Today I'm going off on a little rant, so I'll give you a way out right now: if you just want some recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner, skip below and you can avoid my tirade…
It all began when my niece texted me, asking what time we were having dinner on Thanksgiving. Turns out she has to work that day at her retail job. I told her we could eat whenever it worked for her, but alas, they were opening even earlier than she thought, so she can't come now. This is my niece who was the absolute love of my life when I was a senior in high school and she was born at only 2# 5.5 ounces. I don't get to see her enough and really wanted her to come that day! It's just so SCREWED up that anything is even open, it should be a National holiday and day off just like Christmas. As Matt Walsh says, If You Shop on Thanksgiving, You're Part of the Problem”.
Instead, I have a better solution anyway. Stay home with your family, or in your pajamas if you want, and get a deal from all of your favorite bloggers! Next week's big Black Friday sale will go up later on Thanksgiving day and will run through the weekend, so keep an eye out and plan to boycott the stores that take our loved ones from us on what should be a family day *everywhere*.
Next, how about some Thanksgiving ideas for your feast or for leftovers?
Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing- Fermented Cranberry Relish
- Green Bean Casserole with homemade crispy shoestring onions
- Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- For those of you that were thinking ahead and got some healthy tallow for frying, are you going to deep fry your turkey in it for a healthy frying oil?
- Here’s a good fall recipe for you: Kelly’s Organic Squash Bisque.
Grain-free pumpkin cream cheese bars- Pumpkin pie ice cream would make a great turkey-day dessert!
- Stags Antler Cookies which make a great Thanksgiving cookie recipe!
- Learn about how to make new Thanksgiving traditions with Real Food!
- More side dishes and salad recipes.
Turkey Leftover Ideas:
- There are tons of chicken recipes here that you can use leftover turkey in instead!
- Share your favorite ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers in the comments.
From a couple years ago, read about my hunt for a good ol' bird…
So I had to find a turkey.
I called the farm where one of our local health food stores was buying from and started by asking the guy if their turkeys were outside. He gave a little chuckle, because obviously commoners such as myself don’t know anything about farming, and said, “Oh no, they stay in the barn.” I said, “They’re never outside?” He gave another chuckle and said, “No, and that’s the best place for them.” I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if I wanted to go a round or two with this idiot or not, and decided I didn’t have the time. Now I kind of wish I had, though.
What would you have said to him?
Now don't forget to share your favorite ways to use turkey leftovers so we'll all be ready for next weekend. 🙂
photo
Paulette says
I agree with Matt Walsh that if you shop on Thanksgiving you are still part of the problem. Because if you can’t be thankful and forget shopping for one whole day you are still feeding the problem of a materialistic mindset. Why not hold off on the blogger ad for a few hours instead of enticing people to shop from home on Thanksgiving? It is Thanksgiving DAY after all! ?
kenn32 says
And here’s a little Thanksgiving news story about Whole Foods and Pizza Hut:
https://www.alternet.org/activism/whole-foods-workers-strike-right-thanksgiving-holiday-pizza-hut-gm-fired-shutting-doors?akid=11195.1121594.FQEg1B&rd=1&src=newsletter930023&t=15
kenn32 says
More visitors at the outdoor turkey farm:
https://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=976352#.UpVIF8Uo7bU
Nothing tastier than a free range turkey, eh Kelly??!!!
Colleen says
Couldn’t agree with you more, Kel! I am so boycotting stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day! The greediness of it makes me sick!!!! But, I have to say, “we” have brought this on ourselves. We have allowed retailers to do this to us! People have already set up tents in the parking lot at Best Buy to be “first” in line in my city. I just cannot believe how important all of these material things have become. Shame on us all!
jmr says
I’ve worked most holidays for the past 2 decades because I’m a flight attendant; it’s a necessary part of the job. But I am horrified at this new trend to open retail stores on Thanksgiving. Doctors, nurses, police officers? Yes, we need them to work. The grocery store open in the morning for a couple of hours with a skeleton staff? Fine, sometimes you realize at the last minute you forgot the whipped cream. The cashier at JC Penney so I can save a couple dollars the day before Black Friday? No. I believe it is abuse and a new modern form of slavery to force the lowest paid segment of the population to forego a national holiday that has traditionally been a day off for just about everyone, a holiday we can all celebrate regardless of religion or race or creed. Soon, holidays will be only for the rich and privileged while the servants labor for us in the background. I believe anyone who shops on Thursday is contributing to the abuse and enslavement of those workers. If you don’t shop, they won’t open the stores next year. And I write all of this not as a crazy radical liberal communist; I’m a conservative Republican who is part of the so-called 1%.
