So sorry,CBB. I could totally see my own H ruining what should be a fun time over issues such as yours. H is way into very solemn church weddings. He thought there was too much laughter at the Back yard same sex wedding we attended last month.
I decided to take the easy way out and just ordered most of the Thanksgiving dinner sides. I have a feeling most of it will taste better than if I had made it from scratch! Got a late Wednesday evening delivery time so I don’t have to crowd my refrigerator until the last minute.
I feel much less anxious now. Last year we had just moved here and the moving van had just arrived, so we went out to eat. I guess we could have done the same this year, but I’m looking forward to having a nice meal at home. Too bad I have to make it happen!
I’ve been traveling a lot this month, but am checking in because I know this group does entertaining well and I’ve been following as able. We told our daughter to invite some friends up for Thanksgiving, and it seems she pretty much invited her whole lab. Some are vegetarian, some vegan. I don’t have a final count yet, although I suspect we will not get all eighteen or however many she asked! Hope not, because I’m out of town til Tuesday evening, and will pretty much cook it all on Wednesday & Thursday …
oregon, are the snap peas raw in your appetizer?
and kmc, if you won’t do gnocchi again, you can be sure I won’t try them! But I have scouted out some vegan/vegie recipes if needed …
Z, yes. If you have a trader Joe’s buy 2-3 bags, their toasted sesame oil. You
might have to pop into a Penzy’s or grocery store for the black sesame seeds but in a pinch either leave them out or or just use toasted ones.
My app. for 15 is to take a big bowl of crostini (Costco), many many cut up cherry tomotoes (tossed with balsamic and olive oil) a platter of brie and goat cheese and pesto and anything
else I think of --also a bowl of seperated endive–for all to make up their own app.
Taking a few Buffalotto cheeses–score 6-8 times and drizzle with a really good balsamic. Interactive and covers many bases. Act like a salad.
NO chips and dips!
Ok–Vegan is the most difficult and so would consider ordering from a place like whole foods.
Veggie–I use to make broccoli and mushroom strudel–but loads of work. I think I would make a roasted butternut
squash pasta–probably find a good one on Foodnetwork.
If you have Gluten free you could do a portion of the pasta with gluten free pasta.
BUY Gluten free pie and bread as welll as vegan–not worth your time to bake.
I am also taking a simple Winter Slaw from Contessa–the dressing needs a little more zing so I will improvise but it is a beautiful dish to look at. It has kale, radicchio, and brussel sprouts–all raw with a lemon and olive oil dressing. H thought bland so I might add some mustard. So this fits every catagory possible for your crowd. Make lots as it goes fast!
We are having dinner at a good friend’s house. She is a terrible cook and I do not like most T-day foods anyway.
Oh well, all will still be fun.
One thought–even though you might be cooking for 4 veggies and 10 not!–well! everyone will eat the veggie–so prepare for 14 veggie servings.
A veggie friend of D’s was with us for a few night last week and we had this very discussion. As a previous veggie for 35 yrs both of us
have found that everyone helps themselves and sometime we have gone without! She is PG so I made a grilled marinated tofu with a stir fry.
Z–I can tell you the tofu recipie if you want–it can be grilled or baked.
Wish I was eating at your house :-*
km–I was so wowed by your menu. I also believe it tasted great even if some texures were off.
I will bet it was pretty also
CBB–I felt an anxiety attack coming on in your behalf. NO! Please let your
H get on board. Clearly he has no idea the damage he can do if he does
not. Hugs and good thoughts sent your way.
I nearly enstranged S and Dil whe G’son was born (this kid was raised of BC info for gads sake!)
But in the end our
opinions are not what their
choices are about so we let go and move one. They will with us or without us–your H needs to understand this!
Good Morning, Feeling a bit down this AM. Talked with S this weekend, he isn’t feeling great and of course will not be home for Thanksgiving which is a big thing in our house. I know he is homesick, so that makes me sad. He will be home in 3 weeks and I can’t wait.
Good luck CBB!
Did our Thanksgiving this past Sat. Will be at MILs on Thanksgiving and will go out for dinner with all of H’s brothers and their wives. Not something I look forward to at all. We however had a great time this weekend with the kids and GS.
I was able to briefly get the new machine set up and threaded. Sewed a couple of practice seams. Just several things that I need to get used to before really doing anything good.
Did a bit of Christmas shopping with H which sort of ate into the time that I planned on sewing but glad that I got to it.
Hugs, FG. Glad he will be home in 3 weeks.
I realized I haven’t even thought about appetizers. And I also realized that besides H & me, my other Thanksgiving guests are all guys from age 20 to 25. And I know for certain 2 of the 3 think chips and dip is a great appetizer.
