The best part of Thanksgiving dinner...your choice

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
My favorite part is the memories that flood back each year:

People squashed around a table
Adults wondering what the kids were up to because of the quiet
Handmade place cards
Something getting burnt
Something getting spilled
Catching my kitty mid-air the time he went for the turkey
Using the wishbone to make a wish at Christmas
Deciding which direction to pass the serving dishes
Listen to the youngest, then the oldest, at the celebration say grace.

I truly don't remember most of the food from year to year, but I remember the antics of the family. :)

:thanksgiving1:
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Hmmm Ktmom...those sound yummy. I may try that. I love turkey sandwiches with leftover cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo. I would love them with avocado and bacon. I have always said I would eat poo with bacon and cheese...lol.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
My favorite is fresh made Cranberry Sauce (with Rum). If we are lucky to have any leftover of that, its so good on Toast the next morning with poached eggs. And Brussel Sprouts although it is something that only Danny and I love - the rest of the family swear they taste something akin to dirty sweatsocks. Garlic and Cheese Mashed Potatoes for James and home made eggnog, the Sweet Potatoe Cassarole for SO..Fresh baked rolls and of course I use real sweet BUTTER and everything has been drenched in it.

Marcie
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
Sorry to be an ogre...
But, when it is over.
I don't really get a Thanksgiving. The past 2 years and many years before that it has been taken from me and I have stopped fighting.
We go out to dinner because no-one can deal or make up their minds about anything.

But if I could have just my Family, Jeff, K and N- I would love the cranberry relish I make..
I love my stuffing.
I actually love it all. I love making it and eating it. :)
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
{{{Totoro}}}

Make your dinner with your yummy relish for your family. It doesn't have to be this Thursday; you can have Thanksgiving any day. Put it on the calendar!
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Toto...we did like TM suggested for lots of years when Jamie was in the Marines. We couldnt always be with him on the exact DAY thanksgiving was really on so we did turkey day when we could be with him. It might mean we (the rest of us at home) went out to eat on the real day...but when we could finally get to him, we did the real thanksgiving meal all together. Sometimes we had to do Xmas the same way.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
I make a chestnut sausage stuffing that is a hit and made every year. Sweet potatoes, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles and pumpkin plus apple pies with freshly whipped cream. I tried different green bean recipes but everyone loves the green bean casserole that's on the back of the onion rings canister.

Our family seems to love to retell, year after year, the Thanksgiving mistakes. Over the 27yrs there have been many and each year it seems to grow into a larger and larger disaster.
I have, since the boys could talk, asked them what they were grateful for. We included whomever joined us and kept it on video. Just a chance to stop and reflect as best they could. There were a few years when difficult child was at his worst I didn't feel as grateful as I could.
I have fond memories of the holidays for the majority of the my adult years. It always seems to be because of the laughter. I love to feed an appreciative audience and we are eaters.
 

Abbey

Spork Queen
Toto...make it on any day you chose. I'm working Thanksgiving giving up the huge family gathering. It really doesn't bother me. Actually, it's kind of a stress relief. Have a nice immediate family dinner and enjoy every minute and bite of it on a day that is convenient for all.

Or, we could have a cyber dinner!! I'll bring the taters and gravy.

Abbey
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Fran-I want that stuffing recipe! Sounds delicious!

My favorite part is the stuffing and the turkey!

I cook dinner every year and for the first year ever I wish someone else was doing it! I'm sure I'll be fine once the day and the company arrive! I really do enjoy the day; just been a stressful year!

For the cyber party I'll bring the pies!(something I would never bake in real life-I always leave the pie baking to someone else!)

