Thanksgiving 2019 plans!

[clean]

Me, I bring creamed onions.  I open Joy of Cooking to review the notes I've jotted, and then make 'em the day before

Can you post the recipe (or pm me if you prefer?)

[paddington_bear]

I leave for CA on Saturday. Ordinarily, I go to CA for Xmas to visit family, but this year I decided to go for Thanksgiving. My mother wants to go out for Thanksgiving dinner, so no one has to cook and no one has to clean up. That will be nice!  I'm glad not to go to CA for Xmas because at the end of the semester I'm usually so frazzled that the last thing I want to do is travel prep and travel. But I just got back from a conference in Chicago on Sunday and two days after I come back from CA I have to take another work trip. So this is a crazy time and I'd much rather stay here for Thanksgiving as well. I'll be glad when traveling is over in two weeks.

[archaeo42]

I will be going to my parents. They host every year and our attending is much easier since we moved back to home state. We have a fairly Norman Rockwell New England Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing and dressing (whatever isn't in the bird gets baked), mashed potatoes, whipped sweet potatoes (none of that mini marshmallow stuff), squash, cranberries, and also creamed onions (a family tradition I do not enjoy). There is also soup, either butternut squash or potato leek.

There are usually 20+ people since my mom is one of 6 but as the cousins have grown up and started their own families we're not as many as we used to be. Her sisters all bring a side or dessert. I've taken over making Indian Pudding for dessert, following great-grandma's recipe.

[Volhiker78]

We are staying at home this Thanksgiving - a first for us since we moved to Florida eight years ago.  We invited family to join us but since no one took us up on the offer, we decided to have ourThanksgiving meal at a nice restaurant in town. 

My 16 year drama queen's boyfriend's family invited us to their Thanksgiving spread.  My first reaction was 'hell no - we don't know these people and they are only dating, right?"  But since drama queen was thrilled with the invitation,   she will go on her own.  Our family meal is early in the day (12:30) and their dinner is between 6-7 so it works out ok.  My wife needs to drive my daughter over so she says she will stay and chat with the hosts for awhile.  I get to stay at home and watch football.  For that,  I am thankful.   

[sinenomine]

I'm taking advantage of a week with no classes and doing an overseas research trip to look at manuscripts in London. On Thanksgiving, I'm taking a break from work to see Hamilton and plan to dine at a restaurant with Dubai cuisine. Certainly my most unorthodox Thanksgiving thus far!

[mamselle]

Let us know how the restaurant is! (And where...)

I'll miss you by a month, but am interested for later reference!

M.

[AmLitHist]

It's just ALHS, Kid #2, and me for the holiday.  All on my side of the family have passed, save my sister and her kids (she's been in skilled nursing care nearly 2 years following a bout of septic shock and complete organ failure that nearly killed her in late 2017). ALHS's family zoo gathers at his sister's, which I learned early on to avoid like the plague; "just us" is far preferable.  Kid #1 works at Amazon so is already in the throes of peak/OT season, so I'm sure she'll stay home and sleep all day before another overnight shift. 

I'll be fixing a Butterball boneless turkey roast (cheating, I guess, but not all the mess and hassle of the big bird), sweet potatoes (MUST have the little marshmallows, or Kid won't eat them!), cranberries, yeast rolls, dressing, and pumpkin pie.  Then, Netflix for me--not sure what the others have planned.

I'm just happy to have a few days off, after a long and trying fall semester.  One week of class (student presentations) after the holiday, then finals, and we're done til January 21st.

[paultuttle]

If my current sinus infection is sufficiently in remission, we'll go to my parents' house bringing probably things like ham, chicken, several side items, some salad greens, some potato salad, and a loaf of French bread.

(My mother's failing memory is useful in this particular situation: She doesn't remember now that she stood in her kitchen, three years ago, hands firmly on the handles of her walker, and said, "This is MY kitchen! No, you cannot cook a Thanksgiving meal in here.")

[ab_grp]

Spouse and I have been doing our own thing the past few years, making meals like Cornish game hens and interesting sides and eating in our PJs.  Vegetarian daughter will be with us this year, so we are planning to make veggie pot pies and still eat in our PJs.  We may try to get the Christmas tree up so that we can enjoy it for more than one week this year.  I do miss my mother's Thanksgiving feast (which is the same as what she serves at Christmas, and I miss that, too).  It's pretty typical, turkey (I get the legs!), her stuffing, ambrosia, the usual other sides.  Those three are my favorite parts, though.  Such a neat mix of Thanksgiving plans in this thread! I hope it is an enjoyable one for all.

