Oh momj, I LOVE that!!! And with DGS1, it is SO true! The boy will eat Sister Schubert rolls and probably not much else, if anything at all. For my birthday, my DD took our family to a lovely restaurant with exceptional food; DGS1 ate all the artisan bread with lots of butter, and then had a huge bowl of ice-cream for dessert. Did I mention that he's 16, over 6 ft tall and a very competitive athlete in a very exhaustive sport? How he survives, I do not know.

Thank heavens DGS2 is a foodie like his mother and like me and will enjoy much of the dinner!

I just bought a bunch of collards today, so I hope I'll get to them by Monday. Tomorrow, my son's family is coming over. They're picking up In-N-Out burgers & fries for lunch with grandpa, while I go out with my daughter-in-law.

Back to collards, Annie, your story about vinegar made me chuckle. My Greek dad always insisted on vegetables dressed the "old country" way -- olive oil & lemon. I honestly don't know when I first tasted cooked vegetables with butter. It was like ambrosia to my tastebuds. Even to this day, I don't care for the combo of olive oil & lemon over veggies. But my daughter loves it. And like Linda, I've taken to a spritz of vinegar when I fix greens, along with garlic and crushed red pepper.

Willie Bird? Oh, yes, please! Willie Bird turkey legs slow barbecued? Divine. Any way you get 'em, worth the price.

Annie asked: how in the world can someone bake pies all day and stay that slim? Easy. Someone else is eating them!! :) And the baker is probably working off the tasting of ingredients. :)

I had to chime in on this one. I for 20 years made Homemade from scratch Thanksgiving dinner for 15-20 people with sides and homemade desserts and even appetizers. I would spend a day shopping and up to 4 days cooking and preparing everything so I could have a head start on Thanksgiving Day. Because lets face it there is always a bunch of stuff to do on Thanksgiving day besides cooking, setting the table, greeting guests, cleaning up one mess after another. People would come in and pretend to help but they weren't really helping more busying themselves messing with things and I'd have to go back behind them and put things where they really go, or fixing a dish they fiddled with.

I enjoyed it for the most part but I was also stressed most of the time and really didn't get much time to spend with people. Heck, I barely got to eat because I was making sure dishes stayed filled with food, people had drinks, more rolls were put on the table. After dinner we had to clean up before dessert. This is where I actually got some real help. But still clear the table, put stuff away so you can have room to put the desserts out, get the plates, forks and anything else needed to serve dessert.

For some people it really is exhausting so if you can make it a little easier why not?

In the past few years I have been diagnosed and suffer from a neurological disorder. I can no longer hold a potato to peel it, let alone have the strength to mash them, or lift a heavy turkey to rinse it out put in the roaster, then put it in and out of the oven.

For me to use my hands and get them to work some what I have to actually think about what I am doing, hold on to potato with out dropping it, ok, you got this hold on, then get the other hand to actually peel it, I can't feel the potato or the peeler so I have to watch myself do those things so I can actively see what I am doing so I can do it. To mindless do it like I used to is long gone now.

I still like to have dinner for my friends and family. I haven't figured out how I am going to manage Thanksgiving this year, this is the first year I have had so much function loss. I would love to do it and I want to try but part of me thinks it might be easier for me to order a pre made meal rather than risk hurting myself or being to exhausted after having to really put in that effort just to get simple things done that people take for granted.

After reading this I feel judged. Before you presume that people who order those are lazy think about other circumstances that may prevent them from making a home cooked meal. I am the type of person who actually listens to what people have to say and I genuinely think about the topic and take some of them to heart. Now in the back of my head I will think if I don't cook my own dinner and I offer a pre made meal will they actually be upset with me and think I just didn't care to put the effort in.

Even thinking about the whole someone bought a pre made meal for their family even if they weren't sick or had something preventing them from making their own. I would never ever judge how someone chooses to spend their time and money. If that makes them happy why should anyone care at all what they do.

It really doesn't matter what others choose to do at all. It bothers me the whole superior attitude with this just because you cook your dinner does not make you any better than someone who chooses not too. Yay, you can cook and have the time to spend with your family and juggle all that goes on hosting a dinner, many others can't.

I'm one of those people that for the last five Thanksgivings, has bought a Turkey and most of the sides from a local restaurant here.

My parents, before moving to Florida used to host Thanksgivings- I have no interest in carrying on the tradition for many reasons. But I still enjoy the holiday and my family still gets a traditional meal.

Sorry, but I don't see anything wrong with getting it prepared for you.

