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Thanksgiving is my
favorite holiday not only because
all Americans, (even the hyphenates) celebrate, but
because
it is the only time each year, most of the Morrison
Clan is together. Our Thanksgiving Day celebration
is neither
formal nor tense. It is rowdy, messy, boisterous,
delicious, and probably very overwhelming to the
just-married-ins, and first-timer friends.
Bob and I, (and evidently most of our clan) and the
kids,
all love it. We will have anywhere from 50 to 60
guests
and 5 or 6 turkeys in attendance.
Most people’s reaction to this figure is
“Oh my God, what the hell is wrong with you?”
But it really isn’t that much torture, and
always worth
the effort. Preparation is my savior. I just make
lists,
and lists, and lists. I thought maybe you all
would like me to make your lists for you,
so they follow this note.
I have compiled a
“Thanksgiving” notebook that
contains detailed information from each year we
have been fortunate enough to host the holiday for
my family.
(This information is also in my computer.) The
notebook
contains recipes, guest lists and attendees,
shopping lists, timeline, and quantities served
and notes about all of the above.
Here are the lists:
-
List #1 Guests
-
List #2 Menu with
family food contributions noted (Everyone has a
specialty.)
-
List #3 Recipes
-
List #4 Shopping
Lists (divided by store and department, ie: all
dairy products together)
-
List #5 Serving
dishes, plates, flatware,
glasses and utensils
-
List #6 Timeline for
both the 2 weeks
prior and the actual day
-
List #7 Wine and
other beverages
As you can see number seven
is the most
important item on the list. I didn’t say we
did it all unassisted, I just said we did it.
The guest list will have to be
supplied by you.
The menu I can help you with:
Turkey, Gravy,
Mashed Potatoes, Dressing(s), Yams, Vegetable
side dish, Salads, Cranberry Sauce,
Appetizers and Desserts.
All this is more or less
standard Thanksgiving fare,
we don’t usually include soup, as it is almost
always too hot here (with the exception of two
years
ago when we were a larger crowd then usual. That
means not enough room to seat everyone inside.
Oh, we were also blessed with freezing rain).
We have lots of historical favorites that
we also include. If this is your first attempt
at hosting Thanksgiving, here is my best advice;
cook only the Turkey, Lots of Gravy (also known as
the “Sin Coverer”) and Potatoes and farm out the rest.
Your meal does not have to be gourmet, but it does
have to be served hot! There it is, the secret to
pleasing everyone at Thanksgiving; hot food and
lot’s of gravy.
Oh, but wait, I forgot your sister-in-law is
Vegan……
I bet she has a favorite vegan dish she would like
to bring to add to the meal. All of our family
members
and guests ask if they can bring something to share
with our meal, and everyone does! I am glad
everyone
wants to contribute something to the feast.
I just have to figure out what it is that they want
to
bring. Some people want to bring their “specialty”
and
some people don’t cook at all. Both groups are
relieved
when you tell them to bring whatever they would
like
(i.e.: the “specialty”) or how about a bottle of
“Pinot Noir”
or paper napkins or plastic forks for dessert.
Back to
the lists; The Recipes. I can help you with that
also. I have included recipes for Cranberry Salsa,
Yam Soufflé, and Corn Custard, and some tips
for
thawing the turkey.
The
fourth, fifth, and sixth lists are
self-explanatory,
here are some tips for number seven; Pinot
Noir is a
great choice for Thanksgiving because it matches
with
so many different foods, a good Chardonnay
for
the white wine drinkers, and maybe a sparkling
wine (Prosecco or Cava)
with the appetizers
and as your guests arrive.
See you Friday at open house
we will sample some
great foods from our December Schedule. |
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