How do you spend Thanksgiving?

[spiralactivator]

Turkey Day is fast approaching, and I thought it might be nice for us to share our Thanksgiving traditions and favorite ways of celebrating.

My mom makes desserts (pumpkin pies and pumpkin rolls) the day before, and on Thanksgiving we have dinner at my aunt's house. Mom makes gravy ('cause she's the only one who can), while I hover and eat the turkey skin stuck to the bottom of the roaster. Mom, my aunt, and my uncle arm themselves with knives and hack the bird limb from succulent limb (with me "sampling," of course). At last, all the food--white and dark meat, stuffing, canned corn, Corning casserole full of candied yams, Revere Dutch oven full of mashed potatoes, can-shaped cranberry sauce--is set up buffet style on the kitchen counter. We all load up our plates and eat in the front room, where long tables have been set up. After we've gorged ourselves on dinner and dessert, we're all kind of slumped on our chairs, with coffee and cigarettes and wine, half asleep from the triptophen (sp?)...and then, after a ten-minute break, we eat more. Eventually I fall asleep/pass out on the couch and let other people do the dishes. Then, when the turkey is stone cold, we eat a little more.

 

[toggleswitch]

As much as the menu is dictated by tradition, I find it amusing that a few ethnic specialties get thrown in around here.... varies house to house.

 

[hoover1060]

in my family...

Somewhere its written in stone for my mother, we have to eat at 1pm...
She'll be up at the buttcrack of dawn to put the turkey in, after having been up later the night before making homemade dressing.
We'll have turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes(done by mom's Sunbeam Mixmaster) homemade cranberry stuff, sweet potatoes, and some kind of green vegetable.
My sister's and my dog will both sit on the floor by my dad's end of the table. Dad is a sucker for a wagging tail and floppy ears, and both dogs know "Grandpa" will feed them.
After dinner my sister and I will try to do the dishes for mom, but mom will wind up at the sink washing everything before it goes in the dishwasher anyway.
I'll be home and snoozing on the couch by 4pm...

 

[toggleswitch]

Get me outta here, NOW!!!!!

The most interesting thing in the world to me is that the bars and clubs are absoultely PACKED with people on the Frday after Thanksgiving... I suppose people can only stomach SO MUCH (blood/genetic)family....and go out to see their adotpive family/friends.

 

[agiflow]

We like to prepare the night before. I have been doing part of the the cooking the last several of years. I like to get the potataoes, turnips, and stuffing all prepped up the night before the cooking, not to mention all the different kinds of pies.

I make the mashed potatoes in a sunbeam mixmaster, (a plastic bodied one that has been working flawlessly since 1987 thank you) But the last few years i have been using a hand held mixer. Works great.

This is what is great about this holiday i think, no commercialization. Just your family and friends and all the different ways to serve up leftover turkey for the following several days LOL.

 

[frigilux]

My parents were from Italy and England, and they have passed on, so my entire family in the US consists of my sister and her 2 grown sons and their families. We're doing Thanksgiving at my house this year, which should be a blast. There will be 14 of us.

Thanksgiving menu: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, scalloped corn, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and all the sides. Pumpkin, cherry and apple pies for dessert. (Sorry, adventurers, I'm a stodgy holiday traditionalist.) No matter what the menu, our Italian mom had to have either spaghetti/meatballs or lasagna as an additional entree, so there will be lasagna, too.

I'm putting everyone up in motel rooms (except for my sister, because we'll sit up all night talking), and they'll come back the next morning for a huge brunch buffet (pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs, sausage/bacon/ham, hash browns, fresh fruit cups, homemade cinnamon rolls, blueberry scones, assorted muffins, granola (for the kids), and espresso made to order).

Then I send everyone home and relax. I love my family, but there's nothing like the warm feeling of waving the last of them off and cozying up on the couch in front of a nice fire and relaxing for the rest of the day watching movies...getting up only to put the next load into the dishwasher. Oh, and noshing on leftovers, of course, LOL.

 

[michaelman2]

Turkey of course in the Westinghouse Roaster...this year I have 22 at my house..oy!

 

[toggleswitch]

Do WHAT with that?

Pat/Agiflow said:

and all the different ways to serve up leftover turkey for the following several days LOL.

Here are two contenders:

1- Turkey soup
2- Turkey tetrazini.

YUM YUM

 

[agiflow]

Already got that in mind Steve....plus turkey a la king, turkey salad sandwiches...well, we all get the idea. I will wind up making all this again a month from now, plus a nice butt of ham YUMMY!

 

[frigilux]

I keep a little leftover turkey for sandwiches, but the rest goes to the neighborhood cat coven, which lives next door under the neighbor's deck. It's my way of repaying them for keeping the mice out of the 'hood and rabbits out of my garden.

 

[maytagbear]

Oh, how things have changed.

For years, we converged on my great aunt and uncle's place (they of the Youngstown dishwasher). We (my mother, sister, and I loved it because they were literally a few doors up from us. We were at 512 Crain, they were at 439 Crain.)

It was semi-potluck. Auntie would roast the turkey.
her brother would do the mashed potatoes (till I took over after his death), a cousin would do the stuffing, Ma would bring a few vegetable casseroles.

