You’ll have a good Thanksgiving all the same, and fingers crossed for more at the table for Christmas!

That sounds really nice, actually. Sorry you'll be missing those who have to work (thankfully some critical workers DO work) but hopefully you can get together another time. I love smaller gatherings and simpler fare sometimes.

All the best to your family. I'm thankful for those who serve society.

Your menu sounds nice. We had a couple of tiny holidays at the height of the pandemic and the guests really liked it (we ordinarilly run to the dozens at festive meals). I hope your lot have the same amount of fun and joy.

Having two friends for dinner today. I'm making a pastured poultry chicken* (only kind of poultry I eat), cranberry relish (bag of cranberries, 1 whole orange, 1 whole lemon all chopped in processor, sugar to taste), baked sweet potatoes with sour cream topping on the side (SC, little maple syrup, jalapeno chopped). Guests are bringing pecan pie, brussel sprouts, home made rolls.

Very simple. Very tasty.

*I buy the birds directly from the farm on processing day--4-6 birds is my yearly need..

I made asparagus this year instead of green beans because that's what I found in the grocery store. I sautéed them with onion and mushrooms but did not make the casserole dish.

There were only two of us - we don't have any relatives here, and our friends are in Los Angeles.

Glad all went well 🙂

We are only 3 and 1 of us went to another house for the day. I thought it was a lot easier, since I made only the essentials: a roast turkey breast and a couple of wings, apple/chestnut stuffing, sweet potatoes, gravy and orange cranberry sauce - no pie. The cranberries were cooked awhile back, too.

Nursing a cold all week too, so things have been VERY low key.

I count on leftovers - my favorite part!

We had to stay in Moorpark because of the boys college schedule. So, there were only the 4 us and made 6 roasted Cornish Game Hens with all the sides. It certainly seemed different with not every one coming to Fresno; I think, all but one family, will come at Christmas. I will so glad to seeing everyone agian.

We did not have cranberry sauce this year, but when we do, I just buy it. I think that if I had seen it in a store, I would have bought some. We did cook a turkey breast in the barbecue outside, and Kevin added some wood chips to it, but it still did not have much of a smoky flavor. The Big Green Egg is still at the other house, along with the Ooni pizza oven, and we could have gone there to cook but decided not to.

The outdoor BBQ that we have here is connected to a natural gas line, and so it does not require a propane tank. It is also very efficient at cooking, and the 6.3 pound turkey breast that we bought got done in less than two hours, and it seemed more like an hour and a half! I'm planning on making stock today, and I will use my pressure cooker and portable induction burner for that. It is 82° right now, and so it is not exactly soup weather, but I will make it anyway. We did have great weather for cooking outdoors, as it was not too hot.

I roasted half of a bone-in turkey breast and made a green salad with a cranberry vinaigrette. I don't like any of the traditional side dishes and now that I only have to please myself, I don't make them.

I'll eat the last of the cooked turkey today. (I froze the leftover cooked turkey in individual portions so no worries about it going bad.) I will cook the other half of the breast for Christmas.

I bought a fresh 1/2 turkey breast at Publix. Made my traditional sides. Oyster dressing, gravy, skillet sweet potatoes, English peas, and rolls.

First time I made just enough dressing for two with only one meal of left overs. I did have turkey stock in freezer for the gravy, but I could have bought turkey necks and made fresh.

It was actually as easy as any meal.