Thanksgiving Menu

[Lorah]

For those of you cooking a dinner for Thanksgiving, what does your menu look like.

I'm cooking for a much smaller group than normal. This year we only have 4 adults, and Maverick. I am use to cooking for at least 10 on Thanksgiving. So this is going to be a breeze for me.

Here is our menu:

Appetizers:

*Blue, brie, and aged chedar cheeses with crackers
* baby carrots and celery sticks and some garden tomatoes (yep we still have some growing!)


1st course:
*Mixed greens salad with candied walnuts, mandarin orange wedges, pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta, and raspberry vinegarette.
* Fresh baked bread rolls

Main Course:

* Roasted Turkey
* Homemade Stuffing with apples, celery, sausage, and onion added to the traditional bread crumbs and spices.
*Cheesy and garlicy Mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream.
* Turkey Gravy
* Travis' Green beans made with bacon, carmelized onion, and almonds.
* Baked Sweet potatoes (but the kind we all know as Yams), with butter. (baked just like a baked potato).
*Homemade Cranberry & Rasberry sauce from fresh berries with added orange zest.
* Layered Strawberry/Raspberry a Jello salad with toasted almond and whipped topping.

Dessert:

*Vanilla Ice Cream
*homemade Pumpkin Pie
* homemade Pecan Pie

And plenty of wine, beer, and sparkling juices to match everyones taste.

I'm just so excited I had to share! :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[meeg124]

I'm only cooking for us and my mom, so small group this year. Our turkey looks like an overgrown chicken :lol

Today I'm getting all the appetizers and desserts ready... for some reason, I am making 3 desserts... I don't know how that happened!

Stuffed mushrooms
Pesto eggs
Cheese and crackers
Olives and sweet pickles - it's not officially a holiday for me until I have that olive on my finger :D

Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmellows
Cranberry sauce
Rolls
Waldorf salad

Pumpkin pie - for my mom... I used a different recipe this year and I'm not sure how this turned out. Luckily my mom likes everything else I'm making for dessert!
Applie pie - for Scott
Nut torte - for me

[Lynette]

Wow, yours is almost exactly like mine :) I am cooking for 10 this year. I don't do appetizers though because kids always seem to fill up on them and then don't eat dinner so it has just become habit.

Roasted turkey (a 19lber which I am putting in the brine this afternoon)
Homemade Onion Stuffing (one dish with chicken broth that goes in the turkey and one with vegetable broth that is baked seperately for Salina)
Gravy (turkey for us, mushroom for Salina)
Garlic mashed potatoes with cheese
Green bean casserole
Corn casserole (Salina loves it :) )
Layered strawberry/raspberry jello salad
Spinach salad with candied pecans, dried cranberries, madarin oranges, and raspberry vinegrette

The apple and pumpkin pies are coming from Baker's Square though because my FIL is picking those up and I just realized I totally forgot to get cranberry sauce :duh I always get the jellied stuff from the can though because not a lot of people eat cranberry in our family and I just find it funny to go through all the effort of Thanksgiving dinner and then flurp the cranberry goo in the shape of a can on a plate :giggle

[meeg124]

I just realized I totally forgot to get cranberry sauce :duh I always get the jellied stuff from the can though because not a lot of people eat cranberry in our family and I just find it funny to go through all the effort of Thanksgiving dinner and then flurp the cranberry goo in the shape of a can on a plate :giggle

This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving! I love the ridges from the can :lol

[LMS]

i'm going ultra easy this year as it's just the 2 of us (since brendan doesn't really count for meals, b/c he doesn't eat ANYTHING, lol)

we are doing turkey
potatoes
corn
stuffing
gravy

and everything is being done in the easiest, quickest way possible.

[Lynette]

This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving! I love the ridges from the can :lol

Every year someone asks, "Do you want me to mush it up for you and put it in a bowl?" No way! I open both ends and carefully push it out that way on purpose :D

[meeg124]

Every year someone asks, "Do you want me to mush it up for you and put it in a bowl?" No way! I open both ends and carefully push it out that way on purpose :D

I always thought cranberry came in slices! :giggle

[justamom]

We don't do cranberry unless my Dad is visiting. But when we do we try to get it out of the can intact then slice it, lol.

Has anyone had those Lingion Berries at the IKEA cafe? Yum!

[khanson]

I am cooking for 9 this year...

Crackers and veggies with dill dip for munching

Roast turkey w/ gravy - decided not to brine. I'm roasting it with a layer of sage butter in between the skin and meat. I'll stuff it with corn bread and carmelized onion stuffing
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Cranberry/Orange Sauce (but a plate of the canned stuff on the side because I also like it :))
Roasted whipped sweet potatoes and bananas w/ honey and a brown sugar pecan topping
Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
7 layer salad
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Roll

Whew...I think that's it. I'm currently simmering roasted turkey wings with veggies and herbs to make the stock for the gravy, I'm making the sweet potato dish today. Thanksgiving is my favorite dinner!!!

