Anyone else hosting/cooking for T-Day?

[easjer]

This is the first time we've hosted anyone or anything in our house. It's the first time we've hosted any holiday or cooked more than a side dish or dessert. Most of my immediate family is coming (both my mom and my dad and stepmom - should be interesting), so still small numbers, but big for us!

Just wondered what other folks were doing. And if cooking - how many sidedishes and how are you cooking the turkey?

[Sunshine]

My family gathers at my middle sisters house with all our extended family. My oldest sister and I go out there Wednesday night and start getting stuff ready. We have turkey, gravy, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, fruit salad...not to mention to snacks we eat before hand. Then for dessert there's pumpkin pie, pecan pie, usually a fruit pie and fudge.

Then around 5 or 6...it's time for leftovers!

[miss paxton]

This year we're working on our house and are probably doing take-out, which for me is really weird because I love to cook. Usually for Thanksgiving, even when it's just my husband and me, I roast a turkey breast, have a small boneless ham (like Cure 81), mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, gravy, asparagus (or other green vegetable but usually asparagus), and a pumpkin dessert. Since neither of us are big eaters, the best part of this is having lots of leftovers!

Remember when you're making a lot of dishes to think through what things need to go in the oven and whether they're all fit (unless you're lucky enough to have two ovens). The same is true of stovetop space. Make ahead what you can--I usually make dressing the day ahead. Dessert is better made ahead if you can too, especially if it's baked. I know I've gotten myself in over my head before in my small kitchen.

Ina Garten's recipes are normally foolproof. I've had great luck with her Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart--my husband and my father were both eating it for breakfast the next morning after having had two pieces each the day before. I haven't tried her Perfect Roast Turkey but it looks easy enough. I always like to have ham too, just so people can have a choice and just in case the turkey turns out dry and there's not enough gravy.