October 2023's Monthly Musings: Thanksgiving Prep

It's the last Thursday of the month and time for Monthly Musings with Patty and Holly. This month we're talking all about Thanksgiving. 



 

1. I'm not 100% sure of our Thanksgiving plans, I mean I know I'll be cooking for our little family and I'm assuming my mother, step-father, and mother-in-law will join us but we haven't asked anyone yet.  I'm still not even sure what we're making! 

2. I have so many favorite Thanksgiving dishes and I have shared just about all of them on my blog through the years-- mashed potatoes (here), chocolate chip pecan pie (here), my mom's apple pie recipe (here), my favorite bread stuffing (here)... but my husband and mine's all time favorite is actually a dish we make with the leftovers for the day AFTER thanksgiving ingeniously called "leftover pie" (here). 





3. My best food prep tip is to plan ahead and prep as much food as you can before the actual day. 

4. Most of our traditions have fallen by the wayside now that all my boys are getting older but one thing remains the same-- after Thanksgiving dinner when we're all cleaned up and ready to relax the whole family sits down to watch Elf together and that kind of finishes up our fall and starts our Christmas celebration. 

 

5. We eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

6. Apple pie but only my mom's recipe shared above.  This year I honestly don't think we'll be having any pie since I STILL don't have a working oven and apple season is nearing it's end up here.  I only make my homemade pies with orchard fresh apples (so snobby of me, right?! LOL  Honestly it's because our local stores don't carry the variety I use). 

7. We don't watch any sports games of any kind any time of the year but as you've already heard Thanksgiving night does kick off our holiday movie season!

8. After Googling last year to find out the difference between stuffing and dressing I learned that we are a dressing family even though we have always called it "stuffing"  but since we don't stuff anything that's not it's official name.


9. Neither; I don't think we have a turkey trot up here though there is a turkey dip where people run into the lake on Thanksgiving day (even on years where they have to break through the ice!).  I've never participated or watched that either. 

10. I have never done a friends-giving. 

Linking up with: Thinking Out Loud, 






Comments

  1. Maria RineerOctober 26, 2023 at 6:29 AM

    Glad I am not the only one who doesn´t have plans firmed up yet about the day! Your food all sounds yummy... I love a chocolate chip pecan pie and apple pie with fresh apples sounds so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 26, 2023 at 2:38 PM

      I always end up waiting until the last minute before we invite anyone! Thankfully our parents have learned to just expect that.

      Delete
  2. HollyOctober 26, 2023 at 7:41 AM

    That pecan pie looks and sounds amazing! I need to try to make that leftover pie too- genius :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. LyshaOctober 26, 2023 at 8:33 AM

    The food looks so good! We don't have our plans ironed out either. It seems so far away, yet I know it will be here fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 26, 2023 at 2:39 PM

      I keep thinking the same thing too! It feels to far away to worry about but then I'll be scrambling at the last minute to pull a menu together.

      Delete
  4. Kari October 26, 2023 at 9:20 AM

    Leftover Turkey Pie is being made this year! I love your recipes. ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tanya October 26, 2023 at 11:38 AM

    Your recipes looks delicious! I don't blame you for using orchard-fresh apples...I'm sure they taste so much better. I need to google stuffing and dressing, because I thought they were the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 26, 2023 at 2:39 PM

      They basically are just one is actually stuffed in the bird (stuffing) while dressing never goes in the bird.

      Delete
  6. Jodie's Touch of StyleOctober 26, 2023 at 12:15 PM

    I would rather make things ahead of time too ...it seems to make things so much less stressful!
    Xoox
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good Better Best FoodOctober 26, 2023 at 12:29 PM

    I love the Turkey Dip idea! This is why I love this lineup!

    Patty

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nancy 's Fashion StyleOctober 26, 2023 at 2:18 PM

    Well we don't have Thanksgiving, obviously, so don't have to worry about that. But your food always looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  9. PamelaOctober 26, 2023 at 2:28 PM

    Your pecan pie recipe sounds delicious! What type of apples do you use for your pie? I've been on the lookout for a US equivalent to UK Bramley applies, their flavor is amazing. Granny Smiths are closer but not quite as tart.

