This year, as in most, we are satisfying all parts of the family by flying from pillar to post and eating WAY more than we should. I will go to my sisters to have a meal with my extended family and then dash back home to host a dinner for my children and their entourage. (Why is it that our adult children come with so many accessories?) Strangely enough, knowing that I will be able to satisfy all factions has actually allowed me to look forward to the holiday!
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Posted: Nov 15, 07 5:44pm Growing up, my family had very few traditions. My parents split up when I was a kid, and we never really had a chance to...  Posted: Nov 16, 07 10:47amGrowing up, my family had very few traditions. My parents split up when I was a kid, and we never really had a chance to... When my sister and I were both single, Thanksgiving was easy for our family to coordinate: Everyone went to my mom's house and we had the usual turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie. But then we got married and inherited two more Thanksgiving.... trouble! The first few years were a jumbled blur of gluttony and stress. And then we finally came to the conclusion that we didn't have to actually eat together on thursday. So these days, we do our in-law Thanksgivings on thursday... and on Friday our family gathers and we DON'T eat turkey. We always have fish (steamed or sashimi) and we do Chinese hot pot--big steaming pots of hot broth are set in the middle of the table and everyone cooks what they want. My mom marinates shrimp, oysters, squid, beef, chicken, tofu and an assortment of veggies. It's terrific... and I think I like this meal better than the turkey.  Not my photo. From http://www.flickr.com/photos/wowyt/292286374/ Posted: Nov 17, 07 4:38pmGrowing up, my family had very few traditions. My parents split up when I was a kid, and we never really had a chance to... My wife, our two sons, and I will travel from MI, across Ontario, CA, to the Finger Lakes of New York and the farmhouse where I was raised. For the second year in a row we'll do a gift exchange on Friday after Thanksgiving on Thursday. We'll see my sister and her family from the Boston area and my other sister and her husband who are less than an hour from the farm. My mom was diagnosed with Crohn's disease this fall and is only now starting to feel good. I'll be doing much of the cooking of a very traditional dinner. I'm open to moderately creative suggestions for the menu. I know I'm adding Tony Packo's Sweet Hot Pickles and Peppers to our traditional relish tray. We'll swap stories. I might take my dulcimer for music. We'll watch football, and three of us with sleep apnea will snore as we fail in our attempts to stay awake after dinner! Posted: Nov 17, 07 4:41pmWhen my sister and I were both single, Thanksgiving was easy for our family to coordinate: Everyone went to my mom's hou... Sounds great to me! Posted: Nov 17, 07 4:49pmGrowing up, my family had very few traditions. My parents split up when I was a kid, and we never really had a chance to... My husband and I will be driving four hours on Thanksgiving Day to spend the holiday with my brother, mother, and her boyfriend in a restaurant. Some years our daughter joins us -- she hasn't decided if she wants to this year or not. This has been our tradition for roughly 20 years now, and I prefer it to the madness of eating at my mother's. The food is predictably good, there's wine, and nothing is cold unless it's supposed to be. We will spend the night sleeping in the bed my parents acquired (used) when they married in 1940. The next morning, with sore backs, we'll make the return trip, where my husband will grumble that everyone else gets to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and he always has to spend it driving. I will point out to him that my mother can't live forever, and someday he, too, will get to shop. Family -- gotta love 'em. Posted: Nov 20, 07 11:07amMy husband and I will be driving four hours on Thanksgiving Day to spend the holiday with my brother, mother, and her bo... I will get up at the crack of dawn and put the turkey in the oven, I will slave over a hot stove and finally get dinner on the table at 2:30PM. Then I will drink in the beauty of my sons, my daughter-in-law and five of my grandchildren and be blissfully happy in the all-American way. This is my story and I'm sticking to it!! Posted: Nov 21, 07 10:06amGrowing up, my family had very few traditions. My parents split up when I was a kid, and we never really had a chance to... Escarole and Mushroom Dressing Portabella Mushroom Gravy CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH Corn Bread with Fennel seeds, dried cranberries and GOLDEN RAISINS Scallions with Lemon Parsley Butter MAPLE MASHED SWEET POTATOES PARSLEY, FENNEL, AND CELERY ROOT SALAD Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic ...and of course a big fat juicy bird. How's that for California nouveau? | ADVERTISEMENT  |
