Plan B Forum

To those for whom the question applies.

My husband usually cooks a big dinner for us, turkey and all the trimmings but this year he is having back issues and doesn't feel up to it and I have never done a whole dinner and have no inclination to take on the task by myself. This being the case we have decided to get our dinners through the community services. We will donate and take and see how that works out. I hope hubby feels better by Christmas because we have 2 turkeys in the freezer.

Spending it with the wife’s family, which after 30 plus years together are my family too. I apparently have chores when we arrive so I’ll be earning my supper.

I've got a ticket to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas show, which is touring in my area tomorrow night (Wednesday), to try to put myself into a holiday mood.

For Thursday, there's a couple of pre-assembled turkey/dressing/mashed potato and gravy dinners from the local grocery's deli section sitting in the refrigerator ready to go into the microwave.   I'll dress it up with a little bit of cranberry-orange relish (again, from the deli section), a glass of V-8, and maybe a glass (or two.... ) of a nice German Reisling — I haven't completely made up my mind on the wine yet.   Finally, back to the 'fridge where there's a half a pumpkin pie from the grocery's bakery section.   Lop off a piece, warm it in the microwave, and top with a king-sized blob of Cool Whip.

The epitome of gracious (solo) living.

-"BB"-

We'll have my wife's family over and I'll be cooking most of the day. The real problem is that every year I never know how many are going to show up--making the planning and cooking difficult. Every year (except last year) I say that I won't do it again, and every year I still go ahead and do it. The same is true for Christmas. I guess I'm resigned to the fact that it's just the way it's going to be. Last year was a good year for planning, but I guess I just like the crowd, however many or few they are. The only thing I have done is to set a definite dinner time (communicated in advance); if people come too late, all they get is dessert (and, if I'm in a good mood, a turkey sandwich).

My adopted family are getting together for our first post pandemic thanksgiving but minus the patriarch who passed away a few months ago, so things will be a little melancholy I’m sure. I’m making garlic smashed red potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes - my special recipe with a splash of bourbon, sour cream & butter plus a secret spice blend. And I’m picking up apple, pumpkin and fruit of the forest pies from the local farm store bakery they are fantastic and will make the next few days an indulgent delight.

I do look forward to Friday, though. With advancing age and an ever growing list of dear departed relatives and friends I find the holidays much less pleasurable than in my youth. I’m basically ready for January already.

No longer having a big house, big kitchen, and plenty of parking, itr's Mom's house for Thanksgiving-for the first time in a while, my wife and I have both managed to get Friday off work. We're staying until probably Saturday...father in law will be there Thursday, but he has to work Friday. (Not much longer, I think he's retiring next year.) Not sure what is planned for Friday, beyond helping reshuffle the shed. (Lawnmower to the back, snowblower to the front, battery chargers plugged in.)

Having still not lived down bird-zilla (and I never will), I'm not bringing the turkey...

Had ours last night with four friends. One couple couldn't make it on Thursday as planned so we moved to Tuesday. We don't have an oven (also no room large enough to hold a turkey) so Margaretta prepared the bird and took it (plus sundries) to L&T's house where the event would be held. She stayed there, basting, reading, chatting while I remained home.

I prepared many prosciutto/melon/basil treats-on-a-stick then got an apple pie together (unbaked, no oven - so that cooked while we ate the dinner later). She picked me up at 6pm and we set up at L&T's house, arriving immediately behind the vehicle of T&C. The six of us played silly games, had a quiz (Thanksgiving/Sport/Movies), drank wine and then enjoyed the massive Brazilian turkey and trimmings. Introduced these benighted foreigners to Waldorf salad and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.

Sadly, this being South Africa, no cranberry sauce and the Grasshoppers were a bilious green mixture (tasted great!) of peppermint liqeur, Kahlua and ice cream - oh for creme de menthe and creme de cacao. A half-decent Bordeaux and plenty of viognier, sauvignon blanc, and merlot (not to mention T's gdawfu cheap O'Connels) were consumed.

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all. All.

I'm going fully traditionally this year. I'm wrapping myself in the Stars and Stripes flag, eating mom's apple pie, and then going out and shooting someone.

I won't be doing anything at all.

Perhaps I'll join Gob in the festivities.

There is a family story which gets told every Thanksgiving so here goes . . .

My mother was evacuated from England during the war and had a perilous journey through U-Boat infested seas to Plymouth Mass, where she spent a couple of years until the threat of a German invasion had receded. I'm not sure what she learned in high school except how to shuffle a pack of cards which she was expert at, in an entirely non-British way. And she learned how to make pumpkin pie . . .

For some reason which now escapes me (I've noticed that every year, more and more stuff has gone missing from the synapses) my then GF, now wife (whom I adore) had traveled from London to Scotland where my parents then lived. 1984. I was now living in Buffalo NY and wedding bells etc were expected in a few months. So my mother scoured Glasgow to find the makings of pumpkin pie in honor(u)r of my soon-to-be wife and her American future. In 1980s Glasgow, where fruit and vegetables were an insidious Communist plot to turn us all to the Dark Side, this was no mean feat. I have no idea how she did this, and knowing my mother she was not above a phone call to the US Embassy for help.

Unknown to my mother, my wife hates pumpkin pie. In the pantheon of 'things that shouldn't be allowed' it's up there with traffic cones and Japanese knotweed. Probably the bravest thing she has ever done (well, apart from marrying me) was to accept a small slice and consume it.

There will be no pumpkin pie in the Khobar household this Thanksgiving.

MajGenl.Meade wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:53 am

Introduced these benighted foreigners to Waldorf salad and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.

Pretty sure these are the main things generating international hostility towards American cultural hegemony (although the Koreans seem to have submitted to the Waldorf salad thing).

My older children are coming home from their respective school lives for the weekend to join their remaining sibling and we'll have my mother over for Thanksgiving dinner, but we're not having any guests this year. For dinner we'll be having an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms, then turkey (spatchcocked) with (turkey) sausage-and-herb "dressing" (because technically not "stuffing"), potatoes (yellow mashed and roasted sweet), roast butternut squash, green beans (sauteed or steamed, haven't decided), caramelized onions, cranberry business, romaine salad and for dessert both pecan and pumpkin pies (youngest daughter is making the pumpkin pie from scratch; pecan came from the the farm store yesterday).

But for us, the big party this year will be Sunday at my brother's place for the start of Hannukah. Wishing all of you a
! חג שמח

Turkey may not be that great, but it’s been the staple Christmas meat in the UK and Ireland both since the late 1500s, so it must have some appeal over there just as it does here.

Sue U wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:18 pm

MajGenl.Meade wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:53 am

Introduced these benighted foreigners to Waldorf salad and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.

Pretty sure these are the main things generating international hostility towards American cultural hegemony (although the Koreans seem to have submitted to the Waldorf salad thing).

and a happy one to you too!

BoSoxGal wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:22 pm

Turkey may not be that great, but it’s been the staple Christmas meat in the UK and Ireland both since the late 1500s, so it must have some appeal over there just as it does here.

I do believe the goose was still preferred to the turkey, as most sources I've seen indicate turkey was unknown to England until the mid 1500s, and it probably took some time for the to become prevalent.   Even as late as the mid-1800s geese still seemed to be the preferred fowl, judging from references in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (1843), and the significance a goose plays in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" (1892).

-"BB"-

When did anyone say it was a not a staple here? It's just a very bland meat.

-"BB"-

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