Oh.....and I might, for a price travel about 50 miles to the Mennonite farm and buy you a fresh killed, never frozen bird....but that would cost another $25 for my gas and time.

Linda, I know what you're talking about, but if you wanted to do something like this, you could charge $2500-5000 for the farm turkey and all the trimmings, and you cooking it all at the house. ;)

Pretty much what I was saying is that some poor non cooking person wants to have the "Fam" for dinner, sees the picture, notes the charges, says for 10 people that's only $23.50 per person and I don't have to cook and who needs leftovers.
And then this raw frozen bird arrives and 2 dishes of unbaked stuff and they only have one tiny oven...and then there is no stuffing!!....
And they are screwed!

Oh, I know, and I agree, but at the point you were offering to get them a good bird from the farm, I thought it would be even better if you cooked the meal and then they'd have a really good dinner!

Yes, if someone ordered that and thought they were getting dinner all made, they'd definitely be in a fix, especially if they don't know how to thaw and roast a turkey, and how long that thawing takes. And even more troubling, no gravy?

As for price, it made me decide to figure out what my dinner for 11 will actually cost this year. Menu items are always subject to change, LOL, but I'm figuring my cauliflower/broccoli gratin will be approximately equivalent to the green bean casserole and I'm also assuming I have basic ingredients like salt and pepper and vanilla. I do have many ingredients, like my own potatoes, eggs and home canned green beans, but I'll figure in that cost for my purposes.

My menu:

Turkey with cornbread stuffing (hey, Elery is from the south and Amanda is celiac!)

Homemade dinner rolls

Mashed potatoes with gravy

Sweet potato casserole with extra potatoes baked for serving plain

Broccoli/cauliflower gratin (Mother's favorite)

Green Beans with bacon (all the kids will actually eat these)

Cranberry sauce and Cranberry Jezebel

Pumpkin Pie

Nutella Mousse

Cheesecake - flavor currently unknown

Pimento cheese

Olives/pickles/devilled eggs

So.....my ingredients:

One free range/non GMO fed organic 20 pound turkey from the local Amish: $30.00

Butter, 2 lbs, currently on sale at Meijer 2/$5.00

Flour, King Arthur AP, 5 lbs (for rolls and pie crust): $3.79

Sugar, Domino Cane, 4 lbs $2.19

Cornmeal: $1.79

Eggs: 2 dozen organic cage free, $3.29 per dozen: $6.58

Milk: 2 quarts Hilhof Dairy organic whole milk: $4.79

Cream: 2 pints Hilhof Dairy organic heavy cream @ $3.99 per pint: $6.98

Cream Cheese: 6 packages Philadelphia cream cheese @ 1.99 each: $11.94

Libby's Pumpkin, one can: $1.79

1 container pumpkin pie spice (I have Penzey's, but I'll add it in): $3.29

1 head broccoli: $1.89

1 head Cauliflower: $2.89

Swiss Cheese for gratin, 1 pound: $6.99

Nutella for Mousse: $3.97

Oreo Cookies for Mousse "crust": $2.79 (on sale this week, double bonus!)

I jar Hellman's mayonnaise for devilled eggs: $3.59

1 pint sour cream: $1.99

Crackers to go with pimento cheese, including a gluten free option, 2 @$3 each: $6.00

Cranberries, 1 lb fresh: $2.19

Horseradish for Jezebel: $1.19

Olives, a mixture from a specialty store, 1 lb: $5.99

Coffee: I buy green beans and roast my own, 1 lb Costa Rican: $4.99

Cider for kids (I have my own fresh pressed, but in the store 1 gallon: $4.29

Graham Crackers for cheesecake crust: $1.79

Celery, 1 stalk: $1.29

Onions, 3 lbs: $.99 (yeah, they're cheap here, and I'll use leeks from the garden instead)

Sage, 1 bottle: $2.19 from Penzey's (I have a fresh plant in the backyard, but, well...)

1 lb. extra sharp cheddar for pimento cheese: $4.99

1 jar pimentos: $1.79

Green beans, 4 15 oz cans @79 cents per can: $3.16

Bacon, 1 package, 12 oz: $3.99

OK, I think that's it.

