"Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark."

~ Saying of the Gladdagh Gypsies of Galway


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner

This year I have decided to finally start a tradition, in my own home, to make a Thanksgiving Dinner for my family. When I was younger, my mom always did this for our immediate family, if I remember correctly, the day before Thanksgiving. Since I am not the host of Thanksgiving dinner for either my side of the family, or my husbands, I decided to start my own tradition at my house. I've been itching to cook a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch anyways, so let the tradition begin!

This Sunday I will be whipping up my very first Thanksgiving Day dinner for my hubby and I...and the babe :) I'm excited - I'm planning. Oh the planning! This is what the menu is looking like thus far:
  • Turkey & gravy
  • Mashed potatos
  • Stuffing/dressing -- do I cook it in the bird, or not?
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Dinner rolls -- this could be tricky, I never have luck with homemade bread requiring yeast
  • Sweet potato casserole
  • Corn - I asked hubby if he'd prefer corn or green bean casserole. He made it too easy for me and said corn!
  • Pumpkin pie -- fresh from the pie pumpkins sitting on my table!
I will be making everything from scracth - don't scratch your head and look at me like I am crazy! - it will be fun! And I am trying to purchase as many of the ingredients as possible locally. The turkey is my biggest challenge at the moment. As I am learning, farmers take orders for them early! I know an Amish farm a few towns over sold them in the past, but by the time I get over there after work, it would be dark. And I would prefer to pull in the drive when it is light out!

Stay tuned as I will post the outcome! In the mean time, if you have a favorite recipe for one of the above dishes, please feel free to share :) I am taking as many suggestions as possible at the moment!!

Photo Credit: Flock of wild turkeys on Flickr, Creative Commons.

10 comments:

Sabina Sala said...

Hello, I'm Sabina, I love the life in the farm with horses and animals.
I love olso american food.
I will follow you.

Kim said...

I will never forget the first time I did this. It was just for my husband and I (before kids) in our little apartment. I fixed cornish hens with wild rice and apple stuffing. We baked pies together from scratch and watched football. It was one of my favorite holiday memories. I hope your Thanksgiving will be that way!

Susan said...

I always give credit (and Thanks!) to Thanksgiving for giving me my love of baking. I have several "easy" recipes for yeast rolls on my blog that you might want to try...and last year I did a pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin, although I think Kelly's Pumpkin Pie is still my favorite!
My daughter's said, "Can we call Mom's 1-800 line if we have any questions?" Maybe I should post that--I've certainly done a few Thanksgivings! Happy Holidays and I'm so Thankful to have you as a friend. XOXO

Pam said...

Good luck cooking your first Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.

Bee Girl said...

Oh how wonderful! Congratulations on your first Thanksgiving dinner! I've took over Thanksgiving for our family about 10 or 11 years ago and it's been so much fun...and such a learning curve!!! I'm continuously trying new things and enjoying the old stand-bys! Yes, the planning is crazy, but it's so important!

Not sure how you feel about plastic (I know, I know), but Reynolds Oven Bags are such an amazing invention! Your roasting time will be slashed and you don't have to baste, baste, baste! check 'em out! Our turkeys are generally 20-24 pounders and they cook up in just a few hours! Magic!

Good luck and have fun!!!

Debi said...

I remember being a little hesitant about fixin my first turkey. I did so much reading and looked at so many recipes. I think bringing new traditions into a family is fantastic. Make it your own!

Unknown said...

wonderful to have your own traditions! we did growing up - fudge from scratch on the first real snowfall, spaghetti for New Year's Eve and Danish chicken soup with dumplings (like matzo balls) for Christmas. BUT our Thanksgiving was more traditional; sorry I have no TD recipes for you - have a GREAT day!

katiegirl said...

Good luck with your Thanksgiving meal! I'm sure you'll do great!

Anonymous said...

I think it's cool you're going to do this for your family. Just like the old days only I'm sure your meal will be more original and less traditional! lol

Unknown said...

Thanks Kel :)