no one is mentioning Thanksgiving here yet. what's that all about?

[Blackdog Lin]

So I'll start with a Happy Thanksgiving to y'all. May you be blessed and happy on your holiday.

I shall spend the day trying to remember to be thankful for all my blessings, of which are many. And even though I shall try not to focus on these particular aspects of the holiday.....I will be very grateful for the good food. And the football.

We are having a very small gathering and I've been trying hard to not get too carried away on the menu, in the interest of my sanity and my Simple Living philosophies - but it's hard to tell myself "but what if that's not enough?! you need another veggie! a salad! another pie!" (I'm a foodaphile. Can't help it, it was my upbringing. My family always wanted to feed the world, frugally and tastefully.)

A 14-lb. turkey, which may or may not end up roasted to perfection. (probably it won't.) Homemade dressing, gravy, Brussels sprouts-n-corn, crescent rolls (from the can - love those things!), and a homemade pumpkin pie. A veritable wealth of food for only 4-5 people.

And not forgetting.....I am truly grateful this year for this online community. Y'all rock.

What are your Thanksgiving stories this year?

[Float On]

Happy Thanksgiving to you!
We're hanging out with 20 other friends. All I have to bring is egg noodles and stuffing.
It's my husband's favorite holiday - "no expectations"...says he who never cooks so doesn't understand the pressure of Thanksgiving to those who do cook.

[kib]

Get together with about 10 people, I'm doing the turkey. new experience for me, a whole turkey. (Can someone PLEASE post a fail proof wow factor turkey that doesn't involve special equipment like a fryer?!)

[early morning]

kib, I don't know about "wow", amd I don't claim to be a great cook - but here are just a few tips from some almost-disasters over the years. I've roasted fresh birds, free range birds, and cheapo frozen birds, and they can all come out just lovely. First - make sure your roaster is big enough to hold all the drippings and keep the bird up out of them. Second, try to make sure it's thawed out before you need to put it in the oven. This may require cold-water soaking, or hot water running, lol. Do not trust the charts of how long to thaw the turkey in your fridge. I did that once and the bloody thing was still a solid rock Thanksgiving morning. Don't cook the stuffing in the bird - a recipe for ptomaine, as far as I'm concerned. Others will quite disagree. Baste with real butter. Buy GOOD, HEAVY foil to cover leg ends and wing tips. I actually cover the whole bird for the first bit of cooking, so it browns nicely but doesn't dry out while the inner parts are still getting warm! Cheap foil can stick to the skin and make your turkey look like it was covered in large flakes of glitter... If you find you need to drain some of the drippings from under the bird before it's done, GET HELP! Do not try to do it by yourself. (Guess how I know this? ) It's really best to remove the turkey onto a platter while you drain the roaster. And use a thermometer to be sure you reach the proper temperature. Have fun with your first turkey! It's really not difficult, and I'm sure yours will be lovely!

[catherine]

Get together with about 10 people, I'm doing the turkey. new experience for me, a whole turkey. (Can someone PLEASE post a fail proof wow factor turkey that doesn't involve special equipment like a fryer?!)

This is the recipe DH is trying this year.. We've done many, many turkeys, and this one seems really good because of the 500 degree sear you start with.

My 3 kids + one SO and + foster dog are coming down from VT tomorrow, if the weather holds out. We'll be joined on Thursday by kid #4, DDIL and DGS, plus a couple of friends and BIL. Really, really can't wait to see the kids!!

[Tradd]

The usual 2-3 families who pass me around amongst them for holidays are all out of town or not hosting this year. I'm going to stay home, do some online shopping, veg, and make myself a nice dinner.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I'm getting up early to do some reflecting on this year as I truly do have things to be grateful for this year. Short list - feeling physicaly better due to gallbladder having been taken out - more energy due to discovery of thyroid problem and taking appropriate meds - and me actually seeing someone, something I honestly would not have believed a year ago would happen! Among other positive things.

I will have turkey with my mother early in the afternoon and then in the evening I will go over to my boyfriend's place, he is making chicken mole with his mother's recipe and I am really excited to see how it turns out.

Really, as much as I tend to focus on the negative, in the the years I've been part of the Simple Living community here, this Thanksgiving stands out as one I truly do have much to be grateful for. Rob

PS Something else I'm very thankful for - this Spring when I had my health issues I had a cancer scare and it turned out I didn't have cancer. Just had to come back and add that one to the list as I remember being so grateful and so humbled when my second CA 19 (some kind of cancer marker) test came back at 18 after the first one had a value of 28.000. Ay Carumba am I ever grateful for the results of the second test!

[ApatheticNoMore]

I'm thankful for two days of being left alone by the crazy go go go world (thursday and friday), I'm arriving at this Thanksgiving completely burned out.

[bae]

Trapped like a rat in the home of Relatives Who Smoke Constantly, Bellow Their Inane Political Views, And Criticise Everyone Who Isn't There.

G.

[lessisbest]

We celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in October (which is the same day as Columbus Day, and I'm half Canadian so that works as a good excuse), in order to put some separation between Thanksgiving and Christmas since we have a 12-hour drive between us and our daughter and her family. We'll spend the day at home, and I'm sure there are plenty of projects we can work on, as well as watching football.

On our menu for 2:

Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Fresh Cranberry-Orange Relish
Quinoa Muffins
Pumpkin Pudding