I have not considered a complete turkey meal. I have for many years bought dinner rolls instead of making them, and have bought pies instead of making from scratch.
Last year I told my family I wasn't going to be cooking the whole meal and proposed a covered dish dinner. It turned out very well so we are doing the same this year.

I've done this, and the meal, prepackaged and ready for heating is usually ready to be picked up on Tday morning. I usually add a few things to it, but, now that I find it so difficult to prepare a large dinner, it has been very helpful to do it this way if price is no object. I just reheat the turkey and hot dishes for about a half hour (or whatever the directions tell me) and it's a good substitute for the multiple days of preparation.

On the same note, since I live alone, and don't care to cook complete meals for myself, I have sometimes bought precooked entrees at several Italian groceries/food store, and they are often a boon to me. It's really trial and error; some are really good, and some not so great.
There is also a busy fruit/veg/grocery/bakery not too far that sells hot dishes by weight, and they are often quite good, if rather expensive. I sometimes buy a small quantity, enough for myself for a meal, and pay by weight. This store will give you sample tastes so you can decide whether it's something you would like for dinner.

Yes, other than Thanksgiving, not full meals items are available. Most seem to offer the broasted chicken, avg $6-9. That's cheaper than buying a raw chicken, and having to cook it yourself. For me, I can create 5 meals for $6. Slabs of Ribs are offered. The deli has stuffed pepper, meatloafs, and other items. Pumpkin Pie has to be home made. It's so easy, no peeling. Mix, pour and cook. Many people prefer a non-Turkey feast.

No prepared or frozen food. I prefer fresh.

OF, meals as you describe including entrée plus sides and dessert are readily available in my area (coastal SE CT) any day of the year. Whole Foods is a popular place for such meals but we also have specialty stores that only offer ready to eat meals. They are chef prepared and most use organic ingredients. Several offer only one particular ethnic cuisine or offer a specialty such as a seafood entrée and appropriate sides. We even have places here where you bring your own china, flatware, glasses, table linens, etc. and they supply the food. Something for most everybody. Most are quite good. The prices you quote are more than reasonable for this area. I'm always amazed at how much less expensive food is in the Midwest.

I live in an area where second homes are common. We are also in an historic village with its roots to the sea dating back 400 years so boating is popular. Many people live seasonally on their boats and choose not to cook much in their galleys.

I am a scratch cook and also maintain an emergency 6-12 month food storage program. However, since retirement, there have been times DH has walked thru the door announcing, "Hon, I've been hanging with the guys and just invited 8 people from the marina for dinner at 8:00. Anything I can do to help?" I have retorted, "Yes, you can go to McQuades, Whole Foods, or Mystic Market and I'll get out the china and set the table!" (grin)

I like having good choices and find there is a time/place for a lot of those choices.

/tricia

Edited for typo.

This post was edited by triciae on Sat, Nov 8, 14 at 10:40

The missus and I enjoy turkey and have several during the year. I have a deep freeze and store 2 or 3 for whenever. The price per pound is good and we can make many, many meals from one bird.

The missus is one of 6 siblings, so we drive to the Chicagoland area for holidays (they rarely come here, it is too far!!). We contribute something like pickles or another item from our garden, so we don't need to purchase anything.

Jim

My family and I have done this in the past. We would have to "tweak" some of the sides and/or add more. Seems like no one knows how to make dressing like Mama used to. :)

The volunteer fire dept. here has an annual smoked turkey fund raiser. I usually would order at least one of them. Everyone in my family liked turkey and since the meal often was at my sister's house there weren't many leftovers.

The first year they did this I got my turkey home and found the giblets were still inside the bird. Lol I told them about it and it hasn't happened since. They do a really good job smoking them.

My DD entertains her in-laws at either Thanksgiving or Christmas every year. When they were remodeling their house last year, they had to go elsewhere. They did not have a place they could put them to just sit and visit, let alone sleep. So at friends' suggestion, they rented a cabin in the mountains, picked up his parents at the airport, picked up the packaged meal at the restaurant, and drove straight to the mountains. Because they got there late and did not want to do a grocery run, they decided to have the turkey meal that night, which was actually the day before Thanksgiving. They enjoyed it so much that they are repeating the idea at a different cabin for Christmas this year.

Not for me. Just two of us this year, but still want to cook a turkey and some sides. Will keep it small but good, and remember Thanksgivings past with 18 -20 people.

Yes, I have tried them a few times when circumstances prevented making the Thanksgiving meal from scratch. The ones I've had (some better than others) just don't measure up to homemade but were ok in a pinch.

Since I am the one that usually prepares Christmas dinner for some of my family without any help, in previous years my sister often mentioned buying one of those already cooked turkeys with all the trimmings and sides that one catering company offered. Not sure if any place around here offers the prepared dinner now but I sure may be tempted in the future to try it. Last Christmas Eve I came down with H1N1 flu and the dinner was a massive failure

Some don't have the space, the time, the ability, the interest, the experience, etc, to prepare a meal for a greater number of people than are around on a daily basis. In those cases, getting prepared food for some or all of the meal may make sense.

