Thanksgiving Menus

[CGB]

Our Thanksgiving is smaller these days, but I still cook the big dinner because everyone looks forward to it. The turkey is already in the freezer.

Roasted turkey
Sausage-apple stuffing
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Sweet potato casserole (with pecans & marshmallows) (It's a compromise.)
Green bean casserole (kids' request) (as well as regular green beans)
Corn
Homemade rolls (so easy & crazy good: https://howdoesshe.com/delicious-dinner-rolls/)
Cherry & Pumpkin Pie

We're looking forward to the after-Thanksgiving sale on smoked turkeys. We bought one last year and it made such great pulled-Turkey sandwiches.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Just heads up for those hosting any cold weather celebration.
Keep your eyes opened for butter sales this time of year. Great for cookie baking and general holiday cooking.
On my end, Key Food has Cabot Creamery on sale for $4.99/lb until Thursday. Good general usage brand.

 

[LilyWDW]

Decided to add an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and maybe some caramel sauce for dessert. My mom used to make an amazing apple pie, but I am not as skilled as she is when it comes to baking. So I will simplify it. Plus... I don't really like pie crust that much. I prefer the fillings.

Also picked up a sweet potato casserole from Aldi last week. Seems to get a lot of good reviews in the Aldi FB groups. So planning to heat that up as well.

 

[easyas123]

apple crisp

I'm thinking of that as well, in lieu of a whole pie - especially if there aren't a lot of us. We always seem to end up being dessert-heavy.

 

[loves to dive]

Just hubby and I and we probably won't do anything. I'm getting 5 bottom front teeth pulled the week before that and I'll be going home from the dentist with my partial already in. I figure I'm still going to be hurting a little a week out and I want to let it heal totally up since we are going to WDW on Dec. 2.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Just hubby and I and we probably won't do anything. I'm getting 5 bottom front teeth pulled the week before that and I'll be going home from the dentist with my partial already in. I figure I'm still going to be hurting a little a week out and I want to let it heal totally up since we are going to WDW on Dec. 2.

Sympathy ouch for you but it should be okay in a short time thereafter.

Well, elder sister called me earlier today to tell me what I’m doing. I suspect she enjoys hosting for moments just like this, . I’m to make the appetizers and I offered to make the cranberry chutney as well. She said fine which means she’ll be making some dish she’s never attempted before-ya got to know your people

Bringing: Caponata for the vegans; country pate for the carnivores and a crudités platter w/ green goddess dip for everyone.

 

[HannaBelle]

Girl, I already have my spreadsheet in progress with my timing worked out. I week before I will pull my recipes, check my stock, do my shopping over the weekend, and start cooking on Wednesday.

We host both sides of our family on Thanksgiving, we are expecting 22 people to join us from 6 households. 8 in the dining room, 8 at the kitchen table, 6 on the patio if the weather is nice, if not we will bring a 6’ table into the living room.

We will provide the turkeys. We will be frying 4 of them this year. 2 Cajun spice injected and 2 prepared in a brown sugar and kosher salt brine. Our goal is to send everyone home with some leftover turkey if possible.

Each family will bring a side and a dessert, their choice. My mother will bring her traditional cornbread dressing and giblet gravy, my son will make an alternative non-cornbread dressing, one sister-in-law always brings sweet potato casserole, another sister-in-law always brings green bean casserole, I always make a squash casserole, another sister-in-law brings either macaroni and cheese or a corn casserole and turkey gravy, my husband’s cousin-in-law brings whatever sounds good to her that year and everybody brings way more pie than we need. 2 kinds of cranberry sauce and a jello salad around it out.

We typically eat around 1 PM, everyone is invited to stay for the day (over night if they want honestly), we play games, watch football, nap , and if you want to stay for dinner you are asked to bring an appetizer to share. I will prepare a charcuterie board, buy a fruit tray, and a veggie tray for dinner if no one wants to bring either.

 

[NYCgrrl]

@HannaBell-Now that’s organization!
Never fried my birds but the idea always intrigued me. Thought about doing one on a camping trip but it just required too much gear to haul so dropped the idea.
Glad to see a “briner” still at work! Do you air dry before frying or plunge right in?
Lovely variety of side dishes and great that everyone gets involved making it a true family celebration

 

[seshat0120]

I'll be eating at the Regency Room in the Williamsburg Inn. This is the menu.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I'll be eating at the Regency Room in the Williamsburg Inn.

Nice reading menu. You should feel very thankful. And lookee see - parsnip carrot bisque on the menu, lol. Ate there for the first time when I was newly married .

