Thanksgiving confessions?

[mrsukyankee]

gretchenindisguise, al dente, I can say that I've only twice gone to a huge Thanksgiving dinner and I'll happily never go again (I'm not a fan of chaos - first one; or something too ordered - second one). I grew up with the 'boring' family dinners of 4 to 6 people and I loved it. We now just have my H, MIL and me and that's perfectly fine. So, don't worry.

[VillainV]

Nov 25, 2023 3:30:10 GMT -5 al dente said:

Nov 25, 2023 1:46:13 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

I feel guilty my kids haven’t experienced a big family Thanksgiving. Itself usually just the 4 of us. Sometimes my parents are in town. That’s it.

Aw I feel this. We don't live near family, but even if we did we're both only children and only my parents are alive so it would be an additional two people. I'm always torn on it, there's always so many complaints about the big holiday get togethers, and we do enjoy the time just the 4 of us. But, I feel like when people aren't complaining and things are good they're REALLY good in a big family thing. So ya it kind of sucks they don't experience that.

I also always get worried that when they grow up and if they marry into a bigger family we'll be the "boring" family they're obligated to stop at but try and get in and out as fast as possible. I also always read those complaints here of having to see inlaws and its just the two parents so not fun compared to the big family gathering.

If they marry into the *right* big family then you’ll be invited too!

[bears]

My confession is that MH and I engineered table seating arrangements so that my BIL was separated from his children and couldn't see the child he gives the hardest time.

It made the meal 100x easier than the last time we ate with them. BIL's controlling nature around his kids is so stressful and upsetting.

[stemmie]

DH and I never really had a carved-in-stone tradition around Thanksgiving. Before MIL died, we would drive 16 hours to BIL's home in the Midwest and do a big family Thanksgiving.

It was typically awful. SIL is seriously passive-aggressive around me (DH was in a LTR with her sister for a time, gave him a marriage ultimatum and ended up in an abusive marriage before DH met me). SIL is not only a ghastly cook, some years there's no "dinner" because BIL opts to work Thanksgiving to have Christmas off. She could do dinner when he got home or another day when he's off but nope. Also, DH's Aunt Mary's persimmon pudding sucked-- every year we would spoon some down the garbage disposal each meal until it was gone to spare her feelings. I confess that I don't miss this or DH's family one bit aside from his lovely mom.

This year's confession is that my niece hosted and sent me home with leftovers. Her DH is a great cook and she's competent enough but opts for unusual side dishes that don't seem to complement the other pieces of the meal. But hey, I'm happy to be included and not cooking. She sent me home with a generous amount of leftovers. DH and I had hot turkey sandwiches, a box of Stove Top (DH's favorite for flavor and mine for ease) and roasted some Brussels sprouts for dinner last night-- his turkey and gravy were amazing. Tomorrow night DH will clean out the fridge of the sides we don't like before taking the trash out. I did freeze the massive turkey leg for soup later.

[thebreakfastclub]

I think stuffing is so gross, homemade or out of a box. Thanksgiving food overall is fine but nothing to get super excited about.

[konapoppy]

Since we skipped out on family this year, I am going to make our family stuffing and favorite pie tomorrow. I will probably pick up a chicken, some turkey gravy, and a few potatoes so I can make a mini meal.

I do miss the big thanksgivings I grew up with (family and lots of family friends), but they haven’t been that way in probably 15 years since all of the kids/cousins started having their own families.

[cari]

Nov 25, 2023 5:24:48 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Nov 25, 2023 3:30:10 GMT -5 al dente said:

Aw I feel this. We don't live near family, but even if we did we're both only children and only my parents are alive so it would be an additional two people. I'm always torn on it, there's always so many complaints about the big holiday get togethers, and we do enjoy the time just the 4 of us. But, I feel like when people aren't complaining and things are good they're REALLY good in a big family thing. So ya it kind of sucks they don't experience that.

I also always get worried that when they grow up and if they marry into a bigger family we'll be the "boring" family they're obligated to stop at but try and get in and out as fast as possible. I also always read those complaints here of having to see inlaws and its just the two parents so not fun compared to the big family gathering.

