Sending good wishes to all MeFites

November 24, 2016 6:35 AM

Thanksgiving time is upon us in the US and since we all need a hug HUGS! And a reminder that many good folks are offering their homes as a place of refuge.

The offer still stands open for anyone feeling the need for hugs in Wilmington NC. Just hit my memail.

posted by mightshould to MetaFilter-Related at 6:35 AM (105 comments total)

Hope everyone has a relaxing holiday! We are off to have Thanksgiving with some friends and also total strangers. I have not yet successfully made a pecan pie but I have one last chance.

There is a December meetup in Portland, Maine if anyone needs some holiday cheer. Hot tea basically always helps.
posted by selfnoise at 6:47 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

For the first year since I've been in California, we are *not* hosting the 40-person family Thanksgiving at our house and I am SO THANKFUL. (We got nominated because the house we're in has a big open-plan central space, but we're both introverts and haaaate it and I think someone finally got the idea and suggested going back to the perfectly nice community clubhouse instead. SO THANKFUL.) So we're planning on showing up with our ducks, eating, and fleeing back to the house as soon as we reasonably can. Which sounds like a happy Thanksgiving to me.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 7:47 AM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]

Dear MeFites, I am thankful for YOU. Safe travels to all, and may your day be full of peace and pie.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:56 AM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

19 people for dinner, three more for dessert and I could not be happier! Most of the cooking is done and the turkey goes in the oven at 1:30 because we eat at dinner time like the good spaghetti monster intended!

I'm making two chocolate pies because the one I made last year went so fast I didn't get any and I had to make another one the next day. Not this year...not this year.
posted by cooker girl at 8:16 AM on November 24, 2016

Oh!! Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it and Happy Thursday if you don't. I'm grateful for each and every one of you and for the mods who keep this place humming along.
posted by cooker girl at 8:17 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it. I hope it is smooth-running and stress-free as far as possible :)
posted by Samarium at 8:48 AM on November 24, 2016

And all the many non-US members just go on with our lives as normal I guess.
posted by shelleycat at 9:07 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just my wife and my son for dinner today but then we drive to Jersey tomorrow to visit the whole family and have turkey on Saturday.
posted by octothorpe at 9:09 AM on November 24, 2016

Just me and the missus at home, Curried Carrot Soup and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans Melange. May everyone's meal be harmonious!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:14 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just the wife and I.
Whilst not apropo, thanks to mods and all MeFis and I love this line:
Like Spock in a Smock.

"...confessing that they were but strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek another country. And truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to return. But they desired a better country --"
posted by clavdivs at 9:25 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also just Spouse & I, tho my parents (where the sister, BIL & nephew will be) are local. I'm still in my hideyhole and don't know when I'll be out. Meanwhile, I'm grateful for a lot, including a family who respects my hideyhole and the TINCC.
posted by crush-onastick at 9:43 AM on November 24, 2016

Best wishes to everyone, whether at work, at home, with friends/family, or on your own. Be safe.
posted by Fizz at 10:09 AM on November 24, 2016

And all the many non-US members just go on with our lives as normal I guess.

Oh hush, y'all get more paid holidays than we do.
posted by AFABulous at 10:12 AM on November 24, 2016 [10 favorites]

I don't really have a table, but I've got a couple six packs to drink and three cats to pet if anyone in Milwaukee is bored/lonely.
posted by AFABulous at 10:13 AM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

Our Thanksgiving plans to travel to Grandma's went awry with a colicky baby and sick rest-of-family, but I was able to rustle up a totally respectable last minute Thanksgiving with an early-morning run to the grocery store. It will all be a little plain, but I've got a turkey roasting in the oven and our usual sides and a store-bought pie so I'm good to go.

I feel like maybe this is a sign of competent adulthood that I could decide at 10 a.m. I was making Thanksgiving dinner, be shopped by noon, and have it all ready by 5. Am I a competent adult? Has this finally happened?
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 10:18 AM on November 24, 2016 [18 favorites]

Spouse threw her back out a few days ago, and it was worse again this morning, so we're not driving to Baltimore for the holiday but instead staying home and eating turkey sandwiches. I found a store that was open this morning and bought some bacon, so we will also be putting bacon on our turkey sandwiches, which I guess is pretty festive under the circumstances.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:34 AM on November 24, 2016 [3 favorites]

But apparently MA blue laws actually make it illegal for grocery stores to be open on Thanksgiving morning? Which is kind of nice actually but definitely put a damper on the throw-together-a-last-minute-holiday-meal thing.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:35 AM on November 24, 2016

y'all get more paid holidays than we do.

Only those of us who have jobs.
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:35 AM on November 24, 2016

THIS IS A HUGS THREAD. IT SAYS HUGS ON THE TIN. PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT US-IANS VS NON-USIANS, UNLESS IT IS ABOUT HUGS. PLEASE HUG NOW.
posted by FirstMateKate at 10:37 AM on November 24, 2016 [40 favorites]

But apparently MA blue laws actually make it illegal for grocery stores to be open on Thanksgiving morning? Which is kind of nice actually but definitely put a damper on the throw-together-a-last-minute-holiday-meal thing.