Whether it's a holiday or not, families shouldn't act like there's a designated kitchen slave who does all the cooking and kitchen work. For a family event, adult participants should be asked to share the work, either with what they bring or with what they do.

When my siblings and I became adults, we'd show up at our parents' house and do the entire dinner preparation. Later, for one stretch of years, we had Thanksgiving with one particular branch of the family. The Kitchen Meister of that clan allowed only limited contributions from others. This family's hospitality was gracious but the food was really not enjoyable. We contributed what we were allowed (usually wine) and otherwise acted as grateful guests. I would have gladly personally underwritten the cost of buying everyone's holiday dinner to avoid her normal spread.

One year I was recovering from surgery and not up to going anywhere for Thanksgiving dinner, or for having folks over to our house for T-day dinner (no matter who cooked). But, Hubs and I still wanted to have the traditional T-day meal.

Several really good restaurants in our area are open on Thanksgiving, so we simply ordered meals from one of them and Hubs drove to the restaurant to pick them up. Even though it was just the two of us, we ordered three meals, so there would be enough for a small second helping for both of us. :-)

The food was great, there was no stress, and we'd do it again.

We were recently invited to Thanksgiving dinner. I was looking forward to it until the hostess told me that she will be having the entire meal including dessert catered by a local grocery store. Wishing I could stay home and I'd have my own home cooked meal. Unfortunately, cancelling is not an option.

haha I sure wish I wasn't the one to do all the cooking but the family members I invite don't cook at all but they contribute by purchasing the groceries. The last two years I have invited a friend who came back to Canada to live who otherwise would be alone because her adult children live in the US. She shows up to my house early to help prepare the veggies and I sure do appreciate the help. What a difference the help makes. When I got up in the middle of the night Christmas Eve to start making the trifle I realized I was sick and cancelled the Christmas to Boxing Day before I knew how ill I really was. Since most of the dinner was cooked they ate and I went to bed, don't remember much of that day. All I remember is sitting on a chair at the kitchen sink with a pot of turnip using my stick blender to mash it. I mush have been sick if I was sitting down. Thank God to my surprise my flu germs were not passed on to anyone else. A prepared dinner is looking better and better each day as the holidays approach.

We have bought the prepared meals in the past when my dad was still living at home and we ate at his house. It was what he wanted and from a local restaurant that does a very good job, so it was fine. Of course, it was not as good as homemade, but it sure was a lot easier.

I used to do it all wherever we were stationed. One year in Texas we asked for some of the Hawaii trainees at Lackland AFB to come to our place and we had so much fun. I cooked the traditional Turkey dinner plus some local favorites. The guys brought guitars and ukuleles and we sang and played music. They all wrote the most beautiful thank you letters.

After we lived in Hawaii I still did the Thanksgiving dinners. DH's parents always went to the city's annual dinner for the homeless or those who are alone. The senior citizens performed, singing and dancing hula. Then they (the n-aws) would come for their second dinner at our house. Sometimes they went to their other children's house in Alabama.

In the years we were a alone I tried many of the grocery store's and restaurant's Thanksgiving dinners to go and they were all very good and as I got older I really appreciated not having to cook and clean up.

Now that DH's sister and her DH have retired and moved back to Hawaii she does Thanksgiving every year which I love. We even bought them an electric turkey roaster which make the most excellent roast turkey! Her FIL used to make 2 or 3 pies but since his death her DH has taken over as the family pie maker and doing a good job at it! Everyone brings something and it's always wonderful.

Last year, we bought a smoked turkey from a chain restaurant. We had friends over who wanted to try it too, so we thought it sounded great. It wasn't so great. We're a little hurt that our friends wanted it try it too, but still talk about how horrible they thought it was. They didn't seem to mind taking all of the left overs though.

Usually, it is just DH and I, so I make a simple, easy Thanksgiving meal. I'm sure I'll do the same this year.

For the past 3 years, we have been going to a little restuarant in Milwaukee called "Athens". They feature an all-you-can eat buffet at about $12 to $16 per person. It has gotten so popular that this year, they require reservations. I find its a great way to have a holiday dinner when my 2 sons come into town for the day, and it relieves stress for the wife. Main entires include baked turkey, roast beef, and sausage.

One local & popular restaurant provided free T-day meals for 20 years, then stopped. The Salvation Army still does, and many "non-needy" people do partake to avoid cooking and it's free. One buffet is $28. Too much.
Triicia .... take your own plates and get free food. Ha. Then drag home bags of dirty dishes? We too have the summer beach homes and marina. Perhaps they eat out a lot? Also easy to select individual items from the deli to create a meal year round. It's all a convenience factor.
Prepared vs. Fresh? A deli roast chicken is fresh, it's just that someone else does the cooking.

