# Thanksgiving!



## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

What's everyone doing? 

I'm having it at my house for the first time this year. My wife has a huge family, but most won't be in town and my family is so small it makes no sense to travel to see them, just make them cone to me! 

All in all I should have about 15 people at my house and I'm doing 99% of the cooking. 

I'm glad I spent all those years in the kitchen with my grandmother learning how to do this.


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## robopetz (Oct 16, 2012)

Every year since I was little it was always at my grandmas house. The whole family goes (about 30+- people) and my grandma cooks majority of the food but certain people always brought certain things every year. Like for me I've always baked pumpkin pudding bread.


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

Well, we are having a peaceful Holiday. My Mother is traveling to my brother's house, so we don't get stuck going to her house. His Mother changed her mind and is not coming. Deep sigh of relief. She "visited" for a weekend with his sister in September and that weekend is now being called "The Weekend That We Do Not Speak Of....."

So this year we have invited his father and his fathers' girlfriend/new wife. They are the only leg of the family that we LOVE to get together with and have fun with no moaning, bi&ching, BS-ing, Family Drama-ing etc, etc. Thanksgiving is my time to shine.

I have already started by using the few eggs I have this time of year to make the home made egg noodles. I will then start to bake bread this weekend for the stuffing. I cube it and let it dry and make two kinds of stuffing. One is the kind that I grew up with and the other is the kind that HE grew up with. I will also be making a vegetarian stock this weekend (the whole meal will be vegetarian friendly except the turkey and turkey gravy).

Then, the week will play out with bread baking, making pumpkin pie and apple pie, brining the turkey. Then my lovely mashed potatoes, oven roasted sweet corn, of course Pennsylvania Dutch noodles (usually made with turkey stock, but will make with a portabello mushroom stock), cast iron brown sugar sweet potatoes, for the vegetarian I am making a roasted kale, bean and squash casserole dish and mushroom gravy. Turkey gravy for the rest of us.

Of course homemade dinner rolls, I'm making cloverleaf this year and dill rolls as well. Homemade pumpkin and apple pie, and a chocolate cream pie (my personal favorite). I will also have our home canned sweet apple cider as well.

I serve dinner on my homemade plates (from my pottery years) and homemade cups, so everything on the table is homemade by ME. 

Thanksgiving is one meal that I excel at. I'm a trained Chef, and a professional Baker. It takes me all week to put it together, but it's my absolute favorite meal of the entire year! If we do get stuck going to my Mother's house then I make the whole spread for the weekend after Halloween, her cooking isn't so spectacular and my family doesn't want to miss out on my cooking.


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## robopetz (Oct 16, 2012)

Wow Roslyn! Where the invitation? Hahaha I'm kidding. Sounds like a delicious blast though!


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

robopetz said:


> Wow Roslyn! Where the invitation? Hahaha I'm kidding. Sounds like a delicious blast though!


Haha. A certain member of my family doesn't even get my Thanksgiving now. It's too much work to have someone complain about this or that (my Mother). 

My Thanksgiving is a morph of the one my Grandmother made when I was growing up and the one that my husband's Great Aunt made when he was growing up. Before his Aunt died I asked both her and his mother (a kitchen helper that day) over and over how the stuffing, noodles and sweet potatoes were made. I would get vague descriptions, but nothing specific. Not that they didn't want to tell me, I just don't think they know how to explain every step verbally. So over the years I put my knowhow in the kitchen to making these dishes.

Yes, I am now fully successful and my sweet potatoes last year were declared to taste just like the Great Aunts!! My stuffing (always in the bird) tasted exactly like hers. The noodles are mine. I have no clue how she made hers, so that dish I gave up on and I make mine. Honestly, I really like mine more than hers. SSshhhhhh.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

I'm lucky, no one complains in my family, especially about the cooking. 

My Brother is going to come down and help me out in the morning. I've been teaching him to cook for a few years now. 

The question is is he up for the challenge, or am I? It's going to take time ti explain things, but he says he will stand there quietly and be my extra hands.


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## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

Boy what a lucky wife Austin!!! I am doing no cooking. Off to my parents for early Thanksgiving lunch since my sister has to head back for home (6 1/2 hour drive for her) early afternoon. Then its back to home for dinner at my in-laws. I love no-cook days.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

Thanksgiving ... We will deer hunt that morning, then go to my daughters house for "Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner" ... then back home to the woods again ... 

For dinner we (about 20 people) all bring a covered dish ... mine is always the same ... deviled eggs, potato salad, macaroni salad and rolls & honey oat bread.

Hope one and all has a great day!


