Friday, November 12, 2010

Thanksgiving - I Choose Stress Free!

PHEW. Can you hear my long sigh? LOL. After a marathon visit (6 weeks ... yes, 6 weeks) from my family and being in the process of launching several websites for work, I am looking at Thanksgiving with a bit of trepidation. I have not had a chance to think about turkeys, the family is far away so chances are it may only be two of us for dinner - four at the most.  So how can I make this a low stress Thanksgiving but still keep the tradition?


Decorations -  I have decided to skip all the lovely autumn decoration this year and go for the gusto ... yup ... Christmas decorations.  I normally do a Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend so a few days saves the extra "decorate for Thanksgiving" step and keeps the festive atmosphere.


The Table - for the first time ever, I am breaking out the special ... plastic plates!  The pretty ones ... that can be thrown away ... like no dishes ... WOOHOO!  Same flatware but the fancier plastic plates will save a bit of elbow on the most-dishes-dinner-ever.

The Turkey  - this has been a tough one.  My instinct is to go with a turkey breast but I love the whole turkey.  I will mark that up in the air but the closer we get ... the more inclined I am towards the breast.  The downside is that the prices are far higher.


The Sides -  I will not diverge from tradition here - I simply cannot!  I love all the sides and all the traditional ones so:  Mashed Potatoes (prepared ahead of time and in a casserole to be heated on the day), Stuffing (my Grandmother and Mom's recipe- my favorite!), Skillet Apples (all prep work ahead of time and ready to pop into the skillet), White Corn (simple!),  Dinner Rolls (easy!), Cranberry Sauce (still contemplating this but I am considering something special or I may cave and do easy!).

The Grazing - cinnamon rolls in the morning, raw veggies and dip for quick munchies ... not too many grazing requirements with an afternoon dinner.

The Drinks -  I have guests attending that do not drink alcohol so I bought some yummy sparkling juice combos and I bought some frozen mixed berries to do some fun virgin cocktails.  And apple cider ... maybe warmed with some spices!


The Dessert -  I may be burned at the stake for this one but I am not a pumpkin pie fan.  It simply does not move me so I will have one on standby for anyone who wants it but me?  Caramel Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream ... oh yeah!  And since I am a foodie that does not bake - I get to buy this ahead of time and simply warm it before serving!

The Day - the parade in the morning, the smells of turkey wafting through the house, Christmas carols on the MAC, conversation with friends and a day that is about relaxing and a day off rather than making myself crazy.




I did think that it may be a good catch up on work day ... but that would be cheating, right?

OK Foodies - WOW me :) - How are you spending Thanksgiving?  Stressful or Stress free? 
Enhanced by Zemanta

2 comments:

  1. I've been planning since Halloween and have a pretty simplish menu. I am making a lot ahead. In fact, I am maing my pie crust when my baby naps and the sausage for my stuffing tomorrow. I am doing a little everyday. The past Thanksgivings just has been so stressful. Hoping for a nice one this year. And HELL YES for fancy paper plates and plastic flatware!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sommer! I love it - Happy Stress Free Thanksgiving! Thank you for the visit!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...