One thing I make that is a tradition in our family is onions in cheese sauce. I've found that sweet onions work best; I chop them into chunks about 3/4" - 1" and nuke them, but you could also boil them first, and then make cheese sauce (white sauce with cheese), put the onions in the sauce (1 c. per large onion, approximately) and sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for about 25 minutes at 375. If you want to scale the recipe down a bit, make a cup of cheese sauce, get a big sweet onion, and use individual ramekins and bake the stuff in that.

I spent last T-day in an extended stay hotel. We had 2 burners and no oven. Most of our utensils/kitchen equipment was packed away. Here was my game plan with one large skillet, 1 small saucepan and 1 large pyrex bowl:

Cranberry sauce made a day ahead.

Mashed potatoes boiled with 2 garlic cloves, then all mashed together and kept hot in a bowl over simmering water.

Turkey breast seared in a skillet and then steam/braised (in same skillet) with stock and a splash of beer. Once the turky was done (1 -1/2 hours), I just reduced the pan juices til thickened for gravy. I did use a hefty pinch of herbs de provence but could have done with just salt and pepper.

Store bought pumpkin tart with canned whipped cream.

Addition items you could include:
Blanched green beans sauteed with mushrooms on the stovetop at the last minute. Bought rolls and butter.
Boiled/mashed sweet potatoes dotted with butter and brown sugar.

Now that I think of it, one year the family back home really splashed out and did prime rib, mashed potatoes and green beans and called it a day. Maybe really treat yourselves to make up for the spartan, lonely feeling?

I did a thanksgiving for two last night and roasted a chicken. It was more than enough for both of us but not huge. The only took i used was a roasting pan, you can even get those foil ones on the cheap at the grocery store. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and stuffed it with a lemon. Simple!

I also mashed up some taters on the stovetop in a little saucepan, threw in some garlic and chives.

Store bought pumpkin pie

Roasted brussles with crumbled bacon and a bit of maple syrup and all i needed for that was a little roasting pan or you can even sautee that over the stove if you want.

So all in all i used a saucepan, 2 roasting pans, and some basic spices.

Good luck!

Kahlua Turkey. Equal parts Kahlua and apricot jam are mixed together(blender works great)
then used to baste the turkey. The gravy that comes from it is fantastic!

Are you already there? If you haven't traveled yet, it seems like some small, pre-portioned bags of dried spices would be easy to throw in the luggage.

I actually think it wouldn't be too hard to cook a traditional american meal without lots of spices or specialty equipment. Just keep the seasonings straightforward and focus on simple-to-prepare dishes. If you have an oven, you could roast a small turkey breast or a turkey-alternative (roast beef, whole chicken, etc). Just buy a foil roasting pan at the store if you need it, and season with just salt and pepper. Gravy can be made with just a little flour, stock, and salt/pepper, or just make a pan sauce with some stock or wine to scrape up drippings. If you don't have an oven or just want something quicker, you could do a sauteed turkey dish. My grocery store has turkey cutlets this time of year--that would give you the flavor but cook up quickly on the stove. Mashed potatoes (regular or sweet) are easy too, just keep them simple (salt, pepper, butter, and milk). You would need some way to mash them, either a simple hand mixer or a manual potato masher, but a dollar or grocery store should have a cheap masher if you need one. Make your favorite veggie, either raw in a salad, steamed on the stove or microwave, or even roasted if you have that option. If stuffing is a must, you can definitely make a simple version (just bread, a couple fresh herbs, a few veggies, and stock). Either make a simple cranberry sauce the day before, buy a can (some people love that stuff) or just skip it. Buy rolls if you want them, and buy a dessert like pie or ice cream. You could make a simple dessert too, though that would involve buying more ingredients. Stove top pudding or bread pudding (if you have an oven) come to mind as possibilities that don't require lots of specialty pans or expensive spices (maybe some vanilla but that would be about it). Good luck!