Admittedly, this holiday is my very favorite of the whole year but it kinda sneaked up on me this year. Maybe it was the whole I'm-going-to-be-crazy-and-remodel thing I had going on. That whole business, fortunately, is winding down a bit. The new bathroom is finished and absolutely beautiful. Yesterday, I went out and bought new, fluffy white towels and some small decorative things and it's DONE, DONE, DONE. Today an army of painters will arrive to hang cabinets and install drawers in the new kitchen. Granted the kitchen isn't totally there yet because I still need to install new granite countertops but that will have to wait until the holidays are over. My teeny brain just can't handle much more.
So I'll spend the rest of the week getting things back in order and making my Thanksgiving grocery list. I've been cooking this meal, the very same one, for my family for years and years now so I've become an 'old hand' at this. Some of the recipes have been passed down through generations and they are favorites on Thanksgiving Day. On Sunday, I went out and picked up the turkeys. Yes, turkeys! As in more than one.Mr. Regina smokes three huge turkey breasts every Thanksgiving and I do the rest. I'll start this coming weekend by fixing cornbread for my dressing/stuffing. I always do this in advance, add celery and onion and bag it all up and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble on Thanksgiving morning. I'll spend Tuesday and Wednesday baking pies, cakes and putting together other dishes that can be prepared in advance. My daughter and son are coming in with their boyfriend/girlfriend and I expect the kitchen to be rockin' and rollin' because everyone likes to help. Sounds like I need to crank up some tunes for the event and break out the wine. Bring it on! I'm ready!
Do you have any particular dishes you ALWAYS without fail prepare for this holiday? Any family traditions?
6 comments:
My son likes the appetizers I make: bacon-tomato cups, bacon-wrapped sesame sticks (got this one from Paula Deen), a ring of shrimp, and his father's favorite, the olive and pickle tray.
We're not doing the pitch-in this year, but we have a turkey and ham; stuffing mix; veggies; I've got frozen roll dough; and still need to get the Reams Noodles.
My brother and his family always come from out of town for Thanksgiving at my house. We do a pretty traditional meal - roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans with almonds, rolls and we always have Mom's jello waldorf salad (raspberry jello with shredded apples and chopped celery and walnuts). We change up the desserts sometimes but always have apple and pumpkin based ones but it may be pie, cake, crisp, etc. I prep as much as I can ahead and have a schedule of shopping, chopping and cooking days. I make the mashed potatoes ahead and reheat in the crock pot and the sweet potato casserole ahead to heat in the oven while the bird rests and I make gravy. We always have enough food so I don't have to cook much the rest of the weekend, we pig out on leftovers.
I'm totally with you, Regina! I love Thanksgiving, but for some reason I keep thinking it's months away. The other day I realized it's next week. Agghhh!
We usually have the tradition fare. The pies are always my favorite part--pumpkin, apple, and chocolate mousse :)
This year we're doing a slim 'n' trim dinner. Turkey breast, dressing, gravy, veggie...and carrot cake. Not too many leftovers as there's only two of us.
Just going to my folks house in Dallas and then home to watch the Aggies and Longhorn football game. Brian is staying in Dallas for the weekend.
My older daughter is a loon for sweet potato casserole topped with crispy mini marshmallows. Not the kind of casserole where you dump canned yams in, but the real thing. Roasted sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar etc.
The younger one likes the cranberries, but it has to be the jelly kind that still looks like a can. I don't get that. I can't even mash it up and make it look semi normal. No, it must be can shaped.
I always make my special variety of fresh produce green been casserole with extra fried onions in and on. But the Seasonal Tradition of our family that starts now through Christmas is baked cheddar wrapped green olives. Not everyone likes them, be we all eat them. I don't even know how that one started really. But it isn't the holiday season until those come out.
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