What is your Thanksgiving Menu like??

[Epcotgal8]

Wow thanks Piratesmate! That sounds yummy! Corn is one of my favorite veggies. I am going to try it. This family of picky eaters I married into needs to loosen up and at least try something new!

 

[TN Traveler]

I got tickled reading these last 2 posts about having the same ole
thing at each and every family dinner. Same thing w/my MIL!! And it's not just T-Day or Christmas......it's EVERY TIME we go over her house for dinner. ALWAYS have green beans, fried corn, fried apples, something that resambles mashed potatoes but looks more like a big bowl of glue! AND only at my MILs do we have PINTO BEANS!!!! EVERY SINGLE MEAL!!! PINTO BEANS or WHITE BEANS!!! Of course my In-laws were raised in the hills of TN and sometimes beans and cornbread were all they had. Beans are ok about once a month but not at EVERY SINGLE MEAL!
Also at every meal is bread.......cornbread, biscuits and/or rolls.

My mom is from Indiana so when we go to her house for dinner she has different things. We ALWAYS have a salad of some sort and seldom have bread. This was really different for me when DH and I started dating. I was not used to having everything fried and having bread all the time. It's taken some getting used to but have managed to compromise in the last 23 yrs!!

Isn't it interesting to see the different things on everyone's menu. Like turnips.......Squash pie.......Acorn Squash.....Mixed
greens etc.......very interesting!!

Thanks for sharing everyone!!

Karen aka TN Traveler

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I'll have 18-20 people this year and I'm a little nervous. But here's our menu:

Standard olive tray, cheese and crackers, spinach dip

Roasted Turkey (my mom is cooking this at her house)
Spiral Ham (hope to do in crockpot)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Gravy
Struesel Topped Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Succotash (corn and limas)
Brussell Sprouts (MIL wants to bring them)

Pecan Pie
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Custard Pie

 

[scrappnmom]

ksjayhawks -- what is riced potatoes?

the menus sound delicios! here is what i'm thinking of.

cola ham (Paula Deen's recipe)
candied yams
deviled eggs
green bean casserole
brocc. casserole
jellied cranberry sauce
stuffing (stove top)
mashed potatoes w/brown gravy
rolls
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
candied carrots
fruit salad

hmmm....feel like i'm forgetting something.

 

[Miniefan]

I am enjoying reading everyone's posts, I feel the same way about my Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners, and I would have to say that I am a bit of a control freak myself. I do all the cooking and no one around here seems to complain about that and it is all right with me because I know what I like and what I like to cook. I have been cooking Thanksgiving since 2000 when my grandmother became ill and she just couldn't do it any longer but I generally cook all the traditional items that she would cook with my own little cooking style and flair. By doing this though we mostly end up eating the same thing every year, I do try to add a new side item and always try new deserts but never fool with the original menu. The only major change that has occured was 2 years ago when dh and I decided to try a recipe for the fried turkey, It has since become a staple. So I don't really mess with the thanksgiving menu items and that is ok with me, but I am getting a little tired of eating the same meal at Christmas. I expressed my thoughts about this with my grandma and grandpa and they claimed they were open for change but now the only question is what to cook. I was thinking about doing a really nice Christmas brunch that morning and then having a meal at dinner time around 6 or 7 but I don't know what. To be honest, one of the biggest reasons other than being tired of eating the same thing every year is having to deal with the hassel and time that it takes to prepare a meal like that and honestly I would rather prepare something that is very good but not as time consuming. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about a meal plan that is worthy of being served for Christmas dinner but doesn't take half the day to prepare. Thanks
Kim

 

[psammie1025]

My family always does a traditional Turkey Dinner for thanksgiving and a Prime Rib for christmas. I have 5 brothers, so we need a big roast! And then we usually have Potatos Au Gratin and either Fresh Green Beans or Fresh Asparagus and a Ceasar Salad. Easy to prepare! Make the potatos ahead of time. Put the roast in the oven, get the veggies going & toss a salad!

For Thanksgiving were having, Roast Turkey with my Grandmothers stuffing, Mashed Potatos with Gravy, Green Peas, Butternut Squash Gratin, Crunchy Cole Slaw, Cranberry Sauce, Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Caramel Apple Tart, Chocolate Cherry Friutcake, Pecan Pie cookies, Ginger Cookies & Eggnog!



~paula

 

[SoonerKate]

My family will be in FL without me (I have too much work to do on my honors thesis), and my boyfriend's family is going on a cruise without him (he can't get off work), so we're having our own thanksgiving with friends. We're looking at 10-15 people right now. So far, the plan is:

Coca-Cola ham (we're not big turkey people)
greens
corn pudding
blackeyed peas
green beans
mashed potatoes
macaroni and cheese
biscuits and crescent rolls

Dessert:
pecan pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and cranberry cake with hard sauce

 

[TinkerPixxie]

Hi
Someone asked for a crab dip recipe. Heres the one I use and I love it!
So simple too.

