For many years I did a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner, made numerous sides, roasted a turkey, set a tasteful table, and the end result looked like a Normal Rockwell painting. I've changed a lot in the last few years! It's a pot-luck now, and everyone who attends brings a dish. All my kids always come, their spouses or significant others, the grandkids, I have several "adopted" children (kids I've befriended over the years) who attend, and sometimes a close friend or two. I still make several of the sides that my kids love and associate with Thanksgiving, but I no longer take on the whole burden of cooking. My son in law smokes or deep fries a turkey and it's always amazing. As my children like to tell people "Mom takes in strays at Thanksgiving" which is a good way of putting it. Any of their friends or mine who have nowhere to be at Thanksgiving just come and celebrate with us. The food is served buffet style because there just isn't enough table room or room-room for everyone to sit together. We also don't eat on Thursday. Too many conflicts with other schedules..the spouses families' etc., and as I don't care WHEN we all get together, just THAT we do, I prefer to not fight the scheduling issues and just do it on either Friday or Saturday! What about you? What are your routines or traditions?
As you know we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Scotland. However, when it comes to Christmas I now do as you do Ronni. It's so much easier to have a buffet style Christmas and family all chipping in and bringing dishes with them. I used to cater for vegetarians, vegans and fruitarians as well as the usual Christmas fare and it was getting too much to cope with and just too expensive. Now I can actually look forward to the day without stressing and everyone has so much more fun.
Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays--a celebration centered around food! I make the traditional turkey/dressing/hot rolls/green vegetable/pumpkin pie dinner for us, and also take rolls, pumpkin sweet bread, and any vegetables we have in the garden to friends. Last year a local church ran out of parishioners' ovens to roast turkeys for those in need, and I was asked to roast two. Gosh, I hope I am still on their list--I have two ovens, and can easily handle one big turkey and one smaller one. My husband says Thanksgiving is my "warm-up" for Christmas when I go all out with cookies, sweet breads, hot rolls, and anything else I can think of. C'mon, holidays!
I have thankfully turned over the Thanksgiving cooking, fuss and bother, to our oldest daughter and her sweety who is passionate about smoking and grilling meats of all kinds. We have started going down to pickup Randy's Mom to bring her up here too and this year said daughter is in a house instead of the tiny apartment so there will be more room for all 9 of us. And with two daughters and a granddaughter-in-law to do the fussing and bothering stuff I will take over the TV before lunch to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and afterwards to watch the Westminster Dog Show. There is also a football game on but I hopefully will be able to throw my advanced age around and get the TV for myself....they have another one in the guest bedroom so if necessary I will hibernate in there for the afternoon.
I am not cooking this Thanksgiving, I am in recovery mode until after Christmas so no lifting anything heavier than 5 pounds until then. One of my daughters has invited us over to their home so I will just take a dish to pass this year.
My sis, mom and dad and daughter are gone now... we have no one around us or close to us any more...So sad....I always included at least one person or two, who were alone, at my Thanksgivings...never to forget them, no one should be alone.... No one thinks of my hubby and me....we will have Thanksgiving alone. Sadly, with my canned foods, it is very nice but no family or friends....We sit at the bar or bistro table to enjoy canned turkey and gravy, mashed pototoes and veggie.... It is very bittersweet....
Waretrop, just remember all the lovely holidays you shared with family, and enjoy this holiday season with your husband. We too have no family close, nor any close family, but we enjoy each other's company. He lets me go wild with cooking from now to the New Year; I enjoy baking and giving; we both help those in need; and the holidays are so significant for us.Thanksgiving and Christmas are not about what we lack, but about what we have.
Thank you @marlingardener. It is all about what or who you have and what you can give. It is one of those day I take time out and reflect and remember...
Canadian Thanksgiving was October 8th. I like to make a huge, traditional dinner for my family. My son in law LOVES my cooking and now I have a grandson that loves it too! I use all the holidays for an excuse to make a huge dinner and get the family all together. I used to invite a single friend of my husbands over for dinner, but he has recently found a new wife and they go to her family's for dinner. I always have enough food for more
Waretrop....turkey in a can? I have never heard of it. We are alone Christmas dinner but I usually make the same things we had when my Parents were having it. Now they are gone and my older sister & her husband aren't with us. Most of the rest don't have enough room for all of the family, so that is easy to understand. I am hoping my restrictions are gone by Christmas time, I hate asking my husband to do so many things for me. For the last 6 weeks I can only lift 5 pounds and I am hoping the dr. lets me do more soon.
I just went to look and we have no more sliced turkey left..so this year we will have chunks of dark and light meat, with gravy and stuffing and probably Lima beans. Here are some jars of my canned turkey. It may not be so pretty but it is delicious..
Ok...home canned...I thought it was in a regular can. We were looking for meat in a can when we donated food because years ago you could buy a ham in a can. But they don't sell it anymore around here. With all that juice packed around it, I bet it is delicious!
I didn't know they don't sell canned turkey or chicken anymore....probably not many people use it like that anymore... I keep canned chicken on the bone and off the bone, corned beef, meat balls, mushrooms, and all likes of broths and bone broth...YUM
