I need to remind my aunt about the Judy bird…
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Just remembered quiche bites and deviled eggs for the grazing period from an earlier Thanksgiving planning thread.
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For the first time in almost 30 years it may be just the two of us. Parents and grandchildren” might “be traveling. But you know what - just in case they don’t.
I’ll still roast a whole bird instead of just a breast. Better turkey drippings for dressing.
So: Roast turkey
Cornbread dressing
GBC
Corn casserole
Sweet potatoes
Rhodes rolls
Cranberry sauce.
Pumpkin pie for dessert and maybe a pecan pie too. What the heck right.
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Pickled beets and eggs are perennial apps for Thanksgiving in our house! Even though it’s just the two of us, I have to have them. Once a years treats - along with oyster stuffing.
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Would you share your oyster stuffing recipe?
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It’s a loosey, goosey thing. I buy a loaf of sturdy French bread and cut it into cubes to dry, days before Thanksgiving. In a giant saute pan, in copious amounts of unsalted butter, I cook finely diced onion, celery with leaves, fresh fennel, carrots - probably equal amounts of each. I mix that in a gigantic metal bowl with the dried bread. I add several beaten eggs, some chicken stock and whole fresh oysters with their liquor (as many as I can afford) stir it all around and season it with Bell’s Poultry seasoning. I also sometimes add sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms. Turn it out into a buttered casserole cover with foil - bake at 350 then remove foil and let it crisp on the top.
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Sounds delicious! I will give it a try at some point.
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I am really wishing we stocked up on fresh oysters when we were in Galveston a few weeks ago. All we have available here now are those “jarred” oysters. Your recipe sounds great.
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I expect I’ll be invited to my sister’s SIL’s house again as I was last year (2 years ago, I decided to be on my own, which my sister didn’t like, but it was what I needed at the time, and 3 years ago, I was at her SIL’s house, as it was 3 days after my mother’s passing and my sister begged me to be with her and her in-laws, despite the fact I wasn’t in any social type of mood). We’ll see what kind of mood I’m in this year.
Her SIL’s husband is a former chef, so I usually can’t bring anything except a dessert. Oh and I definitely bring wine. 
But I’ll still make a turkey breast on Saturday after Thanksgiving for myself so I have leftovers. I go very traditional - the bird (or at least now, the bird’s boobies), homemade gravy from drippings, sour-creamy mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and a green veg - either green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts. It’s the sprouts where I often try different “add-ons or -ins”. I might scout around for other side dishes, as I’m willing to experiment when it’s just me. There will be homemade cranberry-orange relish, and I’ll make a small apple galette or something pumpkiny for dessert.
And as I say on the WFD threads - There WILL be wine. 
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My T-Day Brussels sprouts standard has become roasted with enough olive oil, S&P to do the job, then tossed in browned butter and lemon juice and zest. After the first year I did this for Thanksgiving, I never looked back.
Another simple but delicious way I like to do roasted sprouts in the colder months is tossed with a mixture of pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and lemon juice and garnished with pomegranate arils.
If oven space is at a premium, I roast them ahead of time, then reheat in s big sauté pan over medium-low heat with a lid on, tossing them around every few minutes till hot.
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I’ve done something similar with pom molasses in the past, and that’s the way my brain was going. Or maybe some diced pancetta and balsamic vinegar with some freshly ground pepper.
And I have a Breville convection toaster oven, so that’s where the sprouts will be done, leaving the oven for keeping taters warm after I pull the turkey breast to rest.
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I read this as “porn molasses,” so it’s time to put on the reading glasses!
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I have a Breville oven, too, which is especially handy for more involved meals because my wall oven is quite small. But for everyday cooking, anything that will fit in the Breville (most things) gets baked, roasted, or broiled in there instead of in the “big” oven.
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As you can tell from my Thanksgiving menu, I don’t go all out. Which brings to mind Alfre Woodard and her MIL in What’s Cooking? Alfre is stressing out, fixing this, that and the other fancy pies, grilled vegetables etc. Her MIL pipes up and says Thanksgiving is one of the easiest dinners to fix. Just put the turkey in the oven and the rest takes care of itself. I was nodding my head up and down.
Also, as much as I like Thanksgiving dinner, I can’t stop thinking of that turkey and dressing sandwich with cranberry sauce on buttered rolls later that night. That’s MY favorite part.
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I usually spend Thanksgiving with my mother, and we divvy up the cooking duties between us. This year, she’ll be off on a Viking river cruise on the Seine (poor dear), so I’ll be having dinner with my father and stepmother and their one other guest.
Stepmom’s taking it easy and ordering most of the meal from a local restaurant/caterer she likes that gives things a bit of a Middle Eastern twist. I will contribute dessert and cranberry sauce. The latter will be my usual made with red wine and the addition of minced candied ginger. For dessert, I’m thinking I’ll bake my pear fudge pie, which they haven’t had before.
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I remember that! So much has happened since then, it puts things in a different perspective . I will make an appearance as turkey whisperer, and try to get up and help with breakfast for our adult offspring that they could do, and are too sweet. Burried in there will be things i will relish and remember forever, like saving seeds, names, and recipes
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Recipe, please? I like all 3 of those ingredients!
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Not recommended unless you lay down a lot of plastic sheeting first.
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Ahh the leftovers. Those are my favorite part too!
A few times when I’ve gone out or to other people’s homes for Thanksgiving, I’ve made a small feast for myself over the weekend–turkey breast, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes with pecans.
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