Thanksgiving Think-Ahead

Since it's Halloween, it's not too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving.  This year I will be cooking for 11 (including us).  I am not a person who likes to innovate on Thanksgiving.  My motto is "keep it traditional" and to me "traditional" means "what my grandmother served on Thanksgiving when I was a kid."  I have her stuffing recipe in her handwriting.  I make the stuffing INSIDE the turkey.

They were heavy on "creamed" foods when I was a kid, and I won't be going there.  I will not be serving creamed cauliflower or creamed spinach, both of which I remember on the Thanksgiving table of my childhood.  But I will served mashed turnips (rutabagas) despite the fact that I'm the only one who's going to eat it.  It's just not Thanksgiving without it.

Other likely items on the menu:  mashed potatoes, Granma's rolls, gravy (from a can, since I'm no good at making the real thing), cranberry sauce (possibly from a can, but maybe I'll try to make the real thing if I can get my friend's recipe), corn and steamed broccoli or green beans.  I will also have a vegetable platter (carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers) and plenty of chips and salsa.

Dessert is apple pie, of course, plus a pan of brownies for the kids.  (Not my kids--they love my apple pie--but the visiting kids who are already "iffy" on most of the Thanksgiving menu.)

Thanksgiving on Wheels: the aftermath

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Ours was pretty quiet, with just my in-laws at their house, but it was a nice day. I cooked the turkey, stuffing, bread, apple pie and turnips here. Everything was packed in coolers to take to my in-laws' house. I had the potatoes all peeled and in a tupperware full of ice water. Then there were cans of gravy, cranberry sauce and corn, and a bag of frozen green beans. A pretty basic meal. When we got there I put the foil pans of cooked food in the oven on warm (with some chicken broth added to the turkey and stuffing to keep them moist.) I cooked all the other food as usual. The only thing that didn't work well was the turnips. I don't know if it was the foil pan or the extra steaming/baking time, but they didn't come out well. However, I'm the only one who really eats them so no one else missed it.

All in all it was not too terrible to bring the dinner with us.

Thanksgiving-on-the-go

It appears that I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner after all. AND transporting it 75 miles.

I'll be posting a menu and timetable for Thanksgiving-on-the-go as I work it out.