Thanksgiving 2018 - What's On Your Menu

[HerNameIsBuffy]

My favorite holiday, like Christmas without the commercialism (although it does lose several points for not being a penguin themed holiday.)

I don't get creative with Thanksgiving - I make what my family has always made as they made it, although I will add to the menu for guests.

My menu:

Appetizers:

• spinach dip
• cheese/sausage/cracker tray
• brauschweiger on cocktail rye
• crab puffs
• crudite
• Chicken in a Biscuit crackers (which I open as I start to cook...I know, terrible deliciousness)

Main Course:

• turkey
• spiral ham (if having people outside of immediate family - homemade honey glaze)
• yams (brown sugar and butter)
• mashed potatoes
• gravy
• 2 kinds of stuffing (American and German)
• 2 kinds of pierogi (mushroom/sauerkraut and cheese)
• crescent rolls
• Irish butter
• 2 kinds cranberry sauce (homemade and the good kind with the ridges from the can)
• canned asparagus (I know, I know...but it's tradition and my daughter loves it so much I have to hide the cans from her before the day.)
• *new* green bean casserole (tradition for my daughter's bf's family who will be coming.)

Dessert:  (this is where I break from tradition.  As a kid my dad would make sure everyone had their own pie from Baker's Square.  I don't have that kind of money so I make my family share pies, like the Cratchits)

• pumpkin pie (homemade)
• blueberry or cherry pie (storebought)
• cool whip (we don't like whipped cream)
• kolachkis (homemade for the non-pie eaters)
• cranberry-orange loaves for people to take home

Beverages:

• regular and flavored water
• iced tea
• beer
• wine
• vodka and mixers
• egg nog
• coffee

So, what's everyone else serving?

[TheOneAndOnly]

Serving? Hell after reading that I'm just gonna show up at your place.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 minute ago, TheOneAndOnly said:

Serving? Hell after reading that I'm just gonna show up at your place.

LOL!  Bring your own chair...that's the one thing I always have to arrange.

[Bethella]

It's sounding like it will just be my parents and me this year, so I'll probably go fairly basic.

• brined turkey breast
• mashed potatoes and gravy
• green bean casserole
• other vegetable (maybe roasted brussel sprouts or some roasted root vegetables) 
• stuffing
• rolls
• 2 types of cranberry sauce (my dad and I don't like the same kinds)
• pie

[misguidedghost]

‘Deviled’ eggs

assorted nuts

crab dip

cheese and cracker platter 

Ham

rolls

mac n cheese

green beans

mashed potatoes

ravioli(Italian step grandma)

meatballs

stuffing

I don’t like pie so I let others bring that ?

So I am hosting this year for the first time...grandparents, aunts, uncles,  cousins. A lot of people! Do you guys have any recommendations for make ahead mashed potatoes? I’ve only done mashed potatoes in small amounts and I’ve seen past family members struggle to get mashed potatoes done on time. Haha. I’ve seen where people make them like the day before and then put them in a crockpot the day of and add more butter and milk as needed. Any insight on this? ? 

[PennySycamore]

@misguidedghost,  Sara Moulton has a recipe for make-ahead mashed potatoes on her website.    Google Sara Moulton's Weeknight Meals and then look for the section with Thanksgiving recipes.  Basically what you do is to cook 3 pounds of peeled Yukon Golds a day or so beforehand,  mash them, let them cool before covering and pop in the fridge.  On Thanksgiving, you re-heat the potatoes in the microwave until hot and then stir in hot milk, softened butter and salt and pepper.  I'd try to find the recipe on her website or maybe I'll post the link here later.  That's how I'm going to do mashed potatoes this year.  

One thing I'm making this year is a tomato soup cake.  I first had this 40 years ago when my husband and I went to his aunt's house in Plymouth for Thanksgiving.  That was one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I've ever had.

ETA:  I can't seem to find the recipe on Sara's website anymore.  It was there a week or so ago.  

