My first round of grocery shopping for the week is complete, and my husband completed it! He went to two grocery stores on the Saturday before Thanksgiving just so I could… not do that. He is really excelling at husbanding, even more so than usual. I will do another round of shopping Wednesday morning, when I pick up the turkey and veggie sides I ordered from Whole Foods. I still need to rearrange the garage fridge so I can fit the turkey into it.
Tonight, my family and I will fend for ourselves, foodwise. This has become known in our household as having “ham sandwich” for dinner, because typically my husband will eat a ham sandwich. “Ham sandwich” is pithier a reference point than black bean tacos, which is what I usually have. What Carla will eat is anyone’s guess.
I am really wishing that I took notes last year about the turkey; my post-Thanksgiving blog post mentions that the turkey was cooked on time for the first time ever… but why? And how? Note to self: INCLUDE THE DETAILS. Maybe I made notes on the recipe in the cookbook. Nope; I just checked and there are NO NOTES. Well, I vow to be more diligent this year.
Dinners for Thanksgiving Week 2023
- Ham Sandwich
- Seared Salmon with Red Pepper Aioli and Steamed Broccoli
- Balsamic Chicken with My Favorite Fall Salad
- THANKSGIVING!!!!! The menu is as follows:
- Turkey: I use a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, which has rarely led me astray.
- Gravy: Same as above.
- Dressing: Pioneer Woman’s traditional Thanksgiving Dressing. Nothing fancy, but a good, traditional dressing according to those (my husband) who like dressing.
- Goat cheese + garlic mashed potatoes: This is my mother’s recipe and I love it. I could eat an entire pot of these myself.
- Candied yams with marshmallows: America’s Test Kitchen, baby. But I’ve re-created it here, alongside my lovely experiments at Charcoal Topping.
- Veggie sides: Lemon herb asparagus and sea salt and cracked pepper green beans, both pre-made by the lovely folks at Whole Foods.
- Cranberry sauce: Pioneer Woman’s homemade version which Carla eats with a spoon.
- Dessert: My mother-in-law offered to bake a pie!
- Butternut Squash Soup with Miracle No-Knead Bread and Everyday Salad (and leftovers, for those who like them)
- Takeout
Strange how, in a week devoted almost entirely to cooking one meal, I have to still come up with other meals to cook and eat! Gotta fill those pesky bellies, I guess!
If you are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, are you cooking anything? If you aren’t dealing with this massive bellyache of a holiday this week, what are you eating?
I am kinda sorta attempting to complete NaBloPoMo, with the full expectation that life will make it impossible any day now. If you want to follow along, or join the fun, check out San’s blog here.
I KNOW! You mean we also have to eat tonight, tomorrow night and Wednesday??? Sheesh. You’re very organized- I put my husband in charge of dinner tonight and then I have no idea what’s going to happen Tuesday and Wednesday. Btw I’m pretty sure I’m making that cauliflower stuffing recipe you posted last week! I’ll let you know how it comes out.
Ooooh! I hope the cauliflower stuffing is a hit! It sounds so yummy.
An ambitious menu on which everything [except the marshmallows] sounds delicious. I’m liking the idea of goat cheese in mashed taters. Thanks for the links, too. Information is my love language.
Goat cheese and mashed potatoes are a match made in heaven, Ally!
Your Thanksgiving sounds delish!
I feel your husband’s pain (if any) for shopping Saturday. I went out and it was SUCH A NIGHTMARE. Ha. I came home and told my husband no more in person shopping for me until the end of the year. People were behaving, I just don’t handle huge crowds like that well.
We are cooking! It’ll be me and my husband, and we are making a vegan Thanksgiving (I am vegan, he is vegetarian) – Tofurky, mashed potates, stuffing, rolls, green been casserole, and a pumpkin pie! I feel like I forgot something LOL.
I haaaaaate crowds. So very pleased that I could avoid them this time! Although I guess I do have to go back on Wednesday, and it will be just as busy, but people will be more stressed.
Your husband continues to retain the Best Bloggo Hubby award. Seriously, there is nothing that I appreciate more than when the hubs gets that look in his eye and says “I think I’ll go to the grocery store tonight”.
The first time I wrote a holiday meal recap I was just doing it for fun – and then I ended up coming back as a reference. The one thing that the hubs and I have tripped up on for several years in a row is that we do not own a roasting pan big enough for a turkey. So last year’s recap includes the note to us that my SIL gave us a big disposable roasting pan that we have…somewhere. And guess what, we are not cooking the turkey this year so our chances of remembering the pan in 2024 are slim.
I love being able to use my blog as a reference! Although more often I use it to prove that I’m right and my husband is wrong, LOL. I think you should include the second half of this comment in your recap this year! That way you’ll have a ready reminder about the pan.
Wow! My husband has Wednesday off (I do not) and I’m considering asking him to go to Costco by himself. I am pretty sure he’ll say no. LOL.