The reality of it is that there clearly are people that have true need of these services. And to be honest, there is no such thing as a "bad" reason to use them - it is entirely up to the person to decide how to spend their time and money.

The judgment could easily go the other way - "I can't believe people think it is sooo much more important to spend so much time cooking a meal rather than spending quality time with family/friends."

This thread reminds of why DH and I have started going out of town for holidays.

Aprile...it's time to have someone else step up to host the meal.
Someweher about 10 or perhaps more years ago, my son's inlaws always hosted the Thanksgiving meal. and it was stressful...she was edgy. One year she went into the back hall and sat down on the floor and cried. My son and his wife, said....that's it...we will do it at our house from now on....and they do! Some people just seem to get stressed out....they can't go with the flow, they don't seem to have the ability to make a basic plan and just tick things off. That's OK . Those people should pass the hosting responsibility on or ask for lots of help.
I can no longer stand and lift and carryw ell enough to do it all myself. I used to "do" church meals for 100 and more....lots of help. But now I can't stand and peel and slice for 2 days, so I enlist more help. and, I have it all planned and the groceries bought....and it happens...with help.
Because you are hostess doesn't mean you have to do it all alone. I set the table when I was 9, and helped ( not sure how much help I really was!) with the pies about then, and peeled potatoes etc.
It really doesn't have to be a one person show!

Aprile, your circumstances are exactly why I said that everyone should just eat and be thankful. Was I personally offended that my stepdaughter and her husband got Bob Evans takeout for Thanksgiving? Nope, I wasn't, that's up to her and she hates to cook.

Company is more important than the food to me, and I've said more than once that I'd eat bologna with someone I love than prime rib with strangers.

Order dinner and enjoy time with the people you love, and it doesn't really matter who cooked.

I do hope you feel better and that modern medicine can help you recover. Happy Thanksgiving.

Annie

If you read this entire thread, the majority of posts are about diferent people and different families having situations that do not allow the Norman Rockwell idealized Thanksgiving. Many of these posts are heartwarming or touching or bittersweet. I wish we could hear from the OP Anglophilia whether she has softened at all. But in reading her later posts, she appears as staunch as ever that Thanksgiving cooking is a MUST no matter the toll it takes or the utter inability of some to do it, or the pleasure some get from purchasing this meal to allow time for other things on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving should be about family and giving thanks for all the bounty we have. Not about rigid rules made by a few people for the purpose of - what, I don't know exactly.

I have read almost every word on this thread. A couple of thoughts:

First: Not everyone who visits this thread loves to cook. Maybe they are here looking for help for a particular aspect of providing a meal simply because they don't know how, or because they hate to cook. Or maybe, like me, they landed here by browsing GardenWeb "All Discussions," which mingles ALL forums together. I didn't realize until I had read about 1/3 of the way down that this was a Cooking thread.

Second: My abilities (or lack thereof) in the kitchen are not indicative of how much I love my family. Neither are the size of my bank account nor my level of physical stamina that is required to prepare an elaborate meal.

Therefore, I resent any insinuation that if I don't personally prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal for my family I am not doing my Wifely/Motherly Duty.

I know this is a cooking forum, but many come here for help and ideas because they have to/want to because sometimes cooking is a chore to endure and accomplish decently to serve a family, not a life long passion. And that is admirable that they want to prepare food that others will enjoy.

And, if they would, for whatever reasons, buy it, who cares. I'm glad they have a family.

And here's another reason to purchase the Tday meal. My lovely, gracious 90 yr old aunt who was a fabulous cook now has terrible arthritis. Her son- my cousin is now in a wheelchair. They both love good food, but can no longer cook a big traditional meal. They still ENJOY gourmet meal, but they live in Pittsburgh and no other family is living nearby. Her other son lives in upstate NY and he and his wife spend the day with their grandchildren in Boston. Did they forget about their mother and brother? Absolutely not! They sent a Wms Sonoma feast that could be enjoyed for a couple of meals. In my opinion, despite the price, it's a sweet and loving gesture.

I also agree 100% with Annie-- I have to control the ingredients in my meal, due to food allergies and special diet. I can make due, but my family is always conscientious about making sure that I can have plenty to eat. I usually cook the main meal-- this year I probably will, but my daughter and other close relatives will always contribute.

Woohoo! Someone who actually orders the W-S meal! I hope they enjoy every bit of it!

