Thanksgiving Menus
 

What's on your Turkey Day menu? Does your family have any non-traditional foods that ARE a tradition in your family?

My kids and parents are going up to my grandparents' in the Chicago Burbs, so my husband and I invited over a couple from church that has children our age who are off doing missionary work and won't be home for Thanksgiving. I'm putting together a formal sit-down dinner(as opposed to family style pass the plates).

Menu:
Burgandy Duck
Cornbread Dressing
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Cassarole (duh)
Biscuits/Rolls

I'm also contemplating trying Ginger Crêpes with Pumpkin Pie filling in lieu of Pumpkin Pie. I think I could make an excellent presentation out of it that would compliment my formal dinner. Would anyone be hugely disappointed to get a pumpkin crêpe, instead of pie?

I grew up having cheese grits with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, so I always thought it was "traditional." My first Thanksgiving with my hubby taught me otherwise, though. So, now I always take cheese grits whenever we have a holiday dinner with his side of the family.

AlphaFrog, I would most definitely NOT be disappointed with a pumpkin crepe. In fact, I think I'd prefer it.

Thanksgiving is the "big" holiday for my mother-in-law's side of the family. Turkey, ham, green beans and broccoli casseroles, mashed potatoes (about 30 lbs worth), sweet potato casserle (my contribution), rolls, desserts, jello salads, etc. The stuff I found unusual or non-traditional (but is a no brainer for them) is oyster casserole and chicken n noodles (homemade by one of the aunts). I pass on the oysters (yuck), but the chicken n noodles has become on of my favorites. Everyone eats it heaped on top of the mashed potatos.

I'll be really honest with you -- I'd be hugely disappointed to get anything pumpkin. I simply can't stand pumpkin in any shape or form, and I'm always very bummed when I get to a Thanksgiving dinner and that's the only dessert option. In my experience, pumpkin is one of those foods people either really like or really don't, so I'd suggest you have something in addition to pumpkin (whatever) for dessert, or at least find out in advance if your guests like it.

Meanwhile, as someone who is also not a turkey fan (I know, I know), I heartily endorse the duck idea.


In coastal/Eastern NC, oysters -- usually scalloped oysters or oyster dressing -- are about as traditional as one can get for Christmas. When my siblings and I were all married and having to alternate families and holidays, my mother started making them for Thanksgiving as well, so that any of us who wouldn't be at our home for Christmas would still get them. As far as I'm concerned, it's not Christmas without scalloped oysters -- I make them every Christmas now. Heaven.

You're like a Thanksgiving killer.

I'm having dinner with my sister and her boyfriend (of fairly new vintage) and some of his family. They're Italian-American, so apparently there will be some Italian dishes along with the traditional. I won't mind having something different, but it'll take a lot of effort not to roll my eyes whenever she calls spaghetti sauce "gravy." She always has to try too hard like that.

I always make pecan pie, especially since the ones my sil has bought in the past have been much too skimpy on the pecans.

I'm not wild about the turkey, either, unless it's swimming in cranberries!


The mental picture I got from your remark was awesome!

You mean the spa-ghey-tay sauce? :p

LOL. I actually love Thanksgiving. I just hate dry turkey (which almost all turkey is, though I'll gobble up :D smoked turkey) and left-over turkey, and I hate pumpkin.


That's what we typically had when I was growing up. (I wasn't the only one in the family who didn't crave pumpkin.) A good pecan pie can't be beat, especially if there's a bit of bourbon in it.

Here's the thing... turkey is critical, even though I don't love eating it on Thanksgiving Day.

It serves three purposes, though:

1. It's the cooking vessel for the dressing - now, I know - not everyone will eat the stuff that comes out of the bird, but in my opinion it's the best. But, I've found that the Crock Pot works well as a secondary option - the dressing is still really steamy and good, but I didn't have to go elbow deep into a bird to get it.

2. Without the drippings, there would be no gravy. Without gravy, there is no point of even coming to the table. Gravy can be used later in the weekend on hot, open-faced sandwiches.

3. Which brings me to the turkey itself. I could take or leave the actual bird at the formal meal, but nothing, and I mean nothing is as good as turkey sandwiches the next day.

If you are not yet familiar with Durkee's Sauce, you need to get to your store and get some. It's... I can't even describe it - it's like mayonnaise and mustard and Hollandaise sauce had a three-way, made a baby and it was Durkee's. Slap that, and some cranberry sauce, and some turkey on fresh, nutritionally-bereft white bread, and Give Thanks all over again.

As for pie, pecan or chocolate chess, please. Pumpkin is fine, but if you're giving me a choice, it's a 3rd place.

As for dressing - cornbread with sage, rosemary, green onion - and NO CELERY. Cooked celery is the bane of my existence.

We always have pickled peaches (which nobody eats), we always have congealed salad.

