In article >,
"Ophelia" > wrote:

> Some folk cannot bear what which they don't celebrate themselves.

Now, now.

> I rejoice in the differences, although I am somewhat stunned by the amount
> of food you make for Thanksgiving)

Excess is the hallmark of American living, O, and it seems that
Thanksgiving, more than other American-style holiday celebrations, is
marked by excess. We prefer to have too much so we can throw it away
because we'll never eat that much or because it won't keep or because
someone doesn't eat leftovers. (Who, me? Cynical?)

According to something I read or heard somewhere (how's that for
vague?), it's *the* big family get-together ‹ more than Christmas or
Easter. And frequently there is food on the table for the sole purpose
of satisfying one or two individuals' desire. "If you don't have
-FITB- at Thanksgiving, well, it's just not Thanksgiving!" And
sometimes it's a dish that is impractical to make for only one person so
it gets included in the menu because there just might be more takers.
:-) As families grow there become more desires to satisfy. There may
even be successful "new" foods that are deemed worthy of the meal but
not at the expense of removing another‹so both are made! It grows like
Topsy.

When our son moved to Tucson, after the first three years or so he and
other friends who weren't "going home" for Thanksgiving gathered to
celebrate the day together and over time have developed their own
traditions. The instruction early on was to bring the dish that, for
that person, "makes it Thanksgiving." Sometimes it was a food that was
eaten only at Thanksgiving dinner. For one, it was cornbread dressing.
For someone else, it was pecan pie. For someone else it was the
infamous green bean casserole. They are less interested in a gourmet
meal and more interested in being together to create and to recreate a
memory while having fun doing so. This was the menu for Thanksgiving
2008. When I read the menu, the headcount was at 18 people and one dog.
Chris roasts the birdy (a 20# turkey) at the host home and makes the
dressing and turkey gravy; others provide the rest of the menu.

It appears that certain vegetables are the "must haves". :-)

Appetizers
----------
Chips & Dip
other chips
Crackers
Veggies & Dip

Main Course
-----------
Turkey
Something Veg (poss. baked ziti)

Sides
-----
Dressing (aka Stuffing)
(note: both veg and non-veg versions will be made)
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
-Non-Veg
-Veg
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potatoes (probably mashed)
Cauliflower au gratin
Potato/Cheese casserole
Corn
Green Bean casserole
Bread Rolls

Dessert
-------
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Pound Cake
Other suggestions: brownies, cookies, ice cream, etc.

Drinks
------
Soda
Beer (homebrew)
Wine 4 bottles
other

At Becky's table on Thursday, we ate: turkey, bread dressing (with and
without raisins included), gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet-sour red
cabbage, cabbage salad, homemade cooked cranberry sauce, broccoli, ham,
fruit salad, wild rice, pickles & olives, rolls and butter, pumpkin ice
cream dessert, and four different kinds of pie. There were supposed to
be two pies, there were four; an example of excess. At least half of
one was thrown away.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Dessert
Base:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
1 can pumpkin (16 oz.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
Whipped cream
Chopped pecans

For base, mix crumbs with sugar and butter. Press into bottom of 9²
square pan. For filling, combine pumpkin with sugar, salt and spices.
Fold in ice cream (mixture is quite soupy). Pour into pan. Cover and
freeze until firm. Cut into squares about 20 minutes before serving. Top
with whipped cream and pecans, if desired.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller - raspberry pie, parte dos, 11/27/2008