Those of us here that enjoy cooking...for me it is therapy...having made our favorite meal for 12-40 guests over the years...we are here to help if you are 25yrs old with a new home and family visiting, or 60yrs young with family descending, or purchasing the main meal and need help organizing the plating...(buffet or sit down pass it around)....no rules. It can be chaos, lol. Just getting everyone to sit is a challenge. (my family is nutty off in the field bird watching)...we call that 'shinny object' when a family member disappears to be found staring at the sky somewhere lost when we are trying to sit down. Usually my Dad. My sister is 'shiny object' #2. Distracted by every puff of wind and is present for hours, then goes off out the door just when she was meant to help mash the potatoes. (we just laugh about it now).

We really are full of helpful hints here. From do-ahead gravy to prepping veggies so all is ready a day ahead, the kitchen is clean, table is set well ahead of family/guests even in the door.

We ordered our Thanksgiving dinner ingredients from Home Chef this year.

We'll make it all ourselves with their fresh ingredients.

My DD and enjoy cooking, and are good cooks, but we are going broke buying ingredients, and end up with a fridge full of half used stuff.

We'll also make pies, using canned pumpkin of course, and my DD will get a small turkey breast so we'll have gravy and leftovers. We'll make our traditional crescent rolls (from the can).

We do use canned cranberry sauce, of course.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Okay - so I'm a very literal woman. I regularly participate in several other forums on GardenWeb, mainly those on building/remodeling/decorating a home. If I'm in a kitchen forum and was talking about redoing my kitchen, I would not expect someone to ask why anyone would want to waste their money doing that since no one cooks anymore, anyway. I assume that those on that forum are interested in kitchens and are either planning on redoing theirs, in the process of redoing one, or just finished. I assumed that anyone who would go to a Cooking forum would be interested in cooking and enjoys doing so. Clearly, I was mistaken!

I clearly stated that there was no way I could physically cook (from scratch) an entire Thanksgiving dinner anymore. I'm 73, have some back issues (scoliosis) and a chronic pulmonary disease that causes fatigue and shortness of breath. There is no way I could physically spend two days in the kitchen cooking.

I also said that I was well aware that many people now buy a fully-prepared Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure that is the only option for some people, but for many it's not and I DO lament that we are now a nation where many, many young and middle-aged people no longer know how to cook. Why do I think it's too bad? Because, most of what brings home pre-done is not very good. Sure, it's terrific if Zabar's is right down the block but it's not for most people and most couldn't afford it if it were. Preparing and sharing a meal can be a great pleasure if one knows HOW to cook.

What I was really commenting on was the price of the WS dinner. I still think that $50 for a pumpkin pie is outrageous. I've bought pies at Morning Glory Farms on Martha's Vineyard - made right in their kitchen that morning - they're $20 which I think is a lot but they're very good and freshly made. But $50? No. I gather that NM is offering a similarly priced meal. Again, price is outrageous. In the end, no matter how well it is prepared, it must be shipped and then must be reheated and ends up being something like leftovers. I would never pay that much - even Whole Foods pumpkin pies (made on site) are only about $10.

Thanksgiving is about sharing - the Pilgrims and the Indians all contributed something to the First Thanksgiving. Does no one have friends or family that can help with the cooking? I am not suggesting that anyone spend a week shopping for or preparing this meal unless they absolutely love doing so and are physically able to do so!!!!!

If someone felt "judged", then I'm sorry - that was not my intent.

I will return to the kitchen forum where I think I fit in a bit better.

Anglophilia, I also assume that if someone is on a cooking forum it's because they like to cook, but we have cooks of all abilities here, and some that don't really even cook much, but they like to eat. Many restaurant meals have been posted here too, and most of us will readily admit when dinner was leftovers or a chili dog from A&W. (Yeah, I'm guilty of that)

We have arguments on everything from whether cornbread should contain sugar or is made with white or yellow cornmeal and whether stuffing goes in the turkey or on the side. It seemed that the old Cooking Forum, before it was Houzz, had a lot more cooking going on, but maybe that's just me.

So, stay and hang out. Check out the What's for Dinner thread. Only a few of us seem to do that regularly, but there IS cooking going on, if you check the right threads.

Annie

Shambo, could you share your turkey scrapple recipe?

Anglophilia, I think what you're missing in your quest for like minds is that most of the people here are ones who do cook, who know how to cook, or are learning to cook, or working on improving their cooking, but among that number are quite a few who, like you, aren't up to cooking a whole Thanksgiving dinner from scratch, or who have friends and relatives who can't cook and are sticking up for them, and are willing to pay a pretty penny for something they can order from a website as easily as socks and which will be beautiful and impressive and make them feel good about the holiday even though they didn't lift a finger off their mouses. Sometimes when I post something my tone is also not what I intended or people will latch onto the background information and don't actually address the question. I apologise then, and accept responsibility for my lack of clarity.

