The weather forecast looks like it should be dry for my town on Thanksgiving day, greatly simplifying our plans to get together with our son and daughter-in-law. The daytime high is only expected to be 46 degrees F, so we'll cookout midday over our fire pit on the patio. We should be able to remain entirely outdoors for the whole visit. The sunset is around 4:25 this time of year, so I expect we'll not linger much beyond then.
The Menu (no turkey!)
bratwurst cooked over the fire
buns
sauerkraut, cheese, mustards
green bean casserole
praline sweet potato casserole
corn souffle
mashed potatoes and gravy
pickled beets
relish tray of carrot sticks, olives, homemade pickles
apple & cranberry crumb pie
pumpkin pie
hot spiced apple cider
I can put most of this together on Tuesday and Wednesday. Without a turkey to roast and time, the cooking should be simpler and more predictable. I'm using a lot of canned foods, including the sauerkraut, green beans (and soup for casserole), sweet potatoes, corn, beets, olives, home-canned pickles, cranberry sauce, pumpkin puree, and apple juice. The end result should be easy cooking for me. I even opted for pre-made buns and instant potatoes for this occasion. I'll be busy, but not so much that I feel exhausted.
One of the bonuses to having an outdoor Thanksgiving is that the house doesn't have to be completely clean. I'll be making the outdoor area as festive as I can, however. My decor plan for our patio is to pull together as much of the autumn pieces that I have around the house and porches (faux and real pumpkins/squash, artificial autumn flowers, baskets, lantern, cushions, blankets) and group them together, with this sort of look. (Cover Victoria Magazine 2014)
This shouldn't take me more than about 20-30 minutes to assemble -- simply put it all into place on the patio tables and chairs. My version may not be as well color-coordinated as the magazine cover, but I think it will be homey.
Wishing you all a good Thanksgiving week!