Exactly, as I am finding out just now. Due to recent work overload I am finding myself turkey-less in Boston today, as the stores are closed and the Star Market I went to last night had been apparently ransacked by hungry goblins. And I was so looking forward to cooking some turkey tonight!

Any local Mefites wanna hope me with some secret knowledge of an open grocery store nearby? Corner stores with an illicit stash of frozen turkey legs? A hidden-away cranberry bog in somebody's victory garden??? ANYTHING??
posted by Ender's Friend at 10:43 AM on November 24, 2016

And all the many non-US members just go on with our lives as normal I guess.

In response to my posting a Star Trek Thanksgiving meme on Facebook a colleague from the UK wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. It's not really a big holiday in the UK, but in response I wished her a Happy Thanksgiving as well. I would hope that all non-US members might have something to be thankful for, and would accept well wishes from the US members during a US holiday like my colleague from Leicester did.
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:00 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Since I'm not in the States, I don't celebrate American Thanksgiving. However, it's the tenth anniversary of Mathowie's Community Blog, so that's 22 minutes of something that I can get behind today.
posted by frimble (staff) at 11:02 AM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

Y'all turkeyless folks can come on down here (or hop on a plane if necessary). There's plenty of leftovers. Mom and I just finished putting away everything and we have more than half a bird remaining! And leftovers are the best part.
posted by mightshould at 11:05 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm about to take a nap in my 4-year-old nephew's room, since I got up at 2am to pack and prepare for my 6am ferry. When I get up, there will be turkey, dressing, and a tuber bake. I'm thankful for all the hugs I've been giving and receiving over the past few weeks. (So many!) And as always, I'm thankful for this place and the people who make it.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:32 AM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]

I wimped out of Large Trumper Family Thanksgiving with a pathetic (but plausibly true) excuse about husband being on night shift. He is sleeping so the dog and I have a wide array of icy outdoor activities planned; if anyone in Anchorage wants to ice skate, go for a studded-tire bike ride or come over for scallops around 9 pm (or, you know, tiptoe silently around a chilly house with a great view at any point today) you'd be welcome.

Hugs for everyone! Thanks to the mods and members for making this my favorite place on the internet. I don't contribute all that frequently but I am very grateful this community exists.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:32 PM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

(The carrot soup recipe came with the blender I bought for the DC Ice Cream Social Meetup. Blends and cooks at the same time! Haven't tried it yet, but for the effort involved I'm sure it'll be fine.)
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:50 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanksgiving is not a thing in the UK, but we seem to have enthusiastically imported Black Friday. (Makes no sense at all! But buy things!)

I hope all those here who celebrate Thanksgiving, no matter where they're located, have as lovely a day/holiday/weekend as can be managed. Everyone needs a bit of that right now.

I am also grateful there's a MeFi full of MeFites and mods. { hugs }
posted by Ilira at 12:51 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

If your state's blue laws have you down, you can always just take out a whole canned turkey from the pantry and cook that.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:52 PM on November 24, 2016

If you want a place for turkey in Austin, drop me a note--my partner and my roommate and I have a 24-pound turkey we got for free to share between us, six cats who need snuggling, and a lemon meringue pie in the oven. It's pretty great.
posted by sciatrix at 1:08 PM on November 24, 2016 [6 favorites]

As others have said, this year, I am most thankful for our community here. More than food. Near the tail end of the SO and I finishing up a meal for us and two of the kids. Prosecco just for the two of us before the guests arrive. Peace to all, everywhere. Much love and hugs.
posted by Splunge at 1:32 PM on November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving to all MeFites! Taking it easy this year and going out to a restaurant with my parents and brother. I'm currently relaxing in a comfy chair and my family's little cat is curled up sleeping nearby. Love.
posted by capricorn at 1:36 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Any local Mefites wanna hope me with some secret knowledge of an open grocery store nearby? Corner stores with an illicit stash of frozen turkey legs? A hidden-away cranberry bog in somebody's victory garden??? ANYTHING??

Shoot, I wish I'd seen this earlier - the grocery stores are all closed but Pemberton Farms (a sort of specialty garden/food store) is open, and had the sage and salt we were hunting for this morning. Unfortunately think they closed at 3 pm, but putting this down for future reference.
posted by peacheater at 1:52 PM on November 24, 2016

I was targeting a 5:30 PM completion time for the turkey but I screwed it up, just like I do every year. I really need to set a calendar reminder for next Thanksgiving to add 1 hour to the time Alton Brown says it takes to cook the bird.

Just my wife and the kids - so family drama, which is always nice. Enjoy the day Mefites, whether it's a holiday or normal workday for you.
posted by COD at 3:09 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have turkey envy. Please post descriptions of food so I can be even more envious.
~ thanksless European
posted by Omnomnom at 3:31 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Mr Fig and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner last night in Beijing, at an expat-owned bar/grill that did a traditional meal with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and everything. We had -issues- with cabs and were extremely late to our reservation, but the owner was very gracious, and it ended up being a very nice evening. After that, we had a IRL meetup with beijingbrown at a rock show at a legendary divey music venue, which was super fun! Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember.

