Thanksgiving

[chex]

It's Thanksgiving in Canada today, right? So Canadians, (is that just Mouse and Clarence now?) tell me what you're eating.

[Clarence]

Turkey!

We had it today becuase we work monday when it really is

[chex]

I went back to being a vegetarian after having Corn Pop, but I decided to make an exception for Thanksgiving. We're having Thanksgiving dinner with my mom this Saturday, because it was the only time we could all get together. We're spending the actual holiday with Mr. chex's mom.

My mom's dinner will include:
turkey- cooked by mommy chex and chex's baby brother
stuffing- grandma chex's recipe, cooked by mommy chex
mashed potatoes- cooked by mommy chex
gravy- cooked by mommy chex
ginger orange squash- Apple Jack's favorite, and has been since he was 11 months old. cooked by mommy chex
green bean casserole- cooked by Froot Loop. She assists every year. She's flying solo (with supervision) this year
sweet potato casserole- cooked by chex
baked mac 'n' cheese- made by chex because she has picky children
homemade cranberry sauce- attempted by chex the day before, and will be left behind if it sucks
orange rolls- grandma chex's recipe, most likely cooked by mommy chex, unless someone else gets to it first
chocolate cream pie- made by chex's stepdad
pumpkin pie- made by chex
apple pie- made by mommy chex


My mother-in-law's dinner will likely include:
turkey
"dressing" (it's stuffing, goddamn it, but they call it dressing)
gravy
mashed potatoes
acorn squash
broccoli with cheese
cranberry sauce from a can
brown and serve rolls
a few pies (pumpkin, apple, or cherry)
possibly a cheesecake

[Shay]

I am having two Thanksgivings this year. Thanksgiving day will be at my "Mom's" place (not my real mom - we don't talk). Then that following Sunday, we will have another Thanksgiving at my buddy Ted's place.

Mom's typically includes:
Amazingly juicy turkey
Amazingly delicious ham
Homemade mashed potatoes
Cheesy hashbrown potatoes
Corn
Homemade stuffing
Homemade turkey gravy
Homemade white dinner rolls
Homemade cheese ball (best cheese ball ever)
Fruit and vegetable tray
Various fruit and vegetable salads
Chocolate cream pie
Cheesecake
Brownies
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin bars made by yours truly

This is the first time we are doing Thanksgiving at Ted's place.
So far we plan to have:
Fried turkey marinated for 36 hours
Homemade mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole made by yours truly (freaking LOVE this stuff)
Sweet potato casserole
Corn
Spinach, strawberry, and blueberry salad
Vegetable tray
Cheese ball made by "Mom" (best cheese ball ever!)
Cheesecake
Pumpkin bars made by yours truly
And I know there's more but I can't remember off the top of my head.

[chex]

Ooh, a veggie tray is a good idea, since my mom's dinner won't be until 5. (gotta wait for everyone to get out of work.) Maybe I'll pick one up on my way there.

[Mouse]

I only just saw this now! My family does the whole turkey dinner thing on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
We had:
- Turkey
- Stuffing
- Mashed Potatoes (smothered in the bestest gravy in the world - made by moi)
- Asparagus
- Salad
- Corn & Carrots ('cause sis' kids won't eat asparagus)
- Pumpkin Pie

For me, it's not so much about the turkey, it's the potatoes, stuffing, corn & gravy all mixed together in a mushy tasty pile on my plate!

chexy, Ginger Orange Squash and Sweet Potato Casserole sound TASTY! My family never gets fancy like that LOL

[chex]

They're easy to make. The sweet potatoes are peeled, cut up, boiled, and mashed (I whip them with beaters) with butter, cream, and brown sugar, then poured into a casserole dish, topped with marshmallows and baked until the marshmallows are browned and toasty.

This is the squash:

1 butternut squash, about 4 lbs
2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Puncture squash several times with a knife or fork and place on microwaveable plate. Cook on high for 5 minutes.cut into quarters, remove seeds and pulp. Return to plate, cut side down. cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 7 minutes. Turn over, microwave on high for 6-8 minutes or until soft. Scoop out squash and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve hot.

My mom said she was going to try making stuffing balls in addition to the regular stuffing. More stuffing is always a good thing.

I just made the cranberry sauce. I used orange juice instead of water, and threw a cinnamon stick onto the pot while it was cooking. It's a little thin, but hopefully it will thicken in the fridge. The flavor is great though.

[chex]

The cranberry sauce thickened nicely. I pushed it through a strainer, so there aren't any skins in it. I've been snacking on the skins all afternoon.

[Shay]

Vegetable tray and cheese ball are definitely great ways to go when waiting for everyone to show up. We typically have about twenty mouths to feed at my "Mom's" place, and of course everyone is never there on time, myself included. So it's all about the little munchies until everyone arrives and all the food is finished. Usually still taking time to finish up the rolls, cut the ham and turkey, and whip up the homemade whipped cream for the pies.

[chex]

I made the pie last night, and the sweet potatoes today. Froot Loop made her green bean casserole, too. (Well, the marshmallows and the fried onions will be added tomorrow.)

I did not make the mac 'n' cheese because I'm a slacker. Maybe I'll get to it tonight.

Or maybe I'll just snack on the cheese.

[chex]

We may have 12 people eating at my mother-in-law's dinner (plus two nurslings) so I'm bringing food. I made cranberry sauce yesterday, so we won't have the canned stuff. Froot Loop is making her green bean casserole again (MIL was very impressed that FL makes it!). I'm making pumpkin pies today, and sweet potatoes tomorrow. I'm thrilled that there will be more traditional foods, and that evil sister-in-law hopefully won't keep thinking of me as a useless lump who can't do anything.

[bella]

Your sister in law can go and get lost, you can cook.

Hopefully we will have a Thanksgiving feast at my friend's this weekend, with a big bird, gravy, mashed potatoes, some green veggies, garlic mayonnaise, stuffing and some cake.

[Shay]

I am making pumpkin bars tonight and have a special gift for you all.

[Wesley]

I made two kinds of crispy treats to snack on while dinner is being prepared, and two (maybe three!) sweet potato pies!

[bella]

We had a great turkey dinner yesterday with mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, stuffing and cheesecake for dessert. And oreos.

[chex]

My mom and I agreed that we need new food at Thanksgiving this year, so I've been looking up recipes. Froot Loop has declared herself a vegetarian, so I'm going to make a small batch of vegetable gravy for her. I wasn't able to go back to a vegetarian diet, but I'm damn proud of her for giving it a shot.

I'm going to try making candied oranges with cranberries (in addition to the homemade cranberry sauce). I think I may do some steamed broccoli and cauliflower so we have something a little healthier.

Throw some ideas at me guys!

[Shay]

Pumpkin bars!!

[chex]

Actually I was considering making them instead if a pumpkin pie. My stepdad said it doesn't matter to him as long as there's a pumpkin dessert. Maybe I'll make both. There should be a lot of people there. My crew, mom, stepdad, four brothers and a brother's girlfriend. Possibly stepdad's sisters. Yeah that warrants at least three pies and some pumpkin bars of win.

[Shay]

I want pictures of the little ones trying the pumpkin bars. :D

[chex]

Will do!

As long as I remember.