Thanksgiving 2014: The Meal! The Memories!

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Kathleen

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Mid-Atlantic, USA
I channeled relatives long-gone with:
Turkey, dressing, dumplings, mashed potatoes, creamed peas, fresh cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving Salad, and pickled veggies and olives. Oh, and gravy for those who wished it. Carbs and Turkey. Simply yummy!

What about the rest of you?

~Kathleen


 

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I . Do. Not. Believe. This.

I joked about bringing gravy to my cousin's dinner. Her dinner was very nice, and a good time was had by all. There was, however, no gravy! DH and BIL both berated me for bringing a packet of gravy mix, I should have made it up.
 
I . Do. Not. Believe. This.

I joked about bringing gravy to my cousin's dinner. Her dinner was very nice, and a good time was had by all. There was, however, no gravy! DH and BIL both berated me for bringing a packet of gravy mix, I should have made it up.


No gravy? Barbarians.
 
All my relatives moved away. All my friends are having TG dinner with their relatives.

I cooked a turkey thigh. I've got some yam I cooked Monday, lima beans, cranberry sauce, and I think I'll nuke up one of those package stuffing recipes.

It has been a very peaceful day. I've enjoyed just tinkering with my Internet, and my neighborhood is so quiet you could hear a cat having sex! :)
 
All my relatives moved away. All my friends are having TG dinner with their relatives.

I cooked a turkey thigh. I've got some yam I cooked Monday, lima beans, cranberry sauce, and I think I'll nuke up one of those package stuffing recipes.

It has been a very peaceful day. I've enjoyed just tinkering with my Internet, and my neighborhood is so quiet you could hear a cat having sex! :)


Aww, wish you could have come to my really unusual relatives' Thanksgiving, Greg. When I was in college, I used to cook for folks who didn't have anywhere else to go.

And for Pete's sake, bring some gravy!
 
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We had turkey, dressing, gravy, broccoli (Shrek request) with cheese sauce, cranberry sauce, pumpkin custard with whipped cream. It was all very good, except for the overcooked broccoli...but I was cooking it for Shrek and he likes it that way. Pinkish Champagne which I did not care for.
 
Ours was a lovely, simple dinner with our daughter, her husband and his dad. We did have gravy, but it wasn't my 'normal' gravy. The Kid is gluten free so I got some turkey necks and made broth for cornstarch gravy. Saved some broth and the drippings and we'll have good ol' flour gravy with the reruns.

A friend raised our turkey, which we presalted on Tuesday. I've baked a few turkeys, and this one was the best so far. Potatoes and green beans from the garden. Sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry chutney and some really good GF rolls. Might have to save the pumpkin pie for tomorrow. *burp*

Happy Thanksgiving, all.
 
This year's dinner turned out really great. Sometimes you get lucky. Turkey, stuffing, pilaf, gravy, cranberry, butternut squash, broccoli and GBC. Apple pie, ice cream cake (for grandson's birthday), ckies and pumpkin bread.

As good as the dinner was, I was so happy to have my two daughters, SIL and grandson here with SO and me all afternoon. It was a great day.

SIL won the pool on what time dinner would actually be ready.
 
Is it ok to say that I would have changed almost every dish at the place I went? I don't think they knew what salt is. Anyways, I only got 3 hours of sleep and had to meet more of Joe's family. I didn't even make a plate to go and now I am starving...
 
Everything turned out well. Too much food as usual. Only had one plate, because I made the mistake of having a "taste" of one pork butt!:ermm: That led to just a few more "tastes" and so on and so on.....:ohmy: The maple-bourbon brine was perfect for the smoked bird. Karen didn't like the Cold Duck I pulled out of the wine cooler. Mainly as a joke, but hey that stuff can grow on you.:ROFLMAO:
 
We made several sides and we were guests at my Son's house this year. He did the turkey and two ducks in Webber barbeques. They were delicious but didn't have any usable drippings for gravy.

Get ready for my true confessions. :ohmy: Get ready to groan or look down your nose, and some may even run out of the room or ban me forever from DC. I can take it. Here goes..are you ready? I made the mandatory turkey gravy with Trader Joe's boxed turkey stock and packages of McCormick turkey gravy mix. There, I said it.

Everyone said it was the best gravy I've ever made. I don't know exactly what to say about that. Maybe it means all the years I've done the whole nine yards of spending hours making making my own gravy was really a waste of time and effort. Maybe it means I've learned something.
 
