Thanksgiving 08 (Portland, Augusta, Freeport: renting, how much, wedding)

[RMoore007]

Thanksgiving and thisserved with real cranberry sauce, the kind you slice of course.

[BacktoNE]

My oldest brother will pick up the already prepared turkey dinner at Shaws and take it to my mothers the next day, in Winslow. I assume that includes turkey, mashed potatoes, squash and something for dessert.

DH & I don't "do" T'giving per se. If we were home we would just pick up a turkey pie @ Hillmans in Fairfield, or the local bakery in whatever town we land in upon our return. We usually spend most of the day working at the homeless shelter.

[genmomto5]

Last year I think I had post moving stress disorder or something. I threw a hiss fit in the early afternoon and stalked off to bed. There was much scurrying and my husband and brother made dinner and cleaned the mess I was flipping about. I'm hoping I pull things off a bit better this year. We had no guests last year, thank goodness.

This year, we haven't made plans yet. My little guy has his birthday today, then getting through Halloween is huge with 6 kids. Follow that up with a visit from CA from my sister and her fiance (haven't met him yet) for our birthdays and we get awfully close to Thanksgiving before I have much planning time.

Thanks for reminding me to think about it. I think better planning is crucial this year. :P

[happyfamily1912d]

We try to live up to the standard set by my folks, a traditional dinner. We don't have any real silver to polish, but we still put on a tablecloth, dress a bird at 7:00AM, and prepare way more food than we really need. The best part are the treats that we only have on T-day; stuffed dates, sweet gherkins, pumpkin pie, and passed-down stuffing and cranberry salad recipes. The smells alone are worth the effort, and are the same ones every year since my childhood (except that one thanksgiving I had a Denny's)!

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by txmom

Star, I like that rum and cranberry juice idea.

Isn't that drink called a cape codder?

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by AustinB

Isn't that drink called a cape codder?

Nope, that would be vodka and cran. We used to call rum & cran "jungle juice". Not that I would know much about drinking or anything....in fact I rarely touch the stuff.

[ILUVMAINE]

Well, we will probably stay here this year! We typically go to (where else) Maine and eat dinner at the Chinese restaurant in Ellsworth! LOL But now that we are near the kids and grandkids we will have to put on a show! I’ll have turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus, homemade rolls, stuffing AND my specialty – sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows melted on top! I would definitely like to go to Maine, but that will probably have to wait until Christmas! Yea! We never realized by moving so far away the air fare would be almost double! Yuck! AND we certainly won’t be driving – 33 hours one way!

Mermaid, it’s your fault – I’m all hungry now!

[Elcarim]

Will someone share a good New England style (if there is such thing) dressing recipe with me? And do you stuff your bird or make the stuffing separate?

As a matter of fact, what is the typical NE Thanksgiving dinner menu?

[RANGER.101ST]

we have the whole fam up for the day we go hunting till 1 eat around 2 and go into a food coma around 4 yup good times.

[K-Luv]

My mom is going to fly in from California for Thanksgiving, which will be nice because I don't think that I will be flying back home for the Holidays this year. As far as she is concerned we could (Mom, GF, and me) go out for hamburgers, but the GF insists that she cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Secretly, I wish that my mom was cooking the meal.

So yeah, this year it is just the three of us. Last year it was just me and the GF and a full spread.