I don't know about the Neiman Marcus, but we've had the W-S pricing explained and it makes a lot of sense. The pricing probably costs less than if you were to try to source all the same components. You can easily have Linda's $20 turkey, or you can have a Willie Bird. Look at the indulgences thread for more about those kinds of decisions.

As a long time member of the Kitchens Forum, I can tell you that we have had threads asking that very question: Why do up the kitchen if you don't cook? And we've had a well off member who put in a very fancy kitchen for the private chefs to use while putting together boxes of premade foods, and others that were based on resale value only. We've had ones where the whole point was the best way to handle pizza delivery, and ones that were miniscule not because of tight quarters but because the owners didn't see a reason to bother cooking and put in the minimum required by code. Then there are the people who have a show kitchen which must never get dirty and a catering kitchen away from any part of the house that could be disturbed by smells, steam and noise. Perhaps more people in Kitchens right at this moment are actually planning to cook in their new kitchens, but there are also those who value the "chicken nuggets" button on their new range.

I enjoy cooking (most of the time), and I've done the whole traditional Thanksgiving dinner many times. Once in awhile we've bought a smoked turkey and I've made the rest of the meal from scratch. One year, when I was recovering from bronchitis, we ordered dinner from La Madeleine bakery (it was fabulous! and not all that expensive).

People have different situations, demands, priorities, etc. It doesn't really matter to me what other people do about Thanksgiving. I would be grateful if they invited me and DH over! Making Thanksgiving dinner is a huge amount of work and planning.

Anglophilia, I think it was your tone of censure, and apparent lack of tolerance in your several posts that are the problem. Also a certain heedlessness about others' situations. That has nothing to do with what forum you are on. Re-read your posts. Even the brief one about macaroni and cheese.

As to this being a Cooking Forum so that you expect people reading it will all be cooking - Common sense is that people visit many forums on Houzz cause they just are interested and like the info and photos. I may go on the Flooring Forum for example though I have no intention of changing my Flooring. For that matter, I may read Vogue magazine with no intention nor ability to shop for or buy the clothes in it. Travel magazines showcasing trips to Nepal or Bora Bora, same thing.

There is a similar message as already seen in this thread - readers can be on this Forum for any reason, not just for your reasons.

<Raises Hand> I'm not a cook. I initially posted in this forum because I needed help for a get together I was having where a couple were gluten and dairy free.

It's not that I don't cook at all, I do. But it's definitely not a passion of mine, and I usually stick to the basics like a crockpot pot roast, burgers, chicken cutlets, things of that sort that are easy.

Now I visit to get tips, and ideas since this forum has definitely given me ideas for simple salads and sides that I'm always looking for. So thank you from this non-cook to all you cooks out there. I appreciate it!

Artemis, here's the post about turkey scrapple from my blog. I cook low sodium, so you'd have to add salt to taste. Click on the Alber's link to get an idea of how much to use.

Turkey Scrapple

In 1954 we had not been married quite a year and my husband refused to take me to my parents home for Thanksgiving. They lived about ten miles away. I will never ever forget that Thanksgiving, my meal was a turkey tv dinner.

Sue

Thanks, shambo. I was wondering about the scrapple recipe, too. It looks delish.

Sorry if mentioned before- I just received the orchard table (a Harry & David brand) catalog and heck, who wouldn't pay $39.99 for mashed potatoes for 4-6? Stuffing, same. Creamed spinach, same.

I'm sure there's a market for it, and the food looks drool worthy.

$40 for mashed potatoes for 4 to 6?
There must be a market for it or they wouldn't offer it. But not me! Potatoes are too cheap and too easy to make.
I that scrapple looks mah-vellous! I grew up with scrapple being a special breakfast treat! The thing I remember as being a dominant flavor was black pepper. Not enough to make it too hot, but really flavorful.
Marilyn sue how long you stay married to that very selfish guy who wouldn't take you to your parent's for thanksgiving?

I guess I just take a very dim view of mail ordered prepared food. And I cringe when I go into a Williams Sonoma store and am offered a sample of something that while good, when I find the package is very over priced.

