What's your Thanksgiving timetable?

if you google for nut roast recipes, you'll probably turn up a bunch of stuff. they have a reputation (in the uk, anyway) for being the ultimate humorless (and tasteless) vegetarian dish, but that rep is pretty outdated and i'm quite fond of them.

The pumpkin challah is just challah with pumpkin. Let's see...

One envelope instant yeast, 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp ginger, 2/3 c (90g) bread flour, 2/3 c (140g) hot water. 20 minutes until bubbling. Then add 1/3 c (70g) sugar, 1/4 c (55g) oil, 1 1/2 tsp (8g) salt, an egg, 1/2 c (115g) pumpkin. Then the remaining 3c+2tbsp (410g) bread flour. Knead, let rise, shape, let rise again. Makes two 1 lb loaves or 1 1.5 lb loaf and 3 rolls. Glaze with egg wash and add sesame seeds. Cook (rolls 25, 1 lb for 40, 1.5 lb for 45 minute) at 350/180C/mark 4.

(sorry to piss on anyone's chips here, but when I was veggie I stopped eating it)

(yes yes, I once was veggie)

(yes, yes, I was a veggie as well)

Quorn's uptake in the vegetarian market was hampered by the use of battery eggs in its production process, a practice opposed on ethical grounds by many vegetarians. For this reason, the Vegetarian Society initially did not approve these products. Working with the Vegetarian Society, Marlow began phasing out battery eggs in 2000, and by 2004 all Quorn products sold in the UK were produced without battery eggs, earning the seal of approval of the UK branch of the Vegetarian Society.

Note all the UK qualifiers.

It's time to REVIVE!

My current T'day schedule: hope and pray I get to go home on Tuesday 11/20.

research paper due monday 11/19. everything thanksgiving to occur after that.

Yeah, I'm thinking t'day might get pushed back a bit later in the month this year.

Although, Mr. Jaq is picking up the turkey today. I went for a small one this year, after the fiasco of the giant bird last year.

1 pm - go to chinese restaraunt and order $50 of food
2 pm - get home and get down

I didn't invite anybody this year because of this goddamn job and the high probability of it fucking up my life. But when I get home, those cranberries better WATCH OUT.

our menu per my host: pumpkin fritters to start, then pumpkin and pea soup, lemon-honey glazed turkey and pumpkin cupcakes with vanilla cinnamon icing

i have changed the dessert to rosewater napoleon and added green beans. i think he chose too many pumpkin dishes.

anyway, i don't know what his recipe is for the turkey, but the other stuff seems not too labor/time-intensive, right?

Will the fritters be fried? (Can you bake them? I don't know the options.) That might be a bit labor intensive, if they can't be done much in advance. Pumpkin and pea soup sounds yummy, btw. But I think 2 pumpkin focused things are plenty in one meal. Also, green beans = yes please.

Mr. Jaq advised he got "a nice" turkey - 9.8 lbs of standard bronze heritage goodness. Much more manageable than last year's 25 lb behemoth.

10-11am - everybody starts showing up at the farmhouse hauling foil-covered casseroles, crock pots, and various other serving dishes full of dumplings, roasts, cakes, casseroles (indeed), macaroni & cheese, greens, and ambrosia

noon - bell rings. uncle jerry says grace at the head of a long line of people I am ostensibly related to one way or another

2pm - everyone more fatter, thinking about seconds, wondering why aunt sally has such a thing about no booze at thanksgiving, 'cause a beer would be sweet

Mmmm, ambrosia.

The thing to try to get around the no-booze rule: rum balls, or a rum cake absolutely dripping with dark rum. Not the same as a beer, but not bad.

This morning: Wake up extra early, run to store, get eggs and various other ingredients, run home, make molasses cookies and peanut dip for today's pre-Tgiving "orphan's Thanksgiving" style party. All of which I have done with like an hour to spare.

well, i bought the wine and rosewater tonight, but it looks like everything else shopping- and prep-wise is happening on wednesday! eee the thought of the lines is not appealing considering how insane they were today.

omg! Tonight, I found out I actually get to go home for a few days tomorrow. Will be going to visit my MIL for t'day apparently, which I'm sure is the right thing to do, but I would so much rather just sit in my own apartment with my feet up, thinking about what I COULD cook if only I had the energy. I'll have 4 days in Seattle to be thankful for, at least, before I am returned to this sunny hellhole for as long as it takes to finish this fucking project.