 

[fla4fun]

Just heads up for those hosting any cold weather celebration.
Keep your eyes opened for butter sales this time of year. Great for cookie baking and general holiday cooking.
On my end, Key Food has Cabot Creamery on sale for $4.99/lb until Thursday. Good general usage brand.

Cabot was on sale here a couple of weeks ago, $4 per pound. I bought four pounds.

 

[HannaBelle]

@HannaBell-Now that’s organization!
Never fried my birds but the idea always intrigued me. Thought about doing one on a camping trip but it just required too much gear to haul so dropped the idea.
Glad to see a “briner” still at work! Do you air dry before frying or plunge right in?
Lovely variety of side dishes and great that everyone gets involved making it a true family celebration

TY! I am a planner and a list keeps me sane.

We actually rinse the bird and then pat it dry. It is an Alton Brown recipe.

 

[easyas123]

Alton Brown

We always brine, but this year I’m trying his brine recipe- keep hearing good things about it!

 

[soccerdad72]

Bumping this up for ideas.

We invited a friend of ours for thanksgiving and her sister is coming with her as well. The sister is vegetarian, and aside from the usual vegetables we have as side dishes, we don’t usually have any vegetarian dishes. Even our stuffing has sausage in it .

Any ideas for an easy to make vegetarian dish (ideally one that others will eat as well - I don’t want to seem like I’m making something just for one person).

 

[Living42Day]

I always make these mashed potatoes, they turn out delicious! Wayyy over the top, but excellent.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a12083/delicious-creamy-mashed-potatoes/

 

[Meriweather]

Things keep changing first it was just going to be non traditional dinner for the 6 of us (DD goes to her BF's mother's).
Then DGD's godmother was going to be here, so back to traditional.
Now she is going to an overnight spa place with a friend and won't be here, but DS had already bought turkey and a few other things, so back to traditional, but down played.
I got assigned green salad and cranberry salad.....and I will make the pumpkin custard I like.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Bumping this up for ideas.

We invited a friend of ours for thanksgiving and her sister is coming with her as well. The sister is vegetarian, and aside from the usual vegetables we have as side dishes, we don’t usually have any vegetarian dishes. Even our stuffing has sausage in it .

Any ideas for an easy to make vegetarian dish (ideally one that others will eat as well - I don’t want to seem like I’m making something just for one person).

Any of these might fit with a “traditional” T-Day meal:

Stuffed shells with ricotta and spinach or kale and mushrooms.

Vegetarian lasagna; just use whatever vegetable you fancy but green leaves (spinach, escarole, kale) are classic.

Mushroom pot pie - open faced or double crusted.

A vegetable tart using puff pastry as a base. The cheese could be goat, ricotta, cottage cheese- any soft pot cheese that mixes well with root vegetables.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Bumping this up for ideas.

We invited a friend of ours for thanksgiving and her sister is coming with her as well. The sister is vegetarian, and aside from the usual vegetables we have as side dishes, we don’t usually have any vegetarian dishes. Even our stuffing has sausage in it .

Any ideas for an easy to make vegetarian dish (ideally one that others will eat as well - I don’t want to seem like I’m making something just for one person).

If you're in the south, mac and cheese is a traditional side dish. And deviled eggs and/or spiced mixed nuts are traditional apps that can make it to the table for dinner.

As for other dishes that still fit with the meal and aren't one person dishes, a pumpkin black bean soup (or even chili) might be a nice hearty main course/soup for everyone at the table. A little tougher to serve, but still fits the theme.

 

[hertamaniac]

Just heads up for those hosting any cold weather celebration.
Keep your eyes opened for butter sales this time of year. Great for cookie baking and general holiday cooking.
On my end, Key Food has Cabot Creamery on sale for $4.99/lb until Thursday. Good general usage brand.

I couldn't believe the price of butter over the past month or so. I don't use a tremendous amount but got unsalted Tillamook via a Publix BOGO that has lasted about 2 months.

Menu:
Turkey pot pie freshly made
Shaved and seasoned brussels sprouts in the air fryer
Canned cranberry sauce
Pumpkin pie with zero sugar Cool Whip (or equivalent)

 

[Suger Mag]

Bumping this up for ideas.

We invited a friend of ours for thanksgiving and her sister is coming with her as well. The sister is vegetarian, and aside from the usual vegetables we have as side dishes, we don’t usually have any vegetarian dishes. Even our stuffing has sausage in it .

Any ideas for an easy to make vegetarian dish (ideally one that others will eat as well - I don’t want to seem like I’m making something just for one person).

an idea is if you put aside some stuffing mix before the sausage, you could make some stuffed baby portabella mushroom caps...since you have the stuffing .

LOL feeling a bit guilty as my vegetarian son hates mushrooms and we always laugh as it seems the go to for vegetarian options