And there is always a selection of olives. I don't know why.

After four years of being in charge of Turkey Day, I'm giving the reins back to Dad.

I'll be sitting in front of the fire, listening to Alice's Restaurant Massacree.

And dreaming of gravy.

^^^^Couldn't agree with you more on most of your list. Turkey is not my favorite either, but I do LOVE the stuffing out of the bird. It is so tasty and full of turkey fat and drippings:)

Love gravy over the stuffing and mash potatoes. Heck I love gravy.

Could walk away from pumpkin pie. I just don't like it. Never have. Pecan pie is a different story. LOVE it.

We always have a relish tray too some family tradition I suppose.

MC, have you had deep fried turey? My mom does her meal the weekend after Thanksgiving, and they always do 2 turkeys. One roasted in the oven or roaster, and the other injected with somesort of flavorful goodness and then deep fried outside. My God, deep fried turkey is my kind of heaven. Never ever had a dry bite yet.

And I make a kickass pecan pie, but with some Captains in it instead of bourbon. (We save the bourbon for Christmas bourbon balls, which get made the first week of december, but don't get eaten until Christmas, so they're potent!)

As for the oysters... his family isn't from the east coast, so I wonder where the tradition came from. But yes, the oyster casserole is like an oyster stuffing/dressing. I'm just thankful they don't stuff the bird with it. First year I was there for a meal when we were dating, he didn't tell me what it was. I took a bite, gagged and couldn't swallow it.

Here comes the Thanksgiving killer.

1. We always had dressing cooked separately. The bird was totally superfluous to the dressing.

2. If the bird weren't so dry, the gravy woudn't be needed. I've never liked gravy (and yes, I've had Durkee) or wanted gravy -- please don't put it on my rice or my mashed potatoes -- but I have to use it if I'm going to get the bird down.

3. See my point above about left-over turkey. I don't eat turkey sandwiches, and the thought of a sandwich with gravy on it makes my stomach turn just a little. (I know I've mentioned here at GC before one of my other peculiarities -- I hate sandwiches and consider them a meal of last resort. Again, I know, I know.)


And IL, yes, I'll agree with you on deep fried turkey. I should have added that to smoked turkey as good turkey that doesn't rival the Sahara for dryness.

traditional dishes at my house .. popovers and dressing balls.

The dressing balls (we think) came about from dressing that was extra from what was
stuffed in the bird so my grandmother would fry it up ... now no one in my family stuffs the bird .. we just have the fried dressing balls.

Also for using leftover turkey .. HOT BROWNS (receipe from the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY)

open face turkey sandwich

toast
layer of turkey (and/or ham)
layer of turkey gravy
layer of cheese sause
layer of bacon (partially cooked)

grill until bacon is crisp ..serve hot

YUM YUM .. would almost rather have Hot Browns than the Turkey-Day dinner

^^^ That's what we end up eating the whole week after Thanksgiving :) It's usually just all of the leftovers in a sandwich. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, more gravy, green beans, some mac n cheese... Soooo good.

Doesn't anyone else like cranberries? I don't like the congealed tube out of the can, but I just cannot eat turkey without real cranberry sauce!

Lately, our menu has been:

Turkey Breast
Stuffing balls
In Bird Stuffing
Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Brocolli Casserole
Nasty Congealed Cranberry Sauce
One Serving of Real Cranberry Sauce
Small Congealed Salad
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Fruit Pie

I am seriously toying with going elsewhere this year, and so far, the Mount Vernon special tours are winning. Close enough for a couple days, far away enough from people I see all too often.

The gunk out of the can is to cranberries as Tace Bell is to Mexican food. But I love cranberries. We often have a wonderful cranberry/apple crisp (oatmeal and nuts on the top). It's what I always hope there are leftovers of -- it's great warmed up for breakfast.

And yes, I'll admit that I love to make Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish.

We did the go-somewhere-completely-different thing last year. I highly recommend it after significant life changes like we've both had in recent years.

I'm not sure what we're having this year, because I'm going to live-in's family's Thanksgiving. Instead of being where I want to be. Which is in the kitchen making dinner for my family.

He fully understands and is supportive of what I am giving up to be with him.

This is like, the biggest deal of my life. I've only ever missed Thanksgiving one other time in my 26 years, and the past three years I've made the dinner for my family. It was my mom's favorite holiday.

