<p>We live in south Florida but every other year we join my father in law and his wife for Thanksgiving in Sequim, Washington (about 2 hour drive west of Seattle). The 9 plus hour trip is grueling (even with the 6 hour nonstop flight out of Miami) for such a short visit (Wednesday morning to Saturday night redeye home) but it is sure worth it. My step mother in law is an amazing cook (she could write her own cookbook) and we do not get to spend enough time with my children’s only living grandfather. Time is precious at this stage of the game. FIL is in charge of the Turkey (made outside on the grill) and the stuffing. Step MIL makes appetizers, side dishes, gravies, and at least 6 different desserts. YUMMY. D, a sophomore in college, will fly out alone and (hopefully our carefully coordinated flights will work out) we will meet at SeaTac. Kid’s love their rare chance to put on down jackets. We always make time to visit Heartbreak Ridge so kids can play in the snow(big thrill for Florida born children)!</p>
<p>My son’s gf’s family deep fries the turkey. They are from South America; I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it, but I’d sure like to taste it! I’ve heard a lot about it. Anyone else had deep fried turkey?</p>
<p>My husband did - our first thanksgiving at our new house with 20 people. It was very good. But it’s never to be tried again.</p>
<p>^^^ Are you talking about the deep fried turkey? Why never to try again? I’m envisioning afteraffects… 
</p>
<p>Yes, deep fried turkey. We had to do it outside (freezing), and I thought it was too dangerous.</p>
<p>Shared dinner with friends. A group of us without instate family have been having Thanksgiving together, and Christmas dinner for years now, maybe 20? We alternate houses, and I’m hosting this year. We were a little sad, because one participant was obligated to go to the now instate inlaws, who luckily have decided to watch football rather than cook turkey. A big group is welcome over here, as 2 of my kids are out the country this year.</p>
<p>That sounds like a major ordeal. How did you find a pot big enough? All that grease sounds kind of dangerous!
My family will be getting together for our annual Thanksgiving party in Iowa. This year will be a little sparse, there will only be 83 of us. (I’m from a family of 12 kids) We used to go to a 4H camp in Panora Iowa, but now we stay in Des Moines at the Marriott and have meals at my sister’s house. She has an amazing 8,000 square foot house and she actually seats everyone in grand style. All of the food is home cooked and everyone helps. We spend four days together and it’s a blast. Our family has been doing this for about fifty years now and we’ve driven or flown over a thousand miles with newborn’s and portacribs, cranky teens and dogs. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The celebration starts on Wed. night. We have home made bread, mulligan stew, and salad and all kinds of cookies etc. for dessert. Thursday is brunch and dinner at 5:00. We have Turkey, wild rice stuffing, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, gravy, assorted relishes, homemade cranberry sauce, green beans, and homemade pumpkin and apple pies with fresh whipped cream for dessert. Friday starts with Uncle Larry’s famous omlets and a prime rib feast for dinner that evening. Everyone has several jobs. The elementary aged kids help set and clear the tables with the help of my sister and several older cousins. Teen boys peel potatoes, teen girls are on “chop detail.” Young woman and new “in laws” are “pot scrubbers” and the two dishwashers never stop running! There is a talent show where we get to see the dance routine that we missed at so and so’s recital and hear the latest soloist or group song. Several of us play various instruments, so a sing a long and several jam sessions are always part of the fun. We all go to the 4:00 Mass on Sat. evening and head out after breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning. We don’t buy each other gifts at Christmas or birthdays. Our big gift to each other is to show up at Thanksgiving. Sadly, this year one sister and one brother and their families won’t be able to make it. At 90 years old, my Dad will probably not be able to handle the crowd for very long. This will be our first Thanksgiving since the death of our mom last winter and she’ll definately be missed.
