Re: Next Year: Thanksgiving

Thanks Desert Rainbow,

You have some great ideas and I love the idea of buying a refrigerator
and then selling it. We were talking about buying one because it gets
to be impossible with one.

Tell me how you roast a turkey on the bbq. We have two bbqs. One is
an MHP with two sets of burners and the other is a big charcoal bbq
with 4 grates. I would imagine that one would be better for indirect
heat if we put the coals on both sides of the turkey. Do you use a
roasting pan?

For the two turkeys that are oven roasted, are they brought to
Thanksgiving or made at your aunt and uncle's house. Some here have
mentioned a table top roaster which sounds like a pretty good idea.

We have the dishes, 24, 12 and 12 and we'd ask people to bring bridge
chairs and two tables. The reason I asked about buying the best throw
aways, is because they can go right into a garbage bag and out to the
pails. But, I agree, there is something nice about china, sterling
and stemware.

I like the idea of predetermined responsibilities because there are
those people who never get up to help. I would imagine making the
assignments can be a little dicey when someone would rather not wash.
This year, my wife did all the washing, her asparagus friend and
sister-in-law did the tables and putting away leftovers. I can see
where pre-organized responsibilities would have had other people doing
the washing, because with 18 people, many others were available. Next
year with 41, the job will be much larger and these things tend to
grow geometrically. Definitely we could use designated washers,
dryers and climbers (to put everything away). We have a dishwasher
but it hardly handled dishes for 18 and we did three or 4 washings.
Yes, I definitely think before everyone gets here, they need to know
what to do, if we don't use plastic and if we don't hire help.

The chafers are a good idea and we should have done it this year. I
would think that should allow us to take cooked dishes that people
bring and get them right into the chafers. That would go for hot hors
d'oeuvres too.

This year we had bruschetta from Costco, which surprisingly nobody ate
and it was pretty good and the bread was lightly brushed with an evoo
w/ garlic, thyme, pepper and rosemary. We also had Costco's franks in
a blanket and egg rolls, which again not a lot of people ate but a
bunch of people came an hour plus late and we in the kitchen were too
busy. Finally we had crudités with dip but I think with the
lateness and people a little diet conscious and trying to save room
the hors d'oeuvres didn't go. Again, if everyone comes on time, next
time and they come with their food cooked, the hors d'oeuvres will go.

The good thing about renting chairs is that nobody gets stuck with
flimsy ones.

I wonder if anyone in this group used really good plastic dishes,
stemware and utensils, how much it cost and how it worked out. I
think the only thing that would bother me would be drinking good wine
out of plastic cups.

Alan



Eating outdoors would be great but, being in NY, that's not an option.
On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 16:34:42 -0800, "Desert Rainbow"
<desertrainbow@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>"alan" <alancalan@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:8rjjo155801g5djl54q00j915obqogopc5@xxxxxxxxxx
>> This year we had 18 people for Thanksgiving, Next year we will have
>41
>> and the extra 23 are bigger eaters than the first 18.
>>
>> We have one oven and it's not very wide. It fits a large roasting
>pan
>> sideways but not 2 lengthwise.
>
>
>These are some of the things we have learned after some large
>Thansgiving dinners.
>
>This year we had nearly 60 people for Thanksgiving. It was hosted by
>my aunt & uncle who have been doing this every year but the event
>keeps growing as the family expands. Fortunately they have a home and
>kitchen big enough for this kind of gathering. But if it were not a
>joint effort with a lot of people pitching in, it just wouldn't work
>out. And one thing we learned is that you can't just let everyone help
>out in any way they feel like it because then you have chaos. We have
>one person who coordinates the menu and the food people are bringing
>so that we don't wind up with 2 dozen identical casseroles or
>desserts. Other people take charge of certain chores and enlisting
>volunteers for such things as kitchen help and food prep or setting up
>the tables and seating or for cleaning up afterwards. Our tables and
>chairs are rented from a company that delivers them and picks them up
>afterwards. We also rented dinnerware and 2 additional chafers (we
>have 2 of our own). We decided against buying these items even though
>in the long run it would probably be cheaper. But by renting, we don't
>have to store them.
>
>We cooked one turkey outside in the Weber bbq and 2 others were oven
>roasted. We also had a ham. The gravy was made in advance from turkey
>wings. The mashed potatoes and glazed sweet potatoes were also done in
>advance. The food is set up buffet style in the dining room and the
>seating is normally set up outside. The chafers are a huge advantage
>because they eliminate the stress of having to get all the hot items
>ready at the same moment. If you use them, be sure to have extra fuel
>cans on hand.
>
>Every year before Thanksgiving my aunt and I each buy a used
>refrigerator which goes into the garage and then gets re-sold after
>the holidays are over. Anyway, that is our basic routine.
>
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Next Year: Thanksgiving
    ... We were talking about buying one because it gets ... > Tell me how you roast a turkey on the bbq. ... > heat if we put the coals on both sides of the turkey. ... > The chafers are a good idea and we should have done it this year. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: Is Diabetes making you broke?
    ... We never went to buying whole animals cause there's just the two of us and we can't eat through a pig in a reasonable time. ... I really didn't have to spend money for fresh veggies, except as a "treat" in winter when I got tired of the frozen, dried and canned I had put up from the garden excess. ... I had the heart attack just before I got the seedlings in, so I lost my whole garden this year, which was more of a bummer for the comfort factor than the food loss - gardening is very therapeutic for me. ... I don't always buy organic fruits and veggies, but usually do if it's a food where I'm going to eat the whole thing - so blueberries must be organic, but an acorn squash doesn't cause I figure I'm throwing out the peel anyway. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • F.A.Q !!!! TURKEY Kusadasi Moda Real Estate Construction !!!!
    ... What is the advantage of buying property in Turkey? ... chance to make a good investment for your future. ... The funds for the purchase should be transferred into the country ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: The Come On Rise Up trip to New Orleans--more reflections
    ... Orleans music community. ... Thought people reading this might be interested in buying a few NOLA ... >> There were quick introductions at the food bank after my friend and I ... >> emotions exist... ...
    (rec.music.artists.springsteen)
  • Re: The Come On Rise Up trip to New Orleans--more reflections
    ... Orleans music community. ... Thought people reading this might be interested in buying a few NOLA ... >> There were quick introductions at the food bank after my friend and I ... >> emotions exist... ...
    (rec.music.artists.springsteen)