drive down early Thanksgiving morning and they would bring Rick's parents with them. But now my in-laws have said that they don't want to go that far (actually my MIL is willing; it's my FIL who doesn't want to go).

Since we're supposed to have our kitchen pretty well done by then, I told my in-laws that I will make T-dinner here and so they're coming to our house. My brother and SIL are also coming as are some friends. I think there will be 12 of us, including Rick and me.

Menu: (I'm not going to mess with a lot of appetizers this time around; will save that for our Christmas dinner, I think)

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Crock Pot Stuffing

Party Potatoes (make ahead and then plop into the oven about an hour before dinner)

All-Purpose Gravy (make ahead and then reheat before dinner)

Sweet Potato Casserole (the potatoes are not mashed and are topped with a granola, not marshmallows)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Sagaponek Corn Pudding (I asked Rick if we could let the corn pudding go this year and have mac and cheese instead....he was horrified. And my FIL almost bit my head off, so corn pudding it is....you don't mess with holiday dinners around here)

Mandarin Orange and Pecan Salad (My SIL is making)

Creamed Onions

Cranberry Relish

Old Farmhouse Chutney (I have two jars left, so I'm using one and my sister is taking the other one with her)

Praline Pumpkin Pie with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie

Assorted Cookies

I have three bottles of an Anniversary Wine (white) from our local winery and a bottle of an elderberry wine for my MIL

Iced Tea and Coffee

I'd like to start baking a few rolled cookies next weekend and I can freeze them until Thanksgiving. I have some new leaf-shaped cookie cutters to play with and I also have some leaf-shaped sprinkles to decorate the cookies.

Went for a few groceries last night and bought some of the canned and boxed goods that I'll be using. I always try to have everything I need for dinner ahead of time, so that by the time the holiday week rolls around, I only need to buy dairy and produce.

So who's doing dinner and what are you having????

not doing anything, unfortunately, haven't in years, not since my grandmother died.

I am gonna get up the fixins and make a couple pies though (cherry, apple and pumpkin) mostly because I like to cook and bake.

my grandfather, younger sister and I -might- go out to dinner if my sister doesn't have to work.
 

I think my sister and I are going to order a turkey and have a quiet Thanksgiving here.

We have been doing Thanksgiving at our house since we bought it in 2009; but my Mom and Step-dad are hoping to get all of us "kids" together this year...so if the others agree to come down it'll probably be at their house.  Mom and I split the work anyway so it doesn't matter so much except whoever hosts gets more menu input.  They have one of those stand alone roasters for the turkey and my step-dad has the touch for seasoning them; so they always handle that.  The first year Mom used his "recipe" to season it for me here and I put it in the oven in the morning.  

We haven't really talked about what we will make yet but the usuals are:

Turkey

Stuffing (2 kinds, regular and one with apples and cranberries!)

gravy

mashed potatoes

corn 

red rice and beans

yams

broccoli puff

rolls

Pies: Pumpkin and apple

The variables are things like roasted sweet potatoes and squash or just whatever we might want to try.

Our church's Thanksgiving dinner is next Sunday...can't wait for that!!

Winchester said:

Old Farmhouse Chutney (I have two jars left, so I'm using one and my sister is taking the other one with her)

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The Stonewall one? Have you ever tried their cheeseball recipe using that? It is fantastic!

I'm having my family over. I've been doing it for years now. Still working on the menu, but it will mostly be the same. I'll post more later.

AbbysMom said:

The Stonewall one? Have you ever tried their cheeseball recipe using that? It is fantastic!
I'm having my family over. I've been doing it for years now. Still working on the menu, but it will mostly be the same. I'll post more later.

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I think the recipe is from Stonewall. I made it last summer and everybody loved it. Cheeseball recipe with the chutney? Please share! I'd love to have that!

It's this one:

http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/search-by-product/500117/R100153.html

I'm a regular Stonewall shopper. :lol3: The flagship store in Maine is great, but the warehouse outlet in NH where you can get the overstocks and crooked label items for less than half price is even better.

AbbysMom said:

It's this one:
http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/search-by-product/500117/R100153.html

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First off - PAM................ What a menu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW We are going to my SIL's for Thanksgiving dinner. I will bring a side dish and I also usually bring a homemade cheese ball. It is a spinach/artichoke/cream cheese recipe. BUT I think I am going to make Karen's cheese ball recipe!!! Looks delicious.

It's delicious, Lauren. I can't make it for my family because it is sweet and savory and they don't do sweet.

I went back and found my post from last year on what we ate:

Appetizers -

cheese and crackers and chip and dip. My sister in law brought ribs, pizza squares, stuffed mushrooms, cheese bites and sweetened pecans for apps also.

Meal -

ham, turkey, chourico stuffing, french meat stuffing, cornbread stuffing, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh and canned cranberry sauce and I had also ordered and picked up rolls, roasted root vegetables and pumpkin ravioli.

Desserts -

Candy bark, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, carrot cake whoopie pies and almond joy cake.

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Some of the apps, sides and desserts will get switched up a bit.

Thanks, Lauren.....we always have plenty so that people can pick and choose and then everybody takes some food home with them.

Karen, I've already decided that I'm not doing much in the way of appetizers for Thanksgiving this year. But I've copied and printed the cheeseball for Christmas dinner. Thanks so much!

Thanks, Lauren! I always try to have enough food for everybody to pick and choose and I don't ever want anybody to walk away hungry. It's always such fun for me to do Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

Karen, thank you for the recipe....copied and printed! I've pretty much decided that I'm not doing much in the way of appetizers this year for Thanksgiving, so am saving the recipe (and now my last jar of Old Farmhouse Chutney) for the appetizer tray for Christmas dinner.

If anybody is interested in the recipe for Old Farmhouse Chutney, I put it here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/238294/marinades-rubs-gravies  . The recipe is rather labor-intensive, but honestly, the chutney is just delicious. I made it last year and had no problems with it at all. Didn't get any made this year as we were busy with other things, so it's on my list to make again next fall.