I hope that all of you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Sarahsmom, that sounds just like the Thanksgiving I WANT TO HAVE!!!</p>
<p>Doubleplay, Just do it! Traditions have to start somewhere. Good luck!</p>
<p>Wow, Sarahsmom. That sounds lovely. We go every year to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving and I am SO grateful I don’t have to cook that dinner! She also has a huge house with a large dining room and all the fancy serving pieces and dishes. We have an easy dinner on Wed. night and spend most of Wed. and Thurs. getting everything ready. This year there will be three college students coming in for the holiday.</p>
<p>One of our best traditions is our Thanksgiving tablecloth. We started this tradition in 1994 with a plain white linen tablecloth. Each year, everyone at the dinner signs the cloth in one color for that year. Then I embroider over each name and add the year in that year’s color. It has turned into a very touching tradition for us, seeing the children’s names and their little additions as they grew as well as the guests for each year. Two grandfathers whose names are on the cloth are gone now, but still there with us in spirit.</p>
<p>Bookiemom, that’s a wonderful tradition. Wow!</p>
<p>Thanksgiving is pretty low key here…just my little family of four. S1, the college student rarely comes home so just having him here is nice. I try to cook all his favorite things (fried okra ,anyone?)) in addition to the usual Thanksgiving fare. S2 is a senior so this will be the last T’giving he actually lives with us. We have our meal midday then the boys head off to the annual “Turkey Bowl” football game with all their h.s./college friends who are in town. I love Thanksgiving. All the travel plans and hoopla at Christmas get so stressful.</p>
<p>Deep fried turkey is really good, but be careful. Takes special equipment and careful measuring. You really have to test the amount of oil the turkey will displace (and add for the bubbling) or you have a huge grease fire on the deck. Burning down the house puts a crimp on the holiday celebrations.</p>
<p>We used to have a pre-Thanksgiving-football-game tailgate brunch with deep fried turkey as the final dish before kickoff. One of the dads would set up the fryer in the bed of his pickup truck. It was a great tradition – as long as I had a son on the team. Now, I am not going to the game just for the brunch!</p>
<p>The brunch was usually scrambled eggs and bacon and bagels and cream cheese and donuts and coffee and juice and fruit salad and hot chocolate and etc! And of course ending with the deep fried turkey … and there was always more afterwards if you weren’t going straight to Thanksgiving dinner!</p>
<p>bookiemom,
Your table cloth sounds really cool. One year one of my sisters made a “house quilt” with 13 squares, one for my parents and each of their kids. Each of the 12 kids and their families signed their square. It hangs at my parents house.
The menu does not stray much at our celebration. It’s part of the tradition, but over the years we’ve tried a couple of new potatoe recipes for the prime rib dinner and one of my sisters started bringing blueberry pies to add to the more traditional pumpkin and apple. This year I’m going to make butternut/apple soup to serve as a first course on Sat. night.
The deep fried turkey sounds yummy. We soak ours in a brine.</p>
<p>I’m spending two days with my boyfriend’s family in northern Connecticut and four with my family in New York City. I might try to convince my parents to let me spend a day or two with my high school friends in Washington (my family moved from DC to NY over the summer), but my schedule is already pretty crazy, so I’m not sure they’ll let me.</p>
<p>I do the turkey and stuffing, my wife takes care of everything else. Other than maybe some mashed potatoes and gravy though, what else do you really need on Thanksgiving?</p>
<p>The Thanksgiving meal will actually be the weekend after, because on Thanksgiving day (and a few days before) we will be in California to go to Disneyland, Universal Studios etc. DS, a sophomore in college sounds quite excited for the trip. Im not sure if he mostly wants to: not study for the week, go to Disneyland, or just be with his family, but Im glad he wants to come along.</p>
<p>DD1 is going to Florida to meet the BFs mom (!). (But he will come her for Christmas) DD2 has invited her BF here for Tgiving. </p>
<p>We have had salmon with citrus fruits and Walla Walla Sweets on the grill for Tgiving and Christmas for as long as the girls can remember. NEITHER of the BFs like salmon… Both Ds say “Too bad. They can eat rice and pie. The salmon stays.” BFs both have bartending experience and the world’s best margaritas will flow!!</p>
<p>DH goes to the golf course for a sort of “kegs and eggs” brunch on Tgiving morning. The guys all pay into a fund for needy children and bring a new coat for a kid. Then they play a little golf. He’ll be home by noon.</p>
<p>My family used to have a “turkey bowl” football game, but the injuries started to pile up and the younger guys complained that the old guys were cheaters!! “Uncle Mike was holding! etc.” These ARE the good old days!</p>
<p>Wondering if anyone has a tried and true sweet potato recipe for the holiday’s? We always…always have candied yams, but this year I would like to try something different. All recipes appreciated!</p>