Author Topic: Holiday Menus  (Read 150408 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #210 on: November 14, 2020, 02:13:15 pm »
Oh well, it freezes well and I'll probably find it handy to have there sometime in the future for a dinner emergency. And it's not expensive, surprisingly.

For the day after Thanksgiving I used to love cold turkey sandwiches with mustard on nice, thick slices of bread.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #211 on: November 14, 2020, 04:32:42 pm »
That list where I got the hotdish reference also includes the entry that you might be Lutheran if you think cream of mushroom soup should be called Lutheran Binder. I'm not sure if that's a reference to its use in recipes, or if it means it constipates you.  ;D

At my first reporting job, where I was making like $110 a week, one of my standard dinners was generic pasta topped with cream-of-mushroom soup. It actually wasn't too bad.


Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #212 on: November 21, 2020, 01:22:46 pm »
I spent several HOURS on Thursday ordering groceries for Thanksgiving week, picking them up yesterday. One thing the store didn't have and didn't even have a substitute, was carrots. Carrots!
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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #213 on: November 21, 2020, 10:10:07 pm »
At my first reporting job, where I was making like $110 a week, one of my standard dinners was generic pasta topped with cream-of-mushroom soup. It actually wasn't too bad.

That does sound pretty good.

I wonder how something like cream of broccoli would work? I guess I ought to try that sometime.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #214 on: November 21, 2020, 10:18:42 pm »
For Thanksgiving dinner, my dad and I will be having grilled turkey cutlets, filling/stuffing/dressing with turkey gravy, and a baked sweet potato. There maybe be biscuits as well. The vegetable and dessert have not yet been determined.

In the possibility that I may not be traveling to my dad's after all, when I went to the supermarket yesterday I bought a couple of thick slices of roasted turkey breast at the deli counter, and I found some already prepared filling/stuffing/dressing. I had to go to another store to find gravy, and I had to settle for some not-very-good canned stuff. I will put the gravy in a sauce pan, then put the sliced turkey in the gravy, and heat the turkey while I heat the gravy. I have several varieties of vegetables in the freezer, though I will probably have corn (which everybody knows is really a grain, not a vegetable). If I find I am not going to my dad's, I may try to find some biscuits. Dessert has yet to be determined.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #215 on: November 22, 2020, 11:32:09 am »
If I find I am not going to my dad's, I may try to find some biscuits. Dessert has yet to be determined.

Biscuits seem like they might be the easiest element to get in a good convenience version. Those Pillsbury cans are super simple and quite tasty. Plus, you'd liven up the holiday with a visit from the Doughboy!

My Thanksgiving dish has always been sweet-potato bourbon pie with fresh whipped cream, as I believe I've mentioned elsewhere. But this year we're having a turkey and the other sides, so I may not have time and energy for pie, too -- may have to go the store-bought route on that one. Do you have Perkins -- the chain family restaurant -- in your area? They have decent bakery take-out. But we also have fancy grocery chains with decent bakeries nearby.

My big fear is that my younger son, who lives in Chicago, won't make it. He's getting a 48-hour virus test and, if all is well, coming on Tuesday. I really need him here, both in an emotional sense but also to help with the cooking. My older son likes cooking too, but he likes to be alone in the kitchen doing it all. My ex-husband, who will also be attending, has offered to help. But his cooking skills are limited to basic prep stuff like chopping onions, whereas both my sons get into the more adventuresome aspects.

There was a story in the paper today about 85-year-old grandmothers sitting alone in their rooms on the holiday. The governor has asked people to limit celebrations to immediate family. My Chicago son is immediate family, of course, and luckily he still has a MN driver's license. If we were in New Zealand we'd probably risk spending the holiday in jail.




Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #216 on: November 22, 2020, 02:02:50 pm »
Biscuits seem like they might be the easiest element to get in a good convenience version. Those Pillsbury cans are super simple and quite tasty. Plus, you'd liven up the holiday with a visit from the Doughboy!

The Pillsbury biscuits are exactly what I had in mind.
Quote
Do you have Perkins -- the chain family restaurant -- in your area? They have decent bakery take-out. But we also have fancy grocery chains with decent bakeries nearby.

The name is familiar from somewhere, but I can't place it. It may be that they were in the area once but pulled out for some reason.


