Thanksgiving Meme

In which Jo blatantly shows off her Thanksgiving ineptitude.

Pilfered from Stray Thoughts.

1. Which do you like better: cooking at your house, or going elsewhere?

Okay, here goes. I have *never* cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I have never cooked a turkey. I've cooked turkey breast in the crockpot. I have roasted a chicken in the oven - does that count? I guess you could say I prefer going elsewhere for Thanksgiving.

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen bird?

I've never bought one. That being said, I would prefer buying a fresh one because it's weird how you need to defrost your dinner for a few days.

3. What kind of stuffing?

Stouffer's Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing. I didn't know I liked stuffing until I had this. Sorry, Mom.

4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin! Oh my - you just reminded me I get to have pumpkin pie today!

5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing?

I love having turkey leftovers - turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches, open faced turkey sandwiches and gravy, turkey soup - it's all good.

6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu?

My side of the family? I think it would have to be a toss up between turnip fluff (baked mashed turnips with brown sugar, eggs, and butter) or pudahha (perogies). Andrew's side of the family? His mom's pineapple and carrot cream cheese jello mold (don't let the description phase you - it's delicious!).

7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock?

Yes - I help my MIL do this.

8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier?

A bigger oven - maybe even a dual one, and definitely a spare refrigerator / freezer to stash things.

9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour?

Again, I've never prepared this meal myself, but my MIL likes to have it at lunch time because then she is not spending all night cleaning up and putting stuff away. I like it that way too because it leaves the afternoon still to do other things. I especially like walking through the neigbourhood and smelling everyone else's turkeys.

10. If you go to somebody else’s house, what’s your favorite dish to bring?

Something easy. Andrew's family has not always been fans of my ethnic dishes (I know - a baked turnip casserole does sound odd!), so I am just bringing over cut up veggies and dip to snack on.

11. What do you wish one of your guests would not bring to your house? What would you like them to bring?

I'm not sure - I think you should always be gracious if someone brought something to your dinner. Although, most people would let you know or ask what they could bring - and not just spring something on you.

12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you’re happy to see?

My last few Thanksgivings have been small affairs - just us, Andrew's parents, and sometimes his brother, Stewart. Growing up it was a much larger deal - my Mom is one of seven kids and everyone would be there with their respective others and children and sometimes even extended family members beyond that.

13. Is your cranberry sauce fresh or canned? Whole or jellied?

Jellied and canned - I like the fact it is like jam and you can spread it on your sandwich. Willow will eat all of her cranberry sauce before anything else on her plate gets touched.

14. What’s your absolute favorite thing on the menu?

The turkey! Although, if I am with my family, pudahha is going to get eaten first because I don't get that here in the US.

15. Share one family tradition.

In Andrew's family, before we eat dinner, everyone has to say one thing they are thankful for - even Willow.

And I'm adding another one:

16. Tell us a good Thanksgiving memory.

When Andrew and I lived in Boulder, Thanksgiving was so low-key. There was no point in cooking a turkey for two people, we were into full-blown Weight Watcher mode, we had no family nearby. Our normal plan was to go see a movie and troll around until we found a restaurant open. (We actually had turkey burgers at Denny's one year and they gave us a free piece of pumpkin pie each!). This one year I decide to make turkey burritoes (a good alternative when there are only two people!); the WW side of me was satisfied: ground turkey, whole wheat tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, low-fat cheese, salsa, and avocados. It was a beautiful sunny day and not terribly cold, so we decided to go for a walk. A few weeks prior, Andrew had gone on a ghost walk around the old area of Boulder, so he replicated the tour for me. We must have walked for two hours - then we made our way down Pearl Street and found Starbucks open. We had lattes in front of the fire, then walked home.

Happy Thanksgiving!