[justamom]

We are just cooking for us and the kids this year. We will be having:

Turkey
Ham :fingerscrossed (Still trying to talk Hubby into it)
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Stuffing
Salad
Candied Yams
Bread Rolls w butter

Pumkin Pie
Key Lime Pie
Apple Pie
Peanut Butter Fudge
Chocolate Fudge

Sparkling Apple Cranberry Juice to toast with the kids!!!

Everything will be home except the rolls and the Pie crusts. I am cheating on my pie crusts this year :bag.

[karen-clark]

I am surprised so few people have corn at Thanksgiving. That has always been a tradition for us. We are going to the inlaws and my parents are joining us this year so that should be interesting. We are bringing the pumpkin pie, mom is bringing a scalloped potato casserole and mashed potatoes, and MIL will do turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, and probably green beans. Pretty traditional.

She has us come at 2 but we don't eat till 6 or so - just so we can all pig out on appetizers first. Kinda crazy but what else can you do that day anyway. LOL

[colleen&Kail]

yum! i cant wait for tomorrow. my aunt makes this appetizer in a sour dough bread bowl it has melted cheeses, artichoke and a couple otehr thigns that sh wont tell us. lol its her signature dish, and it si my favorite!

[Lorah]

I am surprised so few people have corn at Thanksgiving. That has always been a tradition for us. We are going to the inlaws and my parents are joining us this year so that should be interesting. We are bringing the pumpkin pie, mom is bringing a scalloped potato casserole and mashed potatoes, and MIL will do turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, and probably green beans. Pretty traditional.

She has us come at 2 but we don't eat till 6 or so - just so we can all pig out on appetizers first. Kinda crazy but what else can you do that day anyway. LOL

We use to do corn, but since its not in season it would be canned...Dh isn't to fond of it. I like creamed corn myself, but rarely have it.

[Lorah]

THis was the perfect dinner! Everything came together perfectly! The turkey was pefectly done, super moist. Everything was was done at the right time, nothing had to be reheated or anything. AND it was not stressful or rushed! I'm having the best Thanksgiving! I only wish I could see my siblings and parents....but I was able to talk to them on the phone...


How was everyone elses meal?

[khanson]

Ours was awesome too! I tried new recipes that went over really well. I think they may be a new tradition for us! It's been a really great day overall! I think we're going to watch a movie with my parents then hit the sack. It's def been a long day with all the cooking and cleaning!

[meeg124]

Our day was really nice... non stressful and everything turned out well. Scott really wanted to participate in cooking and getting everything ready, so that was fun. Caden kept asking "is that chicken done yet?" We would tell him it was turkey and 5 minutes later, he is wanting to know about the chicken again. :lol

[justamom]

I love corn with a bit of butter and honey mmmmmm

[Lynette]

Alaina kept flitting in and out of the kitchen to get bits of turkey as I was carving it because she told me it was "tuhwicious" but then was a little too full when we sat down to dinner because she wouldn't eat much :lol Oh well, the girls are having pumpkin pie for breakfast. It's a vegetable, right???

[jellybeanmichelle]

Caden kept asking "is that chicken done yet?" We would tell him it was turkey and 5 minutes later, he is wanting to know about the chicken again. :lol

V did the same thing, only with the pumpkin pie. She kept calling it apple pie.

[Lorah]

Alaina kept flitting in and out of the kitchen to get bits of turkey as I was carving it because she told me it was "tuhwicious" but then was a little too full when we sat down to dinner because she wouldn't eat much :lol Oh well, the girls are having pumpkin pie for breakfast. It's a vegetable, right???

WE had it over here for breakfast too. Mav LOVES it, but then, don't we all. ;)

[LessasLashes]

I didn't cook anything!! I went to my cousin's in Novato. I made the pumpkin cake.. which I didn't even eat.

They served:

homemade olive tapenade and warmed specialty breads--super yummy
variety of soft cheeses and crackers-which I didn't touch

Turkey--which I couldn't eat...as the smell turned my stomach (DH said it was super yummy)..

Stuffing-very good
green beans-freshly steamed with garlic and salt
red skinned mashed potatoes-good
sweet potatoes-good, but I like mine cooked with butter and brown sugar

Desserts:
Homemade cheese cake with a sourcream top-orgasmic
Homemade apple pie with carmelized nut topping--very very yummy

Alessa had: about 5 green beans, string cheese, and 1 tiny piece of sweet potato... That's my little bird!!