One cousin did the pumpkin and mince pies. An aunt would bring several rum cream pies. (They were the ONLY alcohol at this function.)

Another cousin would bring the HUGE Tupperware of gingerbread cutout cookies- gingerbread people, animals....

There were usually 45-85 of us, and most of us were blood relatives.

This started around 1, and continued all day.

Then...Great Auntie and Uncle moved to a nearby "retirement village," and we let their kitchen staff roast the turkey and make the (powdered- ICK!) potatoes, but we brought everything else.

They eventually died, and the function was switched from NE Ohio, to NW Kentucky, in the summer.

We're scattered now, as is the case in general. We're from Massachusetts to Florida, Ohio to California.

Since then, I've done various things. Last year, a church friend had a "waifs and strays" gathering. It was all right, though she made the mashed potatoes with canned chicken broth. (One day a year with real butter and cream in the mashers won't kill most people.) Some Thanksgivings I've been alone.

This year, I am going to my friend Linda's. She does not adore cooking, but she can decently roast a turkey, and her dressing is very good. (It's dressing when it's baked separately. Spoon some of the turkey's drippings over the dressing.)

I'm going to make mashers and my No Marshmallows Allowed sweet potato casserole, and a hot dip I love that is just too big for one.

Linda has invited a mutual friend, Cassy. I'm going to be with two smart, funny, sexy women. Eat your hearts out, straight boys.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch]

Actually I chcukle under my breath every time I hear my mother say "Put the Turkey in the oven" in Greek. You see my grandfather used to get SUCH a kick out of that.

Here's why: In Greek it is the same word for a Gobble-Gobble bird and a Turkish person. The Greeks born in Asia Minor (now Turkey) endured all kinds fo tortures under the Ottoman Empire, one of which was just stated above.

I apologize profusely if anyone is hurt or offended, but it is an odd memory to have; especially as I mature I realize what he endured to live there and what he suffered to get out of his country and come here...

Snipers killed his father during guerilla warfare (undeclared war) and the only reason they found the body was that the donkey great-granpa was riding (when he was extinguished in cold blood) returned home on it's own. They apparently learn the roads.

HONEY don't ANYONE complain to ME about life in this country..... LOL. The only problem we have is that there is not enough money to do everything we want to do. And THAT is not a problem, either.

Enough preaching....next....

 

[toggleswitch]

That is not on the menu. What are my other choices?

Said: Eat your hearts out, straight boys.

Response: I can guarantee you that they are not thinking about eating their (own) hearts...........

 

[dalangdon]

This will be a somewhat melancholy Thanksgiving, as it is our first since my Dad died. However, it will be less melancholic (if that's even a word) and more hectic, as my mom and sister are coming HERE to Seattle, and I have a bunch of other people coming as well. All told, there will be eight adults and at least two kids.

The menu is simple: Consumme, Ambrosia Salad (just for the campy aspect of it), Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, two veggies, and dessert. And wine. Lots and lots of wine ;-)

John has promised me that the new dishwasher will be up and running by then, so keep your fingers crossed.

 

[agiflow]

I can relate dalangdon, this will be the second one without my brother. It just doesn't seem the same without him. Just thankful though that my parents are still here and that alone is a great comfort.

 

[DADoES]

I'm having the entire paternal-side family at my house, which has never been done before because I've never had adequate facilities. Should be around 17 adults and 7 kids.

It'll probably never happen again, LOL.

 

[polkanut]

Thanksgiving here will be the usual holiday fare, but with 5 less people at our house. My Grandma who passed away in June at age 102, will be missed the most. My parents, and sister and brother-in-law will be in San Francisco with my brother-in-laws dad & step-mom. The highlight of the day will be listening to my wife's bachelor uncle dispense marital advice. That is always good for a laugh. Now I know why he is a bachelor. Women are meant to be barefoot and pregnant etc.

 

[rickr]

Thanksgiving at my house

My family has had Thanksgiving Dinner at this house since my great grandparents bought it 75 years ago. The home has belonged to me for the last 27 years,so we still have it here. Many family members have passed to the other side over the decades,however we know they are with us in spirit. The family has grown over the years,and although we still use great grandmas dining room set, we have tables set up in another room to seat all of us. Usually with nieces,nephews,and cousins,we have about 25-30 people.I cook the turkey and make the gravy. Most others have their "dinner assignment" and know what to bring.We use the same china and silver that was always used,but I have found additional matching pieces,so we have enough for everybody. Some stay all day,from noon until 9:00 PM and some leave mid afternoon.
We play board games,cards,tell storys,sleep,watch football,and just hang out here.
The kids have beens spending the night for several years on a "cousins sleepover" (and the parents get a break and love it) and on Friday afternoon I take the kids to the movies,then to dinner at a fun place,then take them home. This year I will have one nine year old,one eight year old,two six year olds and one five year old. Last year was the Polar Express. This year will be Harry Potter! WOOO HOOOO!!!

Here is picture of Thanksgiving Day fifty years ago,1955. Of all the people in the photo,only the two children are still living. The little girl is my aunt,and her two grandchildren (nine and six year olds) stay here on Thankgiving night.

 

[rickr]

Same room fifty years later

Of course it will be a mess Thursday night...But we all have lots of fun!! LOL!