If they marry into the *right* big family then you’ll be invited too!

That’s what I was going to say! Our thanksgiving is at my BIL and SIL’s house, but my in laws and my parents and brother, and my SIL’s parents and brother all come. The branches are relatively small but we still get the big experience bc all the small branches come together.

[SusanBAnthony]

Y'all who eat stuffing that is cooked inside the bird are nasty. I hope the venn diagram of the people who eat bird guts stuffing full of nasty uncooked bird germs and the people who post on here about if they can eat expired/left out food are two completely separate circles that do not touch.

[cari]

Nov 25, 2023 7:23:37 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Y'all who eat stuffing that is cooked inside the bird are nasty. I hope the venn diagram of the people who eat bird guts stuffing full of nasty uncooked bird germs and the people who post on here about if they can eat expired/left out food are two completely separate circles that do not touch.

But what if you cook the stuffing inside the bird, remove it after the bird is done, and put the stuffing in a pan and back in the oven til it’s up to temp??

[SusanBAnthony]

Nov 25, 2023 7:26:53 GMT -5 cari said:

Nov 25, 2023 7:23:37 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Y'all who eat stuffing that is cooked inside the bird are nasty. I hope the venn diagram of the people who eat bird guts stuffing full of nasty uncooked bird germs and the people who post on here about if they can eat expired/left out food are two completely separate circles that do not touch.

But what if you cook the stuffing inside the bird, remove it after the bird is done, and put the stuffing in a pan and back in the oven til it’s up to temp??

Is that a thing? That seems safe. Approved!

My family that used to stuff the turkey just stopped completely when it came out as unsafe so I didn't know some people double baked. The things I learn on this place.

[dontlook]

Nov 24, 2023 20:50:17 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

I love our Thanksgiving but it's so big that we never have leftovers 😭

All I ever want is an everything sandwich the next day.

My mom and sister do a lot of the cooking but rarely eat at dinner. They pack up their food as everyone is eating. I fully support you packing your leftovers right away lol.

[dontlook]

Nov 24, 2023 22:00:26 GMT -5 chickadee77 said:

My brother has told me that my Thanksgiving meal is in his top five best meals of his life, and he's been wined and dined fairly impressively due to his expertise in his profession. It makes me happy and I think of it every year, even if he's probably exaggerating, lol.

I kind of don't really like Thanksgiving food, so I cook for two days and barely eat, but it makes me happy to feed others and make them happy, and I know I'm a decent cook, so 🤷‍♀️

I guess my confession is: I'm kind of internally vain when it comes to my cooking, lol.

I’m jumping on board with this confession. I’m not the cook in my family. My mom and sister are better at it than I am. My husband and I started doing the turkey 3 years ago. It’s fantastic! Every year everyone raves and it makes me so happy. I’m internally bowing and shrieking when they go on about how flavorful it is. It makes all the work and worry worth it.

[mae0111]

Nov 24, 2023 19:07:09 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

Nov 24, 2023 18:52:37 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

I help cook so I don’t have to talk to anyone.

Oh yes - absolutely.

We didn’t host but I did alllll the dishes for the 13 people plus all pots and pans from 2 turkeys to avoid a heated political debate. Also to help, but mostly to avoid the politics.

[Patsy Baloney]

lol to the folks saying if the kids marry into the right family the in laws will be invited too.

I confess that I happily blocked my MIL from being invited to my big family thanksgiving. I think she’s an annoying attention seeker and I hate having to share my family events with her. My mom feels obligated to invite her because MIL is single and lives close. I feel obligated to stop her from extending the invitation because I can’t stand the broad. My husband is grateful for my assholery.

So make sure your child’s parter isn’t an asshole like me if you want those invitations!

[lilypad1126]

Nov 24, 2023 22:34:04 GMT -5 Leeham Rimes said:

One of the supporting reasons I don’t do thanksgiving is bc my FIL eats like a starved animal. No matter the meal, he will eat enough for at least 5 people. It throws off my planning and it makes me so mad, I’m sure it seems irrational to everyone else. I just *hate* feeding him.

