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My mom and I are cooking everything. We'll be feeding 26(!) and I start cooking first thing tomorrow morning. My feet hurt just thinking about it! Here's the menu:

Thanksgiving Cocktail: Champagne, Cranberry juice and Cointreau w/ a fresh cranberry as garnish

Carrot Pupmkin Soup with Crushed Hazelnuts
…flavored with smoked paprika, shallots and sherry vinegar.

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade
…filled with caramelized onions and figs, goat cheese, toasted pecans and fresh cranberries. Wrapped in peppered bacon and basted in pear jam.

Corn-bread and Chorizo Stuffing from Gourmet
…Olive oil instead of vegetable oil, fresh tarragon instead of dried oregano, chicken stock instead of broth, and probably some dried fruit (apricots?) soaked in brandy.

Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Manchego from Food & Wine
…Probably remove the rosemary (my mom’s not a fan) and replace half and half with whole milk. Maybe add some caramelized shallots too.

Roasted Butternut Squash stuffed with Wild Mushrooms, Leeks and Chestnuts
…Halved and roasted butternut squash, stuffed with wild mushroom and leeks, sauteed in butter and tossed with chestnuts. Sprinkled with panko breadcrumbs and baked until slightly browned.

Pumpkin Walnut bread, Banana Pecan bread, Lemon Poppy bread

Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

We are having 12 people for dinner.

We are going light on the appetizers. Just a cheese and fruit plate.

Pineapple martinis, Logan Chardonnay, Butera Iperion

Standing rib roast smoked on my Weber
Turkey (yuck!)
Mashed potatoes
Corn casserole (whatever that is)
Haricot vert sauteed with shallots and toasted almonds
Roasted butternut squash with apples
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Chocolate cake
Fruit tart
Caramel ice cream

3 - just me, hubby, and daughter here at home (son is spending thanksgiving with his father). Turkey (Emeril's Big Bird recipe), giblet gravy, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, garlic green beans, dinner rolls, and a pumpkin roll from Wegmans.

i'm cooking for 6 so far. just the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with butter and garlic, different breads and a few flavored butters, corn, stuffing, french meat stuffing, apple pie and brownies with milk chocolate chips, beer, bloody mary's, rum, some more rum, and i'm gonna try the brussel sprouts with bacon thing. nothing fancy,

Four people. Us and the in-laws

Appetizers. At least one perhaps something else if I feel like it when I get to that point. The first will be cheese coins with prosciutto and (something)

Green salad with probably buttermilk ranch dressing.

Turkey
Mashed potatoes
2 stuffings -- cornbread and regular -- both cooked outside the bird
mushroom/giblet gravy
green beans and maybe carrots
2 versions of cranberry sauce
Buns

Dessert trio:
PumRumkin cake
Pumpkin cheesecake(ish) pie
Maple walnut ice cream

So far, the ice cream and the rum cake are done, one of the cranberry sauces is done and in the freezer, the dough for the cheese coins is in the fridge and waiting to be sliced and baked, and the bread and cornbread for the stuffing were baked today. I also roasted some turkey necks and I have those and some gizzards in the crockpot along with some turkey broth I made a while back and had in the freezer. That will go into the stuffing as needed and will also be the base for the vat of gravy that I will make.

AND all the shopping is done, so in theory I won't be running out at the last minute to buy stuff. We'll see how that plan works.

Tomorrow I'll do the other cranberry sauce, make the pie, get the turkey into the briney bath and prep veggies. Might start the dough for the buns, too, so that's out of the way.

We're having eight. Our menu: We are roasting a turkey breast, rather than a whole turkey (trying to simplify this year); cornbread dressing; gravy that goes with the turkey (I am praying for no lumps!); mashed potatoes; sweet potato casserole; green bean casserole (yes THAT one); Brussels sprouts from a recipe I found in Gourmet; two kinds of cranberry sauce to please everyone; a frozen cranberry salad that my great aunt has made for 50 years (very good); homemade rolls; pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Oh, and some really good chutney-type relish I found at a local deli, cranberry with carmelized onions (would be KILLER over Brie!). And two wines--yet to be determined. Any suggestions?

15lb Turkey, seasoned mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, cranberries, green beans, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Topping it all off with seasonal ales and champagne!

Happy Tukey Day everyone!

14 people here, one non-meat eater, one ovo-lacto vegetarian, one vegan:

apps: friend's homemade gravlax and accompaniments
hummous and crudité
"sandwich" of raw manchego cheese and membrillo past

Yellow Pepper soup (Moosewood Daily Special)

Turkey, unsure yet of what to do. It is a Kosher turkey so it is already brined and gravy. I will slather it in chicken fat, though. It is only 2x a year that I do this. It is better than butter!
Vegan lasagna-Moosewood new classics: good sauce and amazingly (to me) good filling.
Chestnut/Leek/wild mushroom/ herb bread pudding (Whole Foods Cookbook)
Friend's sweet potato casserole
Mashed potato casserole a la Rick Rodgers more or less.
Butternut squash/dried cranberries/dried sage/many onions
Green beans with almonds(friend is bringing)
Wild Rice/dried apricots/ something else is in it but I can't recall
cranberry sauce with sugar, dried apricots (can you tell there's a theme here?),a pear, golden delicious apple, cinnamon sticks and a pinch of cardomom
Cranberry molded salad, no jello included, just clear gel

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Lemon Tofu pie
Dark Chocolate (vegan) ganache
Fruits and probably a cheese

Gotta go get the fresh turkey waiting for me at ShopRite....

12 people for dinner.

The menu:

Assorted cheeses, olives, crackers and pate

Roast Turkey
Pan Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Creamed Onion Gratin
Peas with Sauteed Mushrooms and Shallots
Whisky-Glazed Carrots
Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Cheescake
Apple Pie

Oooh, gourtmetgal, thanks for mentioning cranberries w/caramelized onions! That sounds delicious.