Ever since my Dad told us about how 'thanksgiving' was really a puritan attempt to replace Christmas which they viewed as too C-of-E in practice back in colonial days we have tended to down play the whole thing and concentrate on the main event of 25 December.
This year for 'thanksgiving' we are planning to have the whole herd rally at a grand old hotel for a buffet dinner. They always do a good job in their restaurant and they have a solid wine list. Then we will wander back to Mom and Dad's place for Champagne, Vintage Port, coffee and cigars for the men and liqueurs for the ladies. Very old fashioned but great fun.
Three of my four grandparents are still with us and are already locked in to fly over and visit and stay through our New Year celebrations. The big dinner will be Christmas which starts after midnight mass with a French style seafood meal at 02:00. Coffee and croissants at about 09:30 or 10:00 with Galliano Mimosas. Turtle soup and gumbo for those who get hungry. Dinner will either be about 16:00 or might be about 19:30 for drinks and 20:00 for the meal. Still in the planning stages. Grandpere is threatening to open his last two magnums of Fonseca 1945 and Grandad says he will not be outdone. They keep a collection of bottles at Dad's for special occasions so they don't have to worry about sediment when flying over. Should be interesting. More later.
Anyway, dark suit for t-day and black tie for Christmas if usual practice is followed.

That's what relationships are all about. :) Compromise and taking turns. It wasn't such a big deal to us when we had to start alternating holidays, but it took some time for our families to adjust. Now we don't care where we go, so long as we're together and are home on Christmas morning (for Santa reasons)

While it may be true that Thanksgiving took on added significance in parts of New England due to Puritan downplaying of all but the most religious aspects of Christmas (much like Hogmanay in Presbyterian Scotland), Thanksgiving itself was simply a New World take on the harvest festivals that have, in one form or another, been part of almost every culture in the world, including English and Native American. In a modern twist on that, I don't think I'm alone in appreciating Thanksgiving partially because it lacks the commercialism that has infected Christmas.

Either way, enjoy your celebration.

A facebook status on my feed today:

I am sick of people jumping the gun on Christmas and completely bypassing Thanksgiving, which is clearly the best holiday ever. You don't have to buy anyone gifts or candy, dress up, leave the house, or even go to church. It is day solely dedicated to sitting in your jammies and stuffing your face.

Heck yes.

They left out football!

(((HUGS)))

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I absolutely love cranberry sauce and can't have turkey, greens, and/or stuffing without it. Thank God I'm not one of those people who doesn't want their food to touch. :)

This year we're having salad, turkey w/ gravy, stuffed acorn squash (a staple since the salmonella scares a few years back), mashed potatoes, mashed turnips and carrots, corn, cranberry sauce, bread, cheesecake and whatever pies my sister-in-law is inspired to make. We're skipping the soup this year, because everyone seemed a little full last year before the turkey was served and the peas, because too many adults don't like them. We're hosting again, but have a smaller crowd with only 16 it looks like. We usually pick up 1-3 friends of various family members, but it looks like everyone has a home so far.

Turkey (if you don't want it to be dry...stick an orange up its backside before putting in the oven)
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans (cooked ALL day with ham hock)
Corn souffle
Homemade yeast rolls
Gravy (of course)
Cranberry Sauce
Strawberry Pretzel Salad (yummy!!)
Honey Baked Ham
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pecan Pie
Banana Pudding
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies (P-butter with Hersey Kisses) Double yummy!

^^^^ ummmm banana pudding .. haven't thought about that for awhile .. I might have to make some of that this year instead of a frozen pumpkin pie

We ALWAYS have baked macaroni & cheese at my Grandma's. Every big meal, Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July... It's my FAVORITE. She can't leave it out, I'd be way too sad. Like my plate is half macaroni & cheese, 1/4 turkey, 1/4 mashed potatoes.... then ANOTHER helping of half the plate mac & cheese & half the plate potatoes.


But I really can't wait for leftover sandwiches

Our Thanksgiving is usually about 20-22 people large. We always have two meats. A traditional turkey (although this year we're grilling it), and then a duck option. I'm making the duck this year...it's going to have a red-wine sauce and candied kumquats.

For appetizers before the big meal, we usually have a bunch of wine and cheese for the adults focusing on a particular region of the world or California, and then of course pigs in a blanket for all the kids.

The sides are all fairly predictable and traditional...gravy, broccoli or green beans, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, etc.

The dessert is always pie...usually we have three options, which are almost always pumpkin, apple and key lime.

We also do a brunch the morning of where the only things served are raw oysters and champagne...delicious and easily my favorite part of the day.

My family lives about 8 hours away from here, by car. So, since I moved here, I've always traveled home for Thanksgiving and then spent Christmas by splitting between his mom and his dad.

Thanksgiving just isn't a big deal for his family, and it really is for mine, so this has worked out so far. This time, his extended family on his dad's side is all getting together in Texas, attendance is pretty mandatory. It just makes me really sad that someone else is making mom's favorite stuffing recipe, and impersonating Julia Child, in a kitchen that's not even the one in the house I grew up in, for my dad, brother, and extended family. It just feels not right to me.

This year, though, we will be spending Christmas morning together, but at my dad's house. I'm OK with that.