Happy Thanksgiving mefites! I am thankful for all of you, your humor and knowledge , and the community we have here. <3
posted by Fig at 3:51 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

There will be turkey at ours, but we are being rebels.

We were going to do goose last year. We ordered two geese from our meat guy. The pickup day arrives, and he says "Um. So. The slaughterhouse lost the geese." It wasn't clear to anyone if they successfully slaughtered the geese first or not (spoiler: they did, they turned up in the wrong freezer three months later, they were delicious.) So this year we tried to do it again, but none of our usual sources had geese, so we got ducks instead. They're *delicious*. (I pre-carved them so we could yoink all the scraps and the carcasses - it's duck fat and duck stock from here on out.)
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:08 PM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

Happy thanksgiving everyone! I'm at work and just finished a plate of nursing home turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, sweet potato and mashed turnip. It was all delicious with a healthy layer of salt.
posted by pintapicasso at 4:08 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

"I have turkey envy. Please post descriptions of food so I can be even more envious."

I made a 15# bird -- smallest one the supermarket had at 10 o'clock this morning! -- which I wrapped in a pound of bacon. The bacon bastes the bird and keeps it moist so you don't have to do ANYTHING while it cooks, and then you get to eat the delicious bacon as well as the turkey.

I only realized after we carved it that that was my first full turkey (usually I do a breast just for us, but they had no breasts left at the supermarket on Thanksgiving morning!) and I failed to take a picture, but it was pretty!

Also mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (from a CAN as God intended), green beans, bread rolls, red wine, and apple pie. Not bad for a day-of panic feast. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:25 PM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

I enjoy my cranberries with port:

2 whole oranges, minced or whatever
1.5 cups port wine
- boil together for 1 minute, strain out the biggest orange clumps
2 packages of rasperry jello (just the powder, ignore the jello directions)
2 cups of nuts (optional)
3 cans of whole berry cranberries
- Mix it all and set in the fridge

Serve on leaves of lettuce if you want to be fancy

This is a traditional recipe we had growing up, but I only learned about the port as an adult. So that's why I liked it so much.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:46 PM on November 24, 2016

This is the first Thanksgiving where I haven't gotten in a car for the whole day (we walked over to dinner at our friends' house and Jim drove up here last night) and I am stupid-thankful for that. We did all the dishes while everyone else had their post-dinner nap in front of the tv. Heroes!

Please post descriptions of food

Ours was nice and normal, no one tried to fruit it up by sticking oysters in something.

turkey
butternut squash
green beans
stuffing
rolls
gravy
cranberry relish and sauce
pumpkin pie
cake
ice cream
coffee
Fresca
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 4:50 PM on November 24, 2016 [6 favorites]

Wait, is Fresca a Thanksgiving drink? MY LIFE HAS JUST CHANGED FOR THE BETTER.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:53 PM on November 24, 2016 [7 favorites]

I enjoy my cranberries with port

I eat my peas with honey.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:55 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Fresca < Squirt
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:58 PM on November 24, 2016

Them's fightin' words.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 5:09 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

But either is acceptable.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:09 PM on November 24, 2016

I like my artificially-flavored "citrus" beverages to contain brominated esters of wood rosin.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:10 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

good enough for rats, good enough for me.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 5:28 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

Well, I finally did cook a good pecan pie. And I drank lots of whisky sours. And had a wonderful conversation with a minister and her wife and their extremely bright and happy (and Hamilton-obsessed) teenage daughter.

Now the children are in their beds and everything is very quiet. Good cheer to all.
posted by selfnoise at 5:39 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

We watched the parade and the dog show on tv and had a nice, very early dinner with a mixed batch of relatives, everybody on their best behavior and doing a good job keeping the conversation rolling. The prohibition on election-talk was respected. Maple-whiskey cranberry sauce was the revelation of the day. They've all gone, and we're almost at the point where we can start raiding the leftovers.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:43 PM on November 24, 2016

And yes, good cheer to all! Safe travels, and untroubled digestion tonight.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:48 PM on November 24, 2016

Happy Bizarro Thanksgiving you Yankee Doodles
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 5:57 PM on November 24, 2016 [3 favorites]

It's been a low stress cooking day. My mom prepared the casseroles and cheescake ahead of time. Since it was just the two of us we got things ready as it worked out. It's the first day off work for me this month so I didn't leave my house till 8 am.

Cooked a great turkey (put saved duck fat and seasonings under skin for extra goodness) and made the dressing (southern version of stuffing) and gravy. It was all delish and no pressure.

We've also made great strides towards completing assembly and decoration of her 9 ft tree. I'm finishing up a glass of wine.

