Meme Monday - Thanksgiving Meme

I saw this new Meme last night over at Lynne's blog. Is Thanksgiving really next week already?  Well then, I guess I'd better get this Thanksgiving Meme done!  I'll preface this by saying I have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner.  We always go to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.  I don't know what I'm going to do when their house finally sells and they move to Tennessee.  I just keep telling myself it will never actually happen.  Denial is a great coping mechanism.

1.What are the traditional favorites?  I guess our only tradition is to start the meal with "macaroni".  When I was little, we had Thanksgiving at my grandmother's every year.  The first course was always home-made fettuccine and ravioli.  We still start our Thanksgiving meal this way - although it's usually with either lasagna or those fresh pastas you buy in the grocery store.  Maybe this year I'll make the home-made macaroni just like Grammy did.

2.What new recipes will you try this year? We don't usually try any new recipies for the holidays.  Do you have one to suggest?

3.What part of the meal do you never compromise?  Mashed potatoes.  I HATE THEM and will never ever eat them.  No compromise.  My mom hates them too.  She always makes them for the rest of the family and makes baked potatoes for the two of us!

4.Who gets to carve the turkey?  My dad carves it every year.

5.Family style around the table or buffet style and everyone sits wherever there's room?  We always do dinner family style around the table - but all of the food my mom cooks never fits.  So the salad and pasta is served buffet style from the hutch.

6.How many will be at your table this year?  Unfortunately we'll be smaller than usual this year.  My brother is in Colorado.  My aunt and uncle won't be able to make it down from Maine, because my aunt was recently diagnosed with leukemia and is going through chemo.  So we'll have 7 of us - me and Pete, Mom and Dad, my other aunt and uncle and Pete's brother.

7.Three best pies for Thanksgiving dessert?  Although I don't like Pumpkin Pie, you have to serve it at Thanksgiving!  My favorite are Apple Crumb and Coconut Creme.  My mom usually has all three, and blueberry too.  Yes, that's right, seven people and four pies!!

8.Cranberry sauce...yeah or nay?  Nay - I don't like it.  And it always gets forgotten in the fridge - so even those who do like it don't get to indulge.

9.What time do you eat Thanksgiving dinner?  We usually go to my parent's house around 1:00 and sit down at the table around 2:00.

10.Favorite leftover?  That's a tough one, because I really like all of the leftovers.  I guess my favorites are the turkey and the pies.