Who is hosting Thanksgiving?

[bunnymendelbaum]

How many people?
You ready?
Table decor?
How do you prep/stuff your bird?

[bunnymendelbaum]

How many people?
10 total (7 OOT staying with us)

You ready?
Ugh, sort of I don't have any billable work to do this week so I'm going to be running around like a maniac the next 2 mornings during nanny time. We are also plumbing bath while my dad is here, so we have to get that all ready.

Table decor?
We are just going take off the chalk cloth table cloth, get some flowers and call it done.

How do you prep/stuff your bird?
My DH is brining and smoking it, so no stuffing inside.

[mrsemilys]

How many people? 6 adults and DD-4 ppl staying w us

You ready? I went to the store yesterday and all the guest rooms/bathrooms are ready. I still need to clean downstairs and do a bunch of small stuff. I will make pies and finish cleaning tomorrow morning.

Table decor? I wanted to build a box to fill with pumpkins and greenery but decided to just use a slab of wood and top it with pumpkins and candles. The wood is from my late grandpa's barn dating back to the 1930's.


How do you prep/stuff your bird? I do a soy sauce, dijon mustard, lemon glaze and stuff with herbs and lemons

[boiler717]

Me! 13 people.

I'm waiting to put up the tables up until after the cleaning lady comes. I'm putting my fall mantle garland down the center and then mason jar candles (original, eh?) with it. I picked up the tablecloths and chargers already. I'll be using my grandma's china along with mine and I'm super excited about that!

I need to do one more run to the grocery today. I'm going to make the marinated olives, spiced nuts, compound butters, and turkey brine today. Tomorrow I'll do a lot more stuff -- cranberry sauce, prep veggies, make dips, make bread dough, start the turkey brining, make cornbread for dressing (maybe do this today), cube bread for stuffing, etc.

I brine my turkey, pat dry, and stuff with aromatics. I soak a cheesecloth in butter and a dry Riesling. Cover the breast with that and use the butter and Riesling to baste the turkey. I take the cheese cloth off for the last 30 min or so to get some good color on the breast.

[boiler717]

Nov 20, 2012 7:29:53 GMT -5 mrsemilys said:

Table decor? I wanted to build a box to fill with pumpkins and greenery but decided to just use a slab of wood and top it with pumpkins and candles. The wood is from my late grandpa's barn dating back to the 1930's.

Gorgeous!!

[ssmjlm]

This is our 3rd year hosting, although after the way this year has gone, I may play the newborn card next year and not host. My IL's aren't very gracious people.

15 people, my parents are here for the week from OOT, but they have their own condo in town so no one is thankfully staying with us.

I am hopefully making my last grocery run today, but otherwise I think we're ready.

Table decor will probably just be table cloths on all the tables. We can only seat 12 people between the DR and kitchen tables. MIL did lend us her card table which my sister, her gf and I will sit at. Although I may just sit my big ole PG butt in our chair in the LR and let DH wait on me.

I won't get to cook a turkey this year. There was a whole debacle where up until a week ago MIL wanted to host, but then she decided she didn't want to, but she had already bought a 24lb turkey (WTF). I usually do stuffing with sausage and onion, stuff the turkey, rub it down with seasonings and lots of butter. Then pour a generous amount of wine over it.

I will do a turkey breast in the crockpot for us and it sits on a bed of onions and lemons with some garlic stuffed under the skin, spices, butter and wine.

I'm not usually a Thanksgiving grinch, but my IL's really have no etiquette and it's grating on both our nerves now.

[auntie]

Three- just DH, DS and myself

No. I'll be running to the farm store for my produce and dairy, the farmers market for my Amish turkey, NJ for wine and beer and the grcery store for everything else.

Haven't decided on table decor. This is critical- with only 3 people all 4 sets of china are in play. I could do my very formal wedding china, start the holiday early with Christmas, make it easy with my dishwasher safe white or use the mid-century Castle my aunt gave me. I'll get out the real silver. Table cloth to match the plates- damask for the formals chinas or something themed for the other two. I'll probably do the Reidel goblets, even though the cut crystal ones are prettier. I guess it depends on the quality of the wine I buy. Not sure if I'll do a centerpiece- I have some Oasis and interesting greens so I could just fill in with flowers.

I'm doing a traditional bird. I buy a good quality, undoctored bird from the Amish and stuff it. I brined a few years ago and found it too salty so I'm not doing that again unless I'm called upon to fry a turkey.

[thewop]

Just me, DH, and DD.
I'm totally ready.
No table decor. It'll be a very casual meal for us.
No turkey for us this year. I wanted to switch it up, so I'm doing ham. I'm looking forward to a laid back, relaxing holiday. With wine.

[kaylie]

My MIL is hosting this year, which is fine with me.

I wanted to throw in my turkey prep regimen which is soaking for 24 hours in a citrus brine and then using Ma Lipo's apricot glazed turkey recipe from allrecipes. It's a hit every year!

