I stopped cooking a whole turkey a few years ago. It's just dh & me. A breast gives us plenty of meat for dinner and enough leftover for sandwiches and a pot of soup or pot pie. I actually don't care for turkey broth, so don't miss the carcass.

My wife and I have been empty nesters for several years now, so a whole turkey seems a bit overkill, and to be truthful I think turkey is overrated.

This year as I have for the past few, I'll be making prime rib and yorkshire pudding, which I'd take any day over turkey, holiday or not... :)

Prime rib is a wonderful Holiday meal. Always so special.

Do you do a small rack?

No turkey?

Around the Holidays, they are practically giving turkeys away for free!

I would get a couple of big ones, sous vide and smoke to perfection and freeze the meat. Lots of bones for broth too.

Turkey meat for quick sandwiches, and other recipes for a good part of the year.

dcarch

We shall always have turkey, so reasonable this time of year, why not. We all like it. We may have ham too, sometimes we do. May also add chicken and noodles, we go for the big meal! Can't leave out the good stuff! No turkey breast for me, I'd much rather have the dark meat.

Sue

Oh, I'm not pining for a whole turkey and am actually looking forward to scaling back and not making the whole shebang for just 2!

I can also make soup anytime with wings, come to think of it.

I am excited to try something different.

I would be disappointed to not have guests or to be a guest at thanksgiving.

Well, I'll just have to live with the disappointment.

I've done a lot of beer braises. I'm guessing the cider would be similar in many ways, if somewhat sweeter. I think the stuffed legs looks like a great alternative. Special but not a dreadful rigmarole.

I have no idea what we're doing. Thanksgiving will be happening at the Thanksgiving house, but it's a trek, and we may be doing something small with the elders if they can't go. Thanksgiving always has at least six starches and barely a vegetable plus what I bring, so if I'm doing it, it's going to be different. My idea of a harvest feast is vegetables with the vegetables.

Potential plan if this is just for 4-5: Small turkey braised in white wine, perhaps getting the stuffing right for once, or, more likely, trying a rice stuffing. Succotash. Whole roasted sweet potatoes. Asparagus. Orange-cranberry relish. Baby spinach salad. Apple pie. Turkey and apple pie are the only things that would be as usual. :)

Special but not a dreadful rigmarole.

******

You hit the nail on the head. I think I can even prep the day before, which I love.

Linda, it's just a day. Can't tell you how many years we've had to create our own holiday celebration, because dh is working on "the day". Typically it's a combo of Thanksgiving and Christmas. And you don't have to feed a group for it to be special. I much prefer an intimate celebration. Our holiday food favorites have morphed from the traditional to the creative over the years. I love that there are no expectations to meet.

Cindy, I agree, it's just a day. This year both of the girls have to work on Thanksgiving, so our dinner will be sometime later that weekend. I'm lobbying for Black Friday, no one in my entire family will shop that day anyway. Plus both girls have in-laws who require their presence, and their Dad is always moaning about how they never visit him on holidays. Pffft.

Last year we had Christmas on the weekend between Christmas and New Year, that worked well for everyone and I got to spend more time with the grandkids plus no one had to eat two big meals in one day or argue with family about where they would be.

Our dinner will still be traditional though, with the whole turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. Everyone wants leftovers, and so do I!

Annie

My earlier post meant no offence to turkey lovers! After all, I cooked Thanksgiving Turkey with all the fixen's for over 30 years... but for me, prime rib hash, and roast beef sandwiches with horseradish for the following days still beats any turkey, or soup hands down :)

I have cooked enough turkey dinners over the years, starting when I was 15 and got into a cooking argument with my mom. She said fine, you know better you do it! So I did and she admitted that mine was better. Now, 40 years later, it is usually just Dad and me, and he does not like turkey. Some years we go out and I can get my turkey and he can have whatever he wants. Some years it is a prime rib or pork roast. And some years we are with friends. It is all good!