Today I'm making pumpkin dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, maybe some mashed turnips and some similarly mashed potatoes. Some of which I'll have tonight and some of which I'll hopefully be sharing with someone tomorrow night.

But this is my 21st Thanksgiving as a vegetarian and I still haven't figured out a main dish that makes me happy.

Oh! And some brussels sprouts.

Happy Canadian T-day! Are you going to have a US one as well? I'm very interested in your pumpkin dinner rolls.

I never did roast last year's turkey ;_;

I hope it is not too freezer-burnt for this year.

I am planning to have a US one as well. We'll see how the pumpkin dinner rolls turn out, they are rising very slowly.

What sorts of things have you tried as main dishes? I'm generally stymied by what makes a good holiday vegetarian main, and hate falling into the gigantic cheese-bomb casserole trap.

i am going to a vegetarian/vegan thanksgiving this year at my boyfriend's parents' house. my first ever thanksgiving!

Does anyone know what that non-Tofurkey veg turkey recipe was? J0hn D had it on his site way back when, I forgot to bookmark and have completely forgotten the name.

Was it quorn? They make a turkey roast.

I've tried tofurkey, pasta/lasagna, nut loafs, and so on. I was thinking some sort of squash-and-tofu-on-rice dish might work.

The pumpkin rolls were ok, but something was a little off on them. Stupid internet recipes. But one of the comments said she added rosemary, which might have balanced it a bit more. Also they might taste better in the morning.

It was some little company that made them, then went out of business and released the recipe on their website.

i just realized the incredible difficulty presented by going to visit my little sister in dc for thanksgiving: i would not be able to go til wed night (i think) and she doesn't drive. wonder if i can convince her to plan ahead and buy a turkey (she's not good at this stuff) so we're not like 'WTF' on thursday.

Can you order one and have it delivered? Might be simpler than hauling one home on the bus or something.

well, we will be taking over my other sister's house, which means that if she plans, she can get them to take her to the store and drive it home. this means she has to actually plan, though...

other sister and her husband will be in korea during festive times.

Man, while standing in line @ the grocery store, I thought about Thanksgiving & got ANXIOUS at all of the work I'll have cut out for me. It's just me making all of the food, so I have to make a schedule. Doing a lot of stuff on the night before. Shudder.

Write it all down and see where (if anywhere) you can simplify stuff. Everything you can do ahead of time (like weeks even), do it (freeze it or whatever). Like if you want to make a cake, make the layers now, wrap them tightly and freeze them, then they'll be ready to thaw and frost. Yeast rolls and bread - you can make ahead and either freeze the dough, or freeze the baked goods (again tightly wrapped).

The one place I consistently trip up - needing a particular pan or appliance for something when it is already in use by something else. Sometimes, you can make do, but other times creativity falls short at the last minute and that's really stressful.

I TOTALLY write out the game plan. Too, no one, NO ONE is allowed in the kitchen. I'm starting to re-gain my confidence.

I am making a pumpkin cheesecake instead of pumpkin pie this year! Mmmmmmm. Too, Jaq, I am going to use your yeast roll recipe. I'm going to "practice" them this weekend. Should they turn out, I'll make a batch to freeze. Good tips, thanks!

i would love to write out my game plan, if my sister would just settle on a location/general idea of what the hell we're doing!!! now she's talking about coming here!? i have no idea what's going on and this frustrates me because my life gets very busy and i just like to have things like this settled so i can organize what needs to get done!

my faaaaaavorite

The turkey went in the oven at 1pm; should be ready and resting at 4:30. At that point I start the potatoes (peeled and in water on the stove top) and put the fish (for my sister) in the oven. The asparagus is also ready for a quick steaming.

My guests are scheduled to arrive around 4pm; my mother's stuffing goes into the oven to warm up.

Officially everything is planned for 5pm, but my guests have not been fussy in the past. And a good thing; while I've done this before, so much of this has to be done at the last minute.