My Thanksgiving Menu and Plans

This year the guest list includes 26 (and counting) family members. To be honest, this may very well be the largest Thanksgiving crowd I've ever cooked for. I love it, though. Cooking for my family and friends brings me great joy and is something I've done every Thanksgiving since I was 14. I think of it as a gift to my family and they truly appreciate it and look forward to it every year.

I have completed my menu and have made my grocery list...whew! What a list!

The Menu

2 Turkeys

Cornbread Dressing

Gravy

Broccoli Casserole

Sweet Potato Supreme

Scalloped Corn

Butter Beans

Deviled Eggs

Pear Salad

Layered Salad

Olives

Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Buttermilk Pie

Brownies

Cookies

Flan

Vivian, Pat's wife, is from Puerto Rico and she will be bringing 2-3 dishes from her native country as well as Flan (we hope she brings Flan).

I'm going to set up round tables that seat 8 in the living room and in the den. My dining table seats 8 and Ben and Blake like to sit at the bar where all the food (rolls for Ben) will be placed.

I'll be using hunter green tablecloths as well as harvest gold cloths. We'll use my everyday dishes as well as the yellow cabbage dishes and serving pieces. These colors make a beautiful table.

I hope Darrel doesn't rake up all the leaves in the yard because I love to see them on Thanksgiving Day!

I will prepare the casseroles, layered salad, desserts that I'm making and the cornbread for the dressing the day before so I won't have too much to do on Thanksgiving Day. I'll also set the tables and lay out all the serving pieces I'll need.

On Thanksgiving Day I'll get up at the usual time 4:00 AM, shower and get right to it. I have to make the dressing, bake the turkeys, make tea, deviled eggs, pear salad, gravy and butter beans. It's tradition with me to have Fox News and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on in the background and then listen to (too busy to watch) "It's a Wonderful Life" as I cook that morning. Everyone should start arriving around 12:00 and we'll eat somewhere around 2:00PM (hopefully!).