Our Thanksgiving location and crowd changes from year to year. In 2010, it will be Mr. Boomer, myself and two of our adult sons as our California extended family made different plans.
It’s time to plan out the menu so I can get the ingredients on sale and enjoy the preparations instead of stressing over these details.
Turkey. When we hosted dinner for 20 or so people, I went for big and cheap. Now with a smaller group we’ll most likely upgrade to a self-basting turkey in the mid-size range. It’s more meat than we need for the meal but we all love turkey and leftovers.
Vegetables. I love green bean casserole, but it’s not the healthiest dish and I’m the only one that will eat it. To avoid that gluttony, I’ll skip it. We’ll have corn, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Notice there isn’t a salad. That’s because no one eats it when you have all the rest of the food on the table. We’ll save it for another meal.
Side Dishes. I don’t make gravy….ever! So, it’ll be store-bought in either a can, jar or box. The stuffing will come from a box as well and made outside the bird for food safety (and ease in preparation).
We’ll have two types of cranberries. I make a bowl of homemade cranberry sauce, but my husband grew up with the jellied sauce so we buy one can for him.
Other. I always put mini sweet pickles and whole black olives on the table as “relishes”. My mom used to make celery sticks stuffed with pimento cheese, but it doesn’t go over with this group.
We have rolls of some kind. I definitely buy these at the bakery.
Dessert. Pumpkin pie is a given, but sometimes I also make a pumpkin cheesecake. We’ll have whipped topping to finish off the pie.
We’re already looking forward to the gathering and giving thanks for our many blessings.
What items did I miss that will be on your Thanksgiving table?
photo credit: *clairity*
{ 8 comments }
Your menu is pretty much the same as ours will be. I do make gravy though, and I do stuff the bird. My family always tells me to just skip the green vegetables – but I just can’t do that. But no use knocking myself out for something they don’t really want. So I just heat up some frozen peas.
Other than that, everything on our table will be the same as what you are serving! There are only four of us together this Thanksgiving as well. I might get a little fancier with a large crowd, but we keep it pretty basic when it is “just us”.
Deedee, glad to know I didn’t miss anything obvious! We bought some of the ingredients yesterday as Ralphs (Kroger) is having a pretty good sale this week. We’re looking forward to a relaxing day!
My favorite addition to Thanksgiving dinner is sweet potato casserole. Absolutely delicious and it tastes almost exactly like pumpkin pie somehow.
Gravy really isn’t hard once you have some experience. Just give it a try! (And have some backup gravy just in case!)
Kris, I do need to figure gravy out. My mom does it so effortlessly. Next time I’m there, I’ll have her teach me.
The first time I made a turkey was with the Renyolds Oven Bags – it came out so juicy and yummy! Love the leftovers for turkey- cranberry sandwiches on sourdough served with a side of sweet potatoes. 😉
Well, my family designates me as the ‘salad’ person (they still treat me like a youngin’). But this year, I am testing to bring something different. I just made a wild rice ‘stuffing’ with cranberries, butternut squash & pecans. Taste really good as a cold salad. Not sure what I am going to test next.
I just bought one of those bags. You’re right about the juices and cooking takes less time! Your salad sounds great, but my picky eaters probably would skip it. That’s a large part of the reason for such a “plain” menu. It’s not worth making stuff only I eat.
Dusk is slowly creeping into what has been the first ‘hot’ day of spring for us Down Under, and with it a most welcome cool breeze. Reading about your preparations for Thanksgiving, not something we celebrate in Australia , at this time of day evokes a sense of a gentle, nurturing balm. (I also happen to be listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon which contributes to the ambiance).
Some of us have the turkey thing for Christmas but, increasingly,given the heat of summer during which Christmas descends upon us, many of us opt for the shrimp and cold cuts, sometimes mixed in with the barbie – BBQ.
I really enjoyed reading this post. It rook me to a kinda nurturing place :). Have a most wonderful thanksgiving!
TBT, it could be just as balmy in California for the holidays, but all Americans “have” to have turkey on the fourth Thursday in November. It’s a cultural thing. Some people repeat that at Christmas but many have other entrees including ham, duck, or prime rib. We’ll have a ham although that shrimp and the barbie sounds great!
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 2 trackbacks }