[Bethella]

@misguidedghost When making ahead, my family boils the potatoes like normal, then mashes in butter, cream cheese and milk (or half and half or cream, depending on what's on hand) plus seasonings. Then add a little more liquid when reheating, so they don't dry out.

[misguidedghost]

@PennySycamore @Bethella  Thank you for the suggestions!! I really appreciate it. I will try to look up the recipe too and see if I have any luck. Sounds like my family has been choosing the hard way for years!?

[misguidedghost]

@PennySycamore I found her video on youtube 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

20 hours ago, Bethella said:

@misguidedghost When making ahead, my family boils the potatoes like normal, then mashes in butter, cream cheese and milk (or half and half or cream, depending on what's on hand) plus seasonings. Then add a little more liquid when reheating, so they don't dry out.

Thank you for this and @misguidedghost for mentioning it.  I love cooking from scratch but trying to get everything timed at the last minute is tough for me so the more I can do ahead of time the better.

[WiseGirl]

I'm coming to one of your houses.

Seriously,  this year it is catering by Whole Foods.  It makes me sad, but I can't get to my parent's in time to cook this year. Usually I make everything ahead of time. Except the turkey, my sister-in-law will make that.

[Kailash]

This is what I’ve planned so far: 

appetizer: spinach and artichoke cups

main: stuffed acorn squash (not decided on the exact stuffing recipe yet)

gravy

mashed potatoes

colcannon

 rolls

corn

mango mousse

banana chocolate silk cream pie

pumpkin pie

I need to make my final choices/decisions and write out my grocery list, then timeline for preparing everything.  It’s also my daughter’s birthday on Thanksgiving Day so I need to add ice cream and cake. 

[Terrie]

We had to change things up when our number of attendees was hugely increased, and several people on a gluten-free diet were added. My mom thinks we'll have more food than we need, but I say better to much than too little and leftovers are fine.

Me:

Gluten-free green bean casserole

Corn casserole

Roasted brussel sprouts and carrots 

Stuffing (our one gluten containing dish)

My mom:

Turkey

Mashed potatoes

Gluten-free gravy

A final dish that will be either wild rice, squah or sweet potato based. She hasn't decided yet

Guests:

Ham

Cranberry sauce

Relish tray

Gluten-free dessert

[SassyPantswithASideofClass]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 12:58 PM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

My favorite holiday, like Christmas without the commercialism (although it does lose several points for not being a penguin themed holiday.)

I don't get creative with Thanksgiving - I make what my family has always made as they made it, although I will add to the menu for guests.

My menu:

Appetizers:

• spinach dip
• cheese/sausage/cracker tray
• brauschweiger on cocktail rye
• crab puffs
• crudite
• Chicken in a Biscuit crackers (which I open as I start to cook...I know, terrible deliciousness)

Main Course:

• turkey
• spiral ham (if having people outside of immediate family - homemade honey glaze)
• yams (brown sugar and butter)
• mashed potatoes
• gravy
• 2 kinds of stuffing (American and German)
• 2 kinds of pierogi (mushroom/sauerkraut and cheese)
• crescent rolls
• Irish butter
• 2 kinds cranberry sauce (homemade and the good kind with the ridges from the can)
• canned asparagus (I know, I know...but it's tradition and my daughter loves it so much I have to hide the cans from her before the day.)
• *new* green bean casserole (tradition for my daughter's bf's family who will be coming.)

Dessert:  (this is where I break from tradition.  As a kid my dad would make sure everyone had their own pie from Baker's Square.  I don't have that kind of money so I make my family share pies, like the Cratchits)

• pumpkin pie (homemade)
• blueberry or cherry pie (storebought)
• cool whip (we don't like whipped cream)
• kolachkis (homemade for the non-pie eaters)
• cranberry-orange loaves for people to take home

Beverages:

• regular and flavored water
• iced tea
• beer
• wine
• vodka and mixers
• egg nog
• coffee

So, what's everyone else serving?

so two questions, when's dinner and can I come over lol? All that food sounds amazing!

Thankgiving Dinner for our family.