Yep...it's just a day....but if you are wondering about what to make for a special meal, then it's a "Holiday"....and holidays are meant to be shared....if on the exact day or not. I try to be sure that those friends who may not have anyone to celebrate with and who may not want to cook a big deal meal, are always invited to share. One time I had 15 squished around my table that seats 10 comfortably, 12 in a pinch and 15 because it seemed there was another who said "I'd love to come, but don't go to any trouble," so I couldn't set up another table> but there were no leftovers to share!

I always buy two whole turkeys. And eat it all myself over time, with the exception of the second breast which I cook with Ina Garten's recipe that I take to Christmas dinner at mom's; it is foolproof. I must be crazy to eat so much, but I almost don't get enough! Turkey is my favorite.

Ok, for different, we like to do a pork tenderloin in some special way.

It's my favorite holiday.

This year, the five of us, one a vegetarian. We'll have a turkey breast - I want to try the recipe in the Mitsitam Cafè cookbook - maple brined turkey breast with a crabapple cranberry relish. I had it at the cafè and it was delicious

And the usual - steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes and gravy, pie, etc, and of course some kind of vegetarian thing.

I don't go crazy. I'm not cooking for two days to have everyone spend 20 minutes at the table.

When it was just two of us, my DD and I went out for Thanksgiving and Christmas for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. Nice restaurant on the harbor, good food, a fire in their fireplace, quiet music, boats sailing by. Very relaxing, very, very pleasant day.

Sometimes we do a duck or Cornish hens. I am not all that crazy about turkey but it is what I often fix when cooking for a large crowd, as it is an affordable option. There was nothing really cemented into brain about traditional meals on Thanksgiving (except for perhaps family drama) so I spent many years doing way too much trying to create those. Now I take it much easier on the sides because what is the most important tradition in my family now is the pie and our tradition is to eat pie for breakfast the next day before setting up the Christmas decorations.

Hope no one gasps, but I must always cook sauerkraut even just for the two of us. It seems perfect with turkey, mashed potatoes and yams. Maybe it's a Maryland/Pennsylvania thing. Happy Day to all.

We also put up at least one of our trees the day after Thanksgiving, and load up our favorite holiday dvd's to watch all day after the parade.

Pie is an excellent way to start that day!

It's really one of my favorite days of the year- Black Friday. Except, no shopping or probably even going out. We either make a fire or flick on a fire, and hunker down at home with the puppies.

Oh I forgot the sauerkraut.

I like it, though not many others do. Like cranberry sauce, it's a nice sharp counterpoint to the sweet, and somewhat bland foods.

I have heard of sauerkraut on the Thanksgiving table before. Being from Polish descent, I can totally see it.

Especially mixed in with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum.

Adding....sauerkraut and prunes with smoked turkey legs would be amazing. I think I just might have to make this.

Never heard of sauerkraut at Thanksgiving before, but my family tradition also mandates cole slaw on Thanksgiving.

Coleslaw on a Thanksgiving sandwich would be awesome.

So, cabbage makes an appearance in many ways on the Turkey Day table.

You are right on mimipadv - with gravy and mashed potatoes. If you have luck with the prunes and sauerkraut, please share. A German friend taught me to toss in sour apples, and she also sometimes adds potatoes for thickening.

Like MomJ, we frequently have Thanksgiving at arestaurant on the yacht harbor, but without the fires. This year I will cook, however, and I will invite my friend Mark, although I do not know whether he is available. If he does come, I can get him to autograph the last book of his I bought - a biography of Cecile B. DeMille, coauthored with Cecilia, the granddaughter. He said he wanted to come over for dinner after he finished his most recent book, and he should have finished that by now. I haven't read the biography yet, and so I guess I should try to do that first. I will probably grill turkey breast, as there would only be three of us. I used to have TG with my friends Jimmy and Maartje, but we haven't done that in a while, and Jimmy has been getting a bit irritating in recently years. If Mark does not come, I will still cook for just Kevin and me - I like the leftovers. I won't make dessert until the next day.