One year, for my birthday, my sister in law sent me a dozen pecan rolls from Williams Sonoma. They arrived frozen with dry ice in a styrofoam cooler...un baked in foil muffin tins. 2 tins of 6.
Now anyone who knows me knows I am famous for my stickey pecan rolls. I make them often and they are very good! I thought she knew me. I looked up in my WS catalog and that package, with delivery cost $65. Other years she had given me stuff like perhaps a WS gift certificate for $50 or a piece of jewelery she had picked up.
Well, any how....a few months later I discovered she was suffering from a very fast moving form of dementia, and died of it a year later.
I am sure she was trying to think of what to give me and was looking at WS....remembered the connection with me and the pecan rolls....and bought them. I was thankful she remembered me....but still wish she had spent $50 on a gift certificate and saved the postage!!

$40 for mashed potatoes? Holy Cow. Last week, Aldi had 10# of potatoes for $1.29.

We've really cut back on how much salt that we consume in this household and, as a consequence, just can't eat a lot of the processed foods we used to because they're just too, too salty for our taste. I would be very leery about ordering anything because I would be afraid that it would be too salty...nevermind the eye-watering price!

Linda, would you mind sharing your sticky pecan roll recipe/ method? I'd love to try them.

Here ya go...

2C Scalded Milk, cooled to warm temperature

3T Shortening or Butter, Melted

½ C Sugar

1 t salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 pkgs yeast (or 1T bulk yeast)

1/3 warm water

4-5 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (about 105 degrees)
with a teaspoon of the sugar, wait until it foams. While waiting for the yeast to foam, mix the
milk, butter, remaining sugar and salt.
After the yeast foams, add the yeast mixture to it, and the two beaten
eggs to the mixture. Either by hand or
in a stand mixer, blend in flour a cup at a time until the dough is soft and
fairly sticky. Turn onto a floured board
and knead just until the dough is no longer sticky, but is smooth and satiny.

Let rise until doubled, punch down, knead a little, then
shape into rolls. Bake at 350 until
golden. May brush with egg wash or
butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Also good rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Dough is a good base dough for a variety of
sweet breads like cinnamon rolls or brioche.

For sticky buns:…makes about 3 dozen…3 9 inch cake
pans full.

Have about 1/2 a pound of soft butter handy before
you begin

For sticky buns, let the dough rest about 20
minutes, divide into 3 pieces and roll or pat out 1/3 into a rectangle abut 1/3
of an inch thick...spread thickly with soft butter, and sprinkle generously
with brown sugar and cinnamon...some add pecans here and raisins but my family
prefers them without.

Roll up the dough starting with the long side and
seal the edges.

Take one of the pans and spread thickly with butter
(do you sense a trend here??), cover with brown sugar and drizzle with honey in
a zig zag pattern using about 1 1/2 tablespoons. You can use syrup if you
choose...the object is to keep the bottom of the buns sticky after baking. Add
some pecan halves or chopped pecans if you wish.

Cut your dough roll into 1 1/4 inch pieces (about 12
pieces) and set into the prepared pan, cut side up. Cover with Pam Sprayed
Saran and proceed with the other pieces of dough in like manner.

Preheat oven to 350....remove saran and bake rolls
(bake the first pan first as it should have risen by now) for 20 to 25 or even
30 minutes until nicely browned....

Turn out onto serving plate as soon as you remove
from the oven.

I like to leave those pans of rolls that I won't be
using immediately in the pans, cool about 20 minutes, wrap very well with foil
and freeze.

When ready to use them, place in a 300 oven (still
frozen) for about 45 minutes. Place in the middle of the oven so they don't
scorch on the bottom.

Turn out on to a serving plate and they are almost
as good as the first time.

Thank you so much, Linda. Planning to make these over Thanksgiving when I'll have some help eating them.

I've used your dinner roll recipe in the past and liked it very much.

>>Annie wrote "What I was really commenting on was the price of the WS dinner. I still think that $50 for a pumpkin pie is outrageous." >>

It's all relative. I mean that seriously. Oakland CA now has the highest median rents in the San Francisco Bay Area - somewhere around $3,400/mo for a small 2bdrm apt which may or may not have parking (which is getting increasingly difficult to find on the streets here).

I referenced Michael Recchiuti's chocolates in my post above. His chocolates, made here in the SFBA, run roughly about $70-85/lb. Now, sometimes I eat a Reese's peanut butter cup, but if I feel like a Recchiutti salted caramel or bergamot truffle, I'll buy it without a thought.

Most folks here are not W-S's target audience. I probably am, however. There is a French bakery/viennoiserie in Berkeley that carries a Valrhona Chocolate Mousse cake which we buy because it is the closest thing to the classic Time-Life Rigo Jancsi cake we can find. I've made the Rigo Jancsi four times - it dirties up the entire kitchen and takes hours of standing over it. Not difficult per se but extremely time consuming. I refuse to make it any longer.

