Thankgiving plans?

[rainbabies]

It's my fav holiday!

We've got the Christmas and Hanukkah thread. How about thankgiving?

We were going to hit up the NYC and NJ relatives. But, with all the money flying out the door...starting with dh's elbow, interviews, and ending with licensing/board expenses(I can hope, right?)....we're staying home. I love(!!!) to cook and bake! But cannot stand doing it for just us. The kids can't appreciate the hard work.

So, we will be having some lonely residents over

Menu? Don't know past the obvious. I guess I should work on that.

Whos next....what's your plan(s)?

[L.Jane]

No exact plans yet. J will be post call, so hopefully he will be able to wake up for it. We have a sort of invite to a T Dinner at a friend of a friends. Hopefully that will come true and we will have a nice Thanksgiving. I hope.

[spotty_dog]

DH randomly wound up with Thanksgiving week almost entirely off. We're hosting a chunk of DH's family: his parents, and his brother and SIL and their two boys. I've reserved a local turkey, I have 10 pounds of local potatoes in my pantry, a huge local pie pumpkin on my dining table and 3 local butternut squashes in the cellar. BIL will be bringing a brussels sprouts dish with pancetta, and a wild mushroom stuffing/dressing. Beyond that the menu is up in the air. MIL wants to brine the turkey, I want to cook it simply, so I think it will be a simple brined turkey. The squash might become soup. I definitely can't have T-day without pumpkin pie (and will be getting local whipping cream to whip up and put on it!) but I think I might also do an apple dessert (crisp). I have a recipe for brioche rolls ready to go (says they can be made ahead and reheated which is perfect). I think it feels like I'm missing a vegetable side. There's not much in season, but maybe chard or spinach or broccoli.

It's going to be a ridiculous amount of food. And for the time being we have only two burners.

[rainbabies]

alison, i have *the most* delicious butternut squash/apple soup recipe. it was all the rave last year. even my nana, SO hard to please, LOVED it. i can pass it on, if you're interested. sounds like a yummy smelling, fun time!

[spotty_dog]

alison, i have *the most* delicious butternut squash/apple soup recipe. it was all the rave last year. even my nana, SO hard to please, LOVED it. i can pass it on, if you're interested. sounds like a yummy smelling, fun time!

Very interested, thank you so much, Syl!

[Bittersweet]

My parents and I are meeting in VA to have Thanksgiving at my sister’s home. It’s been too long since we’ve all spent Thanksgiving together and if it weren’t for my sister’s horrible boyfriend I would really be looking forward to it. He’s awful and she refuses to do anything (including travel) without him, so if we want to see her we’re stuck with him. It’s a bad situation … it is worth it to see her, though (sigh).

DH will unfortunately be staying behind. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday and I feel a little guilty leaving him – but not guilty enough to sit at home alone while he works.

[L.Jane]

It's my fav holiday!

So, we will be having some lonely residents over

Rainbabies: I think that is so wonderful of you. I am sure those lonely residents will really appreciate it. If this group of friends take J and I in, I know I will be very thankful, and isn't that what the holiday is all about?

[rainbabies]

here it is, in case others want to try. (dh actually requested this the other night. i had to turn him down. lol. must save it for thanksgiving!)

apple and squash soup:
2 med butternut squash, cut length ways
1 Tablespoon veg. oil
1 med chopped onion
6 lbs peeled, cored, chopped apples
4 cups or 32 oz chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

-roast squash, face down. cool, peel skin
-simmer apple and onion in oil
-add broth, water, squash, to apples and onions.
-bring to boil, turn down to simmer for 10 minutes.
-use blender to puree


if anyone is interested in a delicious pumpkin cheese cake, i can hook you up. that is also a requested treat...


hope you enjoy, alison!

That soup sounds really good. That might be dinner one day this week. I want to make Heidi's stuffing this week too.

Not sure what we are doing for Thanksgiving -- probably going to a friend's house to join their family.

[SuzySunshine]

We are going home, though with my induction now set for the 17th I'm not nuts about doing that with a possible 7 day old. But we're going anyway. We decided after last year's holidays that we would split Thanksgiving with one side and Christmas with the other. This is our year to spend with my family, my niece's 1st birthday party is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and #2's baptism will be the Sunday after Thanksgiving at my parents' church.

So we're looking at an 8 hour-ish drive on Tuesday and back on Monday! Not really looking forward to that but looking forward to a chunk of days with my family.

[alison]

My brother's coming, and he's going to cook Thanksgiving dinner for us and spoil us in other uncle-y ways. Dh and I haven't had alone time since the baby was born. I think I've had 15 minutes of alone-alone time. Can't wait can't wait can't wait.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorites.

[migirl]

My parents are picking up the kiddos on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and keeping them at their house until the holiday, so we'll be kid-free for those days leading up to Thanksgiving. *I'M SO EXCITED!!*

On Wednesday DH and I will drive down to Chicago where my parents will meet us with the boys, and we'll all spend the holiday weekend there. (My parents own a condo in the downtown area.) We're planning to take the boys to the Chicago Thanksgiving day parade, I think they'll really love it!

[Rapunzel]

We have relatives coming in from both sides of the family. Now that we're settled in and the house is somewhat in order we're trying to do Thanksgiving at our house from here on out. We can fit a ton of people in here soooo why not? That's our thinking, at least.

We want to do a "Texas" style Thanksgiving this year: Two smoked (whole) turkeys from Rudy's and sides that kind of go along with that (such as thick roasted potatoes rather than mashed potatoes).

Tying in to the Rosetta Stone thing I was talking about in another thread: I asked DH if he would be able to communicate one-on-one with Tio Julian this year at the holiday dinner and he said he wouldn't quite be up to snuff yet. That's OK. That man (dh's Tio) is soooo sweet - he's very patient when we go through an interpreter (usually my mil).

[oceanchild]

Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday and I feel a little guilty leaving him – but not guilty enough to sit at home alone while he works.

This will be us for Christmas.

We're hosting Thanksgiving, since we have a *house* now. Both our immediate families are coming - that will be 9 total. 3 siblings staying with us, and parents at hotels. DH will be doing most of the cooking. I imagine I will be doing most of the cleaning and entertaining.

I'm really excited about it. None of our siblings have seen the house yet.

[Vishenka69]

DH will be post call on Thursday and working Friday, plus my parents will be in Aruba. I'll be happy to just stay home and chill by the fire. We were never big on Thanksgiving since either DH worked or we were out of the country.