I have a blood test later this morning and I have to fast. Usually I’m not that hungry in the morning. Of course this morning my stomach is growling!
Good morning, all. It is wonderful to be back in the office after 5 days with my mother. I need to sleep for a couple of days…it’s just such an emotional beating being there. She’s so negative about everything. Yes, it is terrible to be old and blind and lonely…but she makes no attempt to make the best of it, to be grateful that she’s still in her own house, not in a nursing home, etc. I’m going to be paying her bills from now on…which she cried about. Believe me, it’s not something I want to do! This is all just a huge lesson in how not to be when you’re old and how alienating extreme self-pity is. (Okay, I’m aware that the foregoing 5 lines were written from my own self-pity. Please don’t be alienated. I promise I’ll stop.)
Both daughters will be home tomorrow…so not ready! But it will be great to have everyone at home.
My H’s mother was like this as well MP. We MADE her move into a retirement community (apartments) and sell her home. She is SO much better off and LIKES it. Of course we KNEW that she would be better off but she did not want to sell her house. This community is just so good for her. There is a dining hall that she pays for meals at but she can go and eat with friends that she has made since moving in and not eat alone every night. They have a dr there, a hairdresser, movie nights, etc. Just so much better than being in her old home. I know that it was a big move for her but she didn’t need a 3 bedroom house and all the maintenance of it (lawn mowing, gardening, plowing) even though the maintenance was contracted out. She is also HAPPIER which is better in the long run for us. 
Maybe something that would benefit your mother?
RM, of course it would benefit my mother, but she claims that she couldn’t handle a multi-family situation. She doesn’t want to hear other people’s noise, smell their cooking, etc. She claims she would much prefer being totally alone in her house than to be in an apartment near other people. She truly doesn’t like most other people. (Yes, that is how you end up totally alone.) What she really wants to happen is for my sister to move in with her. What a disaster that would be!
MIL had the same sort of “excuses”. She is religious and this is run by the sisters of St. Joseph so it “fit” so to speak. She like living with some of the retired sisters now. MIL has also lost most of her eyesight. Had the services for the blind come in and they set her up with a reading machine which does make her life better also. Also large numbered clocks, cooking utensils, etc. Again she didn’t want it but she is benefiting from it.
RM, think we are close to persuading Mom to provide her SSN to the state services for the blind, so they can set her up with things to improve her life. I keep tell her that the state will provide these things for free. I know that she would much prefer that I buy her whatever she needs than to have to give anyone her SSN.
BTW, speaking of SSNs, I looked though the stack of cancelled checks that Mom had saved from my old college checking account. How times have changed…my Social Security Number is actually printed on the checks!!!
I’m old. Just decided that I miss the “old days”. I don’t want to see the black Friday adds before Thanksgiving. I want the Thanksgiving paper and the ability to look over the adds and PLAN what I want to do and where I want to go for black Friday. I don’t want to see them all before. I also want people to be nice and pleasant shopping on black Friday. I know too much to ask anymore. I did enjoy going out when my kids were younger and I had fun - people were pleasant and there was no one pushing, shoving, etc. People would hand you things in the toy aisle if you couldn’t get through. I just miss the “old days”. I also don’t think that stores should be open on Thanksgiving. Why does one need to shop that day? I just don’t get it.
I’m just glad we will have both kids. This year, ShawD is going to stay with us instead of going back to her place. So from Wed-Sun, we’ll have both kids. We will go see some movies (Spotlight, the finale of the Hunger Games, probably – any other suggestions?).
ShawD called yesterday. She didn’t have school or work – I wonder if that is because it is a school (even though it is residential). She didn’t know what to do as she has been working for school or work constantly for months and decided to go shopping at TJ Maxx. ShawWife suggested she head to yoga class or the gym.
There are several movies I’d like to see - I think Brooklyn looks good, and I’d like to see Spotlight and maybe Suffragette. S is a huge Rocky fan and wants to see Creed. And S noticed years ago that our 70s soup mugs are in the Rocky II movie.
I would love to see Brooklyn, Suffragettes and/ or Trumbo. Hopefully will have time to see one of those with D as H and I have totally different taste in movies. We saw the new Bond film, he enjoyed it and I fell asleep!
Younger D will arrive home at about 1:30 pm and older D will arrive at about 1:30 am. We will have Son and his fiancé all day on Thanksgiving (her family always celebrates on Saturday.)
We will be at MILs minus our children. For the last 30+ years we have been at MILs. Would love to not be some year but I don’t see that happening yet.