That bakery cake costs $39 for a one-layer 6" cake. My DH can eat one by himself in two days (no, he shouldn't, so he shares it with me. That's as far as it goes, LOL).

Now, like the W-S pkg, you can say, "Why buy it if you can DIY? You'll save so much $$$ that way!"

But I don't need to save those dollars. My ability to cook is not in question; I simply Don't. Want. To. Do. This. It's no longer worth my time in shopping, prep, standing over the stove, checking the refrigerator every 15 mins, dirtying up multiple pans, spoons, beaters, racks, counters - time I would rather spend doing something else.

There are dishes I make that are complex enough to daunt most. I have been told numerous times by both friends and family they find it intimidating to cook for me, because they don't cook as well. I reply that we have been known to stop at KFC when hungry, so anything is better than that!

Everyone has their own value equation. Jaynelle's pies are something I can pick up 10 min from my house, locally they cost $30-35, and they feed six people minimum.

OTOH, a Willie Bird is of little interest to me, because I'm not a turkey fan. Duck, goose, goat, lamb, beef - I'm all over those. My friends like to rib me because squab is The Big Thing here, and I loathe it.

IOW, people pay for what they consider to be "worth it." And that is a very, very personal decision.

Williams sonoma is waaaaay over priced on everything....from foods to equipment. that was brought home to me in spades when I spent a $50 gift certificate from the afore mentioned sister in law, on an OXO kitchen scale. My daughter liked it and said she should get one....so I went on Amazon and bought her the EXACT SAME scale....delivered to her home for $25.
and so it goes to le Cruset cookware and knives and I assume food. If the name on the box means a lot, well by all means go to WS....but if you are smart or compassionate , buy somewhere else and give the differece to charity...if you have a lot of disposable income.

I agree that I'd rather pay less for the same thing, but the pay for something that is only expensive vs. give to charity is a false dichotomy. People give what they're going to give to charity, and pay what they're going to pay for consumer goods, but when people save on consumer goods here, they generally use the savings to buy consumer goods there, and neither choice affects their charitable giving.

Jakkom is right. The target of W-S pricing are the people who will pay up for the convenience and customer service, and who live where the prices stated are closer to the going rate.

Jakkom, you perfectly described how I feel about making desserts: "I simply Don't. Want. To. Do. This." In the first place, I don't enjoy eating most desserts. I almost gag thinking about the layers of sweet stuff now mandatory in most desserts -- caramel sauce, sprinkled with grated chocolate, swimming in a pool of raspberry coulis, on & on it goes. We've got a few really good bakeries nearby, so if I get a hankering, I'd much rather just buy a slice of one of their fancy cakes than try to make one myself.

When it comes to cooking, I think everyone has their own personal ideas about what is worth making from scratch. For me, it's bread. But that's because I enjoy making breadstuffs. Cookies? Dropping little mounds of dough on a baking pan is way too much trouble. On the other hand, plopping meatballs on a baking sheet to cook? That's OK. What's the difference? I don't know, but it make sense it my special little world.

The difference is that you want to eat meatballs and you don't particularly want to eat cookies. :)

If they're being portioned with a food scoop, and plopped onto the same kind of parchment lined baking sheet, there's no difference in plopping one or the other for me. I'm far more likely to make the meatballs, because they're food, and we don't eat a lot of sweets, but plopping is plopping for me. :) For that matter, it's pretty much the same, but more exciting, plopping scooped dumplings into soup. :)

Hmmmm. I'd rather eat the cookies, so that's why I make about a hundred meatballs at a time, so I can freeze them and not have to make any more for a long time!

Jakkom is right, the cost is relative. Here in Northern Michigan an "artisan" pie would be a waste, everyone makes their own anyway, or buys the $2.99 pie on special at Meijer, and there seems to be nothing in between. Either you don't mind the super-cheap grocery store pie, or you don't want it, and you make your own.

Take that drive to Grand Rapids and there are bakeries on every corner, including many that have won national contests and awards by the jillion. Sweetielicious has gotten a bunch of those awards, including first place honors in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 at the National Pie Contest and at least one competition on the Food Network. Their pies are just a bit less than $30.00, right in line with jakkom's pie, but Grand Rapids is the "big city" and so they have a market they will never have in a community the size of mine. I'd probably buy a $30 pie. Once. Then I'd spend $500 in ingredients trying to replicate it, LOL.