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## kahiltna_flock (Sep 20, 2012)

We have been the only ones in the family who have room for everyone, not to mention I love to cook, so big family meals are always at my house. This will probably be the last holiday season with all my kids together so I am going to cherish it. Both of my son in laws have joined the air force so they will be who knows where next year. There will probably be 15-20 people. A big turkey and a ham. All the traditional dishes. I like to cook all kinds of food but we leave thanksgiving dinner traditional.


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## kahiltna_flock (Sep 20, 2012)

Getting a head start on the baking. The husband has a party at work tomorrow. Pies, pies, and sweet potatoes.....


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## Chickadee (Oct 15, 2012)

Because of our family situation, we attend three different meals. One will be on Thanksgiving Day about 65 minutes away, one on Sunday about 30 minutes away, and probably one Saturday night nearby. The daytime ones will be traditional Thanksgiving fare; turkey, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserolepecan pie, pumpkin pie, coconut cake, fresh yeast rolls, etc. My job is to make the pies and green bean casserole. I am supplying the smoked turkey for one of the meals also.


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## Mamachickof14 (Aug 28, 2012)

*Thanksgiving here...*

Thanksgiving here is all about deer hunting. Dinner will be at 1:00PM...by then all the boys (4 sons and a hubby) will be in from their morning hunt..and starving! Time for a nap and then back out for the evening hunt! Breakfast that morning is at 5:00Am...Thats my husbands job! This year I think a couple of the boys will be going to the wifes family...thats OK. We share! We have the traditional turkey ,mashed potatoes, gravey, rolls, cranberries etc. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Jen


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

We've made our final plans. We're going to travel to the city for a movie at the theater, probably "Lincoln" and then to a early dinner at a restaurant that offers a huge buffet. Despite the loss of my beloved father last month I am feeling very blessed and fortunate this year. I hope to single out a couple or family (preferably a veteran or elderly couple) and pay for their meal while we pay for ours (to make up for not being able to send my dad anything). 
Hubby believes we should then return to the theater and see a second movie - we have very different tastes in movies - but I'm fairly certain we'll be stuffed and ready to make the hour trip home for an early bedtime.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

Anyone else have plans?


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## BootedBantam (Aug 31, 2012)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING CHICKEN LOVERS!! I am having early dinner with my two daughters, my oldest does all the cooking for me. Then off to a friends house (coop 2) with a ham and homemade cheesecake. Hope everyone has a great day!! 

I will also be making a flock block for the chickens today and giving them pumpkin, too.


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## kaufranc (Oct 3, 2012)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my 
Crazy Chicken Lovers!


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## robopetz (Oct 16, 2012)

Happy thanksgiving y'all! May you have a wonderful evening filled with friends family and lotsa food!


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## kahiltna_flock (Sep 20, 2012)

Happy happy thanksgiving everyone in chickenland!!!


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## new2coop (Jul 28, 2012)

Happy Thanksgiving!


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

Happy Thanksgiving all !!

I am enjoying my breakfast turkey sandwich. Yum. Leftovers are so much better, all the deliciousness without any work. 

Cooked for 8 hours yesterday, was exhausted by the time I sat down, but I said 3 o'clock and we ate at 3:15.  My husband's Father and his wife came for dinner. They are the last leg of the family that we can stand to be around, so dinner was lovely and lasted until almost 8 o'clock!! I'm about to do some cleaning, but I had to start with a turkey sandwich. I love Thanksgiving.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

What did everyone end up doing?


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

The best laid plans...
We headed to the city, nearly an hour away, with the intention of watching a matinee at the movies before eating an early dinner (what we call supper here in the South); leaving us plenty of time to get home before dark to do evening bird chores.
Five minutes into the movie, it was getting really good and the projector malfunctioned.  The theater manager gave everyone the choice of seeing another movie that day or getting a raincheck. None of the other movies had a start time that fit into our time schedule, so we took the rainchecks.
The meal afterwards was delicious! What really shocked me was that my husband bypassed the section of the buffet where you could get a grilled-to-order steak  and chose to eat fish with me instead. 
All in all, a good day.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

Rain check? They didn't just refund?


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Austin said:


> Rain check? They didn't just refund?


I know one man did come up to the manager and insist on a refund. He did get it. 
We just took the raincheck.


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## fuzziebutt (Aug 7, 2012)

We went to Nashville for a Granddaughter's wedding. We had a great visit, ate too much, and then came home! We stayed 2 nights at a cheapola motel (hubbo is thrifty), and came home the long way thru Amish country. Loved the Amish visit, the wedding, and the whole trip! Also glad to see my bed; it missed me!!


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

Bird_slave said:


> I know one man did come up to the manager and insist on a refund. He did get it.
> We just took the raincheck.


I just find that odd. I've never been offered a rain check before.


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