Oh, and the day was beautiful: Carolina blue skys and 70 degree weather.
posted by mightshould at 6:24 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

My mom emailed me today, a total nothing email which I assume basically existed so that she could keep telling herself that I'm a bad daughter for cutting her off, not that she's a bad parent. As in, the message itself was a generic 'happy Thanksgiving, wish you were here' after our last correspondence was my telling her that I at this point did not want to ever speak to her or see her again, period, and that was approximately two weeks ago. It's made me feel unsettled and unhappy all day. Food turned out well, at least, and this is the best store-bought pie crust I can remember having, so there's that. My cats have been doing their best to be comforting.
posted by Sequence at 6:37 PM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]

I said I was skipping Thanksgiving this year but somehow I couldn't....quite....manage it. But instead of a big crowd - it's usually anywhere from 8 to 25 people depending - it was just me and my two grown kids. We all wore pajamas. I didn't clean the house. I made too much food because I don't know how to make small thanksgiving and it was just very very chill and relaxed which is exactly what we all needed this year. And there are lots of leftovers and a wonderful time was had by all.

We ate
4 Turkey tenderloins stuffed with our usual bread based stuffing
3 turkey legs & 2 turkey thighs with a vaguely Chinese glaze inspired by that NYT article linked here a little while back, it was delicious - I only eat meat maybe twice a year and it was awesome to try something totally new.
Mashed potatoes with cream cheese & roasted garlic
Creamed onions
Green bean casserole, yes, that one in all its cream of mushroom soup & fried onion glory
Cranberry relish (fresh cranberries & oranges & apples & honey & sugar both brown and white all whizzed through the food processor)
Rolls
Gravy
Apple pie and fresh whipped cream
Red wine

Then we watched movies and now I have the strength to face retail hell tomorrow morning. Happy Thanksgiving metafilter and mefites I am so so thankful for all of you as I have been for all these years but most particularly this one, right now.
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:43 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Today I am Thankful that no one in my immediate family has horrifying politics. Also, I learned that the recipe on the back of the can of Libby's pumpkin purée makes a pretty good pumpkin pie, and nobody cares if you make graham cracker crust rather than dealing with a rolled crust. Anyway, I really needed this break from stressing out about the state of the world, plus tomorrow I get to have pumpkin pie for breakfast.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:50 PM on November 24, 2016 [3 favorites]

Is it too late for Thanksgiving hugs? I was up late making lemon loaf and side dishes, my uncle died early this morning, and I am currently trapped in my living room listening to my partner's family talking VERY LOUDLY about Trump and the election (my own family is elsewhere this Thanksgiving). It is...less than ideal, although the actual cooking went off without a hitch.

i am getting so stoned when they leave
posted by Vervain at 6:54 PM on November 24, 2016 [15 favorites]

I ate too much and there are still multiple pies to work through.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
posted by rtha at 6:54 PM on November 24, 2016

I'm in the chat room, bored, what with all my unexpected free time since we didn't go to my parents' and my husband went to bed an hour ago since I gave him the colicky baby at 4 a.m.!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 7:04 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm gearing up to do a split shift (8.5 hours each) at a certain special toy store for Black Friday so my fam ate our traditional vegetarian feast early, but it was good. I am hoping to be able to put some of my earnings from this weekend aside for the Standing Rock initiatives. If y'all are heading out to shop, or even just go home, safe drives and swift journeys.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:12 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Mr. Superna & I hosted 9 family members for Thanksgiving. I used the same recipes as last year which made cooking fairly low stress, and everyone was on delightful good behavior.
All the old folks have gone home. I am now basking on the couch trying to decide if it's time for another a sliver of pie, while Mr. & his brother rock out to the new Metallica album in the basement.

Please post descriptions of food

roast turkey (brined & prepared per vintage Good Eats episode)

turkey gravy (with fresh sage & rosemary)

mashed potatoes (secret ingredient: cream cheese)

glazed carrots (ginger ale & chili powder)

dressing/stuffing (m-i-l's very central MN German recipe, contains sausage, hamburger, & ground pork. "I'd like my meat with a side of meat, please.")

pomegranate cranberry sauce (from fresh berries)

King's Hawaiian rolls

pumpkin pie with Cool Whip

apple pie with ice cream

assorted fancy chocolate dipped cookies from Costco

posted by superna at 7:21 PM on November 24, 2016

Sending hugs to you, Vervain.
posted by selfnoise at 7:23 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

We ignored tradition and cooked steaks. It was calm and lovely, and was a welcome break from all of the various dramas of the last weeks.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:24 PM on November 24, 2016 [3 favorites]

Hugs, Vervain.
posted by superna at 7:24 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just finished the Friendsgiving we hosted. We cooked:
Turkey
Cranberry chutney
Gravy
Butternut squash with goat cheese and hazelnuts
Creamy corn casserole
Green beans with caramelized pecans
Caesar salad
Stuffing
Tiramisu
Guests brought:
Mashed potatoes
Brussels sprouts slaw
Chickpea tabouli
Tarte tatin
Apple pie

A good time was had by all. I'm stuffed.
posted by peacheater at 7:44 PM on November 24, 2016

Mr. gudrun and I had a relaxed day (he has a cold so we took it easy), and then went out to dinner.