Could I afford the WS dinner? Yeah, sure, but I'd be wracked with guilt for such an extravagance and I'd invariably be disappointed, plus I'd never be able to enjoy that meal, remembering how much it cost and wondering about the GMO ingredients, the fat and salt content, the pesticides and herbicides and fungicides, how the turkey was treated. (sigh) I seldom eat out because I'm usually left thinking "I can do better than that", plus I grow most of my own food because I care about what I eat. So, the WS dinner would be a "no go" for me for many reasons. Plus I LIKE to cook holiday meals and Sunday dinners and big breakfasts for visiting forum members!

Do I care who else buys it? Nope. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's not much decorating to be done, no gifts to buy or wrap, no cards to send. Just eat, and be thankful. Be thankful that you have food on the table, no matter who does the cooking. And if you have time or no family to cook for, volunteer at a local food bank or soup kitchen or homeless center or whatever. Some people have no dinner at all, if not for those places and the people who help there.

So serve a dinner. Take a plate to the elderly widow(er) next door who is alone. Buy an extra turkey, or write a check to the food pantry. Be kind. Help your neighbor. Be thankful. There's a swirling cesspool of hatred going on right now and I refuse to believe that the America and the people I know are part of that. My family jokes that if I won the lottery I'd open my own soup kitchen, so I'd have even more people to cook for. They're right.

Annie

Pllog, you're right, of course. I like eating meatballs a whole lot more than eating cookies. But even that's not a hard & fast rule. I love tamales, but I'd rather eat ones made at some of the local taquerias nearby. I don't have the patience. I think the whole thing about cooking from scratch is very subjective (as is so much in life).

Annie, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday too. I love the fact that it hasn't been commercialized the way Christmas has. Even when I'm cooking everything myself, I've never gone all out for the meal. It's just a slightly fancier version of a roast chicken dinner: raw veggies & dip, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes or stuffing (rice or bread), a green vegetable, cranberry/orange relish, and pumpkin pie. I'm always amazed at the menus other forum members describe with numerous starters, 2-3 starches, 2-3 vegetables, a variety of rolls, and lots of dessert options along with the basic bird.

Remember....cooking is love. I and I assume many others cook because we feel it is a nurturing thing. I cook because I want to make people happy, to have them relish a meal. The sweetest sound in the world is that soft little "ummmmm" that someone makes when they are eating food that pleases them and makes them feel good.
That's why those of us who love to cook and not to buy a meal, do what we do.
Selfish? Perhaps, but, there are very few things more satisfying than feeding someone a meal that they relish.....and no store bought dinner can possibly give that same feeling.

Lindac92, next month it will be 63 years.

Sue

Why is Thanksgiving your favorite holiday? We have the same amount of food on other holidays as we do Thanksgiving. We have a very similar menu each holiday, now on New Year's Eve, it is usually a cook out, rain, snow or shine.

Sue

Sue, I'm not sure who you are asking, but I can give a few reasons why I like the Thanksgiving get together so much. For one thing, it isn't preceded by trying to figure out what presents to buy. I love buying things for my children & grandchildren "on-the-fly," all throughout the year. But birthdays and Christmas are more difficult for me simply because gifts are expected. So it requires a lot more thought and planning.

Secondly, I love the decor of Thanksgiving. The cornucopia filled with gourds, dried ears of corn, Autumn leaves, etc. I get out my Pilgrim and turkey candles and my husband and I "argue" about lighting them up when the family arrives. It's an ongoing joke that has now become tradition.

I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but I love the few hymns specifically associated with Thanksgiving. So I enjoy banging out "Come, ye thankful people, come" on my piano and singing along. Or maybe I should say, croaking along.

I really like the fact that Thanksgiving isn't as commercialized as Christmas. There's no "Thanksgiving" music blaring in every store. Very few, if any, TV specials. There isn't a 3 month prelude of Thanksgiving stuff -- activities, music, media, etc. It's still a rather simple holiday.

Also, I honestly do like the meal, even though ours is never as elaborate as many other forum members. And I really like the turkey scrapple I make with the carcass. My husband and I look forward to eating it for breakfast.