I'm thinking about taking my cookbooks with me (you betchya I have the same ones my mom did, but the newer versions that have all our favorites plus some new recipes) but I don't know if that would be rude since I've only met live-in's immediate family before. Maybe I'll just stash them in my luggage just in case. At least they'll have a pair of capable "yes ma'am I have sown a turkey up before" hands to help with the preparation.

We're going to my parents' for Thanksgiving this year. It'll just be the four of us.

On the menu:

- Some sort of appetizer nibbles
- A round or two of martinis

- Turkey breast
- Gravy
- Stuffing
- Mashed potatoes
- Cranberry sauce
- Some sort of veggie, probably carrots
- Wine

- Apple pie (I hope)
- Cordials (I'm sure my father has already laid in some chartreuse verte for me ;) )

- Brandy, scotch, etc. until we all slip into a food and alcohol coma

Can you tell my family drinks heavily? You would too if you had to deal with them. :p I'm planning on going easy on the rocket fuel this year, though.

My mom always used to make:

Turkey
Gravy
Cornbread stuffing (in the bird and some baked alone in the oven)
Cranberry sauce
String beans
Mashed potatoes
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie

AND

Lasagna!

My mom is Italian and didn't grow up with traditional Thanksgiving dinners.

I won't be going home this year but a friend has invited me over to her house. Her family is from Mexico and they don't do the whole turkey thing. They're having steak and some traditional Mexican cuisine.

I'm not sure what to bring. Anyone have suggestions?

Deep Fried Turkey is amazing.
We have been doing that for about 6 years now.
My husband saw Paula Deen do it on tv and ran out and bought the fryer.
My stuffing goes in the crock pot and then the typical sides,
but for dessert: Pumpkin Gooey Butter cake (much better than the soggy crust my pumpkin pie used to have)

We also deep fry our turkey, and we're quite proud to have begun doing it before it was cool. It's become a rite of passage to drop the turkey into the vat of boiling oil the year before you go away to college.

We're Italian, so we do a traditional Italian antipasto with dried meats and cheeses. We used to do pasta, but it just got to be too much especially after people died and moved further away and the group became smaller, so we stick to traditional sides:
Green bean casserole
Mashed potatoes
Mashed turnips with crispy friend shallots
Two types of sweet potato (neither of which I care for)
Stuffing (with Italian sausage)

For dessert it's usually a variety of pies, my favorite being chocolate pecan.

Ugh - I am SO ready to go home! Now I'm thinking of Kenny Loggins (ignore the cheesetastic video)

Thanks for the affirmation! I was searching hotels earlier today - maybe it's a sign?

And the cranberry relish sounds awesome!

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to do. Since my mom passed away, I've gone to my old neighbor's house for Thanksgiving. I do this mainly because when I tell people I'm staying home alone, they get this look on their face like "Oh my gosh, poor AGDee" and invite me to wherever they are going. But you know, sometimes, an extra day off work, with no real responsibilities, or an extra day to get homework done so I can shop on Friday and work on getting decorations up Saturday and Sunday is a real gift.

It feels fake to go somewhere just because you're not supposed to be alone on Thanksgiving.

^I have been wanting to go away alone on Thanksgiving for years, more or less to prepare myself for this time of my life. Now that it's here, I've seen those faces, too. So, I'm just going to do it. If I end up at a restaurant alone, then cry myself to sleep, it's still better than the little pats on the back and the "how are you doing now?" every ten minutes. Plus, there are special events everywhere - I just couldn't decide between Mt. Vernon & Colonial Williamsburg. I decided on Mt. Vernon because it's close and I'm spending a week at Christmas elsewhere.

Of course, I haven't let on to anyone else yet. That's going to be the hard part!

Good luck to you, AGDee!

I'm alone this thanksgiving and realized that telling people about it sounds like I want sympathy and an invite. I don't, I'm just going to be alone and that's fine with me.

Om nom nom! We don't usually make this for Thanksgiving because we already have so much other food, but I haven't had this in forever!

Turkey Bash (Wednesday)
My summer camp friends have a tradition of getting dressed up and having a full Thanksgiving dinner the day BEFORE the real one. We also drink a little. We will definitely have:
Turkey
Something amazing that I bring (TBD)
Other stuff
Amazing punch made my Candice

Dad's house (Thursday)
Turkey with gravy
Stuffing (my dad always calls it dressing)
Cranberries made from scratch
Mashed potatoes with garlic and herbs
Cranberry-Apple Crisp (my specialty!)
Pie made by my sister?
Lots of wine

Mom's house (Friday)
Turkey with gravy
Stuffing
Cranberry from the can so it has the ridges on it
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Pumpkin pie and probably lemon meringue pie
Champagne? I hope so!

I usually work and then spend the rest of Thanksgiving alone-I get the "oh you poor thing" looks all of the time. I don't mind working -usually it is a slow day, it is the day after that is bad (when all of the pets have gotten into the Thanksgiving goodies).