I had:
AUTUMN SALADE (Grilled kabocha squash & Fuji apples, baby kale, pumpkin seed granola, shaved manchego, hazelnut vinaigrette)
FREE RANGE ORGANIC TURKEY, Traditional stuffing, pommes puree, vegetables, giblet gravy, cranberry
PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE, Coconut sorbet, chai spice “pie crust”

Mr. gudrun had:
CRISPY CHICKEN SALADE (Frisee, grilled onions, egg, arugula, fennel, red wine vinaigrette)
GRILLED FILET MIGNON, Cauliflower puree, Swiss chard, cipollini onions, walnuts
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, Vanilla bean cranberry sauce, salted butter wafer, buttermilk ice cream

It was all very tasty and they gave me so much turkey I was able to take leftovers home for sandwiches tomorrow and to treat the cat.
posted by gudrun at 7:46 PM on November 24, 2016

Hugs to you, Vervain. I blow smoke through the tubes to you.
posted by rtha at 7:48 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I made an abomination: the stuffing wasn't great so I formed it into patties, dipped them in egg and breadcrumbs, and pan fried them. A+

Everything else was awful. F-

Thank you MetaFilter and MeFites and also thank you person/family who gave their cat up for adoption so he could come to me. You must be awesome to have raised such a happy kitty, and I'm sorry for whatever made you have to give him up.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:57 PM on November 24, 2016 [10 favorites]

I'm glad that the mother-in-law had a no politics rule, and we went to see Moana before father-in-law could get too frustrating. I only side-eyed once during dinner, which is good for me.

But! Moana was lovely and fun, and the cooking went off wonderfully. We had corn casserole, stuffing, turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, kale salad, rum cake, and um, yeah, I think that's it. The food is always good. I made the last four dishes, which is a personal Thanksgiving best for me. I have enough leftover turkey for soup AND enchiladas, so yay for that.

(Go see Moana.)
posted by PearlRose at 8:01 PM on November 24, 2016

I had the early "fuck it" Thanksgiving with my parents and aunt on Saturday, so today was a lay-around-doing-nothing day. I'd picked up a package of pre-marinated turkey tenderloins, my parents sent me home with two bags of cranberries (they oversee the family bog) and I got a metric ass-ton of sweet potatoes in the CSA, so I made those and my roommate made a pumpkin-lentil-curry stew. She also hacked this appetizer course of tiny butternut squash halves, roasted and stuffed with sour cream and pesto, which I'm bookmarking.

No pie- she's celiac and I'm lazy. She had some gluten-free cookies and I found a single-serve microwave lava cake mix thing in the back of the pantry and ate that.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:05 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

Weird Thanksgiving. First Thanksgiving since my mom died...I tried to figure out how many Thanksgivings I hadn't spent with her and I think there were maybe five or so and I'm 43. So, just different and weird but not bad. Any other year I would have just shifted my Thanksgiving activities to going to my Aunt's (mom's sister) BUT she and my uncle were leaving for a cruise this morning so we had dinner last night. A couple of my friends invited me to their meals BUT to me it felt like I'd be being invasive. Two days ago I decided to cook dinner for just me and my dad. It was cheaper to buy a 12lb turkey than a turkey breast so there's about 10lbs of turkey left. I also managed to go way overboard on stuffing and mashed potatoes. I just don't have the ability to make reasonably sized holiday meals. BUT I'm super excited about having turkey juice and turkey bones and turkey turkey to freeze and use later.

My dad prayed before we ate and the first 2/3 of it rhymed and 1. I managed not to laugh, 2. So Seussian, and 3. Did not realize dad had mad skillz.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 8:17 PM on November 24, 2016 [9 favorites]

The soup was amazingly delicious. I'll prolly use fresh ginger next time.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:26 PM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I thought I was in the clear because all the attendees were liberal HRC voters, and we weren't going to talk about politics anyway, but I got called "she" the entire time. And the food sucked in comparison to previous years. Blah.
posted by AFABulous at 8:30 PM on November 24, 2016

Oh there was something awesome. On Tuesday, my mom's caregiver -- who has really become like family -- made the three of us Thanksgiving dinner. She made a pile of oxtails, mustard greens with ham hocks, cold-water cornbread, and rice, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It was outstanding and I'm still eating the leftovers.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:35 PM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]

I thought I was in the clear because all the attendees were liberal HRC voters, and we weren't going to talk about politics anyway, but I got called "she" the entire time. And the food sucked in comparison to previous years. Blah.

No good. I'm sorry.
posted by lazuli at 9:00 PM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]

I made an apple pie for the family dinner. I thought the crust was nowhere near flaky enough and the apples were a bit mushy (but everybody at the table seemed pretty happy with how it came out). I need a crust intervention! I have used J Kenji Lopez Alt's recipe before, and the amount of water he calls for for the crust is nowhere near enough. I didn't have vodka in the house (per Cook's Illustrated's previous recipes), and perhaps I should have sent the BF out to the store last night.

