What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

So, we just assume that everyone has turkey, yams and pumpkin pie, for Thanksgiving. But the truth is, each family is different, and feast favorites vary from region to region.

My brother doesn't eat turkey, so for the last 15 years, his wife has been making Beef Wellington for Thanksgiving.

I'd never eaten green bean casserole, until I was an adult. Now it's a favorite of my kids, and I couldn't skip it if I wanted to.

A good friend comes from the South, and sweet potato pie is favored over pumpkin pie.

So, what's on your menu for tomorrow, and when do you eat your big meal?

Here's ours:

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Spread on Crostini

Roasted Turkey

Sage, Apple and Onion Dressing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Spiced Apple Cider

Eggnog

Coffee

(I'm not cooking all of this. Our friends will be bringing a couple of the dishes.)

Our friends will be arriving around 3:30. We'll enjoy some time over appetizers and cider, then have dinner around 4:30. And one other detail, we'll be listening to Christmas music. Does listening to Christmas music and having Christmas decorations up on Thanksgiving sound wrong to anyone?

Now I've got to get into the kitchen. So much to do, so little time!

Will you be buying an extra turkey or two this year?

And, what are the turkey deals like in your area, this year?

The deals are not nearly as good this year, as last, for my local stores. Many of the stores have a "spend $150, get a turkey for free" deal going.. This deal is especially hard on lower income folks, who just don't spend that large of an amount at one time. So, I'm not pleased with that deal.

Another local chain has "spend $30, buy a frozen turkey for 59 cents/lb". This doesn't sound too bad. But it is about 20 cents more per pound than this chain had last year, on their "deal".

Finally, the best deal for me this year, "spend $35, buy one turkey for 99 cents per pound, get one turkey of equal or lesser value for free". I was able to find turkeys which were identical sizes, so my price per pound was 49 cents. Still 10 cents more per pound than last year. But as it was the best deal around for my circumstances, I'll take it. In fact, I got 4 turkeys with this deal, this year. I'll roast one this week, and save the other 3 for the rest of the year. At least we'll have plenty of poultry for the months to come.

Buying extra turkeys at Thanksgiving will help me keep our grocery spending low through the rest of the year.