2005 was a year of many firsts. I had my first full-time job, my first apartment, and my first Thanksgiving away from my family. Luckily, I was living with my best friends, and with all of us too poor or lacking the time off to head home for the holiday, we became our own urban family and cooked our first holiday dinner together.
It was a smallish affair, but a festive one. As a group, we were food lovers and active home cooks, and agreed we wanted all the traditional elements, but took the opportunity to explore beyond the basics and do more elaborate versions of our families' classics. No one had ever cooked a turkey before, yet we rubbed it with sage butter and maple syrup, and, thanks to Tyler Florence's expertise, it was delicious. We toasted our first grown-up Thanksgiving with some bubbly, and ate our hard work with gusto.
For your first Thanksgiving, did you stick with tradition or strike out on your own? Share in the comments!
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The best Thanksgivings I've had have been with friends rather than family. Maybe that says something about my family...but I'm betting I'm not alone!
I am a foreigner and I experienced two very different Thanksgivings.
My first one with my Urban family or an army of great friends, a bit crazy and very fun, everybody brought an appetizer and dessert around the theme of the Thanksgiving classics with a twist. Our host did the Turkey etc... I had a great time and I am exciting to go back this year with my boyfriend.
Last year I had Thanksgiving in his family. It was very traditional and a bit well!... weird!! But still Ok.
It will be his first Thanksgiving without his family and with all our friends and I hope it will love it as much as I did.
I think Thanksgiving is better with people you feel more comfortable with and that actually interact and help you on a daily basis ( yes, your friend!!) Christmas is a family affair! But this is only my opinion on a very new tradition for me.
I am thankful for my Urban family and our non dramatic, laid back gathering.
onetime my brother, sister and I had thanksgiving without any of the "adults," I think we were all 19-23ish. But it was pretty fun cooking thanksgiving in my sisters tiny, freezing studio apartment drinking the whole time. We blew out the fuses 3 times using too many appliances at once and ended up just saying screw you to the veggies and just had a meat, carb and booze feast.
Oh, man. My first was a doozy! My first time hosting a thanksgiving was about three years ago, now. My [now] husband's family and my family were meeting for the very first time. Not only was I so nervous about that, but I had hardly ever cooked before, and had NEVER cooked a meal THAT big. I was a wreck, but it all turned out perfectly. My [now] husband shed a single tear when he first tasted my cooking that day. I think it really sealed the deal *wink*. I made a pork loin with cranberry apricot chutney, green beans with pine nuts, traditional mashed potatoes, and my grandmother's bread pudding recipe for desert. They still refer to me as “the chef” of the family, so I guess I can say it was a success!
i grabbed all my orphan friends, and we had a mexican fiesta! then we followed with a bloody mary bar on christmas! love San Francisco holidays with friends :)
I just moved to LA and I'm about to have my first Thanksgiving away from home. It's my favorite holiday and I'm sad I can't afford to go home to San Francisco to celebrate it with my family, so I'm going to volunteer at a shelter this Turkey Day. I do love to cook though, and have a few friends who will still be in town. My favorites from home include my Aunt's "fat creamy" gravy (the most delicious heart attack) and the plethora of meats my mom prepares. We usually host about 40 people for the occasion so we get at least two big turkeys, a prime rib, and roast duck (odd but repeating tradition). I figured LA has enough specialty food stores and Asian markets that I can probably get everything I need right here in Hollywood. Whatever we cook there will be plenty of beer, wine, vodka and jack (I come from a fabulously odd family) and records will be played. Wish me luck!