Thanksgiving will be a non-event this year as step mom is going to visit my sister and incredibly obnoxious/rude/gross/gun loving/bordering on violent BIL. Brother/SIL have no idea what they are doing (typical) but are probably having friends to their house (who weren’t all that great last year) so it will be DH and I on our own. Will probably do a turkey breast (better get that ordered) and the usual suspects. Too early yet for XMAS planning but I hope to have the family at our house.
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I think every family has one of those… In my youth, when I lived in the vicinity of my mother and father, I stopped going to Thanksgiving for the same reason.
I went down to truck stop (just off the highway) for Thanksgiving dinner. They put on a HUGE spread for the “Over the Road” truckers who couldn’t make it home. I heard so many GREAT stories from those guys. I really had a lot of fun, enjoyed myself and got a fantastic meal at a reasonable price.
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Orange is SO not my color, but it was the primary color of tonight’s meal:
A cheeseburger seasoned with Penzeys Quebec Beef Spice mix with the orange slice of Kraft American cheese on top of an orange-ish toasted Brioche roll with orange Fritos alongside.
The ketchup on the bottom bun was red.
The wine in the glass was pale golden yellow.
The tummy was relatively happy.
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Looks like a Harvest Moon Burger.
Andrea Nguyen 's Umami Garlic Noodles (subbing bok choy and pea pods) https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020091-umami-garlic-noodles-with-mustard-greens
I cut the noodles in half, but left everything else the same and just divided it between the two of us. Eating a giant plate of vegetables with a little carbs was just what the doctor ordered!
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This was actually lunch but putting it here, our dinner will be takeout Teriyaki & tempura & not that photogenic. Pictured is a Cubano sandwich made from leftover pork loin roasted on Sunday. Made on sourdough French bread, yellow mustard, a tad bit of Mayo, pork, Black Forest Ham, Jarslberg cheese, thinly sliced dill pickle. A classic and delicious sandwich, to be sure.
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A labor of love!
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The kiddo and I made one of his favorites, spaghetti and meatballs, together tonight. He enjoyed it but was disappointed it’s not our other angel hair dish with raw tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil. Mueller’s whole wheat angel hair was surprisingly decent.
The meatballs were tender and tasty. I put too much tomato paste in the sauce, so it was fine but could have been better. Running out of fresh veg so salad was celery and fennel with Meyer lemon oo and white wine vinegar.
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Stuffed shells with ricotta, mozz, parm and spinach. Baked in homemade marinara and topped with a drizzle of pesto. Greens in vinaigrette.
Tomatoes, basil and salad greens from our garden.
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Please share your technique!
I am an Australian, so our traditional dishes for Christmas are different. We love prawns, there is a huge line in the fish market for prawns, and you have to get up early to get your prawns. We also enjoy ham and turkey but cold, so we cooked them a few days earlier to Christmas so my grandpa and grandma do not have to wait at the dinner table 
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Root Vegetables and Bean Soup - with pancetta, leeks, turnips, carrots, cannellini beans, white wine, rosemary and parmesan
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I worked with a Canadian man a few years ago that had an Australian wife. He told me once that the years they celebrated Christmas in Australia they would have lobster for dinner since it was too hot to cook.
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Last night’s dinner was lamb chop en papillote. Next time I will roast everything since I prefer my lamb and veggies crispier.
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What’s that? (Googled and didn’t come up with anything definitive.)
Thanks for chiming in about other traditions outside the U.S., @sarosbardining! I’d actually be fine with prawns for Christmas. Especially since it’s your summertime down there - makes MUCH more sense to have something lighter during hot weather vs. what can be a very heavy meal in the northern hemisphere in our cold weather.
And glad to hear your grandma and grandpa don’t have to wait for everything to be done on Christmas Day for dinner. 
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My mother and I often got a variety of seafood salads, shrimp & scallops to grill for xmas eve. Nice to go back and snack on things between unwrapping gifts or games we would play.
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