Now we are back home, off the roads filled with stupid drivers. We have one of the other pies (cherry) and leftover meat and stuffing, so the cats and everybody are happy.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 9:12 PM on November 24, 2016

We had one taker for my open table offer, and she seemed pretty content with our "eat veg/vegan and then sprawl half-conscious in front of Die Hard" plan. The Tofurky roast was actually really good and less trouble than a bird.

I bought a shitload of food I didn't even end up cooking, cooked a shitload more food than 5 people could eat, and bought a crate of alcohol that nobody drank. I barely even put a dent in a bottle of wine myself, having found myself since the election mostly feeling like I better stay pretty sober because the wheels could fall off any minute now. I will cook another round of food tomorrow to freeze for Christmas.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:38 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

I am reading your Thanksgiving menus in the Slim Pickens survival checklist voice, because, shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.
posted by peeedro at 10:37 PM on November 24, 2016

Okay, here was our menu. I have probably forgotten things because as usual we were afraid there would not be enough food for our table of 15 so we had, like, food for 40.

Turkey (smoked by yours truly)
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry relish
Cranberry chutney
Dressin' (basically, a corn spoonbread) - vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
Stuffing that was not stuffed in the bird (bread-based, vegan)
Mashed potatoes (vegan)
Mashed sweet potatoes (vegan? I can't remember)
Quinoa-leek-walnut dish, vegan
Mushroom gravy (vegan)
Salad with avocado and persimmons
Pies (pumpkin, chocolate peanut butter, ginger creme, two other chocolate pies, apple...and I feel like I'm forgetting one)
Smoked candied pecans
Sugared cranberries

So. much. food.
posted by rtha at 11:38 PM on November 24, 2016

I am in non-thanksgiving land, but just got invited by a visiting American to my first ever thanksgiving tomorrow.

How exciting! I am practising looking thankful, and meditating on the idea of pumpkin and sweet potato as desserts instead of savouries. I think we are bringing a pavlova.
posted by lollusc at 11:38 PM on November 24, 2016 [7 favorites]

*hugs* AFABulous
posted by ellieBOA at 3:50 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]

I went to my grandparents for Thanksgiving with my parents and little brother. My grandmother is pathologically unable to pare down her meal plans, and so for the six of us we had ...
Turkey, brisket, stuffing, rolls, matzoh ball soup, chopped liver, knishes, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, stuffed mushrooms, cranberry orange sauce. And fruit pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ricotta cheese dumplings, cranberry orange cookies, chocolate trifle, fruit salad, nutella cake, and cinnamon rolls.

Fortunately, my folks are staying another day or two, and my little brother is here through Wednesday, so all that food will not go to waste. But wow. It was an intimidating spread.
posted by ChuraChura at 5:01 AM on November 25, 2016 [3 favorites]

We had ours on Wednesday in Japan (national holiday here) and I had a bunch of friends over to our house. Prep started Monday night (was supposed to start Sunday night, but there was a beer festival), where I dismantled the turkeys (legs and boneless breasts for smoking Wednesday morning, thighs for sausage, carcass for stock). Tuesday I got home from work to find out that Costco in Japan had sold so many pumpkin pies for Halloween that they could make any for thanksgiving... So panic, and plan changing. Made bacon lined page du campagne, strained stock, made turkey and dried cherry sausage from Polceyn and Ruhlman's Charcuterie, and a simple garlic, pepper and sage loose sausage for the stuffing.

Wednesday I got the smoker going at about 9 am, and had the legs on by ten and breasts by ten thirty. A friend came over early to help out, and between the three of us, pretty much everything was covered, and we could have bits of down time here and there. Compared to years past, when everything was all finished at different times, this year was perfect, everything came out of the kitchen right on time. I mentioned to Mrs. Ghidorah that the fact the two of us just spent two solid years working in kitchens might have had something to do with that.

The full menu:
Pate for the appetizer

Smoked breast and legs
Turkey sausage with dried cherries
Sausage and apple stuffing with fresh sage
Mashed potatoes with smoked cream cheese
Giblet gravy (when that ran out, I made some more, but no giblets)
Cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries (Bittman recipe, didn't like it)
Mac and cheese with chunks o bacon
Sautéed mushrooms with garlic and rosemary

For dessert, I made apple crisp, and a friend brought amazingly wonderful apple pecan brownies. I mean, they were objectively brownies, but contained no chocolate. And beer was brought and shared around. A friend brought a bottle of Stone's Xocoveza Anejo, their Mexican milk chocolate stout, aged in wine barrels, then tequila barrels, and oh, oh wow. Good night, good people, and the guests even did most of the washing. It was pretty fantastic.

I hope you all had a good holiday, and that you get a little rest and respite from whatever it is the world is demanding of you, even if only for a long weekend. (Offer valid outside of the US, too)
posted by Ghidorah at 5:40 AM on November 25, 2016

We made way too much food. I kind of wish I hadn't already mailed out my Quonsar gift because I could have sent them a Ziploc bag full of stuffing and some roasted root veggies.

