"JeanineAlyse" > wrote in message
...
> On Nov 24, 5:26 pm, wrote:
>> I was looking for something to put my mashed potatoes in that would
>> keep them warm for the Thanksgiving Day potluck. I didn't make enough
>> to warrant using the crock pot so I decided to use the tagine.
>> Yippieee Skippieee.
>> It made a very pretty serving dish too.
>>
> Oh, what a great share, Koko. I have no tagine, but have decided for
> the Thanksgiving dinner I will make for bad-cook friends next year I
> will use all my Corningware and other nice oven-safe dishes to keep
> everything inside a low-temp oven or stove-top
(snip)

> Wish me luck, I am determined to have these bad-cook people over next
> year for a goosd, simple, old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner.
> Theit kitchen is just as tiny as mine, they have two grown kids who
> each work in restaurants, and thereby each of the four adults
> contributed to the dinner I was invited to. I brought only my then
> too sour cranberry sauce to share; they provided a very dry spiral
> sliced ham, a moisture-less turkey, watery and unsalted mashed spuds,
> tasteless gravy, canned and unseasoned-undrained green beans

(snipped before I barf LOL)
> ...PickyHavingNoLeftoversButForAsliceOfCheesecake, ThankYou!
>
Sorry to piggy back, Picky I'm sure we've all had our share of bad or
mediocre holiday dinners.

When I was married (a million years ago) I had to go to four different
houses for Thanksgiving. I'm an equal opportunity critic My mother made
a pretty standard meal: turkey with dressing (made from Pepperidge Farm
seasoned bread cubes - not bad). Mashed potatoes (made from a box of those
mashed potato flakes). Turkey gravy made from a packet of McCormick's or
Durkee or something. Canned green beans (but at least she drained them!).
Dinner rolls (she always forgot to set the timer and burned the rolls), a
chilled can of "cranberry sauce" that came out shaped like the can.

Then we had to go to the (former) MIL's house for another meal. She made
cornbread "dressing" that was so runny it looked like vomit. You could
literally run a spoon through it and it would close back up, the opposite of
parting the Red Sea. I thought perhaps she'd made a mistake so I didn't say
anything. But it became apparent from comments she always made it like
that. "Isn't it great?!" Being a polite guest I took a spoonful of
dressing (which quickly spread out on my plate), and no, it wasn't great.
LOL

Then it was off to visit one of his aunt's who lived in an apartment with
her two daughters, both of whom were probably in their 20's. I don't
remember much about that visit except the turkey had been cooked to death
several times over. It became apparent why when I walked in the door
spotted all the beer cans in the trash. Heh.

Over the river and through the woods to [his] grandmother's house we went!
His grandparents were lovely people. Very gracious. They lived in the
country, had a vegetable garden and the food was delicious. But by this
time I was getting tired, although I politely nibbled.

(Best Billy Mays voice) But wait! There's more! LOL We still had to go to
his uncle's house! His wife didn't cook dinner. She served "holiday
platters" she'd bought at the deli counter. There's a nice homey touch for
ya! Frankly, I didn't mind. It was more like a cocktail party than a
holiday dinner. Hors d'oeuvres, different types of breads and sliced turkey
and ham with accompaniments, a relish tray. And wine and liquor. Lots and
lots of liquid refreshments. By that time I needed it We'd been going
from house to house all day and I just wanted to go home.

Jill