Thanksgiving Menu

I will be hosting an early Thanksgiving meal for my parents, siblings, and grandparents on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

I wanted to make sure that Grandma could sit down and enjoy dinner with all of us, and due to various other plans on the Actual Day, I decided it would be easier if I had a meal ready the day my family arrived. Hopefully we can all sit down to eat before their van engine has a chance to cool down.

Last year, we had a roast dinner the day before Thanksgiving, and after visiting and appetizers, Grandma abruptly decided they had to leave about 15 minutes before we were ready to sit down to our fancy meal! Poor Grandpa was disappointed. Dementia has it's unknowns, but to avoid a repeat of last year, I'm asking them to arrive when my family does to a fully prepared meal with no waiting interval. :)

So, here is my trimmed down simple meal menu:

Brined and Roasted Turkey (I've always wanted to brine, so this will be the year!)
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Souffle, courtesy of Tom's garden and recipe from the Nisbett's
Green Bean Casserole
Cornmeal Rolls

Due to traveling, Mom will be unable to bake so I asked her to contribute cranberry sauce and sparkling juices (we went through 8 bottles last year and they were hardly enough!)

Dessert will be the traditional pumpkin pie (from Tom's pumpkins) and pecan pie. Yes, I am talking basic here!

Here is my "plan"

Monday
Clean the house
Bake pies, 2 of each
Prepare green bean casserole
Prepare sweet potato casserole
Brine Turkey

Tuesday
Finishing touches on house, set up tables and chairs
Make mashed potatoes
Roast Turkey
Make & bake rolls
Bake green bean and sweet potato casserole

What do you think? Any recommendations? I will be away from home starting Thursday (tomorrow) until Sunday evening, so Monday and Tuesday of next week are my only days to work with.

Menus 1

These menus weren't all served in sequential order-I just jotted them down now and then, when I remembered to.

Listed in order of breakfast, lunch, dinner-

Cold cereal
Leftover pizza and misc
Chicken salad with lettuce, grapes, celery, walnuts
deviled eggs, skillet-cooked broccoli, fresh homemade bread

Oatmeal muffins (using leftover cooked oatmeal from a previous breakfast)
Fresh popcorn with melted butter and sea salt, banana smoothies (did you know that frozen peeled bananas, when blended, taste surprisingly like thick vanilla ice-cream?!? I added a little yogurt and juice)
Chicken tortillas-leftover cooked chicken on homemade tortillas with cheese, salsa, and other toppings

Eggs and bacon
Peanut butter/jelly sandwiches, chips
Sirloin tip roast, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots & cabbage, homemade artisan bread

Cold cereal and toasted cinnamon bread
Leftover roast slices-sandwiches
Pan-fried tilapia, steamed veggies, fresh fruit salad

Coffee cake
Beef taco salad with Doritos
Leftovers

Bread pudding (made from donut holes that were getting a little stale!)
Crock-pot roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed mixed veggies
Homemade macaroni and cheese

Cold cereal and English muffins
Egg salad on crackers, apple slices
Chicken Alfredo Pizza (homemade)

Pumpkin and Zucchini Bread, Apple Pastry
Hamburger Casserole with tator tots
Casey's Pizza

Rice/Sausage/Scrambled Eggs, Fruit
Sweet Italian sausage w/ sauteed peppers and onions, pasta with basil pesto
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Basket of Art

Ever since Hosanna and Caleb were old enough to grasp a crayon in their hands, where to store them when not in use has always been a challenge. I encourage my children to color and draw almost anytime they like (right before we leave the house is one exception!), and I like to have supplies within easy reach. I've used plastic containers with snap lids. Boxes. Pails. Here is my latest container-a basket found in Wal-Mart's bathroom supply aisle! I like my containers to be aesthetically pleasing as well as practical, of course! It rests on my kitchen counter just a few feet away from where they sit and create. It has the essentials-crayons, colored pencils, fancy scissors, and pencil crayons, all in their own compartment. Easy to reach, easy to put away. There are other supplies in a nearby drawer, out of sight. Until we get our school cabinet completed, this will do. Hosanna and Caleb also have their own art boxes, full of various craft supplies such as stickers, feathers, yarn, popsicle sticks, pom-poms, and so on. They can use whatever they want from their container, and it all goes back when they are done. They love it, and I'm happy to encourage their creativity!