You know what? Because we don’t host Thanksgiving, it’s actually a pretty normal week for us food-wise. The only thing we have to factor in is how to actually feed my husband on Thanksgiving because he won’t be able to eat much at that meal.
Yes, what does he do? Do you pack in a separate meal just for him? Big food-centric get togethers must be so tough!
I’m craving a ham sandwich.
Do it, Kari!
I just had one! Thank you for the inspiration!
I’m so impressed with your husband and am giving MY husband a bit of a side-eye. Then again, we have no big meal this week BUT ALL THE MORE REASON for him to shop.
My husband hasn’t been shopping in awhile, and he was AGHAST at how much food costs. I mean, he was buying more than normal, but also food prices are ridiculous.
My husband shops every weekend so I did hit the jackpot there, but I think he has the better end of the deal these days as I manage the kids while he is grocery shopping. That sounds pretty peaceful whereas I could be dealing with a full-on toddler meltdown (like yesterday when he laid in the sand at the park, losing his mind).
I bring the veggie tray, accompanying dips, and a brussel sprout salad that I love. It has gorgonzola, pears, toasted pecans, etc. It’s so very good. I made a bunch of picadillo yesterday so we have to eat as leftovers plus a few other things. Phil and Paul are going to an early T-giving dinner on Tuesday night at Phil’s cousin’s so I don’t have all that many meals to prepare for this week. It starts too late for Taco to attend so I will be home with him.
I have a family member who likes to ask me, after I’ve gone somewhere like Target or the grocery store, if I’ve enjoyed my time alone. And… yes??? But also… it’s still a chore! I do remember the days when it was SO peaceful to just do something on my own, though, so I get where you’re coming from!
Your salad sounds fabulous. I have yet to try a Brussels sprout salad, but I would like to!
I just made butternut squash soup for lunch! SO good.
Yum!
Looks like all systems are go there. Hooray for husband stepping up and doing groceries. I am making pumpkin bread, sweet and sour green beans, and mashed potatoes to bring to my SIL’s house. I’m excited to have my college kids home but no idea what I’m making for dinner this week. I haven’t really thought about it. Leftovers tonight.
Have a happy Thanksgiving. I’m sure it’ll be great.
Right?! There’s already too much food to think about!
Your husband is fabulous! I don’t go near the grocery stores this week although I may do pick up. I’m getting a pecan pie from a friend who bakes 100+ various pies every Thanksgiving. Every year I want to order a rhubarb custard pie from her (one of my favorites) but it’s not a traditional Thanksgiving one. 🙁 She’s a great baker and I am not. Otherwise, I’ll be eating my sister-in-law’s delicious foods.
Rhubarb custard! That sounds so unique! Maybe next year you will make it part of your Thanksgiving tradition. 😉
I had a ham sandwich for lunch! The power of suggestion, perhaps? We are eating out for the holiday–I’m a tiny bit sad not to have the exact meal exactly the way I like it, but mostly I’m relieved not to be doing the shopping and the cooking and the cleanup.
Hahahaha! And yes, I get exactly what you mean about that combination of feelings!
Yes, your husband IS excelling at husbanding!
We were just going to have something on Thursday, since it’s just the two of us, until the friends two doors down realized we weren’t “doing” Thanksgiving this year and invited us. The Husband is in charge of stuffing and I think I will make an apple pie (and maybe something else). So tomorrow, I am hitting the grocery store in search of pie ingredients…wish me luck.
THIS IS THE WEEK!!!!!! So excited for you all! And how nice that you are going to have a Thanksgiving, too. xxoo
IT IS! How did that happen so fast?!
Between you and me, despite how happy I am for them, I’m ready to put this behind me.
xoxo
I’m saving that goat cheese & garlic mashed potato recipe!! Looks absolutely delicious.
The phrase “excelling at husbanding” made me chuckle. I’m glad for your sake that he’s knocking it out of the park!
I haven’t hosted Thanksgiving for a few years now, but on the years that I did, I always hand-drew a timeline and jotted notes about which pan/serving dish to use. I keep all of them in my special holiday recipes binder for future reference. Over the years I’ve had varying levels of adventurousness in the kitchen but it’s always helpful to look back on!
We had an early Thanksgiving get-together at my MIL’s house last weekend and we had a BBQ. We’re back home for the actual holiday but I am NOT cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year. We’re making a big pot of chicken soup (with a whole chicken) and I’ll bake an apple cake. That’s it.
I am bringing cookies to my family gathering today! And I need to stop reading blogs and actually get them started, lol.
Gold stars to your husband to handling the weekend grocery shopping! I’m glad he did that for you!
YAY for letting WF do some of the work yesterday. I hope all went smoothly and that everyone has decamped for various activities. And I hope hope hope you got some down time.
Those goat cheese garlic mashed potatoes sound delicious. I want some now. It is pizza day today though.