# Thanksgiving dinner for two
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** food-cooking
**Created:** [October 28, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116 "2020-10-28T13:29:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/1 "2020-10-28T13:29:58Z")
So it looks like Thanksgiving this year is just going to be me and my wife, although we’re renting a house on Martha’s Vineyard as a getaway. While we aren’t planning an extravagant meal I’m planning to do something special for our supper on Thursday. I’m thinking maybe a turkey breast or possibly Cornish game hens.
What are other people’s plans and what dishes are you planning to serve?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/2 "2020-10-28T13:36:51Z")
Our kids have Mondays off, so we’re doing Thanksgiving the Monday before. Then we’re moving Wednesday and will probably just recover on Thanksgiving proper.
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### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/3 "2020-10-28T14:00:02Z")
A few years ago (after the deaths of both of our mothers and almost all the rest of that generation) we pared down our Thanksgiving feast. We took turns listing which of the ‘traditional’ TDay feast foods we actually cared about eating vs. just having/eating because it was traditional. We ended up with a turkey breast (both of us), gussied up mashed potatoes and gravy (hubby), cranberry orange nut relish (me), dinner rolls (both of us), pumpkin pie (hubby), and that was it! Kind of eye opening, when we compared with the list of all the things we’d HAD to prepare in the past.
Anyway, that’s our entire menu, except for a token vegetable, generally nothing more than peas.
The prep is laughably simple. I make the pie and cranberry relish the day before, and roast the turkey and make gravy the day of. Hubby is in charge of the mashed potatoes and peas. The rolls are premade brown and serve. We have just the things we want, and the only leftovers are just the things we need for roll/cranberry/turkey sandwiches the next few days. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/4 "2020-10-28T14:06:34Z")
I read an article that turkey growers are concerned, because they’ve been raising birds to the 18-20 pound size and, like you, many people are going to have very small Thanksgiving dinners this year.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/5 "2020-10-28T14:30:27Z")
We like Thanksgiving Dinner, so we do it several times during the year. We live near a turkey farm, and will get a smoked turkey breast for one TD. They also have small turkeys that are great, although they cost more per pound. One of our dinners I’ll deep fry a turkey and enjoy leftovers for days afterwards.
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### Author:  [@Flopnoodle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flopnoodle)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/6 "2020-10-28T14:56:25Z")
Last year my MIL bought us a frozen turkey because it was so cheap. Problem was that we already had one thawed. So I broke it down into quarters and set up the gas grill to smoke the pieces over apple wood. Pulled out the vacuum sealer and froze the pieces separately. Now we can have smoked turkey anytime we want!
Point is that even if you can’t find a small turkey or just a breast, you can make a larger one work for two if you plan it out.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/7 "2020-10-28T15:34:44Z")
We’re going to be travelling, so everything will go into the cooler to be cooked at our destination. Excess food and massive leftovers won’t really work. We can certainly have turkey sandwiches for the rest of the weekend but that’s probably it.
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/8 "2020-10-28T15:40:56Z")
My wife and I will be by ourselves this Thanksgiving. I am seriously considering buying a pre-made dinner from a local grocery store. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, rolls and a pie of our choice. They also have some add-ons such as sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and green been casserole. A dinner for 2 for about $35, we can’t eat out that cheap.
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### Author:  [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/9 "2020-10-28T16:24:09Z")
I don’t eat turkey and my husband isn’t keen on it, so a local store is selling prime rib Slices, so I’ll get that for him and all the usual sides.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/10 "2020-10-30T18:01:21Z")
Just the two of us. I ordered a turkey through Costco already, which will arrive frozen. Free range, etc. I prefer Mary’s turkeys, but I don’t know what the availability will be this year. Homemade cranberry sauce, taters/gravy/stuffing. Perhaps yams. Veggies are the wife’s department.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/11 "2020-10-30T18:18:12Z")
We pretty much always have Thanksgiving for two. We get a 16 lb turkey and then have a week of leftovers. We love turkey leftovers, sandwiches, casseroles, etc.
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/12 "2020-10-30T18:28:12Z")
Haven’t thought that far ahead. I like turkey broth, so we’ll probably do a whole turkey. The breast and thighs will be good leftovers, and the wings, legs, and all will go in the broth. If we decide on a partial turkey, it’ll be a thigh. There are three of us and we all like dark meat.
There WILL be a green bean casserole because one of us can’t do a holiday without it. Probably roast yams, too, because two of us have been doing that lately. Mashed potatoes and gravy because one of us can’t do a holiday without those.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/13 "2020-10-30T18:33:11Z")
Turkey legs, dressing (Arnold is my favorite brand), corn, mashed potatoes, cider, and cake. (Unless my husband wants pie. In which case, cake and pie.)
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/14 "2020-10-30T18:38:30Z")
I’m sure of two things: There will be turkey breast and cranberries. … And French Onion Soup.
Three… I’m sure of three things.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/15 "2020-10-31T07:47:07Z")
My husband is preparing a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner, to commemorate the life of one of my aunts, who recently died of covid at the age of almost 101. She was born on Thanksgiving Day, 1919.
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/16 "2020-10-31T08:29:01Z")
I haven’t totally committed yet, but I’m leaning toward a traditional meal served outside, buffet-style with chairs socially distanced - we can set up an awning if it rains. There will be 10 to 14 people if everyone comes, which I expect they will because I doubt folks are drowning in alternate party invitations, and they all came last year.
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/17 "2020-10-31T11:13:01Z")
My mom emailed everyone to tell us we’re on our own this year - no 20+ people at her house!
My husband is trying to convince his folks to exit Florida for a while and come stay with us - we shall see. But our daughter, SIL, and granddaughter will come for dinner - they were living with us up until a couple of months ago when they bought their first place.
I plan to make 2 birds - smoking one and doing the other in the rotisserie (assuming I can get a small one. I’ll share some with daughter et. al., and the rest will go into my freezer for future meals. I lurves me some turkey! I just hope I can get a couple in the 10-12# range. Anything bigger won’t fit in the rotisserie, and I’ll just roast it. We shall see.
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### Author:  [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/18 "2020-10-31T11:55:26Z")
As it’s just us two, I’m going to roast a chicken (we’re meh about turkey) on the Traeger, and do dressing (may go basic pep farm and not make from scratch), homemade gravy, whipped chipotle sweet potatoes, some kind of basic veg, and an apple crisp instead of pie.
I have a wild hair to make gyoza as well, in honor of the neighbor who has joined us for the last few years at MIL’s and made/brought them to share. They always made it extra special, so I may just go for it.
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### Author:  [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/19 "2020-10-31T13:24:36Z")
We don’t specifically do anything for a Thanksgiving day meal, as it is a normal working day in Switzerland. However, we will have pumpkin pie. When my parents moved out to the west coast, they were alone for their first Thanksgiving. My mother made a pumpkin pie and that’s what they had for Thanksgiving.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-dinner-for-two/924116/20 "2020-10-31T20:02:40Z")
Oh and turkey carcass soup- that is good fro another almost week, so we get almost two weeks of meals out of turkey for two.
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