I can't cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.

[constance]

I've made Thankgiving dinner -- as in, a whole Thanksgiving dinner, turkey and dressing and hors d'oeuvres and desserts and everything -- exactly once. It was kind of fun, in a way, having twelve people in the house scarfing down on all that food, but it was stressful, and not really something I'm eager to repeat anytime soon. I'm happy just pitching in, as I've done in years past, or contributing a dish or two to a potluck, which is what's happening this year (stuffed mushrooms and sweet potatoes roasted with thyme are my contribution, all ready to go into the oven when I wake up in the morning). It's more fun when the responsibilities are shared, I think, just because I'm not a confident enough cook to be able to whisk big meals together in no time flat. I'm slow and I like to take my time and be sure I'm getting things right.

What are your responsibilities this Thanksgiving? (Assuming you're having one, of course.) Is anyone sharing your load?

Comments

[gmth.livejournal.com]

I'm by myself for Thanksgiving, but I'm having the whole family (20 people) for Christmas. I love to entertain and will be cooking a huge meal with all the trimmings (turkey, homemade stuffing, stuffed shells with homemade sauce, veggies, appetizers, the whole works). The only help I'll want or need will be with the cleaning up, which is the part I really hate. I won't let them help with the rest. I only do it every four years, so I figure I can do it on my own. :-)

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I hope it went well and all! You are obviously way more competent (and brave) than I am!

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I'm second in command (my best friend is my landlady...but we mostly cook together).

Eight people coming over. I did some baking yesterday (especially carrot loaf!) and tomorrow I'm on vegetable patrol and "omg we're out of xxx beth go to the store!" duty. :)

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Mmm, carrot loaf! This sounds like my usual sort of Thanksgiving sentry post, as well.

[amelia-eve.livejournal.com]

I like doing big holiday meals, but I just don't have room here to really do it all up. I have done a Thanksgiving for four, and it was very last-minute, but successful. The reality is that Thanksgiving food is the most common and easy to find in the world. I punted with a chicken and dumplings main course since we were so few, and pretty much everything else came out of a mix or a can: stovetop stuffing, canned cranberries, canned yams, and I made the dumplings out of whopper biscuits with the sauce based on Campbell's cream of chicken.

When I lived in Italy, I went all out, including intense quests to find all the American ingredients. I'd usually host 12-20 people. Sweet potatoes were always the hardest bit to find, but I usually managed. Some of those dinners ended up being extremely international -- we'd get everyone to sing their national anthem before I would serve the pies.

This year I'll be with cordelia_v as usual. I've already made the cheese ball appetizer (gorgonzola blend with craisins and toasted almonds) and the potato casserole with chipotle cream and cheddar topping. The pumpkin pie is in the oven, and I'm about to pre-chop the veggies for the Waldorf salad. Lots of yum!

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

You and cordelia_v solo sound like amazing cooks/hosts. Teamed up, you make me want to hop a jet and crash your party something fierce. I'm hoping at least for vicarious thrills a la a report about how much the assembled crowd enjoyed all that great food.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, man. DO NOT FORGET THAT YOU HAVE PROMISED PICTURES.

I love the idea of you traipsing your way around Italy looking for things like Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup. Or, you know, stuff like that.

[amelia-eve.livejournal.com]

Man, I suck at the pictures. Please admire my icon depicting a pumpkin cheesecake I baked two years ago.

But the cooking is going well. Cordelia's turkey was spectacularly succulent. We hoovered up our share of the leftovers by Saturday. Then Sunday we picked up the free turkey we had earned with our supermarket club card and cooked that at home. More turkey leftovers! Right now I am breakfasting on a bowl of stuffing.

Since we had satisfied our traditional turkey jones, I got all fancy and Mediterranean on this one. The stuffing has sourdough olive bread, onion breadsticks, mushrooms, celery, onion, more olives and capers, lots of parsley, and some lemon oil, in half margarine and half olive oil. It tastes kind of Greek and very lemony and delicious.

Come on up next year and we'll make turkey together.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

1) show up 2) don't get into any arguments with my redneck inlaws 3) be sober enough to drive B home because he needs more alcohol to cope with his family than I do.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Hee! I hope you were successful on all counts!

[woodyinvincible.livejournal.com]

Heheh, you said sharing your load...

I have no responsibility, being a guy that doesn't cook anything more complicated than a hot pocket.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Oh, C, I love you for fostering lj continuity. *waves 14-year-old-boy banner*

I kind of like having a little responsibility, but there's something to be said for just showing up!

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

We're going here (http://www.visitasilomar.com/). In addition to being a gorgeous place (and close to my mom, so she won't have to kvetch about driving up to San Jose for a third time this month), they do a fantastic Thanksgiving buffet. We've been once before, and that time, our party was small enough that we got seated at one of the big, round tables with total strangers, which was kind of a fun adventure. This year, my aunt, uncle and cousins (the ones infamous for not packing any food for last Thanksgiving's yurt extravaganza) are coming, too, so we probably won't get to meet any nice couples from Iowa today.

Your potluck offerings sound delicious! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and have enough energy, when you come back home, to rejoice over your non-trashed kitchen.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you know, the best thing about having Thanksgiving at someone else's house is that when it's all done, you can go home and not worry about it for another year. Except actually. My kitchen was in worse shape when I got home than my parents' was when I left their house, because I am better at cleaning other people's kitchens than my own.

And your trip looks lovely! I like your (newish?) tradition of going elsewhere for Thanksgiving, and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

We always have Thanksgiving with the family of the spouse's college roommate. The spouse has been invited to this family's dinner every year since 1982; they've now fed him more Thanksgiving dinners than they've fed their own son.

Usually I bring dessert and rolls. This year I had a long workday yesterday and no time for yeast bread, so I'm going to bring dessert (Maple-Pumpkin Pie) and biscuits instead.

Stuffed mushrooms sound lovely!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I should totally have demanded that everyone post recipes, because I'm all hungry. The maple-pumpkin pie looks amazing! I bet it tasted that way too.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

It would have been better if I'd been able to find any grade B maple syrup, but it was pretty nice. Better than average, anyway. Yes, I'm insanely late replying to comments; that's Christmas+ice storm+stomach virus for you.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

I brought pies, ice cream, and stuffing -- actually, Laura came to get the stuffing ahead of time because we both wanted it cooked in the turkey. :) I haven't made a full-bore T dinner in decades, and that's okay with me! The turkey, potatoes, and stuffing are the most important part. Well, okay, I must have lots of gravy. :D

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Mmm, gravy. Graaaaavy. It's totally okay with my to be a footsoldier as well! I like being ordered around; it saves me from having to make all the decisions, which I'm seriously no good at.

I hope you have a nice holiday. *hugs*