It’ll just be my husband, my parents and me for Thanksgiving this year, so there won’t be a huge turkey with all the fixings.  Instead, I’ll be serving turkey breast, which I did two years ago for a smaller gathering.  What’s the point of ordering a whole turkey when there’s only four?  Sure, I could serve an alternative dish, such as chicken (boring!) or beef, but it’s Thanksgiving!  I’ve ordered my bird from a local butcher and will be picking it up on Sunday – we traditionally eat our dinner on Sunday so we can have Monday to “recover” before going back to work.

Turkey breast served at Thanksgiving a few years ago (when we only had three people)

I’ll likely roast it with herbs and a bit of garlic, or maybe I’ll do a breast version of a recent turkey drumstick dinner I made, which was crusted with mustard.  This will likely be more of a last minute decision (but does mustard go well with cranberry sauce and gravy?).  As for the other dishes, I’ve pre-ordered beans and shallots from a major supermarket in my neighbourhood as well as some pumpkin bread.  Other sides will include butternut squash and beet salad.  And of course, my quinoa stuffing (which will be more of a “dressing” this year, since I’m cooking it separately) will make an appearance as well.  As for dessert?  Slow cooked apples – it uses the similar ingredients (plus some berries) the baked apples I made last year, but rather than baking, I’m cooking it in a slow cooker (about three and a half hours on low, adding the berries half way).  The result is a softer, more apple pie filling-like than baking for 40 minutes.  I served the dish at a dinner party in September and the guests seemed to like it.

Slow cooked apples and berries served with ice cream

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?  Will you have a smaller event like mine or is it going to be big?  Canadian Thanksgiving dinners always seem to be smaller than in the US, but most aren’t as tiny as mine will be this year.