Saturday, November 24, 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

Normally, we go out for Thanksgiving dinner. I know this sounds peculiar but my husband and I were cross-country truck drivers for a whole lot of years. During those years, if we were not able to be with family, we ate in truck stops.



When we quit driving truck, my husband decided (with my full concurrence) that eating out was a good thing. I did not have to cook all day and no one had to do the dishes. We usually went to a cafeteria style restaurant and that way EVERYONE got what they wanted.

Fast forward to this year.

There was a news story that the average Thanksgiving dinner for 10, cooked at home, this year, cost an average of $42.76


Now, we are not poor. We are currently, however, a little cash impaired. To go out entails driving 50 miles, plus or minus, and then paying for the 4 of us. The weatherman was predicting snow and bitter cold.


We (that would be the royal we) started thinking.


DO NOT EVER DO THIS!



The menu: Butterball turkey breast (we only like white meat)
Mashed potatoes (this recipe from Ree)
Green bean casserole
Dressing
Turkey gravy (bottled, of course)
Cranberry sauce
Baby Gherkins
Black Olives
Celery stuffed with cheese(s)
Pie(s) (Pumpkin, Pecan, and Cherry)
Cool Whip
Clementines







We had a wonderful day. We spent most of the day in our pajamas. Lil man learned how to spread cheese in celery sticks.





Gas expended?


Zip.


Grocery bill?



WAY MORE THAN $42.76 and there were not 10 of us.


Will I do it again next year? I’m pretty sure I heard lil man utter the word “tradition”. I am doomed.

Or blessed!

9 comments:

Sandy said...

Sorry my nice little pictures did not stay in the nice little rows in which they were placed.

I am on my way to a funeral. Will try to fix them later - or not.

Princess Jewelee said...

it was a GREAT day.....THANKS!!!!

Anonymous said...

Traditions are fun! Whether it's a restaurant or cooking at home. Glad you had a great holiday! :)

laurie said...

it sounds delicious. especially the mashed potatoes.

(by the time i got to my brother's house on thanksgiving night, all the potatoes were gone. i haven't gotten over it yet.)

Sayre said...

We had a similar menu - but a whole turkey, no Clementines (what are those?), no celery with anything in them. But the bottled gravy, the canned cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole... add two kinds of stuffing and some dinner rolls and I could have eaten at your house! We did feed 10. The turkey alone cost $19.00, so without digging out my grocery receipt, I'd say we spent more than $42...

Sandy said...

Sayre - small orange citrus. I think they're a cross between an orange and a tangerine. We just bought our second crate of them today - no scurvy here!

Unknown said...

Whoops. Live & learn. And, I'm with you. If I "cook" for holidays? It's Luby's. She does it better, faster, and cheaper than I can.

Sandy said...

aff - they closed our Luby's! No more LuAnn platters. They did just build a brand new, bigger and better Furr's though. Not only is it better, faster, and cheaper, they'll cook the stuff I won't have in my house!

Karmyn R said...

But don't forget - you now have TONS of leftovers so there are actually a couple of lunches in that pricetag!


I wouldn't mind eating out because that means someone else does the dishes!

 
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