2 cans lump crab meat or fresh crab
16 oz. cream cheese softened I like the whipped one
3 tbls sour cream
2 tbls mayonaise {not Miricle whip!}
1 package of slivered almonds
1 4 oz can of bean sprouts {i dont use them i dont care for them
Salt pepper to taste


Mix all ingredients exept the almonds, mix completely spread in pie dish. Cover top completely with almonds. Cover top loosely with tin foil and bake at 275 for 10 minutes, remove foil and bake additional 3-5 minutes to allow almonds to lightly brown.

This is a warm and bubbly dip and oh so good.

Hope someone gives it a try

 

[babylisa4]

There is a special turkey fryer pot that you buy. They sell them all over the plac here in Ok. My cousin has one and it's hooked to a little propane tank. We use it outside.

 

[piratesmate]

Thanks for the info babylisa4!

Miniefan - I know what you mean. Christmas follows Thanksgiving so closely that I feel like we're still eating leftovers until I start cooking the next.

We go to my sister's in the evening on Christmas for dessert & they eat turkey at noon. I didn't feel like doing a turkey that day because I want to be able to enjoy my kids. So I started the brunch buffet idea. There are points during the day that we sit down to eat warm things, but mostly we just graze. Here are some of the things we have/have had:
Au Gratin Potatoes (from Cinderlla's)
Overnight French Toast
Breakfast casserole (eggs, sausage, potatoes, cheese)
Frunch (from Boma)
Stollen (a sweet bread with candied fruit & nuts)
Orange muffins
Crab Rangoon (crab/cheese wontons)
Cold shrimp with cocktail shrimp
Ring bologna (DS doesn't like shrimp)
Veggies & dip
Tortilla chips & what my kids call Face First Dip (as in it's so good you stick your face in the bowl to eat it)
Dole Whips
Banana bread pudding (from Boma)

You could also just do your Christmas turkey a little differently, shred it & serve it on rolls with horseradish sauce. You can make the turkey a day or two early because the meat sits in the broth & doesn't dry out. (BTW - I do roast beef sort of the same way & serve it on rolls....kind of like you get at wedding receptions sometimes.)

Shredded Turkey
Kosher salt
½ - ¾ tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground celery seed
½ tsp lemon zest (I use dried)
¾ tsp orange rind (I use dried)
2 – 3 oranges or lemons
½ c orange juice or
¼ c lemon juice
Cut 1 orange (or lemon) in half & squeeze juice over outside of bird. Set the squished pieces aside to toss into the cavity after rubbing with spices.
Rub inside & out with Kosher salt.
Combine spices & rub this mixture inside & out.
Toss squished halves into cavity.
Slice 2 oranges (~¼” slices) & slip under the skin on breast & legs.
Squeeze any remaining orange slices into the cavity (to remove juice) & then toss the squished slices in there - including the end pieces.
Add juice to the cavity. (For lemon, I use the frozen Minute Maid lemon juice.)

Cover roaster & roast at at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 & roasted a couple hours – until it is falling off the bones.

I leave the roaster on top of the stove (turned off) while I pull the meat off of what was left of the carcass. It starts to fall apart when you remove the meat. I put the meat in a container & refrigerate it. Then I poured a couple quarts of water in the roaster, positioned it over 2 burners & turned it on medium low for a couple hours. I left the skin & oranges in with the bones. The longer it cooks the better - I like to do it at least 4 hours if I have time.
The meat can be shredded as soon as it's cool enough - or the next day. Once the broth is "done" I wait until it's cool enough to touch the bones when I pull them out. I end up straining the broth to get out all of the disintegrating bones - but there's usually still some meat in there that I pull out & keep. I'm too cheap to just toss it with the bones, skin & stuff.

I usually store the meat IN the broth and I skim off the fat once it had cooled & separated.

 

[QuiltTeddy]

Originally posted by Epcotgal8

broccoli casserole (I've made it so many times I can do it in my sleep but that's what they request!)

Would you mind posting or PM'g me this recipe? I love broccoli.

 

[Miniefan]

Piratesmate- Thanks for the ideas and thoughts, we all talked today and we have decided to do seafood, not as much work as a traditional turkey/ham dinner and much to my surprise everyone else agreed about being burn-out on Turkey by the time Christmas rolls around. I guess it just got to be such the norm around here that nobody ever said anything, I'm glad I spoke up. I am planning on making seafood gumbo, boiled shrimp and veggies, fried shrimp, creamy coleslaw, cheese grits, baked beans and hush puppies. I will probably make French toast Casserole for Breakfast/Brunch that morning and make the seafood for dinner that evening. The only problem is that I have never made any gumbo and don't have the slightest on how to make it except that it takes File` powder, seafood and okra. Any thoughts on the gumbo or recipes would be greatly appreciated.

QuiltTeddy- It may not be the same as the one your asking for but I have a very simple and extremely good Brocoli casserole recipe:
Brocoli Casserole:
2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
2 sticks butter
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 large bag frozen brocoli cuts or florets
Melt one stick of the butter, crush one sleeve of the ritz, add to butter, sort of fry until crisp, add to bottom of a greased casserole dish, as the crust , add brocoli, cut cheese in small pieces, add on top brocoli, repeat steps with crackers add to top, bake at 350 for about 30 mins or until cheese is melted and all is hot. It is very good!
Kim

 

[QuiltTeddy]

Thank you!