Anonymous wrote:Real Simple has an excellent make-ahead T-day Menu with timeline.

http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-dinner-menu-00100000068249/#1

You can subtract dishes easily for a smaller feast (don't need stuffing AND potatoes)

Anonymous wrote:Yes,

We really do s'mores for Thanksgiving dinner's dessert. I loathe pumpkin pie and find apple pie, or any pie, to be tolerable at best. Our fire pit dessert tradition has been a huge hit. The kids have a blast and the adults enjoy a last glass of wine, a cup of coffee, and everyone is woken up a bit by the chill in the air and there is far more conversation as a result. Also, the no dessert brigade will usually come outside and enjoy the fire and chat instead of getting up and starting the dishes or disappearing in front of whatever football game is on. We started doing it a few years ago and inevitably one of the kids in the family asks me around Halloween if we are doing s'mores again this year at Thanksgiving and they seem pretty excited when the answer is yes. If someone in the family has their heart set on a pumpkin pie (gag), they know they are welcome to bring one and we will cut it up and serve it to whomever would like some.

Anonymous wrote:Agree re Mac and cheese being an odd choice. Potatoes and pasta and stuffing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes,

We really do s'mores for Thanksgiving dinner's dessert. I loathe pumpkin pie and find apple pie, or any pie, to be tolerable at best. Our fire pit dessert tradition has been a huge hit. The kids have a blast and the adults enjoy a last glass of wine, a cup of coffee, and everyone is woken up a bit by the chill in the air and there is far more conversation as a result. Also, the no dessert brigade will usually come outside and enjoy the fire and chat instead of getting up and starting the dishes or disappearing in front of whatever football game is on. We started doing it a few years ago and inevitably one of the kids in the family asks me around Halloween if we are doing s'mores again this year at Thanksgiving and they seem pretty excited when the answer is yes. If someone in the family has their heart set on a pumpkin pie (gag), they know they are welcome to bring one and we will cut it up and serve it to whomever would like some.

I think this is cool!!

Anonymous wrote:About the only things we pre-prep are cold salads, some deserts, and stuffing/dressing mix. The rest is made fresh day of Thanksgiving. Our traditional eating time is at noon. Some will call this lunch, some dinner. The ones that call it dinner call dinner supper and snacks in-between meals lunch.

One of the big time savers we use is an oven cooking bag. Yes you don't get the nice roasted crispy skin then, but you get perfectly moist fall off the bone tender meat. And it's care free, no need to constantly monitor the bird or multiple basting. This allows more time and attention to be spent on side dishes.

Anonymous wrote:Yes,

We really do s'mores for Thanksgiving dinner's dessert. I loathe pumpkin pie and find apple pie, or any pie, to be tolerable at best. Our fire pit dessert tradition has been a huge hit. The kids have a blast and the adults enjoy a last glass of wine, a cup of coffee, and everyone is woken up a bit by the chill in the air and there is far more conversation as a result. Also, the no dessert brigade will usually come outside and enjoy the fire and chat instead of getting up and starting the dishes or disappearing in front of whatever football game is on. We started doing it a few years ago and inevitably one of the kids in the family asks me around Halloween if we are doing s'mores again this year at Thanksgiving and they seem pretty excited when the answer is yes. If someone in the family has their heart set on a pumpkin pie (gag), they know they are welcome to bring one and we will cut it up and serve it to whomever would like some.