What are you doing/cooking for thanksgiving?

Going to Hubby's parents. I like my inlaws, so no problems there. His sister and brother-in-law may come with their baby. Uncle Slacker may come if he doesn't get drunk before dinner time. He's pretty good at monopolizing a conversation, but the rest of us quiet folks have long learned how to sneak off and have other conversations while he pretends he's done all sorts of things he's never done to whoever's listening.

Since I have a gluten allergy, I'll be making myself a container of gravy-- which Hubby prefers to regular gravy.

It's usually a pleasant affair. Though, I do usually get asked to take a look at what's wrong with my in-laws computers. ;-)

I avoid the other side of the family-- there are icky people on that side and I don't pretend to play nice with them. I also won't be guilted into playing with them. When asked I just smile and shrug and say I'm busy.

Hiding from my family and drinking in the shed.

Next.

I'm doing the typical turkey, potatoes, cranbery sauce, and dressing deal, but with other side dishes. We always do a traditional menu, but spice up the side dishes with different herbs and twists.

I can't drink this year. :-( Normally I'd have old fashioned egg nog. The rest of the house won't touch it so I end up tipsy. Ok, smashed. I drink it all.

Just our immediate family this year, since hubby has to work on Thanksgiving. We're going to do some small game hens, I think, plus the usual staples. Minus cranberry. Eww.

Then, the next day, I'm having my sons help me put up our Christmas tree and start decorating. I inherited this crazy tradition from my mother, and I just can't help it. The day after Thanksgiving, it's Christmas carols and paper garlands.

My relatives come to my house. This year 20 strong, not counting the rugrat. I'm cooking two twenty pound turkeys, fifteen pounds of potatoes to mash, four boxes of Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing, and several gallons of giblet gravy. Others will bring veggie tray, broccoli casserole, rolls, and assorted pies. I will also have two kinds of canned cranberry sauce and a homemade cranberry-orange relish. (Can you tell I plan for leftovers?) This is my one holiday to do each year, and I look forward to it a lot. And when is is over I am SO relieved.

MM

I'll make a shoo fly pie for after Thanksgiving breakfast at my inlaws. My BIL will cook and I get the dishes. No matter how hard I push to host the meal here, MIL won't budge.

Simple day pretty much for us. I'll make the turkey, stuffed the old fashioned way. Gravy. Rolls. Boiled potatoes, because they'll get chopped up the next day and added with all the above. Corn, because that's my son's favorite veggie. Either I'll make deviled eggs or my DIL will and she'll make pumpkin pie. Haven't decided yet if I'll make apple pie or not. Son may make cheese cake, okay he will if I ask like always. Afterward my dishwasher takes care of the dishes.

We don't get together much with hubby's brothers and sisters, and it's a big family, but they like to fight too much. His mom and dad are gone now and my dad is gone. My mom has Alzheimers but hubby will pick her up so she'll be with us. Otherwise, it's just us, my son and his wife and their son.

We used to do a big one early, before my parents went south for the winter and one year we counted around 39 heads - family and friends and everyone did bring something. So, yeah, we enjoy the small one now. And we'll start decorating for Christmas anytime after Thanksgiving too. Not a family tradition, I just like to put it up early and enjoy it, and we take it down the day after Christmas anyway.

I work Thanksgiving

My husband cooks the turkey and I do the rest.

We're having stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots and rolls. Oh and cranberry.

And pie of course. Apple pie, blueberry pie. My sister is making peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

So it's my family plus my sister.

I'm entertaining in a real house for the first time. We're having turkey, baked mac'n cheese, cracker dressing, ham, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato biscuits, a couple of pies, and pumpkin cake. I'm doing about half the cooking, which works for me.

I have a big kitchen!!!!!

mscelina said:

Hiding from my family and drinking in the shed.

Next.

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^ If I end up at my uncle's house, and if a certain woman shows up, I'll be doing this...

Before that, however, I'll be doing roughly half the workload (with my mother, most likely) of preparing a number of dishes, some traditional and some not. Turkey w/ sausage stuffing, baked ham, mustard potato salad, hashbrown casserole, cranberry sauce, pies (incl. sweet potato), cornbread dressing, fruit salad, marinated vegetable salad, gravy, and so forth.

ChaosTitan said:

I'm entertaining in a real house for the first time. We're having turkey, baked mac'n cheese, cracker dressing, ham, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato biscuits, a couple of pies, and pumpkin cake. I'm doing about half the cooking, which works for me.

I have a big kitchen!!!!!

Click to expand...