OF, the food is not free. The restaurant provides outdoor picnic tables and people bring their fine china, etc. to create a special dinner on the banks of Mystic Harbor. The restaurant's specialty is fresh lobster. After dinner, the candles are blown out and packed along with the dishes into picnic baskets for the trip home. Local tradition and we've celebrated many b-days at Abbott's in the Rough. Abbott's will provide paper plates and glasses if that's your desire. It's all about choices. Oh, it's also BYOB.

/tricia

My mother ordered one of those prepared meals one time. It was just her, my husband and me, and that is what she wanted to do. I thought the food was horrific. No where near as good as home made. As far as I am concerned, life it too short to eat food that isn't any good.

If the prepared food your mother had was horrific, my guess says the problem was that she chose the wrong place to get it from. Not that it wasn't homemade.

I have eaten at some restaurants that had excellent Thanksgiving dinners, better than some homemade I've had. I know the Whole Foods here does an event prior to Thanksgiving where people can taste their prepared items. We tried it last year and it was very good.

Horrific prepared vs home made can indeed be the opposite, as Snidely commented he would have eagerly purchased prepared to avoid a particular person's home cooked meal.

I'm afraid that we brought home one of the complete cooked turkey from Publix one year. I was not in good health but we didn't want to do without a roasted turkey and trimmings.

Not good.....not good at all. Only the turkey was salvagable, in the form of sandwhiches, soup, and casseroles. I still shudder when I think of that gravy, blech.

The next year, with me still not well, we simply did an abbreviated version of the feast, well worth the effort.

Everyone comes to our place for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everything is homemade, even the pie. Apple for my granddaughter, pumpkin for my grandson and husband. I love the smell of turkey and stuffing in the oven cooking.

I think part of the issue is that we get used to our individual cooking styles. They are familiar to us and something new/different seems not as good. No matter the actual quality of the meal. I also agree with snidely, a particularly bad meal may have been a poor choice of where the meal was purchased.

Different ways of preparing the same dish invites comparisons. For instance, if you are used to a simple cornbread stuffing/dressing and you receive oyster stuffing with your prepared meal you may not like the dish. Doesn't mean it is not good, only that we tend to like what is familiar to us on Thanksgivivg.

/tricia

What meal could be easier to prepare than the traditional Thanksgiving dinner? There's nothing 'tricky' or last minute about turkey, mashed potatoes, some green vegetable, garden salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, rolls and butter, pie. Wine, water, coffee.

What makes it a chore is the china, silver, crystal, etc. -- and trying to feed a regiment all by yourself. You don't *have* to do all that preparation and delicate clean-up. (I don't know how to limit the guests, but you can enlist help.)

One year when I went to get some ingredients for a holiday dinner party that evening, the deli at the local upscale grocery was taking whole turkeys out of the oven. The relief of not having to cook an entree for that night's dinner suddenly overwhelmed me and I told them to slice and pack up one of those turkeys for me. It was a great experience, if costly.

For the four days of Thanksgiving weekend, we always stock the refrigerator with selections from that same grocer's freshly prepared items. We don't cook at all during that weekend other than re-heating. It makes the whole four days so relaxing and conducive to getting the house decorated and the presents wrapped. I guess it's our own Thanksgiving tradition.

My family gatherings are typically HUGE. So covered dish every year for decades now. I would love to have a prepared meal for all of them and we all just show up, but that can't happen. We almost always have to eat in shifts because no one has a place big enough to host everyone and, usually, they will hit the inlaws' homes before/after the nuclear family gathering. Last year, we decided to keep it simple and I think we had 8. That was an easy meal. Except, when we went to take out the silverware (real, not plated) to clean it up and set the table, there was none. I guess we had 9 including the police officer taking the report ;) Ah, memorable holiday meals.

Oh Robin :)

I can so relate! Just last year we had a similar experience. Everything in our house is different because of Sandy's tidal surge. I went to get the sterling to clean up about a week before T-Day and it wasn't there! Nobody could remember where it was...we'd had lots of help getting the house emptied after the flood and we didn't even know who had last handled the sterling much less where it might be. We had to use plastic flatware! The sterling has since shown up, thankfully, since it's heirloom and I'm a sentimental sort.

/tricia

I remember your trials with Sandy and how glad you were to even have a meal. I was happy for your meal! Happy yours has shown up. The two missing sets? My grandmother's and her mothers. We know where they went. Let's just say he's an ex husband (not mine) to a sibling.

Never....

I ate T-giving with my MIL, she served frozen pumpkin pie & cheap pre-made whipped cream, stoufers box dressing, canned cranberry sauce,

I went home and made it all from scratch and served us the same meal AGAIN the next day! :0)

I love home made food....home-made/draperies.....clothes.....I like quality and not cheap junk....no chemicals