Heather TenKley says
I don’t like the early black Friday thing on Thanksgiving either. My husband is a manager at Starbucks and he has to open on Thanksgiving so he has to be there by 4:00am luckily he will be getting off early enough to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. Then lo and behold he got scheduled to work black Friday as well, he has to start at 3:00am, shoot 3:00am still seems like thanksgiving, it’s like two shifts in one day 🙁
kenn32 says
https://www.mifox32.com/story/24007647/mtm-on-the-road-gobble-gobble-at-the-turkey-farm
With Michigan now a Right-To-Work state, it’s even harder for workers to maintain dignity in the workplace of large companies. I just feel so much better shopping at stores where the workers aren’t treated as an easily replaced commodity of super low wage laborers like Walmart. When workers have no representation in the workplace, they’re stuck with the corporate demands to work on Thanksgiving or Christmas just so Target or wherever, can keep the money machine running, since that’s their only reason to exist. Even though these low wage workers wouldn’t lose much money for a holiday not working, it would be even less income if they got fired for refusing to work. They know there there’s a busload of people at the back door waiting to take their place, even at minum wage!
Ken
Amanda Yoder says
Although I do think it’s sad to lose the Thanksgiving Day holiday for many in retail, it makes me get a little frustrated when people suddenly care cuz someone they know is working and missing the meal–I think too many people forget about our troops, medical professionals, and police officers (among others) who always have to work the holidays. So while I know it’s a different reason and I personally won’t be shopping Thanksgiving Day (maybe late that night for one thing I want) out of protest, I also hope people take the moment to realize and thank those who always miss the holidays (and their families who move the holiday!). This comes from my heart, because my family was always awesome and we moved Christmas Day to whatever time I could be home from the military overseas and now we do the same for my sister in healthcare who has to work a 12 hour day on Thanksgiving, we will have Thanksgiving on Saturday! and Christmas will be the following Saturday as well as she works that holiday as well.
KitchenKop says
THAT is a very good point!!!
Betty says
And, let’s not forget the trucker’s and their families. Without them, the stores wouldn’t have anything in them to sell. Well, uumm. You wouldn’t be able to have some of the wonderful food you have on Thanksgiving Day, etc. etc. if they didn’t deliver it to a store near you. Many of these brave men and women are on the roads during the holiday traffic rush. Trying to avoid the car that just cut them off, wondering if the car that was coming up fast is in their blind spot, etc.
I may sound biased, but I am married to a trucker.
KitchenKop says
Another very good point! I totally appreciate truck drivers and tell my kids ALL of the time that I could NEVER do that job!!!! I can’t even get my minivan around a corner without hitting the curb half the time, LOL! 🙂
Kel
Cynthia Hill says
Thanks Kelly – that is exactly how I feel! Why can we not enjoy Fall/Thanksgiving & start Christmas after? Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have – then we turn around & buy more on the same day?! Retail employees have just as much right to spend Thanksgiving with their families/loved ones as anyone.
Kathy says
I totally agree with your rant. Thanksgiving is about family and friends, football and great food. We’ll be in our pj’s all day! We don’t go to black friday sales even on black friday :))
Thanks for all you do!
Linda says
Oh, looking at the recipes for Thanksgiving, I will be adding a dish I don’t usually serve: potato latkes, because it is also the 1st day of Hannukah.
Soli says
I would have just asked him what his reasoning was to keep the turkeys inside, and the first thing after would have been to remind him of the joy of sunshine and vitamin D made from its exposure. 🙂
Linda says
Kelly, I am with you on the rant. When I first read about it all I could think about was the greed of these companies. People should boycott those stores on Thanksgiving day, but you know they won’t. It’s all about the great deals.