My sister hosts Thanksgiving. She's got home cookin' potential, but between her McDonald's loving husband and picky three kids, her reps aren't as high as they would be if she she had a more adventurous family.
With that being said, her simply prepared (salt, pepper, no stuffing inside) turkey is solid and mashed potatoes (she uses full fat almond milk creamer for her lactose intolerant daughter) are solid. Most sides are store brought from a local market.
To help ease her tension of timing with food, my wife and I are in charge of the apps, which is a mix of my Italian side (various cheeses and olives, plus cured meats) and her Scandinavian side (smoked salmon, crisp toast and lefsa).
Her husband liked canned cranberry sauce, but my wife brings her homemade version (cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks). No one ever eats her amazing homemade pumpkin pie (my birthday is in July and she makes me a pumpkin cheesecake for my cake) so she makes a pie for us to keep at home while the savages eat the store-bought crap.