Turkey (20lbs)
Mashed garlic potatoes
Roasted root veggies (some of which my wife grew from dirt!)
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Gravy
Sausage, pecan and cranberry stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Some fancy-ass salad with persimmons and pomegranate seeds
my wife heard about on NPR.
Lots of wine, hard cider, and scotch

For dessert my wife made apple and pumpkin pie that were better than the ones you had. Sorry, but that's a fact and I will fight you.
posted by bondcliff at 8:20 AM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Don't close this thread just yet; after yesterday's fiasco of closed stores in MA and my lack of preparation, I am determined to make my Thanksgiving happpen, even if it's a day late. It will be a single person Thanksgiving dinner, but gosh darn it, there will be turkey (parts are acceptable).

Off to Whole Foods/Roche Bros to see what's available. Hope that they haven't gotten rid of their Thanksgiving stock yet.
posted by Ender's Friend at 8:23 AM on November 25, 2016 [4 favorites]

> Also, I learned that the recipe on the back of the can of Libby's pumpkin purée makes a pretty good pumpkin pie, and nobody cares if you make graham cracker crust rather than dealing with a rolled crust.

YES, YES THEY DO. THEY TOTALLY, TOTALLY DO.

*traumatizing flashback to Thanksgiving '15 when I accidentally purchased graham cracker crust for pumpkin pie and Mom just about lost her shit*
posted by bologna on wry at 9:07 AM on November 25, 2016 [4 favorites]

My lovely wife Amy made ginger snaps from scratch the night before and then crushed them for her pumpkin pie crust.

You hear me, Metafilter? She baked one thing only to go and use it as an ingredient to bake another thing!

I have no idea what the hell she's doing with the likes of me.
posted by bondcliff at 9:40 AM on November 25, 2016 [12 favorites]

Put me in the Fuck It Thanksgiving column. I made a roast chicken and gravy, mashed potatoes, Stove Top Stuffing (thanks to the AskMe about this and I have to admit that while Past HotToddy would have eschewed this after reading the ingredients list, Fuck It HotToddy thought it was pretty darn good), cranberries, and brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and garlic. And a pumpkin pie.

Normally I kill myself rather more for the holidays but it has been a brutal year of loss heaped upon loss, worst of all the unexpected, stupid, senseless loss of my utterly beloved dog due to a loved one's negligence, which I can only bring myself to mention now, almost 8 months later. I didn't think the holidays would be hard in the way that they are when you've lost a person--after all, they're not really about dogs in the usual way of thinking about them. But I should have known better. He was woven into the fabric of everything important in my life, including holidays. And a holiday still marks the passage of time, of the world spinning away from when we were together.

Anyway I want to thank you all for being here this year. I don't comment much but I'm here, and grateful to have a place to lose myself for a while.
posted by HotToddy at 12:14 PM on November 25, 2016 [23 favorites]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I appreciate you.
posted by Miko at 5:44 PM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]

T-day in my place, solo. Hot baked garlic french fries, with crab boil salt and mild chili. Quick baked, mayo-parmesan-lemon Brussels sprouts, chicken, grapefruit wedges, coffee. Don't knock it, no one said a damned thing about my hair, my politics or anything else for that matter.
posted by Oyéah at 5:45 PM on November 25, 2016 [13 favorites]

Buttermilk banana walnut chocolate chip pancakes!

5/4 cup flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t coarse salt
sugar, I forget how much. Maybe a tablespoon?

mix

3/2 cup buttermilk (cheapest when expired)
1 egg
2 very expired bananas (squishiest when expired)
3 T oil
all remaining fair trade chocolate chips in the house
probably something like 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped walnuts?

mix, cook, eat.

This is from memory, but I think it's pretty close to accurate. Substitutions encouraged.
posted by aniola at 7:08 PM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Husbeast and I had take out thanksgiving dinner from a local place that is actually known year round for its turkey dinners and everything pretty much lived up to the hype other than the ounce (seriously) of cranberry sauce we received. Once I get my cast off, I'm totally making a batch. Then a very sweet friend of ours brought over a homemade apple pie and ate that with us. The bio fam mostly is staying clear of me which is a good thing for everyone involved.

I'm very thankful for y'all.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:30 PM on November 25, 2016

I ate the last slice of chocolate pie for breakfast this morning. Two pies didn't last long enough. I'll have to make three next year.
posted by cooker girl at 6:30 AM on November 26, 2016 [2 favorites]

I have the opposite problem. Unfortunately both of my mistake pies actually ended up being delicious. Pretty sure I'm going to die from pecan pie.
posted by selfnoise at 7:50 AM on November 26, 2016 [4 favorites]

Yeah, it's hard to seriously mess up pecan pie. Like sex, even bad pecan pie is still pretty good.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:24 AM on November 26, 2016

I have three miniature apple pies left: two are in the freezer, one in the fridge. I might end up eating it for dinner, since the chicken soup I made from the Thanksgiving carcass isn't taking care of my cold anyway...
posted by suelac at 1:54 PM on November 26, 2016

i'm just eating French's crispy fried onions out of the container
posted by dismas at 2:41 PM on November 26, 2016 [8 favorites]

You know what they say: cake a fever, pie a cold.

