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We kept it simple this year because we were cooking at my house and bringing it to my mother’s house 1 1/2 hours away.
Last week, as I contemplated what might be easy to cook and transport, I recalled a Thanksgiving 5 years ago when my son was in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. We hadn’t expected him to be released in time for Thanksgiving, so we had no food in the house and no plans (other than to be at the hospital with him). Improbably, his doctor sprung him, and we rejoiced! On the way home, we bought some rotisserie chickens from Vons, a box of potato flakes for cheater mashed potatoes (with a few quick tweaks from the pantry!), some fresh broccoli (to steam in the microwave), and a pie (horrors, the Pie Lady of Malibu bought a pie? Yesssss, and lived to tell about it!).
It was the best Thanksgiving, EVER!
With that memory in mind, we tried to keep it relatively simple this year. We were delighted to be at the table with my mother and my husband’s parents. We counted our blessings to be able to have them all there.
Appies
- Cheeses – Truffle; Havarti with Dill; Brie (prediction: leftover truffle cheese will make a fantastic grilled cheese sandwich!)
- Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms (very good! Sort of a ponzu flavor. Advice: cut down on crushed red pepper to 1/2 teaspoon)
- Cracker assortment
- Spinach Balls
Main
- Roast Chicken (opted for ease because dinner was cooked one place and brought to another place. I couldn’t imagine putting a whole roast turkey in my trunk!)
- Gravy
- Herb Stuffing with Raisins
- Peas
- Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Garlic and Dill
- Best Ever Cranberry Sauce–Hall of Fame version
- Rustic Chunky Applesauce
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Red Onion, Lemon and Pecorino (this was a revelation! Those who loved it really, really loved it!)
Dessert
- Pumpkin Pie!
??? What did you serve for Thanksgiving???
The menfolk fished while the womenfolk rustled up the grub
Welcome to my kitchen!
At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Dorothy,
I really enjoyed this post and the pictures!! Sounds like you did an amazing job planning a transportable Thanksgiving feast!
So, what was on our menu?
Appies: Cheese, grapes and crackers
Cocktails: Pomegranate Royale and Kir Royale
Dinner:
Caesar Salad
Greens with fresh berries, feta and raspberry vinaigrette
Herb Roasted Turkey with Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes Hashed in Cream
Yams and Apples with a Streusel Topping (gotta get this recipe from my cousin, it rocked!!)
Cranberry sauce
rolls
Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Tarte Tatin
Ice Cream Cake (can’t celebrate a Thanksgiving Bday w/o it!)
Oh yeah, Nancy, I need the recipes for Pomegranate Royale, Yams and Apples with Streusel Topping, and your Ice Cream Cake! Your entire menu sounds YUM!
We had spinach balls too! And about fourteen other things…I got a little carried away.
Hi Dorothy, What a great looking group of smiling faces! That tells me everything was delicious as I knew it would be.
Our meal was also lovely, while we are far from home we still were among friends and had a great Meal ~
My Menu
Baked Pesto Cream Cheese Melt with 6 Italian Cheese Blend and chopped Tomaotes
Balsamic Stuffed baked Mushrooms
Roasted Brined Turkey
3 Bread Stuffing with , Mushrooms, Raisins and Pecans
Celery Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
Baked Sweet Potato Wedges with Brown Sugar, Rum and Butter Glaze, sprinkled with Toasted Pecans
Green Bean Casserole ( Using a Homemade Mushroom Soup)
Cranberry Chutney with Pineapple and Raisins
I offered a small cookie tray as One of our friends bought a Pumpkin Pie.
The Cookie Tray
Pecan Crisps
Lemon Pecan Wafers
Janie, your menu sounds DEELISH! I love seeing what other people ate!
Dorothy, Wish I had seen this before I had to transport Thanksgiving to my mother’s…unplanned turn of events. After feeling really prepared to have my entire family here again this year, a series of events made it very difficult for everyone to drive the 1 1/2 hours here so we moved everything to my mom’s to accomodate the majority. 18 lb. bird cooked in a brown in bag and not opened until we reached the farm, 2 different stuffings, 2 different gravies, assorted pies, yams, rice, potatoes, beans, cranberry sauces……..my Cayenne became a catering wagon!!!! When Lea received the sentence that she has to be gluten-free (hopefully temporary), she was sad to miss her favorite holiday meal. Unable to tolerate seeing a sad child, particularly my own, I set out on a mission to make the perfect GF gravy, stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pies…..thus, 2 separate Thanksgiving dinners! But, oh my, the GF offerings were so incredibly wonderful that they were the hit of the day! (Stuffing made with GF frozen waffles is amazing!!!! Should you blog GF recipes, I’ll be happy to share my new-found knowledge with you!) Thanksgiving was saved for everyone and nary a drop spilled in my SUV on the way there. Best of all, there was nothing left over to transport home save for just enough turkey for a couple of sandwiches! Perfect!!! Enjoy your holidays and thanks for all the wonderful recipes! Keep ’em coming…..Sonda
Sonda,
Oh my Gawd! What an adventure! You get the prize for flexibilty and cunning, on several counts! Yes, please, we would all love to hear your amazing gluten-free stuffing made from frozen waffles!