    ReplyDelete
  10. MarshaOctober 26, 2023 at 10:28 PM

    A few years ago, we started ordering a smoked turkey from a local restaurant. It's so good, and, even better, I don't have to worry about the turkey being too done or not done enough. There are only 10 of us (my kids and their families and us) so everyone pitches in on the sides. I always take requests for desserts and what kind of potatoes to make. I like your tradition of watching Elf.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 27, 2023 at 5:35 AM

      Thank you! My husband wants to try smoking a turkey this year. Usually I use a counter top roaster to cook our turkey and it always comes out perfectly cooked (and I love that it leaves my oven free to heat/cook other dishes).

      Delete
  11. MandyOctober 26, 2023 at 11:37 PM

    We've always called it stuffing too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Heather{Our Life In a Click}October 27, 2023 at 9:31 AM

    We don't have firm plans yet either. So much up in the air! All of your food looks amazing. I love your tradition of watching Elf after Thanksgiving dinner!

    ReplyDelete
  13. mireilleOctober 27, 2023 at 1:06 PM

    Spending Thanksgiving at the beach is one of my favorite vacation: relaxing to the max, no hosting and no stress about family gatherings. I usually pack something cute to wear and we do a small Thanksgiving meal there.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 29, 2023 at 7:47 AM

      That sounds wonderful! But since only my mother in law and mom and stepfather come I have no stress with the family and it hardly feels like hosting since we have them over for dinner often.

      Delete
  14. Lindsay's Sweet WorldOctober 27, 2023 at 4:30 PM

    I LOVE your tradition to watch Elf at the end of the day! Such a fun way to kick off the holiday season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 29, 2023 at 7:48 AM

      It really is! It wasn't started intentionally either but just sort of happened and now at least one of my boys asks each Thanksgiving if it's time to start the movie yet.

      Delete
  15. JeanieOctober 28, 2023 at 8:18 AM

    This is a fun post. I THINK this year TG will again be at our house with the kids and this year with Rick's mom. (Since no one in our family but me likes to plan ahead, who knows. Drives me NUTS!) If so, we'll have the kids decorate the big tree. They love doing that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 29, 2023 at 7:48 AM

      That sounds fun! I tend to be the only planner in my family too.

      Delete
  16. JulieOctober 29, 2023 at 10:15 PM

    I'm not sure what my plans are for Thanksgiving. I've done Friendsgiving through my 20s but it has fallen through the wayside since friends are dispersed in different parts of the world. I'm more of a ham fan than turkey. I think the only year I was okay with turkey when I prepped it dry-brine style. It was so simple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne October 30, 2023 at 11:56 AM

      I've been hosting Thanksgiving since I was in my 20's; I think the first Thanksgiving I hosted we were still in college and we had both our families in attendance. They have definitely gotten smaller through the years but I kind of like it that way.

      Delete
  17. Kym October 30, 2023 at 8:31 AM

    The leftovers are often the best part of any big meal like this! My kids used to always look forward to the turkey pot pie I made with leftovers more than the roast turkey itself. And one of my favorite desserts is Cranberry Oat Crisp made with the leftover cranberry sauce. I love that Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the Christmas season - Elf is a favorite holiday movie!

    ReplyDelete
  18. NatashaNovember 6, 2023 at 4:04 PM

    Okay, now I need to know which apple you use! And I'm sorry your oven is STILL out of commission. Boo. I've never heard of a turkey dip but that might be kind of nice here when we have Thanksgiving in October!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite TV Shows Growing Up in the 80's and early 90's

