Happy Thanksgiving!

[Alice Levitt]

Tom the Turkey. Available at pa-ticipating stores. Thank you.

[JasonFrishman]

So, I'm all excited for Thanksgiving!
All other holidays aside, as well as this one's potentially questionable political history, Thanksgiving is my all time favorite! Other than all of the other reasons that we could go into another time, culinarily (is that a word?), I just LOVE Thanksgiving.  I love fall harvest vegetables, and I love that it is really the only time of the year that Shana is completely cook with me cooking a big ole dead animal in the house! (thanks Beth and Bruce).

Anyway, let me ask you, Thanksgiving, purely a time for traditional fare, or an evening to really try and do some crazy experimentation? (or somewhere inbetween?)

I'd love to hear what people are planning and how they go about Thanksgiving!
-Jason

[Morganna]

We invite our other "orphan" friends who don't have family living nearby (or who won't be with their family) and just have a traditional feast.    My husband and I worked this out early in our relationship.  Thanksgiving is ALWAYS turkey, stuffing (which means something very specific for me, it's my mother's stuffing or nothing!), mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie (with COOL WHIP, I know, bite me ).  Other things might be added or taken away, like this year I'll also be making a mince meat pie and some cranberry-pineapple relish.  One couple is bringing fresh green bean casserole, which is like the stuff of church suppers, only made with real, fresh ingredients instead.   Getting another friend to do the mashed potatoes this year.

I always brine my turkey and everyone loves how it comes out, so juicy, never dried out.  The leftovers taste great, too.   I think we'll be playing RockBand this year, but I'm not sure.  Might do some board or card games.  And my husband has fixed up the Asteroids Deluxe cabinet video game that we got for nothing from Freecycle, so probably there will be asteroids paying the price for their audacity.

[Undead Molly]

Traditional vs. innovation depends on the attendees for me. When my boyfriends and I have Thanksgiving at home, we do lots of experimentation. But if we're doing stuff with my family we know better than to mess with the classics. You get that, "Oh, that looks... interesting," reaction and nobody will go near it. Potatoes must be white and whipped, stuffing pre-seasoned from a bag, cranberry sauce from a can (I do love the sssssschloop sound it makes sliding out), green bean casserole, and no garlic in anything.

[Morganna]

We do experimental stuff at Christmas time.  I do something we've never had before every year for Christmas.  My husband makes something Italian Christmas eve and New Year's eve.

[JasonFrishman]

I am excited. i am introducing my family (from new york) to the idea of brining the bird.

that's new for them. i did it last year and it is now officially tradition in my household.
other than that, there will, i believe, be a mix of traditional, totally experimental and some blend of the two (although i am not sure what that looks like yet)

i have to get cracking on ideas....ouch, it's monday, right?!!

[Suzanne Podhaizer]

Every year, I choose a different theme for Thanksgiving. I use mostly traditional items (turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc.), but tweak them somehow.

One year I served the turkey with mole sauce and made my stuffing with cornbread and roasted poblano peppers. I've also had a "soul food" Thanksgiving and pure New England versions.

This year I'm giving everything I make some kind of Spanish flair. Here's the menu: For lunch, sherried cream of mushroom soup, fried garbanzo beans w/smoked paprika and scones w/ham & piquillo peppers. Dinner will be bay-&-orange brined turkey with Manchego & saffron potato cakes, celeriac & chorizo stuffing, and chard w/raisins & pine nuts.

My mom's making the desserts, which won't necessarily fit with the theme.

[JasonFrishman]

Suzanne, You Rock!

i love it.  can i come over for leftovers? (and can i have some of the recipes you used?)
has jason given some nice wine rec's?

i love the idea of a themed thanksgiving - twisting on traditionals. i may have to steal that idea for next year. Mediterranean version? Asian Fusion? 

[VTFoodlvr]

Thanksgiving for my family is fairly traditional. We never do anything too odd because my grandparents aren't very adventuresome. Mashed potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce etc. But at Christmas, my parents always fry the turkey. They will usually inject it with flavorings you can buy at the store. One year it was cajun and it tasted great.   

[Morganna]

Every year, I choose a different theme for Thanksgiving.

I usually do this for our holiday feast.  One year we did medieval recipes.  Another we did Dutch... one year a southern foods theme, another Mexican holiday foods.