Eating out for Thanksgiving

[flowerseverywhere]

Just the two of us, turkey and mashed potatoes, butternut squash. It is very rare I find a restaurant that cooks anywhere near as well as I do and I love to do it. Then the leftovers��

[Ultralight]

On Thanksgiving day I like to go to an Indian Restaurant here and indulge in some turkey tikka masala. I enjoy this dinner solo -- totally solo. I really cherish it.

But on this Friday we're have our "worksgiving" as my coworkers call it. This is a delicious meal with the colleagues in my department.

Then Sunday the 19th my sis and I will be buying lots of thanksgiving fare from Costco (does this count as going out?). This will be when my parents, my sis and her family, and I do our thanksgiving together.

[Vanessa]

This gravy consists of turkey juice, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper

[Vanessa]

Once I celebrated Thanksgiving Day in a restaurant, but I like to spend time with my family at home.

[goldensmom]

On Thanksgiving day I like to go to an Indian Restaurant here and indulge in some turkey tikka masala. I enjoy this dinner solo -- totally solo. I really cherish it.

I had a single friend who preferred to spend Thanksgiving Day alone, totally alone. She said it was like playing hookie from life. She got many invitations to spend the day with families but she politely declined saying she was spending the day with cousin Gracie. She did not have a cousin Gracie but it was easier to lie then to explain why she did not want to spend the day with whoever invited her. I thought it was brilliant. I understood because when I was single I preferred to spend a quiet, stress free day, go to the gym and than eat a Marie Callender turkey dinner rather than to spend it with people who I mostly did not know, where I had to prepare a dish to take, help with set up/clean up, be on my best behavior, etc. etc. Most people don’t understand.

[JaneV2.0]

I had a single friend who preferred to spend Thanksgiving Day alone, totally alone. She said it was like playing hookie from life. She got many invitations to spend the day with families but she politely declined saying she was spending the day with cousin Gracie. She did not have a cousin Gracie but it was easier to lie then to explain why she did not want to spend the day with whoever invited her. I thought it was brilliant. I understood because when I was single I preferred to spend a quiet, stress free day, go to the gym and than eat a Marie Callender turkey dinner rather than to spend it with people who I mostly did not know, where I had to prepare a dish to take, help with set up/clean up, be on my best behavior, etc. etc. Most people don’t understand.

I completely understand. Too much work for a holiday that centers on bland food and football.

[SteveinMN]

I understood because when I was single I preferred to spend a quiet, stress free day, go to the gym and than eat a Marie Callender turkey dinner rather than to spend it with people who I mostly did not know, where I had to prepare a dish to take, help with set up/clean up, be on my best behavior, etc. etc. Most people don’t understand.

We're kind of lucky in that most of the families involved are small and there are enough "outlaws" that gatherings are not filled with people we only see at holidays. But there still is a draw toward keeping it small. We're doing that this year. My sister and her partner opted for their own celebration at a local-to-them Chinese restaurant and my mom and brother have opted out of celebrating as well. We're still getting turkey dinner from the restaurant but it will be enjoyed at home in comfort, just me and DW and DNiece.

[SteveinMN]

(Followup to my own post)

And that's pretty much the way it happened. A bit of a snafu with ordering the meals; the restaurant's Web site noted their limited hours on Thanksgiving Day but did not note that they would be serving only the "set" Thanksgiving dinner and items from their breakfast-all-day menu. My dining companions were in hog carb heaven but I ended up steaming some broccoli to go along with my turkey, the only part of the dinner I could eat on my ultra-low-carb eating plan (and even that had to be rescued from the copious amounts of gravy). The turkey was tasty and the company was fine, so so be it. I might just get a small turkey breast today so we (they) have leftovers through the weekend. And we'll plan better next year.

[Williamsmith]

I made two pumpkin pies, somebody brought a peach pie, I made a green bean casserole, somebody brought corn that was cut off the cob and frozen this summer, and sweet potatoe casserole. I cooked a big turkey with stuffing and a giant pot of mashed potatoes with sour cream and butter....somebody brought dinner rolls. I brought out the home made apple sauce made I froze this summer and somebody brought cranberry sauce. Good God we ate most of it! And then my son, who works to jobs ....one stocking shelves at a grocery store on the midnight shift after his 2nd shift at his first job.....brought me a frozen turkey. What?

[iris lilies]

We stopped for lunch in Oklahoma City and lucked into an Indian restaurant. Sambosas and palek, it was good.