Unexpected Thanksgiving
 

Oi....

First, a little background:

My sister, who usually hosts the family holiday meals, is out of town until the day before Thanksgiving. So... My nephew and his wife are hosting it this year at their new mcmansion in BFRiverside.

I just got off the phone with my mother.... She's decided she doesn't want to go (She doesn't like this granddaughter-in-law). She wants Bill and I to have her over to Thanksgiving dinner at our house. We had planned on going to my nephew's, along with everyone else, but really weren't looking forward to it.

Now I've got a week to plan and execute a Thanksgiving dinner (for 3) that I wasn't planning on having to do..... :eek:

You gonna serve that Tuna Loaf?:D


(You'll do great, and you all will have a wonderful time, especially since none of you particularly wanted to go to the nephew's place anyway!)

Time to break out that recipe box ;)

It'll be fine. A week is plenty of time to plan it all out.

KatieSue beat me to it, break out Mom's recipes and have at it!
You'll have a great time, keep it simple, keep it a family recipe and then share it all with us!

Clearly you are a fabulous cook, so I'm sure there is nothing to worry about.

There wasn't anything Thanksgiving-ish in the recipe box; and my mother’s idea of Thanksgiving fare is turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, jello mold, and rolls. I’m not sure yet if I’m going that route or not.

one recommendation, go reserve a 'fresh' turkey now vs getting a frozen bird and trying to add a "defrost the bird wrestling match" to everything else.

beyond that, yeah, a week is plenty for a 3 person t-day

that or mini-turkeys....cornice hens.

You could ask for help at vons.

Or you could ask for an entirely prepared feast at Whole Foods!

My favorite Thanksgiving food is Potato Buds. I know it's sad but I LOVE them.

Also I make extra stuffing and freeze it in casseroles (uncooked). Then you can also freeze some of the leftover turkey and you'll have fresh stuffing to go with it later. I just put it in the oven with a little butter on top and bake it.

I might get a boneless turkey roast - smaller & easier to cook. I've had them before, and they are quite good.

You can always make reservations ;)

Pssh. Have it catered, dear.
:D

You volunteering? ;)

Heck do what we do....go to the DL Hotel and pig out at their buffet!

No. Trust me, you don't want me to cook for you. I'm a horrible cook.
:D

I can make a good Portuguese Bean Soup, though. Although it'll make you fart so hard it'll make your dinner chair scoot around the room.

Now my brain can't stop playing the visual on that one :rolleyes:

I'll pass then, thanks.

Turkey, eh? Okay, first thing's first... run to Home Depot and get a 5-gallon bucket.

Then use this.

And here's a side dish that's super easy

(make a great, if unlikely, turkey sandwich topping later... TRUST ME)

This is my idea of Thanksgiving fare, too!

If you came to my house, everything would be from scratch. This is because I love to cook and have the time. But thinking about it, I do believe that if you made a fabulous cranberry sauce from scratch, you could get away with everything else either from Betty Crocker, Stouffer's, etc.

I love Stove Top Stuffing that you buy in a can, add water and heat. And the Marie Callendars cornbread mix with the same preparation.

That's what we are doing (at my Mom's). Her and her boyfriend's (they've only been together for 30 years) house is way to small to cook and eat for more than four.

Ooh, and this recipe looked delish... if you're a "squash" kinda person (I am!)

Yes you will: gas.

Watched them make this last night on Food Network. Looked SUPER easy, I mean, look how few ingredients! Just gotta slice the apples, practically.

(you can probably cheat the crust by using frozen, unbaked crust, thawing the dough)

Perish the thought!!! Everything (except the cranberry sauce and the jello - assuming I make jello) will be home made. My mother raised me right!

I can see she did, JWBear! :snap: And may I say there's nothing more attractive than a man who cooks a Thanksgiving dinner?

Respectfully,
3894/Helen

Feh, I actually prefer the canned, jellied, cranberry sauce. I know... I suck.

(While we're at it, I also like Macaroni and Cheese from a box, okay?)

No you don't. It's my favorite too!

Oh, and I make a pretty good potato salad, too.
:)

I wonder how good potato salad would be with cranberries mixed in...?

Here's my grandmother's stuffing recipe (although it appears my mother is claiming credit on this recipe card she gave me).

1 1/2 - 2 lbs bread (cut in 1/2" cubes)
1 lg onion, minced
2-3 cups finely chopped celery
1 bunch parsley, choped (about 1 cup)
8oz can mushrooms & canning liquor
1 cup butter or other fat
1-2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp MSG (Accent)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 -1 tsp poultry seasoning (sage, marjoram, thyme)
2-4 tsp ceubmled sage leaves (optional)

Melt fat and very lightly saute the onion. Combine with the other vegtables and seasonings and bread. Mix thoroughly. This will be a crumbly mixture.

I'd order in a supermarket meal, like has been suggested.

The hardest part is getting everything ready and hot at the same time. If you are going to do it yourself, do as much as you can ahead of time. I love Pepperidge Farm stuffing. There I said it. Saute some chopped celery and onion, then make it according to package directions with fat-free chicken broth. We usually pop it in the oven to get a nice little browning on the top. Way easier than trying to follow a new recipe.

And this is my holiday dessert as I am NOT a pumpkin fan.

Grasshopper Pie (my best friend's grandmother's recipe)

1 egg white
dash salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons white creme de cacao
4 tablespoons green creme de menthe
chocolate crust chilled

Beat egg white and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and glossy. Beat in corn syrup a little at a time. Continue to beat until mixture holds stiff, straight, firm peaks.

