Thanksgiving Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Thanksgiving Family Dinner
By Imogen T Stubbs
There are few holidays as ultimately satisfying as Thanksgiving.
For the dinner hosts, it can be a time of stressful time, running
to the store, turkey basting, table decorating, house cleaning
and last minute arrangements.
For out-of-town family, it can be a long road trip or hours stuck
in an airport. The lead up to Thanksgiving is rarely glamorous,
but once everyone is seated around the table, the preparation
is all worth it. This year, why not begin a special family tradition
that will last for years to come?
Getting The Family Together For Thanksgiving
We say the focus of Thanksgiving is family, and it is, yet the
first thing we really think of is food. What separates Thanksgiving
from other family holidays is the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed
potatoes and gravy, the biscuits, the glazed carrots and the homemade
desserts.
Generally each family has their own set of special recipes to
tap into, but if this is your first Thanksgiving dinner and you
need a few ideas, then you may want to check out Epicurious’s
"Complete Guide," located at www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving.
It includes vegetarian options, a beginners quick-and-easy menu,
an advanced "Thanksgiving Adventure" culinary experience,
or even just surf recipes by-the-dish if you’re attending one
of those "everyone bring something" functions. You may
also want to check out iVillage’s massive recipe list at www.food.ivillage.com/holiday/thanksgiving/0,,741h,00.html.
Something Extra Special
Isn’t it great to have the whole family together for Thanksgiving?
Maybe you feel you want to do something extra special this year,
but you’re not sure what. If you’re really ambitious and ahead-of-time,
then you can make a family video montage set to music for everyone
to watch while their turkey is digesting.
There are video production places that will assemble this for
you, yet even a video novice can figure it out using Adobe Premier
Software or at www.photostomusic.com.
If knitting is your thing, then why not make a family quilt or
tablecloth? Another fun idea is to create a family journal, where
each page contains someone’s name and all your guests fill in
a memory they have of that person from the year.
Surprising The Family
Sometimes the answers are really funny or really sentimental!
You may also want to make a page labeled "Best Thanksgiving
Moments From Years Past," where everyone shares something.
You could also do a page labeled "What I’m Thankful For This
Year," with everyone’s name next to a space for their answer.
Genealogical family tree making can be a rewarding thing to do
if the family patriarchs and matriarchs are stopping by. You can
even do some research in advance to surprise your family members
with new revelations.
Two of the most common Thanksgiving traditions are watching the
Thanksgiving Day parade and saying a holiday prayer. In the afternoon,
46 million people will be watching the Macy’’s Day parade
in New York City, either in person or on TV, featuring giant floats,
bands and balloons. As you’re cooking, the kids will likely run
in to tell you about the Garfield float, but at least it’ll keep
them busy and festive.
Later, at dinner time, you can go around the table and everyone
will either pray for a special intention or mention something
he or she is thankful for, which is another good way to celebrate
Thanksgiving.
About the Author:
Imogen T Stubbs has written a number of articles on kitchen, food
and cooking including First
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
Feast, Hot
Water, Refrigerator
Water Filter, Water
Filtering System, Whole
House Water.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and wonderful casseroles all
mark an important tradition. It is a time to gather together with
friends and loved ones to celebrate all that everyone is thankful
for. What is this tradition?
It is Thanksgiving and it holds an important part in many people’s
lives. Even though this holiday differs in other countries, it
is still a time of celebration. Eating a filling meal and settling
back to watch a football game is only one piece of its tradition.
If you are hosting a big dinner to celebrate, you are going to
need the right supplies.
RECOMMENDED READING
|