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Kayelle, no judgment from me :) I'm glad you and your family had a wonderful dinner with gravy you all loved. Dawg wasn't so lucky, but now she has a shortcut to use ;)

My mom made a delicious, traditional roasted turkey and gravy with some of my stock, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and apple pie. I made yeast rolls, cherry sauce, pumpkin pie and roasted mixed veggies (carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and red onion) drizzled with vinaigrette made from apple cider vinegar. It was great.

We have leftovers of everything (except mashers)! Yay! I love the idea of Dawg's leftover casserole and I'm going to make that for the freezer today. I also have the carcass and leg and thigh bones for more stock. I just enjoy making it, using up all of the bird and making the house smell wonderful. And Trader Joe's is 20 miles away. I don't get there very often.
 
We had a very nice family Thanksgiving at BIL's. The menu:

  • Turkey
  • Ham
  • Wild Rice Pilaf
  • Broccoli Salad
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Gravy
  • Cauliflower Casserole
  • Roasted Root Vegetables
  • Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche
  • Homemade Bread
  • Pie (4 kinds)
  • My homemade wine

I felt bad about one thing... my dear mother-in-law, knowing that I am on a diet made a sugar-free apple pie especially for me. Unfortunately, I can't eat apples or the crust. Out of guilt, I took a very, very tiny piece and just sort of picked away at it, but she knew.

In fairness, both my wife and I begged her a week ago to please not bring any sort of diabetic dessert, but she was insistent. I know she was only trying to look out for me, but it was just very awkward and now I feel terrible. :(
 
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We had a lovely dinner with friends bringing a lot of the pieces of the meal. It was fun a relaxing. Best of all my house is clean and there's almost an entire pie left in the fridge!

We deliberately made a LARGE bird so that everyone could take leftovers home and I wanted to pass on an idea that worked well... usually when we back those leftovers up for friends we go through an unspeakable number of plastic containers or use paper plates that are covered with shrink wrap never really work well. It's expensive and just a very good solution.

This year I discovered that those Styrofoam clamshell containers they use for take out are for sale in sleeves of 100 for 3 bucks at the local Cash and Carry. The same for small round ones (6 oz) with lids for gravy and sauce. Folks were able to pack pie slices in one and dinners in another, etc. A few folks packed for several dinners.

Pie.... ;)
 
Is it ok to say that I would have changed almost every dish at the place I went? I don't think they knew what salt is. Anyways, I only got 3 hours of sleep and had to meet more of Joe's family. I didn't even make a plate to go and now I am starving...

We went to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt's house once. I wanted to show our German exchange student an American family holiday. Everything except the veggie dish I made and the real mashed potatoes my second cousin brought was from a box or jar or grocery freezer. The turkey was cooked Tuesday because it's easier to carve it cold :ohmy:

I made us a second Thanksgiving dinner that weekend so she could see what it's really supposed to taste like. But we did have a good time with the relatives :)

When it's at your house, you can do it your way, Shanna :)
 
I felt bad about one thing... my dear mother-in-law, knowing that I am on a diet made a sugar-free apple pie especially for me. Unfortunately, I can't eat apples or the crust. Out of guilt, I took a very, very tiny piece and just sort of picked away at it, but she knew.

In fairness, both my wife and I begged her a week ago to please not bring any sort of diabetic dessert, but she was insistent. I know she was only trying to look out for me, but it was just very awkward and now I feel terrible. :(

It's understandable that you feel bad about the awkwardness, but it will pass and hopefully now she has the message.
 
We had a very nice family Thanksgiving at BIL's. The menu:

  • Turkey
  • Ham
  • Wild Rice Pilaf
  • Broccoli Salad
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Gravy
  • Cauliflower Casserole
  • Roasted Root Vegetables
  • Spinach & Goat Cheese Quiche
  • Homemade Bread
  • Pie (4 kinds)
  • My homemade wine

I felt bad about one thing... my dear mother-in-law, knowing that I am on a diet made a sugar-free apple pie especially for me. Unfortunately, I can't eat apples or the crust. Out of guilt, I took a very, very tiny piece and just sort of picked away at it, but she knew.

In fairness, both my wife and I begged her a week ago to please not bring any sort of diabetic dessert, but she was insistent. I know she was only trying to look out for me, but it was just very awkward and now I feel terrible. :(

Looks like a great menu Steve. I'm curious to hear about the recipe you left on another thread for the casserole. Did you make that one and how did it go over? Just Like Loaded Baked Potatoes Casserole Recipe - Food.com

By the way, don't feel bad about your MIL. I'm one myself and we don't always know best, regardless of what we say. :LOL:
 
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