After TG, we plan to get the house and yard ready for our niece, who is coming to visit (with her husband) for a week in mid-December. She is one of my favorite relatives, and so it will be nice to see her. Kevin and I are taking three days off each for when she will be here. The last time she stayed with us, we lived in Venice (which is more fun for visitors), but she stopped by our current house during a layover on her flight to Korea. The layover was for three hours, and we are only 10 minutes from the airport, which made that fairly easy.

We're supposed to have a wet winter (finally!), and so I do not know what the weather will be like. Normally TG is quite pleasant, but it might be cold and wet in December with temps in the low 60s when our niece visits.

I only like next day leftover turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce on spongy white bread, and only once a year. Hot turkey turns me off and bone soup is just using up stuff that should be thrown out for the effort it entails. I used to make all that traditional stuff, for years, but after the kids left home we all decided we didn't like most of it and really never ate it the rest of the year. Buying the cheapest meat (turkey) is not a celebration meal for me. I'd like a nice prime rib, or a rack of lamb, or several lobsters for what I'd consider a true feast. We're going to drive 10 hours to son's and new DIL's for a few days visit. She makes delicious meals but very traditional, cloth napkins with rings and the like, somewhat 1950's. To throw things off kilter I'm bringing homemade sushi and sashimi for appetizers. Meddling MIL, I am.

Sushi at Thanksgiving is certainly changing it up. Speaking of cheap turkey, yes it is when you buy at the store. But, heritage breeds from farms can cost an arm and a leg.

At a farm near me, heritage birds START at $165.

Yeah, give me a rack of prime rib for that, thank you.

Appetizers? I always make crab stuffed mushrooms. Hardly Thanksgiving, but very Monterey, CA. It's a throwback to where we used to live.

We've got some pretty delicious crabs on the East coast and in fact, I was thinking about making crab frittata for holiday apps.

Stuffed mushrooms of any kind are always a hit.

mimipadv where does one find good crab at this time of year? Born and reared in Maryland I miss crab greatly, and would appreciate a good source.

I have always thought it would be fun to make TG appetizers (turkey empanadas, stuffing balls, cranberry dip, etc.) Most could be made in advance, everyone could watch the game, and no one would be tired from all the cooking and cleanup. However, I just haven't had the nerve to bring it up with the family!

Gloria

pink_warm_mama_1

mimipadv where does one find good crab at this time of year? Born and reared in Maryland I miss crab greatly, and would appreciate a good source.

*******

I'm in the DelMarVa area and I can still find fresh, unpasturized jumbo lump (USA, Gulf/Carolinas) at Costco and Wegmans.

It will probably go away over the winter but we can get it most of the year.

Getting 100% Chesapeake crab is very difficult unless you're on the docks. The Gulf and Atlantic are still blue crab.

I haven't had a "traditional" T'day dinner in decades. We get together with friends and every year is something different. Might be Chinese or Italian or German or...... whatever. Cooks choice. This is my year to cook and I'm undecided about what I'll make. Gloria mentioned all apps. That's one thing I'm considering.

As someone who has done an "all app" meal several times ( but not for Thanksgiving)....trust me a whole meal with a roast turkey, stuffing mashed potatoes gravy etc is easier!!
Every one loves appetizers and never really get enough because you have to save room for dinner....but believe me a meal of dips and little things on a round of bread grilled, gougieres, stuffed mushrooms, skewered shrimp, caprese salad on a stick....it's a lot of work! Easier to stick a big ole turkey into the oven!