For example, the last time I had him over for a meal I cooked (several years ago) was tacos. I usually just make 1 pound of ground beef for the four of us (and before x turned into a teenager, we’d have enough left over for someone to make a lunch with it) but knowing fil was going to be there, I made 3 pounds of taco meat to ensure there was enough and also some leftovers.

I had NO left overs. NONE. That man ate over two pounds of ground beef and complained I didn’t have any more. H is equally annoyed so he has no issues with not hosting meals of any sort with any frequency.

Oooh, my dad is like this - it’s the WORST. And he eats everything SO FAST. So normal people are still enjoying their first helping of dinner, and he’s already halfway through his second. If you wanted seconds you had to scarf down your food to beat dad to the extra. I grew up not eating leftovers, because there just weren’t any. And if there were some, dad got to them later that same night or the next day before anyone else could.

It was so weird when I hooked up with my H and we’d have actual leftovers still available for dinner the next day. I distinctly remember early on in our dating, we had chickens, potatoes, and salad for dinner one night. The next night I asked what H wanted for dinner and he was like let’s have the leftovers. And I was like what? Leftovers? What’s that? Didn’t they get eaten last night? My H was like, why would I have eaten another TWO SERVINGS of chicken and potatoes only hours after eating my first serving? LOL. 

ETA: I guess my confession that goes along with this is I do not miss family home cooked holiday meals with my parents. I love my parents, but I’m more than happy to not see them at the holidays or to go out to dinner so I can safeguard my own food/leftovers.

[ssmjlm]

Our small Thanksgiving of 7 was perfect. I used to want a big get together and we hosted one a few times, but I’m over trying to impress people. My MIL and BIL can suck it.

I guess my confession is after all these years thinking my ILs all being local meant big get togethers, I’m so glad that’s not reality.

[cville]

I "accidentally" forgot to put the leftover pumpkin pie in my parents' cooler for them to take home. There's only 1 giant or 2 small slices left. And they're MINE. 😄

[isabel]

Nov 25, 2023 1:51:57 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

Nov 24, 2023 22:30:56 GMT -5 isabel said:

Oh, everyone came over to our house tonight for leftovers sandwiches. Sourdough, herb butter, cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, and havarti cheese. Grilled and dipped in gravy. So freaking good.

I highly recommend making enough food so you have leftovers next year. Or setting aside enough for a couple of sandwiches before everyone digs in.

We try every year to make more and more but it never works out! Like we had 2 turkeys, 2 hams, a goat leg and a duck and I mean literally they were picked CLEAN at the end, lol.

I really just need to find a place in CT that makes a good Thanksgiving sandwich.

I just checked the see if there’s a Capriotti’s but there’s not. If you’re ever near one, get a hot Bobbie. It’s so dang good.

[sent]

We've been making the Trader Joes box of stuffing annually for so many years, I've forgotten what Stove Top tastes like. My mom always bought the Pepperidge Farm brand of stuffing that comes in a bag. Stove Top must have had something offensive to her in the ingredient list to make her buy an alternate brand.

I'll be picking up a box of Stove Top this week to refresh my memory. I love stuffing.

[gretchenindisguise]

Nov 25, 2023 9:06:42 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

lol to the folks saying if the kids marry into the right family the in laws will be invited too.

I confess that I happily blocked my MIL from being invited to my big family thanksgiving. I think she’s an annoying attention seeker and I hate having to share my family events with her. My mom feels obligated to invite her because MIL is single and lives close. I feel obligated to stop her from extending the invitation because I can’t stand the broad. My husband is grateful for my assholery.

So make sure your child’s parter isn’t an asshole like me if you want those invitations!

Or I will just be a non-annoying MIL.

[eb777888]

I have to give up alcohol for awhile, starting right before Thanksgiving, and I didn't even miss it. Not a confession, more of a revelation I guess.

[felicity]

Nov 25, 2023 9:06:42 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

lol to the folks saying if the kids marry into the right family the in laws will be invited too.