20 people (okay we aren't eating people, just the number of family that is coming lol)

Snacks: Olives, cheese and crackers, fruit, veggie tray.

Main Course: Turkey, mashed potatoes and turnips (its pretty good actually), gravy, homemade stuffing, carrot-squash casserole, green beans (steamed, with a little bit of onion, tomatoes, and olive oil lemon dressing), rolls, cranberry sauce, beets,  and broccoli cauliflower salad.

Dessert: Pumpkin pie, apple pie and marioberry pie.

We like to eat, play games, watch football, and just spend time as a family. We put our phones away and just spend time talking, laughing and eating.

 

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 4:47 PM, misguidedghost said:

‘Deviled’ eggs

assorted nuts

crab dip

cheese and cracker platter 

Ham

rolls

mac n cheese

green beans

mashed potatoes

ravioli(Italian step grandma)

meatballs

stuffing

I don’t like pie so I let others bring that ?

So I am hosting this year for the first time...grandparents, aunts, uncles,  cousins. A lot of people! Do you guys have any recommendations for make ahead mashed potatoes? I’ve only done mashed potatoes in small amounts and I’ve seen past family members struggle to get mashed potatoes done on time. Haha. I’ve seen where people make them like the day before and then put them in a crockpot the day of and add more butter and milk as needed. Any insight on this? ? 

In the years past we've done mashed potatoes the night before, stuck them in the crockpot thanksgiving morning (poured a bit of chicken broth over it) and kept it on the "keep warm" cycle or the "low' cycle. We would do it about an hour before serving the actual meal. It helped! Freed up space in the oven for the Turkey...

[Botkinetti]

I have never made mashed potatoes ahead of time but have often cooked my turkey the day before thanksgiving or Christmas. I would cook it , let it cool then slice it and cover the platters with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I would take the platters out of the fridge about a half hour before we were eating and always made sure the gravy was piping hot and the last thing on the table. No one ever complained and it saved space in the oven and on the countertop. It made the final half hour before eating much less frantic.

[SassyPantswithASideofClass]

37 minutes ago, Botkinetti said:

I have never made mashed potatoes ahead of time but have often cooked my turkey the day before thanksgiving or Christmas. I would cook it , let it cool then slice it and cover the platters with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I would take the platters out of the fridge about a half hour before we were eating and always made sure the gravy was piping hot and the last thing on the table. No one ever complained and it saved space in the oven and on the countertop. It made the final half hour before eating much less frantic.

oooh, that's a great idea! Is it okay if my family tries it?

[HerNameIsBuffy]

21 hours ago, SassyPantswithASideofClass said:

In the years past we've done mashed potatoes the night before, stuck them in the crockpot thanksgiving morning (poured a bit of chicken broth over it) and kept it on the "keep warm" cycle or the "low' cycle.

I'm going to have to give in and get a crock pot one of these days.  I've never had one but I keep reading about them and they sound so handy.

On 11/10/2018 at 4:57 PM, Kailash said:

main: stuffed acorn squash (not decided on the exact stuffing recipe yet)

How cute!  That's such a festive touch.

[Botkinetti]

@SassyPantswithASideofClass I hope it works well for you.

[misguidedghost]

On 11/15/2018 at 8:43 AM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I'm going to have to give in and get a crock pot one of these days.  I've never had one but I keep reading about them and they sound so handy.

Oh my gosh! Yes you’ve got to! I use mine ALOT. So many good soups, dips, meatballs. Yum! It really comes in handy on busy days. 

[Kailash]

@HerNameIsBuffy instead of buying a crockpot, spend $80 and get an instant pot. It’s a 6 in 1 cooker. Crockpot, rice cooker, yogurt maker, pressure cooker, steamer and sauté feature. (Confession, I haven’t actually used mine yet, it’s still in the box but I’m super excited!) 6 minutes to cook potatoes for mashed potatoes!

Also, my darling husband #notbesthubbyever, brought home a turkey AND a ham. ? I decided just to make everything I usually make instead of the vegan menu I had planned. (And spent a lot of time on, btw. #makeupyourmindhusband).