A Thanksgiving Review

Why a review?  Typically I make notes and I'd kept them in a housekeeping notebook, but since giving up the notebook and switching to a smaller one, I thought I'd keep track of my holiday reviews here on the blog.   Just maybe I'll have a tip that will help you next year, or perhaps you'll have one for me that will smooth out a problem for me.



I did indeed plan my meal in detail.  Here's what I planned:
Stuffed turkey, Dressing, small dressing without onion
Green bean casserole, plain green beans without onion
Cranberry celebration salad, cranberry sauce
Chicken Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping and the pecan streusel topping
Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Coconut pie

The menu changed:
Stuffed Turkey, Dressing and a small pan of dressing without any onion
Green bean casserole, small pan of green bean casserole without onion
Giblet Gravy and plain turkey gravy
Sweet potato casserole with half topped with marshmallows and half topped with pecan streusel topping
Cranberry celebration salad, Cranberry sauce
Broccoli Rice casserole
Marshmallow Fruit Salad
Pecan Pumpkin Bars
Pecan Pie
Coconut Pie

John missed his pumpkin pie because the person who said they would bring it decided it was easier to make the pumpkin bars.

My sister in law made the Giblet gravy, broccoli rice casserole and the Marshmallow Fruit Salad.  She convinced me to forgo the mashed potatoes since we had so much food.

I did test my pans to make sure all my dishes would fit and I had room on the bottom shelf for the broccoli rice casserole.  I was able to fit the small dressing without onion between dishes, but heated the small green bean casserole in the microwave.

I used cubes of bread from the freezer, the bakery breads I typically buy, instead of the biscuit bread I've always made and used.  I had the most compliments on that stuffing and dressing!  I'm never going to make biscuit bread again for dressing.  From now on it's going to be bread cubes.

Every site I read said I needed a 24 pound turkey for the size gathering we had.  I bought a 20 pound turkey.  I had enough meat for everyone for dinner, again for supper and the legs and wings left to put into the freezer.

Baking the turkey with 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan gave a very moist bird.  It also allowed me to put the gizzards and neck in the baking pan with the turkey.  My sole problem was my own fault.  I used a too small pan.  I had a much larger pan in the shed, but it was so much bigger that we could never have fit any other casseroles into the oven.  In future, if we're having a big family Thanksgiving it would be worthwhile to go buy a pan somewhere between my 9x 13 and that huge one in the shed.

Leftovers didn't present a problem since I had plenty of dishes and containers to put them in.  I didn't even think to check that first, but it's certainly worth planning ahead and making sure I have them next time.

John's biggest disappointments were not enough turkey to have sandwiches and no pumpkin pie.  When I was told that the one who offered to bring pumpkin pie wasn't bringing one, I almost made one myself.  In future, I will just plan to make my own and be done with it.  John hasn't had a proper Thanksgiving in many years and I hate the two things he looked forward to the  most were not covered.  I have plans to right this.  I'll buy a turkey breast and make it for him and bake him a pie.

I ran out of aluminum foil and waxed paper.  I never even considered how much of that I was going to need nor did I check that I had extras.  I didn't.  As it happened I had almost to the inch how much I needed but no more.

The folding chairs came in handy.  I'd loved to have gotten more but they were completely sold out when I went back for more.  I'll be sure and pick up at least four more the next time I see them in the store.  As it was we managed in the usual way, employing the toy chest, the folding chairs from the café table outdoors, and the two desk chairs.  The little children's table was a nice spot for the 6 and under children but too small for 8 year old Daniel.  It will do for a few years yet though since the smallest is just 9 months and two families tell me they aren't done yet.

We used my sewing table which is a smaller folding table.  It's not quite large enough really.  I think I should look into buying a larger folding table.  I'll have to keep it in one of the sheds but it would be worthwhile.  The adults at the smaller table were really crowded in.

The table settings turned out rather nice. I got one of those fold out turkeys with the paper pleating for the children's table.  I used the khaki sheets on the two grown-up tables and used an arrangement of  burlap covered pumpkins and silk leaves on the smaller table and had a big golden turkey on our table.

Even the Chinet plates groaned under the weight of the food placed on them.  There isn't a stronger paper plate to buy.  I could double them next year for the adults.   I'd prefer to have real plates though, I don't mind admitting that.  And real napkins and glasses as well.  However, this was John's request to use paper plates and napkins and cups and coffee cups.  As in the past the grownups preferred the real coffee mugs and that's what they all used.  John was the only one who used one of the disposable coffee cups.   I wanted pretty and said as much to him when we were shopping.  I paid a pretty penny for my pretty.  I went to a party store and bought dessert plates, more napkins, the turkey for the children's table and pretty cups.  Yes, I had cups that weren't red or blue for a change but in future I'll look for clear drink cups and leave my pretty at the paper napkins.  We used the real flatware and I was just fine with that.  We've plenty of sets, some good, some cheap and some quality.  I found the children had put some of the quality forks in the trash...Luckily I saw the glimmer and fished them out.  I think the children can use plastic forks or the very inexpensive real ones next time.

Our guest room looked really nice, so nice that I took a photo of it Wednesday evening before the guests arrived.

I listened to everyone who offered advice on what made their own guest experiences nice and tried to act accordingly.   My in laws are both diabetics, so I put mandarins, water bottles, peanut butter cracker packets and protein bars in their room in a big old dough bowl.  I had flowers in the room, but not sure of their allergies, I opted for a mini orchid in a pretty copper tea light candle cup.  I gave that to Pilar when she was leaving.  I had the sewing table cleared so the baggage could be placed there and it was a big help.  I'd cleared the closet portion of the chiffarobe so they could hang their clothing and I put in clothes hangers as well.

The guest bath was well stocked with toiletries, a new blow dryer, some new towels and all that might be needed.  The only item needed that I didn't have was facial tissues.  Pilar and I both came down with a cold and boy would tissues have come in handy.  She made a comment that she used them to remove her makeup, as well.

I was a bit put out and I sure would love some help with one area.  Much as we enjoyed our company they were very open ended with arrival and departure dates.  Not just the ones who actually stayed but our son, as well.    I can, with persistence, pin him down Saturday evening, "When do you expect to be leaving?" and that's when we discovered they were going on Sunday morning.   It wasn't a problem with their staying but I would liked to have known something about their plans, you know?

All in all, planning paid off.  My one area where I failed to plan was paper products, spending too much on my longed for 'pretty' items and not having enough waxed paper, aluminum foil or tissues.

As it happened Bess and I had a Jamberry party running all of Thanksgiving week and that went well enough.  There was one day she was unavailable and I ran things but it was a very long day for me.   There were a few days though with company that I simply could do nothing much.    It was necessary with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials offered to work this holiday.  My guests didn't use the computer while here and I felt obligated to leave off being online myself.   I feel I gave less than my best to that job during that time.   I don't know what solution there is to this, but it's something I'll have to consider in future.

The Christmas tree didn't go up Thanksgiving evening nor even Thanksgiving weekend.  In fact, it's presently sitting undecorated and unlighted.  It will be decorated sometime this week.  However, it was the one thing that was too much even with all my planning and that, too, is something else to consider before I attempt it all next year.  Either I decorate prior to the big meal or I plan to wait.

So there is my Thanksgiving Review.