I confess that I happily blocked my MIL from being invited to my big family thanksgiving. I think she’s an annoying attention seeker and I hate having to share my family events with her. My mom feels obligated to invite her because MIL is single and lives close. I feel obligated to stop her from extending the invitation because I can’t stand the broad. My husband is grateful for my assholery.

So make sure your child’s parter isn’t an asshole like me if you want those invitations!

My parents are the in-laws who would theoretically be invited to the big family gathering on my husband's side. Nope. We shut that down real quick. I already feel a bit uncomfortable and socially anxious at the big IL get togethers, and I don't need my mom complaining and trying to make everything about herself the entire time we're there. I'm not even speaking to her this year, but in years past FIL has asked if we want to invite them, and the answer is always no. Maybe someday I could tolerate her there, but I'm just not there yet. 

[macmars45]

If my ILs were local I'd rather they not be invited but I'd leave it up to my H one time. They aren't very nice to each other and it's hard to see. If it was a disaster I'd over rule him after that.

Thankfully they are OOS so it's a non issue.

[starburst604]

I hate stuffing, always have. But since we hosted, I obviously made some. It was a homemade sausage stuffing and I was going to also make a Stovetop one but I ran out of time and oven space. There wasn’t crumb left over which left H very sad about the lack of stuffing leftovers. Maybe I’ll make him the Stovetop!

[jlt19]

Nov 25, 2023 10:26:11 GMT -5 sent said:

We've been making the Trader Joes box of stuffing annually for so many years, I've forgotten what Stove Top tastes like. My mom always bought the Pepperidge Farm brand of stuffing that comes in a bag. Stove Top must have had something offensive to her in the ingredient list to make her buy an alternate brand.

I'll be picking up a box of Stove Top this week to refresh my memory. I love stuffing.

I make the Pepperidge Farms bag because it serves more. I’m sure I could buy two boxes of stove top, but I just never did, and I’m not changing it up now.

My confession is that I wrote 2pm on my calendar instead of 12pm. So when my nephew and dad were calling while I was in the shower at 1:15, I knew something was wrong. Kids and I hustled as quick as we could, but I obviously told them to eat without us.

I was in charge of the stuffing and wine, so I would have been so mad at me! Luckily my sisters family doesn’t eat stuffing and my pseudo-sisters family goes to her (real) sisters where her Greek restauranteur BIL makes amazing stuffing.

[sonrisa]

My mom insists on making her childhood stuffing recipe every year but no one likes it. My kids call it "bread jello."

My confession is I don't like cooking for thanksgiving. Even though I make *all* the sides except the aforementioned stuffing, I can't use the oven (there are two ovens, and yet neither can be used for anything but the turkey). Half the people are very fussy about their food - but all in different ways. Gluten free. Won't eat anything with sugar. Don't like any spices or seasonings. Must be healthy (But didn't touch the salad). Won't eat healthy (but also won't eat the dessert). I'm over it.

[momin2013]

Nov 25, 2023 13:39:13 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

I was going to also make a Stovetop one but I ran out of time and oven space.

…pssst…Stovetop is made…on the stove…

[starburst604]

Nov 25, 2023 14:59:31 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

Nov 25, 2023 13:39:13 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

I was going to also make a Stovetop one but I ran out of time and oven space.

…pssst…Stovetop is made…on the stove…

Haaaaa, well I already admitted I’m not a stuffing person. The fact that it doesn’t get browned by the oven makes it sound even less appealing!

[jg183]

my confession is I hate thanksgiving food. We are going to dinner at the inlaws today and I'm bringing sides to make my own meal since I will not eat any of their thanksgiving food.
My son also has food allergies so any food event adds so much anxiety.
We travel on actual holidays to avoid large food gatherings due to his severe allergies he will have panic attacks being around that many people and food

[momin2013]

Nov 25, 2023 15:01:00 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Nov 25, 2023 14:59:31 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

…pssst…Stovetop is made…on the stove…

Haaaaa, well I already admitted I’m not a stuffing person. The fact that it doesn’t get browned by the oven makes it sound even less appealing!

That’s fair, I guess. For the record, I’m a diehard Stovetop fan and I don’t need mine browned - I like it just the way nature…ahem…Kraft…intended.