Whip cream until stiff. Fold in liqueurs. Fold into egg mixture. Fold into crust. Freeze 12 hours. Serve Frozen.

Chocolate Crust
Mix 1 1/3 cup Chocolate wafer crumbs with
1/3 cup butter, melted. Press firmly into 8 inch pie plate. Chill until set and ready to fill.

Susan doesn't like pumpkin pie either, but she makes them every year for everyone else.

I love that woman!

I don't like pumpkin pie either, but Bill and my mom do. So, I will be making one.

I make them for everyone else too. But I make sure I make something else for me. Ohhhh just remembered what I made last year that was so yum. Cranberry sorbet. If I can find my cookbook I'll post the recipe. It was so good. Very tart.

Homemade cranberry relish is pretty easy and it's definitely worth the effort. Also VERY tasty on sandwiches later. And you can make it a few days in advance.

OMGOMGOMGOMG...

So, I just got back from Trader Joe's... they have this Cranberry-Orange Relish that is To. Die. For.

Ocean Spray's whole canned cranberry is the only one I like too. :)

Don't fret, JWB. You have plenty of time to prepare. Try to do most of the cooking/prep the night before so you can enjoy yourself too.

I used to LOVE cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It was the only way I could have a nice holiday. Now, I just work.

However, I never made my own cranberry sauce. I prefer the jellied can complete with can ridges formed in it. YUM!

Sliced! :snap:

Yum, indeed! :D

I'm planning to fry my turkey this year- anyone ever tried that?

We've done it a couple of times at H's mom's house. It was delicious.

Make sure to do it outside, away from anything you love (that includes family members), and be very very careful putting the turkey in and taking it out of the fryer.

I think I am going to buy this - oil-less "frying".

Looks like a better idea.

Interesting. Not frying, per se... but I admit I'm intrigued.

Poltergassed.

If you make it with leftover turkey: Poultrygassed.

If you make it with leftover Ann Coulter: um, eww.

ok, this definitely looks like something I need to check out.
yes. it looks like a far better idea than setting up a boiling flame bomb in your yard

I've decided to delete my post, mainly because it's me going blah blah blah about both sides of my family. In the end, I just wish there was a way I could get them all together for Thanksgiving this year. Instead, I'm getting a heavy guilt trip over which side I'm going to. So, instead of working a short shift on Thanksgiving, like I probably would have gotten, I specifically requested a long one.

Which reminds me - I think I'm going to make some sweet potato pie sometime this next week. Last year turned out fantastically - time to do it again!

OOh! And fried chicken - loved it! It wasn't greasy and it was so moist and good! If anyone decides to do it, offer it to the neighbors for free or for a small fee for the oil (so long as they bring the bird). It helps cut down on the waste and saves the neighbor some time.

I can't wait for T-giving leftovers!

been there, done that.

have them draw lots/numbers/cut the deck for high card...winner chooses... whatever....one gets xmas, the other gets T-day. otherwise they'll have you twisting in the wind over xmas as well. settle it now, its decided and you can plan accordingly.

Well, Christmas is a different story. They actually do things at different times, making it super easy for me to get to various events.

Dad's side = Christmas Eve party
Dad's side = early morning presents
Mom's side = afternoon presents and early evening dinner
Dad's side = they go out to dinner, I sometimes meet them afterward for cocktails.

I live in Huntington with my grandma on my mom's side, and the rest of the family is in Costa Mesa, making it not the hugest travel deal for Christmas... Thanksgiving - it seems no one will budge on the time. What will likely happen is that I will eat at grandma's (mom's side) after taking a quick shower, then I'll head over to the other family to say hi.

You're welcome to come over. We'll have plenty of food. And no Melvin ;)

way better plan than what I did last year.

drive to destination 1....eat turkey.....:) .
drive to destination 2........eat turkey.......:p .
drive to destination 3.......eat turkey................:( .
go home, barf and pass out

what a great time :rolleyes:

I think I'll limit myself to 1 "meal" and a visit or two this go round

Hahaha! I've done that before!! Never again!! :D

I'd say we should have a LoT Thanksgiving, but I doubt anyone has the time. Maybe we can have a post-Thanksgiving on December 1... ;)

Never done it myself (and I am dying to try it), but one suggestion I have heard from more than one source is to

1. Put uncooked turkey into cold, empty fryer
2. Pour water into fryer to "fill" line
3. Remove turkey
4. The water level now in fryer is the level that you should fill with oil
5. Heat oil, etc.

Make sure to account for stuffing if applicable to account for volume - I don't know if stuffing is cooked with the Turkey when frying.

This takes the guesswork out of how much oil and prevents spills (from too much oil)

Huh. As of yesterday, looks like I'm going to visit my brother and his wife in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. I've never done spur-of-the-moment traveling before, never been in the budget, never had the time. I'm losing my Thursday and Friday markets next week because of the holiday, and my brother is really good at online bargain shopping. Voila! Time off, and an affordable flight. I'll be leaving Tuesday afternoon, and coming back Friday eve, just in time for leftovers. I'm excited to be able to do this, and anxious, because every fiber of my being says I should be putting the money to more responsible use.

My inner pauper is going to have to stfu.

Go Jim! Have a great time!

I finally decided that yes, I am going to cook something, even though I will be spending the holiday family free.

Apricot Glazed Cornish Hen (stuffed with apricot & sausage stuffing)
veggies TBA
and, of course, pie!

I am sure I will break down shopping today and buy a can of cranberry sauce. Typically I do make home made from fresh, but this year, the desires to do so is not so much!