[munkii]

This makes me sad; I want to host. Some day, right?

I am in charge of table linens and decor. We have ivory tablecloths, eggplant runners, gold chargers, glass hurricanes we fill with mini pinecones, and random leaves and gourds. I'm thinking about skipping the hurricanes this year and using mason jars instead. We'll see.

I'm also in charge of the vegetarian "meat." We'll have quorn roasted in soy sauce, olive oil, and whatever I feel like throwing on it. Last year I tried injecting it...that didn't work out so well (as in it squirted out since the juice really has no where to go).

[candreco]

How many people? 6 people total (down from 8, my sister and niece can't make it )
You ready? I think so, need to grab a couple things from the grocery store, and DD and I will start prepping stuff this afternoon
Table decor? I'll probably keep the fall stuff that's there now, or maybe swap the runner for burlap placemats
How do you prep/stuff your bird? apple-sage brined, then smoked; not stuffed, we just bake the dressing in the oven

[TBM]

How many people?
Just the two of us.

You ready?
Maybe. We haven't finalized a menu, so I may just use my super powers to put together a meal with all of the random stuff that we picked up at the store. I have gone shopping twice already and may pop in to Trader Joes today, but we have some interesting ingredients to work with.

Table decor?
Nothing special. At best, we will actually eat at the table.;p

How do you prep/stuff your bird?
No bird at this house....I haven't eaten poultry in almost 20 years.

[sierramist03]

MIL is hosting her family
How many people? 20 some
You ready? Ugh sure I gotta bake a pumpkin roll and take
Table decor? MIL talked about little pumpkins and stuff but there will be multiple tables and I kinda said its a waste of money( she doesn't have a lot of money to spend)
How do you prep/stuff your bird? N/A
MILs Internet isn't working right now so it might be a long few days.

[chanteltbarrett]

I am (even though I'm not American, but whatevs...hahaha)!

I'm hosting eight people. I am semi-ready. Haven't bought the turkey yet (nowhere to properly store it). I am going to prep the turkey the day before (I'm hosting on Saturday) and make the stuffing separately. I'm so excited!

[chanteltbarrett]

Mrsemilys, I love your table!!!!

[sassafrass]

Me!

This year it'll be 8 adults and 3 kids. My table decor is pretty simple. Just my white china, usually a red table cloth and crystal glasses and candlesticks. I keep it pretty simple.

As of right now, I'm not ready. I have to clean and that's about it. I've done my shopping. My schedule is done but I"m off tomorrow so between tonight and tomorrow morning, I'll be good to go. I am usually organized enough that on Thursday morning, all I do is put the turkey in the oven and watch the parade until people arrive.

I brine our turkey using an herb brine. It's AWESOME. I am so looking forward to it.

[mrs.jacinthe]

How many people? It's just us.
You ready? As I can be. Still need to figure out what will be in our CSA box tomorrow and then go shopping for whatever we didn't get.
Table decor? None.
How do you prep/stuff your bird? We're having shepherd's pie instead of roasting a turkey.

[adhdfashion]

How many people?
25
You ready?
Almost. I have some more cleaning to do.
Table decor?
Black table cloths with white lace over top. Cranberries and floating candles in clear low square vases. Crystal candle sticks with alternating cranberry and white candles. Food lots of food.

How do you prep/stuff your bird?
Rubbed down in butter with salt and pepper surround by lemon slices and rosemary twigs. Classic
I stuff and truss the bird.

I'm thinking about serving sangria made with spiced rum. Along with the eggknock you socks off.

[ktzmoh]

We do thanksgiving with friends, a tradition that we really lvoe.

I'm making the stuffing, appetizers and an asparagus thing. I may get fancy and bake some bread too...

I would love to host thanksgiving someday. I'd even cook a turkey because I"d be so excited - which really says something given the fact that we are vegetarians and my husband grumbles something fierce when my in laws make a b-line for the grocery store to buy bacon when they visit.

[sunshineandwine]

How many people? 8 -getting off easy this year!
You ready? for the most part. I will feel much better after we clean the house tonight
Table decor? Pumpkins, gourds, wheat and candles
How do you prep/stuff your bird? Cheating and picking up an already cooked one:) We have an early dinner with SO's family and then coming home and hosting my family

[floridakat]

We're hosting 25 people, down from 30 last year so it's a small group. ;-)

We're ready. Shopping's done, food prep happens tonight and tomorrow night.

I set four different tables, each one different. Those won't happen until thursday so the twin monsters don't undecorate everything for me. ;-)

We loosely use Giada's recipe which involves stuffing the cavity with citrus and onion and fresh herbs. We've brined before, and Giada's recipe is just as juicy with a fraction of the work involved.

[bunnymendelbaum]

Nov 20, 2012 7:29:53 GMT -5 mrsemilys said:

Table decor? I wanted to build a box to fill with pumpkins and greenery but decided to just use a slab of wood and top it with pumpkins and candles. The wood is from my late grandpa's barn dating back to the 1930's.

So pretty!