Quote
My big fear is that my younger son, who lives in Chicago, won't make it. He's getting a 48-hour virus test and, if all is well, coming on Tuesday. I really need him here, both in an emotional sense but also to help with the cooking. My older son likes cooking too, but he likes to be alone in the kitchen doing it all. My ex-husband, who will also be attending, has offered to help. But his cooking skills are limited to basic prep stuff like chopping onions, whereas both my sons get into the more adventuresome aspects.

Right now, if you lived in Philadelphia, none of them, not your boys, not your ex, would be permitted to come to your place for Thanksgiving if they don't live with you, by order of the city. Indoor gatherings of people from more than one household are prohibited. If our condo association doesn't enforce that rule, the association can be fined up to $2000, and individuals can be fined up to $500. The condo association would push up its fine onto the offending resident. The rule is in force to the end of the year at least (italics are mine because I believe it's going to last longer.) So no Christmas gatherings, either.

On the other hand, I have no idea how the city is going to enforce this order.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline brianr

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #217 on: November 22, 2020, 02:28:10 pm »
My Chicago son is immediate family, of course, and luckily he still has a MN driver's license. If we were in New Zealand we'd probably risk spending the holiday in jail.
If you were in New Zealand now there are no restrictions except for compulsory mask wearing on Auckland public transport and on all planes. We are asked to keep a track of where we go, generally by using our phone apps. I have just been away with 9 friends for 4 nights in 2 beach cottages on our Southern Island, Stewart Island.
Back at Easter and Anzac Day we did have restrictions similar to what Jeff has written for Philadelphia. I do not think anyone went to jail (unless there were other factors) but some were fined. The vast majority just complied and it worked.
There are many stories of those trying to come home from overseas for Christmas but the Quarantine Hotels are full, they had to apply for a voucher.  I am sorry for them but remember that many of my generation left UK and Europe in the 50's for Australia and NZ wondering if they would ever see their parents again. They would have to prebook an expensive phone call for Christmas Day.
I did not expect this when I emigrated from Sydney in 2010. I knew one day I would become too old for travel so far. On December 9 it will be 12 months since I farewelled my sister. She came over for 10 days and we went away for 2 nights and had a "Christmas" Lunch at a winery. I had stopped going for Christmas as Sydney is too hot at that time but planned Easter as usual. I now have my fingers crossed for next May. I can fly to Australia at the moment but would have to quarantine for 14 days ($3,000) on return and apply for a voucher. However I can skype with my sister every morning. It will be my 4th Christmas lunch at home by myself.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #218 on: November 22, 2020, 02:35:21 pm »
Right now, if you lived in Philadelphia, none of them, not your boys, not your ex, would be permitted to come to your place for Thanksgiving if they don't live with you, by order of the city.
... I have no idea how the city is going to enforce this order.

So if you did spend the holiday with your dad it would be OK because it's not in the city? Most of our mandates are statewide. Which in MN is appropriate because up until now rural people have felt pretty invincible (either because they're in less dense places or because they're Trump supporters who think the virus is a hoax). But the virus has been spreading fast in small towns, so apparently they're vincible after all.

My older son lives with me, so he'd be OK. My ex works from my dining room table because he's too cheap fiscally prudent to get his own internet. So he's here every day, but of course wouldn't count as a resident of the household.

My younger son doesn't live here but could fake it because his driver's license has this address.

Let's hope they don't enforce it the way Brian said New Zealand did or could, with cops allowed to barge into households to make sure everyone inside lived there. That was the one precaution Brian has outlined that I would balk at. But then, when NZ cops burst into a home they're probably less likely to shoot anyone.



Offline serious crayons

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Re: Holiday Menus
« Reply #219 on: November 22, 2020, 02:42:43 pm »
And there's Brian now!

I am sorry for them but remember that many of my generation left UK and Europe in the 50's for Australia and NZ wondering if they would ever see their parents again.

And of course if you go back even further, migrants from the Old to New World pretty much assumed they would never see their parents again.

I must not have inherited their genes, because although my folks was ancestors were from the UK and surrounding countries, short of a crisis like the potato famine I wouldn't necessarily have wanted to go to the U.S. And now I'd have nationalized health care!