I, of course, will be handling all the sharp implements, plus the occasional grater or two.

No? Please? Still no?

Ah, okay. I'm adding the deviled eggs. (If you knew my history with knives and other sharp objects with relation to the tips of my fingers, you'd understand why this is both scary and funny at the same time. )

I'll have my father, brother, and mother-in-law, plus my own kids and husband. Dad will bring a salad, MIL the wine. Older daughter will make pissaladiere (without the anchovies, since she's a vegan now). Younger daughter will make traditional pumpkin pie and a wheat-free vegan pumpkin pie (for wheat-allergic me and my vegan daughter). Husband will make mashed potatoes (I'll have to make sure he uses vegetable broth and olive oil margarine instead of butter and milk this year). I'll do the turkey, which includes baking wheat-free corn bread the day before so I can use it for stuffing, plus wild rice and mushroom stuffing (some of which I'll bake outside the bird so vegan daughter can eat it). Oh, and my brother's contribution will be to drive my daughter the 150 miles home from college, take my father to the hospital Wednesday morning for his pre-op stuff, bring him to Thanksgiving Dinner, and stay over for Dad's surgery the following week.

My niece has to work Thanksgiving day so I'll be baking the turkey and dressing. I'll also make the gravy and these hot rolls (they're to die for! Just like my mama's.)

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Quick Yeast Rolls

2 pkg dry yeast (or 5 tsps)
1/2 C warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 C milk
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 C all-purpose flour

Combine yeast with the 1/2 C warm milk in a 2 cup measuring cup. Let stand five minutes.

Combine yeast mixture, 1 C milk, and next four ingredients in the mixer bowl. Gradually add one cup flour at a time until you have a soft dough. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with a tea towel and put in a warm place, free from drafts, for 15 minutes. (I put mine in the microwave, with the door just pushed to so the light stays on and provides some warmth.)

After fifteen minutes, punch down dough, re-cover, and put back in the warm place for another 15 minutes.

Punch down dough again, turn out onto lightly floured surface and divide it into 24 equal pieces. Shape these into balls. Place in 2 9-inch square pans or one pan big enough to hold all 24. I use a pizza pan. Cover and let rise another fifteen minutes in that warm place.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes until golden brown and delicious. Enjoy!
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Niece's significant other is making the veggies (fresh green beans with a balsamic vinegar dressing and mashed potatoes). She's providing desert - chocolate layer cake and an caramel apple pie. As usual, it'll take us two days to cook and ten minutes to eat. Then we'll be comatose in the living room until we're able to drag ourselves to the car and come home.

Thanksgiving will be just hubby, me and my daughter. It will be pretty standard with the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some sort of vegie and rolls. Of course I'll have to make my 4000 calorie sweet potato casserole that my kid begs for every year. It's topped with crushed cornflakes, coconut, pecans, brown sugar & butter. It is sooooo good! This year I think I'll make a cheesecake from scratch though.

Thanksgiving will be just hubby, me and my daughter.

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Same here, 'cept I'm the daughter. We cut the menu way back since it's only food for three of us, and it's only my mother and me at the house, and that's too much leftovers.

We always make two turkeys, one to donate and one for us. So I'm guessing that's still the plan this year, although we're only having a turkey breast. Plus the usual stuffing, green beans, potatoes and cornbread. Also an apple pie (purchased from the delicious shop down the street) and my mother's pumpkin cheesecake (my favorite).

Hmm... that doesn't really seem like we cut the menu.

Just us and the sisters-in-law, BIL, and nephew.

I cook everything (to ensure it's the way I like it), but they will bring pie.

We're staying in town. My Dad & brother have to work Thursday, so we'll be having our Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday. Then on Sunday, we'll have another, much bigger, get-together at my Grandma's.

We'll have turkey, ham, and all the fixin's. I've made a cranberry-apple relish for tomorrow. That might have been a mistake to make it early. I could eat it plain. lol Tonight I'll make pumpkin bread (for nibblies before the meal) and cheesecake.

All sugar-free for me, my Dad, and my Granny.

Going to the niece’s house over on the other side of Tampa. Since she’s hosting, she’ll do the bird, stuffing, gravy. All other participants are contributing. My assignments are sweet potato soufflé and cranberry fluff.

And maybe, if some kind folk contribute to my ‘favorite Christmas cookie recipe’ thread, I’ll bring some of those, too.

I get to spend the entire flipping day with the in-laws. Oh joy. Oh ecstasy. Be still, my beating heart.

At least they'll have booze so I can get trashed and enjoy my own company.