A Thanksgiving Menu

Oh, Thanksgiving.

That day of days for a food lover.  The flavors, the colors, the textures.  The utter excess.

For years, I ate dinner at my aunt's.  Every year my mom made the pies, and I'll never forget the mad rush to get out the door with all the pies in one piece.  "Who's go the pumpkin? Where's the apple? Here, carry the whipped cream!"  And then there was the dinner itself, prefaced by the rush of my aunt's kitchen and finished with the men getting together to wash the dishes while the women folk gathered in the living room to...digest, or something.

After 26 years of this, it was understandable that I went through a bit of an adjustment period after I met Rob and we negotiated over Thanksgiving and where we'd be spending it.  The result was that we spent several years at HIS aunt's house.  His argument: He very rarely saw his extended family throughout the year, usually just on Labor Day and Thanksgiving and for a while on Christmas morning, and didn't often get to see his father in light of his busy work and travel schedule.  I couldn't argue with that since I see my extended family throughout the year and my immediate family even more than that.

This year, though, everything's different.  He HAS seen his family this year, probably more than the rest of his life combined, and we live with his father.  Add to that the fact that my aunt and her family are going to Disney World the day after Thanksgiving and therefore aren't hosting the big meal.  Well, I couldn't let my poor parents and sibs have nowhere to go on the big day! The horror!

So here we are, less than a week out, with an almost-finished dining room (pics to come) and a ton of food in the fridge.  Including a 20 pound turkey.  Yes.  I said it.  20 pounds for 8 people.


Because someone is a huge fan of turkey and Miracle Whip sandwiches on Black Friday.  And he has turned me into a convert.  So 20 pounds is necessary.

So what's my menu look like, you ask? I'll tell you:

Herb Butter Roasted Turkey and Gravy
Sausage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole (I plan to write up a Part Deux for that post)
Green Bean Casserole
Spinach Gratin
Corn...plan old corn
Sweet Dinner Rolls
Cornbread Pudding
Peach Cobbler

My mom is bringing pies as always, and last I heard from my sister, she wanted to make Red Velvet Cupcakes. 

I also want to come up with a couple of appetizers to put out but haven't arrived at any conclusions yet.  Do you have any ideas?


And while we're at it, what's on YOUR Thanksgiving menu?