For my U.S. bloggers, what are you planning for your Thanksgiving celebration? For my Canadian bloggers, what did you serve for Thanksgiving? For any other international bloggers, do you celebrate some sort of Thanksgiving?
My daughter in Chicago has never liked turkey much and she somehow married someone who felt the same way. How did that happen? They've never roasted a turkey.
Instead, they are always invited to a special friend's home where their large family comes together for turkey with all the trimmings every year.
My son and daughter-in-law, on the other hand will have Thanksgiving turkey every year no matter where they are. Granted when they were both Peace Corps volunteers in Mali, West Africa I imagine they might have had goat.
During our 35 years of living in Illinois, we always enjoyed Thanksgiving.
We became very good friends with our neighbors who were professors at the university and began sharing Thanksgiving with them taking turns to roast the turkey.
They often invited fascinating (sometimes International) guests which we found thoroughly interesting and educational for the kids.
On our part, we had other friends we also invited to be part of the special day of togetherness.
It's a time for family, but we felt it was a time of sharing as well.
Our menu back in those days consisted of the basic turkey, green salad, broccoli casserole (for our daughter, Tiffany), cranberry (I stuck to the can), mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. There were a few other things thrown in, but that was the core.
Now that we're back in Hawaii, it's a bit different. We celebrate now with my brother's family, mom and some other cousins. I share the turkey roasting with my sister-in-law although the affair is always at our house.
Now the core menu is a little altered. We have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sometimes rice (for mom), cranberry (still from the can), kinpira gobo, macaroni salad, cucumber namasu, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie with everybody else who comes adding their own specialty.
What do you have for your Thanksgiving menu?
We will have two Thanksgivings. An early one this weekend in Buffalo and Thursday's in NewHampshire. Splitting our time between tow daughters's homes. I am bringing pumpkin pie to the first one and helping to prepare the second one, too. I think Brussels sprouts roasted will be on one of these but otherwise the traditional fare is always. good. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the tradition is undergoing changes, we have traditionally had turkey, stuffing, special mashed potatoes (I don't know what is in them), roasted carrots, roasted and mashed sweet potato, sometimes baked onions in a sauce. Since TG and Christmas are a little more than two months apart, those two dinners have been similar.
ReplyDeleteWe will have turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean, cranberry sauce, salad with cranberry dressing, pudding, and pumpkin pie :)
ReplyDeleteI love the traditional menu. Last year we couldn't get together with family so we went to a restaurant-not the same! Not sure what this holiday will bring-we don't travel much in the snowy weather which is now here in higher elevations. Everyone is busy but not going to grandma's house...lol! I miss my grandma and our traditional get togethers.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Thanksgiving Kay the food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteWe preordered from Omaha steaks as they had an economical dinner for two: Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes,, green bean casserole, pie, and apple fritters.. We have too thaw and buy whipped cream.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the errors.
DeleteI wish you had litt e signs over each dishh so we all would know what they were.
Just for you, my friend, I've added notes to identify the dishes.
DeleteThankk you so much.
DeleteI am not much of a foodie so long as there is pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce I am good. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that your Thanksgiving includes so many people. When I was a child Thanksgiving was rarely on the day or even close to the day. We were farmers so harvesting took precedence. However we had a large menu with our turkey.I think you've fogotten gravy?
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... yes. I'm awful with gravy. My brother is the BEST gravy chef. It's his duty every year no matter who roasts the turkey.
DeleteMy Nanny always did Thanksgiving and Christmas. Always the same: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, etc. As AC says, when they are two months apart, it's lovely. Mind you, hubby doesn't like turkey, but he'll eat it with home made cranberry sauce. He's a peach.
ReplyDeleteHappily cocooning! Best wishes to you and your Ohana
ReplyDeleteI love your Thanksgiving dishes! One of our must haves is garlic eggplant as a side dish. Somehow it goes with turkey really well. It is my sister job to pick it up at the Chinese restaurant in the 99 Ranch complex. Before it closed, we used to get it from Maple Garden.
ReplyDeleteI ordered the turkey to go meal from Lanikila Kitchen for $120. It has a perfectly cooked 22 lb turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce (not from the can), mashed potatoes, rolls, and a small pumpkin pie. I will make mochi rice stuffing, watercress tuna tofu salad, and my cousin will make marshmallow topped yams, and more pies. I love pumpkin pie and just having that would make me satisfied.
We always have turkey, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy - lots of gravy -homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest, sweet potatoes, roasted or steamed vegetables, pumpkin and black berry pie. But this year we will be having it in a restaurant. For the first time ever, Tom and I are on our own this Thanksgiving. We are trying out new experiences. Change happens. I do intend to make my own pumpkin pie though.:-)
ReplyDeleteFor years we celebrated with Gregg's parents and family and friends were invited so it was always a very large affair. These days we celebrate more quietly with immediate family as the distance is getting in the way nowadays :) We do enjoy celebrating at home at home with just our son and daughter-in-law, and also have a close friend whose family lives away and finds it too far to travel too. She has been coming to us for a few years now and brings a couple of dishes with her which includes a cranberry side this year, and dessert. Always welcome! We have the standard dinner; turkey. gravy and stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole, a green bean casserole (hubby's favorite since childhood), and then a pumpkin pie (son's favorite), and a cherry pie (hubby's favorite). Always a lot of turkey and other leftovers that will be nice to 'graze' on for a couple of days. Loved your photos! Nice to see these happy gatherings.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visited my siblings, they always have a spread of traditional dishes. That's what we grew up with. Hubby and I, just the two of us, have broiled salmon (from my fisherman friend), steamed squash, green salad, and sometimes pumpkin pie (purchased). This year, both of us are watching our calories, so we will probably skip the pie (sigh). :-)
ReplyDeleteNot sure, I just show up.
ReplyDeleteAll I ever changed from your core menu was to learn to cook the little cranberries until they popped. Just as good as the can.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful weekend, Kay.
ReplyDeleteI like to serve a pumpkin pie in the shape of a turkey.
ReplyDeleteKansas is pretty traditional stuff. I learned from one relative to bake the turkey breast side down, or upside down. It really keeps the white meat moist.
ReplyDeleteBest Thanksgiving I ever had: My son was in junior high and during the "sharing custody" days, he and I went to eastern Florida over a long Thanksgiving holiday. I'd predetermined that the Boston Market food chain would be open Thanksgiving Day to lessen my guilt. When planning a tour at one of the alligator farms owned by Native Americans, they were open Thanksgiving Day AND offered a very traditional Native American meal which was wonderful. We even had alligator tail meat and frog legs. I was honored and amazed that we could have Thanksgiving with Native Americans in spite of all "the white man" has done to them. Linda in Kansas
I shall try to remember that. It’s my sister-in-law’s turn to do the turkey, but I just got a free one from Foodland so we might roast it at Christmas.... maybe.
DeleteWow! Alligator and frog legs!?! That sounds very interesting. I always had my 1st graders dress up as Pilgrims for the school feast and not the Native Americans.
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan