A Thanksgiving Meme

Since Thanksgiving prep is underway and there is much housecleaning to be done, I’m afraid I haven’t been cooking anything noteworthy of late. So instead, here’s a little Thanksgiving Meme fun. And to do this, I’m tagging:

- Lulu

- Joy

- Mary

There are only two rules:

1. Post these rules when you participate in this meme.
2. Link to the people you tag as well as the person who tagged you.

Now onto the fun:

1. Which do you like better: hosting Thanksgiving at your home, or going elsewhere?
   
   I prefer to host Thanksgiving; I like having a certain measure of control over what is being served. Call me a control freak!
   
   
2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? Organic? Free-range?
   
   I usually buy/get a frozen turkey due to availability and finances; occasionally I’ve gotten a fresh bird but that’s unusual.
   
   
3. Do you make stuffing or dressing? What kind?
   
   It’s been a mix over the years; while I prefer to stuff the bird itself, I agree that it’s so much easier just to make dressing in a separate pan. My favorite recipe that I rely on year after year (with a few variations here and there) contains pork sausage and dried fruit. Yum!
   
   
4. Sweet potato pie or Pumpkin pie?
   
   I’m a pumpkin pie gal!
   
   
5. Are leftovers a blessing or a curse?
   
   I think a little bit of both; the tastiest leftovers go quickly, while the ho-hum items seem to hang around forever. I hate to waste, so coming up with things to do with the not-so-noteworthy items is a challenge.
   
   
6. What side dishes are a must-have in your family?
   
   Cranberry jelly is a must. And Mr.W absolutely needs to have macaroni & cheese. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving for him otherwise.
   
   
7. What do you wish you had that might make Thanksgiving easier?
   
   A chest freezer would be nice; so would a kitchen bigger than the closet I currently have.
   
   
8. If/when you go to someone else’s house for the holiday, do you usually bring a dish? If so, what is it?
   
   When Mr.W and I lived in GA, his family invited us to Thanksgiving every year. Although I always cooked our own meal at home earlier in the day (because I have to be in control, remember), I would bring some kind of dessert to the family gathering. Most of the time it was Mr.W’s banana pudding.
   
   
9. What do you wish one of your guests would bring to your house?
   
   Anything that meets my dietary restrictions is fine with me.
   
   
10. What do you wish one of your guests would NOT bring to your house?
    
    Popcorn. I hate popcorn.
    
    
11. Do you stick with a particular menu from year to year, or do you mix it up?
    
    I like to mix it up; of course there’s always the mains: turkey, gravy, something cran, something potato, something sweet taters, mac & cheese, veg and pie. But from year to year what I do is alter the way they’re prepared. For example, last year I stuffed the a hubbard squash instead of the bird, and the turkey had an orange glaze. This year it’ll be dressing and an apple-glazed turkey.
    
    
12. Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular holiday in your home?
    
    Thanksgiving is a religious holiday for us, in that we recognize God during the event.
    
    
13. Share one Thanksgiving tradition.
    
    I’m not really a tradition kind of gal. That probably sounds odd, but my family growing up was highly dysfunctional and the chaos that invaded the holidays was the polar opposite of happy family celebration. As a military wife, I often lived far away from family… no kids… that also requires that certain standards & ideas become flexible. I guess the only traditions I can identify are (a) invite a guest that has nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, (b) enjoy a lovely meal and (c) attempt normalcy as much as possible.
    
    
14. Share one Thanksgiving memory.
    
    My favorite Thanksgiving memory was my first one in Key West. I was having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit because of the warm weather/lack of seasonal weather change, and we decided to just embrace what we did have. We strung white Christmas lights to form a canopy over our patio and dragged the dining table outside. The meal was enjoyed with several neighbors outside, under our twinkling lights—lots of laughter.
    
    
15. Name five things you’re thankful for.
    
    (1) Living close to home.
    
    (2) My wonderful husband.
    
    (3) My Sunday School class--what an impressive group of young people. They're so easy to teach, and they, in turn, teach me valuable lessons as well.
    
    (4) Good friends.
    
    (5) My faith.

Join in the fun! If I didn’t tag you, please feel free to participate anyway! Add a link to your replies in the comments below.