I'll be doing a small turkey since it's just Gona be 3 of us, will also do mash potatoes, green beans, rolls ect. I always make gravy even though the wife doesn't care for it, she always makes her Thai hot sauce made with Thai peppers, garlic , lime juice and fish sauce. We take some turkey wrap it in lettuce and dip in this sauce, it's great. Got my mouth watering just thinking bout it :) for desert I'll make a pecan pie and I'm Gona make the pumpkin bread pudding I saw on another post instead of pumpkin pie

Linda - Agree that a roast turkey dinner is easier than apps but that ain't gonna happen. The roast turkey that is. Our group is just not interested in a turkey dinner.

We used to have 12- 15 for TG dinner one time 22. One year one of the boys worked in an Alaska fishing plant and sent home several whopping big salmons. Another was a pizza maker. That year we had baked salmon and pizza for TG dinner. Lots of fun. Now one or another of the kids has us for dinner but it's not the same.

I grew up in the Rehoboth/Lewis area of DelMarVa. HarborHouse has an on-line order now. I've not personally ordered but have been to their main small town market when i visit my parents. (fill a cooler to bring home).

Work and the crazy holiday traffic keeps us away from making that trip the last couple years....we will visit over xmas with three weeks off this year up-coming.

The turkey leg recipe looks great!

When we have made it home with all our extended families, we have a traditional T-day. I do most of the cooking because i enjoy it and make all things seafood the rest of the weekend. Oysters, (fritters/po'boys) crab, (soft-shells/and cakes)...scrapple till i puke, lol.

When visiting DH family in SC, we cook extra turkey legs instead of a second turkey. Tradition. Once a dozen on the grill outside. Brined and stuffed. Now a tradition when we can make the trip.

I have no issue with making a different meal excluding turkey. Such a good holiday and should not be complicated or involve stress. Make it with love and don't make what you don't like. Enough drama with family personalities, : )

When my Uncle was still living, his family wanted his delicious chili for Thanksgiving.

My husband suggested eating Thanksgiving dinner out last
year to our young adult kids, and they were horrified. We no longer have
extended family over, so it is just the 4 of us. We have just the basics. They
also want the exact same things every year. If I make a new dish, only I will
end up eating it, so I’d better really like it. My daughter loves butternut squash
so that is the only thing added.

Sleevendog: How do you make your crabcakes?

I'll pull out my recipe this weekend. It is traditional EasternShore without so much fillers and breadcrumbs we see so much of now.

sleevendog: is Harbor House in Maryland or Virginia? I recd a brochure from Impromptu Gourmet in Owings Mills, Maryland, and the crab cakes look so good I could almost eat the paper. Do you know anything about them?

sleevendog, that's how it's done!

I'm rethinking the purchase of a whole turkey since there are only 3 of us for dinner this year - PLUS - my freezer is packed from the garden produce and I won't have room for leftovers. Instead of the big meal, I think I'm going for a meal that uses a pound of lean turkey burger (in the freezer) and looking at making a Rachael Ray recipe for Turkey Sweet-Potato Shepherd's Pie. (This recipe will also work really well with leftovers.)

I'll make half a recipe, and that is plenty for us and leftovers, plus a couple favorite side dishes, etc. You can find a Food Network video of her making this meal on-line (less than 4-minute video). The recipe has all the Thanksgiving favorite flavors, and is ready in about 30-minutes. A great little recipe for anyone who loves the flavors, but without all the work and expense. ;-)

-Grainlady

I make a similar pie with leftovers I take to a neighbor. (She also gets small containers of my sides morning of...loves my stuffing. I always make way too much of everything). Might as well while I'm at it.

harborHouse is in Del. The history is on their website. Maybe they have more locations now? I was last there Easter?

(I'm on my phone....miracle I can make a sentence...good practice : )

I'd be a traditionalist, if it weren't for the fact that I hate turkey. Always have. Some of you guys know this. I just hope others won't lose sleep over it ☻

However, Thankgiving dinners here, still include the unfortunate gobbler.

And its traditional sides, mingling with Cuban sides, such as Arroz Congrí, Yuca con Mojo and for dessert, regular or Pumpkin Flan, alongside Pumpkin Pie. We like our pumpkins.

Sol