Image
Do you remember the TGIF lineups on Friday nights? I can remember planning sleepovers and time with friends around TV Show lineups of our favorite shows... or else trying to set the VCR to record our favorite shows if we weren't going to be home. And through the years I had SO MANY favorites! Growing pains aired in 1985 which put me around age 8 and it stayed on the air until I was 15 or so; I'm pretty sure most people in my age group watched mostly for Kirk Cameron and all his antics.  I still have a soft spot for family sit-coms!  The Facts of Life aired when I was just 2  and stayed on the air until I was 11 so I'm sure the episodes I remember so fondly were either some of the later ones and then reruns shown later on when I was old enough to watch from the beginning. I think everyone would have loved an Edna Garret in their lives.   Benson another sitcom that began airing when I was just 2 and was done by the time I was 9 (another one I must have watched mai...
Read more

Things That Make Me Laugh

Image
I loved the challenge of this week's list for our 26 lists link up.  I don't know about you but I really need to laugh more lately.  It's such a great stress reliever. 1.  Books-- I love a good funny book that makes me laugh out loud.  I haven't read one in a while but if you have any recommendations I'm all ears.  The last book I can remember making me laugh was the Un-Honeymooners. 2  The boys being silly. 3.  Watching shows like America's Funniest Videos or Family Feud. 4. My husband.  Most people don't realize it but he's actually pretty funny and often makes me laugh. 5.  Whenever my sisters/ family get together and we get to reminiscing (particularly if my Aunt Elaine is around) we end up laughing so hard at all the old family stories that we are all in tears by the end of the night.  It's fabulous. 6. Movies like Mom's Night Out, Christmas Vacation, and Grown Ups make me laugh out loud. 7.  When my ...
Read more

Making Gift Card and Money Holders Using Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Supples

Image
I don't tend to keep a lot of crafting supplies on hand so when I saw this month's de-stash challenge I wasn't sure what I was going to make.  I finally realized that with so many of my Christmas gifts being cash and gift cards this year that I needed to make up some fun paper crafting/ creative ways to gift them.   I still want my nieces and nephews to have something to open so I pulled out my papers and stamps and made up some cute little money/gift card holders. They were much easier to make than I thought.  The first one I worked on was to hold some oversized Nintendo gift cards.  I made a standard sized card and folded down one corner of the card front.  Then I ran my double sided tape along the bottom an 1/2 way up the side creating a cute little pocket.  Finally I added some cute embellishments and ribbons.   Voila! A simple and easy gift card holder for those larger sized gift cards.  The bulk of the tweens and teens on my list j...
Read more

Dollar Store Candy Cane Wreath

Image
Today I am linking up with some fellow bloggers for a Dollar Store craft challenge.  I don't often participate in these challenges since I try to stay away from our local Dollar Stores; I find they can be quite dangerous for me!  I knew this was the perfect time to find some inexpensive holiday decorations though and I just LOVE how my wreath turned out!  I hope you stop by and see what the other hosts are sharing. Meet this month's co-hosts! Across the Blvd | Purple Hues & Me This Autoimmune Life | Our Unschooling Journey Domestic Deadline | Sew Crafty Crochet Stone Cottage Adventures | Sum of Their Stories | Two Chicks & a Mom I bought the candy cane wreath base and a few rolls of mesh (not knowing how many I'd need I bought waaay to many; I only ended up using one white roll and one red roll. Using some chenille stems I already had on hand I attached the mesh to the wreath base trying to alternate the whit...
Read more

Making a Sugar Cookie "Gingerbread" House

Image
 Alec really wanted to try making his own gingerbread house this year without using a premade kit.  We talked about how we never really eat the house since they don't taste very good.  Years ago we gave up on the frosting that comes in the kit and began making our own so we thought perhaps we should try making our our house too. Only problem is that no one in the house likes gingerbread.  We talked about trying to make the house using a sugar cookie recipe.  Alec was so excited at that idea since he just LOVES sugar cookies.   He found a recipe online for a simple sugar cookie recipe and mixed up the dough.  He rolled it out an cut it to the size of our cookie sheets-- we had read that it's easiest to cut the house pieces out after the dough has been baked and is still warm and soft because then you don't have to worry about any of the pieces losing their shape while baking. I had picked out a simple cookie cutter set on Amazon and as soon as the ...
Read more