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

[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.