An ex-pat’s lament: Thanksgiving is so weird when you are the only ones in the neighborhood celebrating it. But, fortunately, the American ambassador is hosting the annual Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Thanksgiving morning and H and I have the pleasure of singing in the choir. It’s our 3rd year to do so and it’s always a “pinch me, I’m singing in St. Pauls” moment. And later in the day, we will watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade online. But, foodwise, I’m afraid the only thing I will make will be pumpkin pie (I’ve been stockpiling Libbys pumpkin). The kids are coming home for Christmas and I will make a big turkey dinner then. And our church always has a Thanksgiving potluck on the Sunday before. Lots of turkey and dressing and delights from all over the world.
A Thanksgiving story…
In the early 1980s, W and I were newly married with no kids. After a 1st year dual Thanksgiving celebration (both sets of parents), we decided to visit a single friend of mine in NYC for the holiday. He lived in an apartment on the upper East side. He had made all the arrangements for our Thanksgiving meal, including buying a “button” turkey, stuffing fixings, etc. We watched the Macy’s parade on tv, but we could see the balloons on the other side of central park. We had gone over to the west side the night before to see the balloons being inflated and dinner.
About 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, W started to put the turkey together and discovered he had no pan to cook it in. We used the broiler pan and made built up sides and a top out of aluminum foil. Big surprise - when W opened the oven and it still had the cardboard in it from when he moved in 3 years earlier and got a new range as part of the deal. We all just about died with laughter.
We put the turkey in and planned to eat at the end of the 1st football game. Button hadn’t popped. We decided to eat at halftime. Button still hadn’t popped. We ate at the end of the 2nd football game, even though the button still hadn’t popped. 3 years wedded couple and a single guy, cooking their 1st Thanksgiving meal… We went to New York again the next year and just went out for dinner.
UMDAD I love your Thanksgiving story.
@lje62 At Trader Joes they are selling a pack of multicolored carrots. Had never seen a purple carrot before. I was contemplated putting some vegetables on skewers and roasting/grilling them in the oven.
The nomadic kid is so sick of her travels, she gladly agreed to come home for Thanksgiving! 
The domestic kid and her H are probably hosting a T-dinner for their nomadic colleagues (grad students and postdocs), so as usual, they will come here on Friday. I have not even started planning. The only thing on my radar screen is chanterelles. I will keep buying a box a week (FIFO approach) because there are no guarantee that Costco will have them close to Thanksgiving. Can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without chanterelles.
Oh, megpmom. DH, a former choirboy (and choir man,) would be so jealous. I’ll be thinking of you.
Last year, we went up to Maine and had the turkey dinner at a favorite roadside diner we usually stop at for breakfast, en route. Not great food, but still cozy. This year, D2 wants to go up but her one caveat is not eating at the diner. A couple of years ago, all our travel plans fell through at the last minute (that morning!) and we didn’t have any of the things to cook. I wandered over to the church, thinking I’d volunteer with their “community” dinner. I was surprised to see so many I knew there, not working, but just eating and being together.
Volunteering, btw, is a nice thing to do that day.
We’ll be down one for Thanksgving this year since S1 got married and lives cross country. He’ll be making his first turkey on his own this year (DIL is vegetarian so won’t be of any help). DH thinks he needs my long-distance help, but S1 thinks the internet will suffice. I told DH I had to make my first turkey once, and it turned out fine, so I think S1 can handle it too.
Volunteering is usually a great thing to do, but I know from experience that our local shelters have so many people wanting to volunteer on holidays that they are swamped. Double check with your local facilities!
DH and I are going to share Thanksgiving dinner with friends–at their house, which will be nice. We’ve gone there for dessert for years, so I know there will be five or six pies (from Portland’s Lauretta Jean’s Pie Shop, which is AMAZING). Both kids have “other plans” which don’t involve us. I am running a 5K Thanksgiving morning with a friend and then spending the rest of the weekend at dog agility events while DH is busy with our biggest sales weekend of the year. Hoping REI’s customers come shop with us instead 
^^BB: I like every vegetable there is EXCEPT mushrooms! But my H likes them and many other people do…so at Thanksgiving it’s usually in a separate dish. I LOVE roasted Brussels Sprouts, roasted Beets, well actually anything roasted except mushrooms!
HImom: relish sounds wonderful. Rind and all, huh?
For many years our family volunteered. But as you said, it was very well staffed inside the social halls. We instead helped with delivering meals to elderly, sick, in firmed…people that were home bound. It’s needed all year 'round, not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Yes, we’ve done meal delivery… You’re right many places have enough vols. Or have the dinner before Thursday.
And that relish is divine. I’ve added some kind of liquor, maybe it was triple sec.
Yes, the rind gives the cranberry relish extra texture and a nice kick. I was surprised how easy it was, even without a food processor! We generally cook for all ages, including young kids, so we tend not to add alcohol.
I work this year, and typically on those years have dinner with friends. However, D is here in town for grad school, and has invited any “orphans” in her class. Perhaps one has responded so far. Her dedicated cook of a sig other is flying in and the Ds will cook dinner with him. Knowing him, he’ll run the show and it will be wonderful. I will bake pies the evening prior, make some cranberry sauce, and set the table.
To the OP, I sometimes make a rustic apple tart. You can easily do this with boxed pie crust, though home made of course is better. Lay out a crust on foil or parchment on a cookie sheet, cut up apples, mix in a little lemon juice, add cornstarch or flour, sugar and spices, or use proportions from an apple pie recipe. Dot with butter, fold up the crust around the apples, brush with beaten egg and bake. Cortlands are my favorite cooking apple. This might make the right size pie for the two of you, plus a bit of left over for the next day. Here is a recipe and photo, though they belabor the crust excessively in this recipe. ww.finecooking.com/recipes/rustic-apple-cinnamon-tart.aspx
Personally, I consider Thanksgiving week to be pumpkin pie week, and we have left overs for days.
“We generally cook for all ages, including young kids, so we tend not to add alcohol.”
^^^Somewhat of an unrelated question, but maybe someone can help me out. I always assumed that the alcohol part cooks down/out, if you are cooking with it. I don’t drink (nor cook with alcohol), but if the alcohol doesn’t cook out when used in cooking, it’s definitely going to make me more careful about eating something that someone else may have prepared with alcohol.
When I made it, you don’t cook it, it’s a raw food. And yes, one of my girls won’t have anything to do with alcohol, so we just split this into two bowls, one with, one without. But I have to say, with the rind and tart cranberries, this doesn’t need alcohol. Not at all. It’s bold enough. I was experimenting.
Has anyone tried this recipe of making apple roses? Maybe this is something my daughter could do.
I think we would have to do a couple trials to make sure this comes out right.
http://tiphero.com/baked-apple-roses/
Raclut, those roses look delicious! What a great idea. I am definitely trying this!!
I think the apple blossoms would look nice served with a scoop of ice cream.
Everyone please feel free to share any interesting recipes you find.
I’ve seen those but not made them.
I’d be interested in new beet dish if anyone has tried anything lately.
Wow, raclut, now you have me started. :x
I still don’t know if we’ll be home but could do that and the D who will be available loves apples. I had considered this http://simmerandboil.cookinglight.com/2015/08/12/hasselback-apples-recipe/
I know I said this years ago, but anyone else love sweet potatoes without all the goop and doctoring? We just add salt or lemon pepper. The first time DH made them so simply, it was a revelation.
I wonder if you could do the roses with red beets. maybe a different preserves and the right beet spice instead of cinnamon. Then it’s a side, not dessert.
Probably steam them first.