Bangkok has a large American population and even more other farangs (Westerners) who enjoy a good Thanksgiving meal. The city offers a plethora of choices for that day (and the next). Cook a meal ourselves? Hah! Forget that! The best Thanksgiving feast in Bangkok is generally agreed to be at the long-running, American-owned and -operated Bourbon Street Restaurant, Oyster Bar and Boutique Hotel. Thanksgiving menu here. All you can eat for 1250 baht (US$35) per person.
The plan is to stuff ourselves silly, then lie down somewhere and die. What about everyone else?
I got a turkey int he freezer for tgiving. Also gonna make some sides. mashed potatoes for sure. mac and cheese. mom wants dressing.
on the big day we will watch football all day. the carolina football panthers have their first ever thanksgiving game this year
Small boneless turkey breast on the grill, mashed sweet potatoes (with real maple syrup!), assorted veggies, and homemade cranberry sauce. Gravy may also make an appearance, but it will be out of a jar.
Is the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Marathon scheduled to stream online again this year? I hooked the computer up to the TV last year to watch it…awesome!
We moved cross-country, so we do not have to do the four-day weekend with my husband’s family in their ancient farmhouse. That alone almost makes the four-day drive cross-country with a four-year-old and a cat worth it.
Instead, we’re taking a ferry to his cousin’s house, where we will dine sumptuously, yell at the football a little, let their kids entertain our kid, and take the ferry back to our own home-sweet-home.
Said cousin’s wife is serving turkey -and- ham. I’ve been assigned dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and pies. Easy peasy.
We’re hosting a smallish group and I’m trying to decide how to winnow down the side dishes to something reasonable. The problem is I grew up with huge family gatherings and no good dish ever being removed from the menu, just more getting added every year. Every time I think “well, maybe we really don’t need X” a little part of me winces because we always had X in the past.
Turkey, dressing, cranberry relish and mashed with gravy are mandatory. And at least two kinds of pie.
Oh, and there must be some type of sweet potato dish.
And corn, my son loves corn casserole. And some kind of green veg, although no one here likes green bean casserole.
Mac and cheese is so yummy, and reheats so well…
There are seven of us, ffs. I don’t know what I’m going to choose.
Celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in October: Clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, roast turkey, wild rice dressing, sweet potatoes, squash, corn, cranberry sauce. All washed down with apple and cranberry juices. Pumpkin pie a la mode for dessert.
We did that as well. Now that the ginormous family has shrunk (RIP, grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles), we really have to winnow down the side dishes, but we never do.
I don’t go home for T-giving any more, so it’s just me. I think I’ll make a chicken (leftovers, yay!) and real mashed taters, with green beans and cranberry relish. And maybe some dressing.
Oh, and I’m making a real, homemade apple pie.
Leftover cranberry relish is delicious on vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt.
ETA: I normally don’t do mashed taters for one, though I should. And I REALLY don’t make a whole apple pie for one! But I’m going to.
This will be the first time in twenty-umpty years that I have not cooked for Thanksgiving. I had developed a very standard menu (turkey, sausage dressing, stuffed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, broccoli, cranberry jelly with the ridges of the can still on it, and lots of gravy. Homemade apple and pumpkin pies for dessert.)
Our daughter went and got herself married this year, and so she is hosting Thanksgiving. I shall supply beer, bourbon and bicarbonate.
Our turkey is paid for, but still alive at a local turkey farm.
As usual we are hosting gf’s family for TGiving and my family for xmas eve dinner. We did this our first year together, and our families decided it should be a tradition. And so it is.
It has become a tradition in recent years for my book club to meet at my house for Thanksgiving dinner. This year I decided to plan a menu of traditional foods but with some twists. I’ve tested everything by making it in advance to be sure it is tasty, so here is the menu:
Turkey, stuffing gravy (the holy trinity; no tampering with tradition there)
Deviled mashed potatoes with ginseng leaves
Oven-roasted sweet potato wedges with zatar
Chilled string beans with dill
Cranberry mousse
Tart of grated apple, apricot, and almonds
pumpkin cheesecake
Yummy, and none of the recipes is particularly difficult. The desserts were blander than I expected when I trialled them, so I am tampering with the recipes when I make them again. But just in case they are still bland, I’m adding homemade caramel sauce to pour over them. ANYTHING is good with caramel sauce.
We’re going different this year. We’re doing individual turkey pot pies, mashed potatoes and a vegetable of some sort. We’ll have some appetizers and berry crumble.
I’m going to miss the stuffing, especially since I don’t care for mashed taters, but I can make that any time.
It does feel a little strange to not be following tradition, but there are so few faces from the past anymore, that it doesn’t feel very traditional anyway.
Everyone is dead, moved ‘down south’, retired, or is doing their own thing with their own families. So it’s me and the old man, and maybe our grown daughter. I had the most wonderful Thanksgivings when I lived at home in my 20’s and we travelled to NYC. Then things turned completely around. The last years, Thanksgivings have been nightmares full of tears and heartache, yes, every depressing year. So turkey smells like failure and depression to me. I will cook one for the old man if he wants, but I won’t touch it. I loathe turkey and Thanksgiving in equal measure. He said this year he doesn’t care, so I’m cooking a huge spiral ham with good sides, plenty of shrimp cocktail, a big salad with blue cheese, and several great desserts. That way, we can fulfill the letter of the law (stuffing ourselves) without following the law (that f’ing turkey sitting in the refrigerator for a week).
Turducken… and I’m building it myself… This will be the fourth year that I’ve made a Turducken and it’s turned out a bit better every year. There will be stuffing inside the bird as well as a pan of dressing cooked in a casserole dish.
Today (third Thursday in November) is when the beaujolais nouveau is available for sale, so I’m likely getting a few bottles of that to go with dinner.
Might have some crackers/cheese/grapes a few hours before the dinner.
Also sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, home-made bread, gravy, cranberry sauce (in the shape of a can!), a few pies.
I bought a 12.9 pound pre-brined turkey from Trader Joe’s yesterday. It’s the smallest I could find, but at least it fits in the meat drawer of the fridge. I made a TJ’s turkey last year, and it was very good.
It will be the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. We’ll have mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, stuffing, dressing, cranberry sauce with the ridges on the side, and Mrs. L.A. can make the green bean casserole. Mrs. L.A. mentioned sweet potatoes (I assume she means the orange ones) last night. I guess I could bake a couple. I don’t care for sweet potatoes baked with brown sugar and marshmallows. Sweet potato pie ain’t that sweet! Speaking of pie, I’ll probably make a pecan pie or two.
There’s only the two of us, so all that food will be more than plenty.
Like others, I’m feeling less and less like following tradition. However, my family is still bound by it, so on Thursday we’ll head over to Grandma’s house in Palatka to have turkey with them. I’m going to bring a cauliflower salad and probably some store-bought desserts.
Friday, we’ll be back home in Gainesville, cooking for my husband’s kids and their guests. At the moment, the menu is
Cheese plate (including any other dips and nibbles that are lurking in the pantry)
Roasted red pepper bisque
Pork tenderloin with mango chutney
Stuffing with apples and jalapenos
Burned brussels sprouts
Dessert?
BOOZE
Spousal unit and I aren’t going anywhere this year. We’ve been to my mom’s twice in the last 3 weeks and I just don’t want to make the 2+ hour drive again, especially on a holiday. His folks live 800 miles away, so that ain’t happening either.
We may go with his HOG chapter to help out at the local veterans’ home, or we may just stay home and chill. No special menu planned, tho I’ll probably make pumpkin pies because it’s my sweetie’s favorite. I’ll dig something out of the freezer for dinner.