Grand Total: $147.09, plus time, or $13.37 per person.

Now, understand, that's not the cheapest ingredients possible, that's using organic local milk and a local free range turkey, cage free eggs and name brand mayo and sour cream and cream cheese. I also used the cost for an entire jar of sage when I wouldn't use it all (or at all, because I have fresh) and I have more options than the WS meal, like gravy and rolls and 3 choices of dessert. But if the WS meal comes frozen and needs to be prepared, and there's no gravy and no stuffing and no beverages and no appetizers, well, yeah, it's pretty much no comparison. Until you add your time. And the moral here is "buyer beware". Make sure you read that description carefully and know exactly what you are getting!

Annie

And think of the leftovers you have....like sage and mayo and olives, not to mention the turkey.
Cranberries were $1.50 here.
Think I need to know more about that nutella mousse....

Oops, forgot to add the sweet potatoes. Here they are $2 for 5 lbs at Aldi, a holiday sale, so add that $2.00.

I've not made the Nutella mousse, but I'm going to because The Monkey Princess loves Nutella, and so do I. If someone else doesn't, all I can say is good, more for me. Taste is subjective, not objective, and I'll save the calories by not drinking alcohol. Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, Nutella Mousse, it's all over the internet. This is the easy one, although i'd probably go with real whipped cream instead of the whipped topping, which has a chemical after taste to me. Not that you'd notice it with all that Nutella!

asy, No-Bake Nutella(R) Pie

• Prep10 m
• Ready In4 h 10 m

Recipe By:Christina

"I had a graham cracker crust and a jar of Nutella(R) to use up, and this recipe was born. This pie takes literally 5 minutes to make and is similar to a fluffy chocolate mousse pie, but with a flavor twist. Enjoy!"

Ingredients

• 1 (13 ounce) jar chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella(R)), divided
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Spread 1/4 cup of the hazelnut spread over the bottom of the graham cracker crust.
2. Beat remaining hazelnut spread and cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth. Fold whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture; pour into the pie crust and spread evenly.
3. Refrigerate until well chilled, 4 hours to overnight.

I'm leaning toward this one, because it's fancier and it can be made ahead:

Frozen Nutella Mousse Pie

• 18 full Oreo cookies (no need to remove creme)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Bottom Layer

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup full-fat vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Top Layer

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy cream, very cold
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• Optional: chocolate bar
• Lightly grease the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. In a blender or food processor, blend the oreos until they resemble fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter and then press into the bottom of the springform pan.

Bottom Layer:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in bursts of 15 seconds. Microwave 15 seconds, stir 15 seconds, microwave 15 seconds, stir 15 seconds or until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. It is important to be patient and microwave it slowly to avoid burning your chocolate.
2. Once it is completely melted and smooth, set aside and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. (This is very important so the chocolate doesn't chunk up when added to the cool ingredients so don't skip.)
3. In another bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, Greek yogurt (must use full fat), sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
4. Add in the melted and cooled melted chocolate and mix until completely smooth and creamy. Pour over the crust. Place in the freezer while working on the top layer.

Top Layer:

1. In a bowl with a stand mixer, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it reaches hard/stiff peaks.
2. Once again, in another bowl, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in bursts of 15 seconds. Microwave 15 seconds, stir 15 seconds, microwave 15 seconds, stir 15 seconds or until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Again, allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. In the same bowl used for the bottom layer, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth.
4. Add the nutella to the cooled off melted chocolate and mix well. Add to the cocoa powder mixture and mix until smooth and creamy. Beat with hand mixers if needed to get a super smooth chocolate.
5. Stir in the whipped heavy cream mixture until completely combined.
6. Pour over evenly on top of the bottom layer and smooth the top with a spatula.
7. Cover tightly and freeze for 8-10 hours or until completely frozen.
8. If desired, use a vegetable peeler to "peel" a chocolate bar and create chocolate curls to decorate the cake with.
9. Return any leftovers immediately to the freezer.