Sue, Thanksgiving is a favorite for me because I come from clannish people (clannish, but not Scottish). Thanksgiving is the one holiday we were exclusively with the nicest segment of the various clans. Most holidays were a mix, which is fun too, but louder. :) It was also the only holiday we travelled for, though never more than an hour's drive. It was exciting to go "over the river and through the woods". We still travel and still have Thanksgiving with the same segment of the family, and they're still really nice. The food is so not important. We pretty much have the same stuff, year after year, and it's good food, but everybody brings their contributions, and nobody fusses. We don't do a big ritual, and only did the round of "thankful because" when a guest wanted to, because we know why we're there, and why we're thankful to be all together in a land of plenty, and able to share our time together. It's quiet and peaceful, and everyone participates. The far flung ones usually call and the phone gets passed around, though that makes me miss them all the more. There are no expectations for Thanksgiving. It's just about being together.

Good for you Marilyn_Sue!! Sounds like he's learned a thing or 2 over the years! How sad not to be able to spend your thanksgiving with your family who were only 10 miles away.
I love thanksgiving because it's all bout food! No gifts, not really any religious celebration like Easter and chanukka, no placing flowers at cemeteries....only a few parades. It's all about families getting together and being thankful for what they have and demonstrating that abundance!

Chanukah isn't really a religious holiday, though it's a festival celebrated by the people of one religion. It's more like Thanksgiving in that festival sense. Chanukah is a celebration of a military victory and a miracle, but it's the victory that's the real commemoration. Lots of miracles don't have festivals. Just as we have blessings and rituals for everything on a daily basis, we have them for Chanukah, too, but it's considered a "minor" holiday or festival and doesn't have any of the special days and prayers that the real holidays do. We do have gifts, though, mostly to conform to the external culture's giving gifts in December. Traditionally, Jewish gift giving was at the New Year (just before the Autumn harvest--new things for a new year) and Passover (Spring harvest--the time of renewal, etc., and because the new things wouldn't have been exposed to risen bread).

But, yes, Thanksgiving is calmer. ;)

When my Jewish family is here during the 8 days....it's chaos. Grease, frying latkes, everyone standing around the stove, sampling as they are cooked, dipping in sour cream and/ or applesauceand a huge hunk of beef...usually bone in rib...sometimes filet and candles dripping....and gifts....lots of gifts!!
And they they go back to Chicago and it's more with another family....then with their friends....and more latkes and Dreidle and gifts.
I know some families do several Christmas celebrations with different family members....but my kids do Chanukka here, during Christmas, and with her parents, and then her cousins and then their friends...sometimes not all at once.
It may be a "minor holiday" but many people make it a major eating fest!
And....Jew that I am not but have had many "lessons"...I thought Chanukka was a celebration of the miracle of the 8 days the oil burned. As I was told, when the Temple was recaptured 8 days of festival and rededacation were declared, and the menorah, the eternal light was re-lit and supposed to burn for 8 days but there was only oil enough for1 day, but my an act of God ti burned for 8 days....and that's why the latkes in oil and the 8 days celebration and the Chanukai candles.
What is this Presbyterian momma missing?

a few years back, we went out for the Thanksgiving meal, i came home and cooked the entire meal from scratch the following monday just could not handle not having the wonderful smells and leftovers that go along with the meal then i invited my children and their families to dinner that evening....i hope i never have to miss cooking a holiday meal again.....

however, two of my sisters in laws always eat the meal out and the other one orders the complete meal from a grocery chain to each his own.....

now the Christmas meal is another matter, i love entertaining with a brunch or nontraditional meal around the holidays, but guess i'll always be preparing that turkey or ham at lunchtime.........

i'll be making the cranberry sauce/relish tomorrow....yum

Careful....you'll be making it all gone before Thanksgiving!

Linda, you have the story right. All you're missing is that it isn't a big religious celebration. As I mentioned, lots of miracles don't have festivals, whereas most of the festivals have some kind of victory attached to them. Lab B'omer is the victory against a terrible plague and commemorates the day none of the men in the yeshiva died. The form of Chanukah, the eight days and menorah, come from the miracle, but the reason for its place on the calendar is the victory.

Yes, indeed, to the chaos and eating, here in the U.S., but every Jewish holiday major and minor has food. :) The major celebration is, again, a reaction to the external culture. In many parts of the world, the candles are lit when everyone has returned to the house (or each one lights as he/she returns), but there's no set time, perhaps a song or two are sung, and there might be some sufganiot or latkes or other fried foods to eat, but it's not a big huge deal like it is here, there isn't an emphasis on gifts, and it's not religious anywhere, as in a bunch of prayers, days with restrictions, etc. The holiday itself is more like Thanksgiving with a serious story behind it, and certain minor rituals and foods, and less like Christmas, with its deeply religious component. And the non-religious of either group are more about the food, decorations and gifts than the meaning behind them.