Game Plan for Thanksgiving

Two weeks to GO TIME!

Who's hosting Thanksgiving at their house? Who is bringing a dish or two to their in-laws or a friend's house for the holiday? Who is excited about the turkey coma? Let's dish*!



*pardon the pun

I'll answer my own questions.

We're going to my in-law's for the holiday itself, but we are doing a Practice Thanksgiving the weekend before with friends. That way we'll get enough leftovers and my friend gets to try cooking a turkey before the actual day!

I'm making my mother-in-law's sweet potato casserole (I posted the recipe in Side Dishes), a pie, and some homemade cranberry sauce. I used to make the cranberry sauce (really more of a jelly) every year but fell out of the habit for the past few years. It's pretty easy, if you don't mind standing at the oven for hours mashing super-hot cranberries into a pulp.

I'm most looking forward to the turkey-stuffing-graving-sweet potato-cranberry sauce sandwiches in the days following Thanksgiving!

All the pies, desserts and breads are baked the day before; while "Tom" is in the oven, the dressing ingredients are prepared and all the sides and gravy is then made. It's usually an all day thing for 2 days - slaving for a great meal.

After dinner, while cleaning up the kitchen "Tom" is stripped to the bone, the skin, bones, wings, back go into a large stockpot to make turkey broth and soup.

Depending on how many are at the table VS the amount of food made (somerimes I get carried away) - homemade TV dinners can be made for freezing to be enjoyed another time.

The day after Thanksgiving the "leftover" meals begin. The turkey broth jars are capped and placed in the freezer for future use.

We'll be hosting the parents and inlaws on Saturday before, because we'll be out of town on TG day.

Hubby is smoking a turkey, and I'll delegate the dressing and pies to my mom and MIL. I'll do the rest.

Can't wait!

We're planning on going to my MIL's for Turkey Day. I have no idea if I'm going to bring anything, or if I'm going to make something at MIL's house. Hubby says I should make the Baked Apple French Toast Casserole that I got from here, but I don't know if that's quite Thanksgiving-y enough, ya know????

I lucked out this year because I'm going to be starting my 9th month of pregnancy (baby's due Christmas) this Thanksgiving so nobody expects me to really do anything.

Going to my grandparents house were all family will be there. My grandparents perepare everything. They order the pies from Marie Calendar so no one has to bake. They have retired so they enjoy catering to us all this one day a year. However, I am going to bake some cookies and possibly some bread to give to people to start the holidays on a good note.

Going to mom's this year.
It's a four hour drive from home so... I doubt I'll bring anything. I might make some sweet potatoes once we get there though or a pie or or or something.

We are going to the in-laws fot Turkey Day. I'll take a dish along, not yet sure exactly what it will be. Wow, I love Thanksgiving. I can't wait. I think my favorite parts is the day after w/ all the awsome leftovers.

Thanksgiving

We will be enjoying the day off from work on thursday and the older kids will be over for friday to celebrate thanksgiving with there good ol mom and stepdad and baby sis. My older kids are in college at U of M and Michigan Tech so they look forward to mom's cooking and I look forward to feeding them a decent meal. And of course send goodie bags home with them back to school.

I am SUPER excited about Thanksgiving. It is my favorite *FOOD* holiday!! It is one day I just let go and eat any and everything I want!

We aren't hosting it, but we are going to my moms to help out early in the morning. We are also going to take over some homemade pies.

We are leaving tomorrow night to go to MIL's house. It's only a 4 hour drive, but hubby wants to get there tomorrow so I can get up early Thursday & be in the kitchen with his mom & sisters, even though he'll probably tell them not to let me do anything. Grrr, he is sooooo overprotective since I'm so close. He won't even let me carry a dozen eggs, but I can carry our 25lb toddler.... How much sense does that make?!?!