Thanksgiving Plans 2010

This year, I got invited by my former colleague and her vegetarian friends to go for a thanksgiving celebration but I'm feeling a little ho hum since the last time I saw them was a year ago when I didn't have a job and another year has gone by and my situation hasn't changed one bit. I cannot possibly seat through a meal feeling that way, I think I rather be at home. Well, that and the fact that they are vegetarians and they wanted me to bring a vegetable dish. How could I live up to the expectation when vegetables are all they eat? And to be politically incorrect, I'm just not excited about eating vegetables on Thanksgiving.

For Black Friday, my Straizian friends have invited me over to their place in hops that I will cook a meal for them and 20 something of our closest friends. It'll be a lot of work but I don't have a problem doing that. It's fun for me. But as the counter extreme from the vegetarians, my Straizian friends are carnivores especially for red meat. In the past two Thanksgivings, I have roasted turkey and chickens but they find carving their own piece of meat out of something with bones to be too troublesome so we won't be having any birds unless I sneak some turkey sausage in the form of a stuffing. As a rule when I cook for them, they always request dishes that I cook for them last and it usually bore me just a tad. So I decided to forgo the paella and steaks for a more traditional and earthy fare:

Sherry Wild Mushroom Soup
Cheddar Biscuits
Rib Roast
Glazed Ham
Turkey Sausage & Chestnut Stuffing
Pumpkin Seafood Orzo
Twice Baked Potatoes
Bacon Green Bean Bundles
Cauliflower Gratin

As in each and every gathering, someone will make a fruit salad with grape, apple, orange and a big amount of mayo and put lobster in it, which is quite a peculiar thing. It must have been an Asian thing since when I grew up these mayo/miracle whip salad was popular. My grandma used to make one with boiled eggs, potatoes, ham cubes, canned pineapple and everything else under the sun that I adore. I was proud to take that dish to every school picnic and parties. Now I realized that it might not have been the healthiest thing. Though the lobster fruit salad might just be on the sweeter side. Others will bring tiramisu and a cheesecake for dessert which will alleviate some work, though I do like making desserts.

All I have to do now is just have to write out all the ingredients I need so we can shop for them. Wish me luck, next week is going to be a busy week.