Worst disaster for me on Thanksgiving Day was one year when it was husband's family and I peeled and peeled potatoes and tried to put them down the garbage disposal. The sink was backed up and what a pain!!!!
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
When I was a bartender for 10 years I never had family. Which was fine, ;)
We had every year a Orphan Thanksgiving. For those of us without any family or any place to go.
Some of those times were the best "family" times I can remember.
We had the whole bar to cook in and anyone could show up and we just didn't care about anyone's issues, bring it all and share it all! LOL
The funny thing was, a lot of recovering addicts ended up coming over the years, despite it being in a bar. I think because we were so welcoming.
Single Mom's, even some homeless.
It really was wonderful. Jeff and I took K her very first Thanksgiving!
She sat in her little bouncy thing bouncing up and down!!! There was another little baby her same age.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
If we are going to tell embarrassing stories, mine was the first thanksgiving I decided to do it all on my own. Prior to that we always went to my moms. This time we were going to have Tony's entire family including his ancient grandmother down to celebrate.

We still lived in North Myrtle Beach so the kids were little. Cory was probably 18 months old which would have put Jamie at 3 and Billy at 6.

Tonys entire family consisted of his grandma, one sister and her 3 kids, and his 4 brothers, one of which also had a kid. That was a whole lot of people for me to cook for when I had never done it before!

I was doing good until halfway into cooking the turkey Tony looked at me and asked me where the gizzards and giblets where? I said HUH? He said...you did take that package out of the inside of the turkey didnt you? I said what package? OMG. I didnt know anything was stuffed up inside the bird!

That became a family joke.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
My daughter's stuffing is moist and she puts stuff in it (don't know what) and it's DELISH! I also love sweet potato pie with brown sugar and pumpkin pie (home made) which I really only have once a year)
 

Abbey

Spork Queen
haha, Toto. They found a home and a comforting person to give thanks. I think that is great. Some of the best people you meet in life are those who have been through the toughest of times. Glad you were there for them.

Abbey
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
I make sausage stuffing, too. It's a family heirloom recipe. Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. Turnips (Rutabagas) mashed with butter and a few canned carrots....I could eat an entire meal of them!

We have this place here that is pretty famous for their pies. My stepmom's sister is picking up pumpkin and apple pies.

I think my favorite part is making it with my stepmom. She and I have been doing Thanksgiving for about 12 years or so. We have it down to a science, so there's no stress at all. It's the bonding that I like. It's probably the only time of the year where we just talk for hours and joke around. Missy is at the age where she likes to peel potatoes and cut stuff up, so she's been involved now too.

One disaster that we had was one year was that I decided to brine the turkey, like they all tell you to do on tv. Well that darn turkey was so moist that it fell apart and you couldn't carve it. It was like pulled turkey!
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
GOSH, but you all are making me hungry! Canadian Thanksgiving was 6 weeks ago, so the turkey and trimmings and all the leftovers are long gone by now.
(Actually, I don't know that for a fact, since husband and I skipped the family Thanksgiving. WAY too much social interacting for little ol' Aspie me, especially with the babies in hand.)

Hard to narrow it down to a single favourite. I like the stuffing, the cranberry sauce (whole berries, not that weird jelly stuff that some have), and brother in law's gravy. We don't make green bean casserole...actually, I have no idea what green bean casserole is...but I love green beans so I suspect I'd like it.

Hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving.

Trinity
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Around ten years ago I forgot to put sugar in the pumpkin pie recipe. :redface:

Last night after the pies were in the oven :( I discovered the sugar was still on the kitchen counter. :surprise: I pulled the pies and stirred in sugar. Guess tomorrow I'll know whether it worked or not! :angel3: Yikes.
Old dogs remember old tricks. New adage, lol. DDD
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Trinity, you really should try the green bean casserole! It's not just for holidays. Get a can (it's a cardboard 'can') of the Durkee's French Fried Onions - the recipe is on the can. Some people doctor them up but the basic recipe is just a can of the fried onions, green beans (I use two cans), a can of Cream of Mushroom soup, a little milk, salt and pepper. They're wonderful! I always make bunches so I have plenty of leftovers.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
My fav is, without doubt, the stuffing!

This year I'm not taking the stuffing to the thanksgiving meal - I've been asked to bring the mashed pots, gravy, and the relish try. But, I will be making stuffing anyway while watching the parade - it's a tradition. So while there will be no turkey cooked at my house, there will be stuffing "leftovers" to enjoy a couple days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sharon
(P.S. to the other sharon - i had the disposal disaster with pot peels one year too!)
 
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