Bah humbug. I hate cooking.

Sitting here after two full days of cooking and prep work and realize it only took 30 minutes table time to make the biggest mess you ever saw. Hubby is still washing dishes and filling the dishwasher an hour later. (I cleaned and put leftovers away until all there was left to do was the dirty dishes.)

Same! I do like baking though, so I made two pies. And am crashing my sister's for dinner.

Right there with you. Especially when it's additional people besides my family. It gives me too much anxiety. I'd rather interact with them than all that planning, prepping, timing, and cleaning up. Yuck. I could not care less if anything is store bought. 

I recommend buying a pre-made meal next year. Best thing ever!

This year I brought it to my parent's house 2 hours away and prepared it there for them. They were so happy not to travel. Mom did not have to spend 2 days cooking.

We have a deal in my house. I cook for Thanksgiving but not for the week of except that meal. It's not really a deal. It's what I have decided. Tonight we are decorating the tree and having margaritas and delivered pizza.

I enjoy cooking, especially when I had my wonderful, huge kitchen with gas stove, prior to divorce.  I had lots of countertops and room to move and cook. 

Now, in my small kitchen, not so much.  

Cooking for 1 isn't fun.  Eating out is expensive.  So I am eating more "prepared, frozen" food than ever in my life.  And I have to carry my groceries up 12 floors from my car, although my car is inside on a lower level.  I use a wagon to pile on my groceries so that I don't have to actual carry them up.  

Sometimes, I make a big homemade lasagna (the only kind I like) and will invite a friend over for dinner to share it.  I sometimes make a large batch of pulled pork and then put it into containers for other meals.  

I like Marie Callander frozen meals - turkey, meatloaf and roast beef. so between that, a small bit of cooking and some take-out, that is about it.

I used to help my mom cater dinners at the church.  I have even done turkey dinners (turkey is so easy!) for 100 people more than 8 times, all on my own.  I do ask for help to peel the potatoes, but other than that, I'm doing it all.

I love a beautiful table setting, with name tags, china, crystal glasses, stainless cutlery, flowers, etc and have put together many lovely meals for friends and family over the past 25+ years.

I like the self satisfaction when everyone is gathered around the table, the smell of the flavours melding together and that this is something that I can do very well.   

I have some extended family coming over tomorrow for a brunch and have spent much time on the menu, decorations and simply enjoying doing the work because the end result will be a table surrounded with people who I care about. 

I don’t particularly love cooking, but Thanksgiving dinner is one meal I do like to cook.

Unfortunately, I usually have to go to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving.

So I’ll be roasting a turkey and making a few of the usual side dishes (not all of them!) in a few weeks. Just because I like it.

If I didn’t love making it and I needed to serve it myself on Thanksgiving, I’d get one of those complete turkey dinners from the supermarket. You could always add a few family favorites to whatever they supply.