[AJ_Katz]

I have two family members coming to our house and we'll make the traditional Thanksgiving day meal, with a good mix of homemade items and store bought items.  I know the favorite foods people like, so mainly those items are from scratch while the rest can be bought.  Later on, my partner's family will be coming over for dessert.  On Black Friday we've got tickets to the college football game, which is a line-up of my alma mater vs. my employer.  I am hoping it won't be freezing cold.

[mamselle]

A couple posts are reminding me that several people will be gathering without significant members of their extended family due to death or other losses.

I just heard, too, for example, that the husband of one of my cousins has passed away, and am thinking of them now in particular.

I think people focus on that around the later winter holidays (Channukah, Diwali, Christmas, Kwanzaa) but perhaps less at this earlier time of the year.

All good thoughts to those aware of such losses around the table this year.

In some cases good memories may fill some of the void, but it's still got to be hard.

M.

[pepsi_alum]

Thanksgiving will be just me this year. I haven't made any close friends in New City yet, and the trip to see my family isn't worth it at this point in the semester; I'll spend a full week with them at Christmas. But today will still be a good day -- I'll talk on the phone with a few people, go for a long walk in my neighborhood, have an early buffet dinner at one of the local hotels, and do a movie marathon at home tonight. I don't see being alone as a bad thing; I still have a lot to be thankful for in my life.

Oh, and check out this classic WKRP clip: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2t3g8q?fbclid=IwAR38yT5VN3Y4YpSqyFzM9gRSL5-BwwOKCvELv8SlDKNzKSBuFtAmM9sxeaw

[clean]

Turkey Tragedy in the making, I fear!!

I just talked to my girlfriend. The official dinner time is 230.  The turkey (17 pounds) has been in the oven since 8 am! It was 1147 when I asked when it went in the oven.   It is in a baking back, so I think that decreases the cooking time, but im not sure.  So When I called, the turkey had already been in the oven nearly 4 hours!!  We dont eat for 2 1/2 more hours!

I turkey should rest for 30-45 minutes before carving.

When I talked to my GF, there was no indication that anyone there was even thinking about taking the temperature of the bird, even after 4 hours. 

Oh, hell, it just dawned on me that I didnt ask what the oven temperature is!  (I just imagined 400!)

Im sure that I am worrying about nothing, anyway!

Besides, I was recently diagnosed with an abscessed tooth and the dentist's office called Tuesday afternoon to see if I could come in tomorrow rather than next week.  So yesterday I had a root canal done and temporary crowns put in on 2 back teeth.  I m to chew on only one side of my mouth anyway, so this may be a good excuse to stay on my diet and not overdo it for Thanksgiving!!

Anyone else reporting any Thanksgiving cooking misses of are there any unexpected surprises to report?

On the home front, yesterday,  it seems that my sister in law traveled across the state to visit the folks and ended up in the clinic with suspected kidney stones!  I dont know what that will do for her ability to enjoy her family visit!

[clean]

I went to my GF's parents' house with a meat thermometer shortly after my last post.  The turkey was still in the oven (4 1/4 hours at that point).  The pop up time was definately popped up!  The temperature was no less than 205 anywhere I tested, so it was well cooked!  It was already pulling away from the breast bone. 

As it was fully cooked, her mom suggested that we put back in the oven to stay warm, but turn off the oven! 

i suggested that it would be hot enough in the other (unused) oven until we were ready.

I was also informed that Youngest Daughter had just called and requested an earlier meal time as they were hungry now.  However, by the NEW  time that we were supposed to eat, YD had yet to arrive!! 

Anyway, I was permitted to 'carve' the bird  (but the dad had to take plenty of pictures of it first to text to the parts of the family still in 'the old country'!).  However, it was so well cooked that I wasnt able to lift it out of the pan to put on the cutting board.  As I would remove parts of the bird to slice, the brother and sister (both in their mid 30s) and Dad (in his early 70s) were picking apart the parts of the bird that I had not yet moved to the cutting board.

After everything was sliced, and the gravy ready, and the dinner rolls taken out of the oven, YD says "Im full from turkey now, I guess I should have waited to fill up on it!"

I guess that I have been living alone for too too long, and am pretty well set in my old, grumpy ways.

I did learn something today, though. It seems that when I complained about them just hacking up the bird with a fork, really didnt make much of a difference. As the bird was so overcooked, as I tried to slice the major parts (like the breast), it pretty much just shredded.  Maybe someday, if i can do so without them being insulted somehow, I will cook a bird for them and make sure it is not overcooked, but Im going to have to put yellow tape around the bird so that I can carve it without it being picked apart before I can put it on the serving platter! 

In all, it was a fun day.  I had plenty to eat and enjoyed the visit with all of the family!

I hope that everyone else had at least as much fun with their families as I did today with my girlfriend's family.

[San Joaquin]

oooooohhhhh, the eating was good.

the participants are...sluggish.

loopy smile.