(Croissant a hangover.
Brownie a bad mood.
Doughnut PMS.
Ice cream a broken heart.
Etc.)
posted by Lyn Never at 3:10 PM on November 26, 2016 [7 favorites]

A. I think I need that chocolate pie recipe!
B. Two new recipes this year-chipotle scalloped sweet potatoes and cranberry hand pies. Both fabulous.
posted by purenitrous at 9:30 PM on November 26, 2016

Happy thanksgiving. We spent the evening with a friend of my girlfriend's family and her housemate, avoiding my girlfriend's overly dramatic family. We talked politics, but we're all politically active lefties, so it was good and not terrible. Yesterday we had lunch with a friend and her husband. And now I'm on a plane to Orlando. Anyone here attending the big training/simulation conference in Orlando this week (name has been omitted for reduced google-ability)? If so, memail me for impromptu meet up?
posted by Alterscape at 9:44 AM on November 27, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanksgiving was with my sister who just moved here and my parents who flew in, mainly to spend the holiday with their kids. I was worried it would be hellish...intensely awful brother in law, conservative 'rents, but it ended up being great, especially when brother in law was called into work unexpectedly!

There was:

Turkey
Cranberry sauce (both kinds)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Sweet potatoes with pecans *
Green beans with sour cherries and orange honey glaze *
Challah rolls
Stuffing
Apple strudel *
Cherry pie
Butter braids
Sweet whipped cream *

*cooked by me

THEN as a bonus, my best friend and his partner flew in from San Diego and we hung out from Friday through tonight. It was one of those do-nothing visits that healed my soul, I swear. I even made Thanksgiving croquettes with the leftovers and we hung out and watched movies and talked and laughed and took walks. Heaven.
posted by mynameisluka at 5:29 PM on November 27, 2016 [1 favorite]

It is only now, after Thanksgiving and after my roommate has moved out, that I discover a chocolate cream pie recipe that would have been the perfect size just for two, and was gluten free.

Another time.

But I did treat myself to a similarly-tiny chocolate cupcake recipe just now, and can declare my hunt for "an actual cake for one" to be officially over because damn.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:51 PM on November 27, 2016 [6 favorites]

Huh. I made that recipe ages ago when I wanted to make a big jumbo birthday cupcake for one, then I lost it, and now, thanks to you, EmpressCallipygos, I've found it again!
posted by PearlRose at 6:15 AM on November 28, 2016

We had a splendid Thanksgiving at the son and daughter-in-law's house, with the totes adorbs
2.5 year old grand-twins in attendance. DIL did a bang-up job, everything was delicious and the twins
continue to be sunshiny rays of hope in a cold cold world. Plus, this was the first time in 40 years I didn't
have to cook the whole meal, just the pies, so I was happy to have the night off to enjoy the family.

They sent us home with many many leftovers that we are still enjoying!
posted by Lynsey at 11:59 AM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm pretty late to the food-posting but I wanted to participate!

baked brie with homemade huckleberry jam and walnuts
tortilla chips with copycay Chuy's creamy jalapeno dip
boursin spread with pretzel crackers
2 smaller turkeys, one roasted (dry brine) and one smoked (wet brine)
pepperidge farm stuffing with extra veggies
homemade gravy (OMG THIS IS WHY PEOPLE DO THIS)
corn casserole from my mother in law
sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and pecan crumble
mashed potatoes
pancit bihon (Filipino noodle dish, in this case with chicken thighs)
green beans
2 types of homemade cranberry sauce (1 jelly 1 chunky)
homemade rolls and cheesy bread from great harvest
pumpkin and pecan pie

and then I simmered the carcasses for 2 days to get the beeessstttt stooooock
posted by brilliantine at 1:04 PM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

i am down to just some bread rolls and half a tupperware's worth of mashed potatoes after three (3) thanksgiving dinners:

first one was friendsgiving at my old house, potluck-style with 40+ people. my bf and i made two pies from scratch cuz he is a pie crust wizard (apple-pear and sweet potato) and mashed potatoes with paprika/sour cream/cream cheese/sooo much butter. the potatoes went so fast i didn't even get to have any, which is a good sign i guess

second was with my family - classic thanksgiving with brined turkey, mashed potatoes, vinegary green beans, gravy, stuffing, homemade parker house rolls, pumpkin pie from scratch with pecan praline sauce. my mom forgot to buy cranberries so we stole some sauce from my sister's bf's family, who live around the corner

third was with the bf's family - mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, roasted broccolini, roasted carrots, stuffing, grilled steaks, apple pie from scratch


now i am hungry all over again
posted by burgerrr at 4:07 PM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]