Planning a US Thanksgiving dinner for the first time - how much food?

Cafe Society
1

Last week my US American husband decided he wanted to do a Thanksgiving dinner at our house, and since I’d never had one before and thought they looked like fun, I agreed. We asked a few friends over, and estimate we have about 10-12 people coming over on Thursday.

I’ve never thrown a dinner party this big before, so I’m not sure quite how much food to prepare for that, never mind a Thanksgiving meal. We have people coming who are vegetarian (three people) and vegetarian+gluten free (one), so my provisional food shop looks like this:

Turkey crown (2.75kg; Waitrose says this serves 5-8 people)
Stuffing (about 500g, probably)
Black-eyed bean salad (1.2kg of beans plus tomatoes & celery)
Roast potatoes, red onions and butternut squash (3.5kg)
Wilted spinach and kale (600g)
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (1kg; my husband tells me this is essential to Thanksgiving but I am sceptical)
One 12-inch pumpkin pie and one 12-inch pecan pie, plus two quarts of ice cream and homemade pumpkin pie sorbet.
10 white bread rolls
1 loaf gluten-free bread
A can of Ocean Spray cranberry jelly my father-in-law sent us which I’m a bit frightened of

On top of these we’ve ordered six bottles of wine with the assumption that each household coming will bring a bottle with them, for a total of 1.2 bottles of wine per person.

Is that enough food for 12 people? Is there anything I’m missing that would make this a more authentic and/or delicious US Thanksgiving experience?

2

Mashed potatoes would be more authentic than roast potatoes.

Alas, since I don’t speak metric, I’m not sure about your amounts – I think the rule of thumb is 1/2 pound of turkey per person – what would that be, about 0.5 kilos? That’s with a whole bird, no clue what a “turkey crown” is.

3

Mashed potatoes seem like a lot more cooking time, whereas with the roast potatoes I can stick them in the oven with the squash and onions. That’s a good thing to remember if we do it next year with fewer people, though!

Here are the amounts put through Google’s converter (http://www.google.com/):

Turkey crown (6.1lbs)
Stuffing (about 1.1lbs)
Black-eyed bean salad (2.7lbs of beans plus tomatoes & celery)
Roast potatoes, red onions and butternut squash (7.7lbs)
Wilted spinach and kale (1.3lbs)
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (2.2lbs)

4

10-12 people coming over? Does that include your and your husband? T

A 2.75 kg “turkey crown” that serves 5-8 people does not sound like enough. Unless a lot of your crowd is vegetarian.

10 rolls does not sound like enough for 4 people, let alone for a dozen or so.

Thanksgiving is time when people pig-out. better to have too much rather than not enough.

And Twickster is right, Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without Mashed Potatoes.

YMMV

5

Having been raised on “true” thanksgiving dinners, I can only say, it is impossible to have too much food, our small turkeys usually weigh in at 15 lbs for a family of 5.

6

That does include my husband and I, yes. 8-10 guests, 10-12 people total, and 5-7 people actually eating the turkey (as I said, three guests are vegetarians).

The 10 rolls are in addition to a full-sized loaf of fresh bread, too.

I don’t think I’ll be aiming for big US-sized servings since I don’t think our guests will be expecting those; it will be the first Thanksgiving type meal for everyone attending except my husband, and I think people will be anticipating normal UK meal sizes. I get the Thanksgiving Ideal :wink: but since nobody is from the US or used to US-sized meals, I don’t want to end up with loads of food we’ll have to throw out.

I am really asking two separate questions:

  1. Is that enough food for a normal dinner party for 10-12 people?
  2. Is that accurately Thanksgiving-y (except for the mashed potatoes, which just seem like they would take too long and I’m not sure very many people would eat them)?
7

Concur the mashed potatoes are more traditional and they really don’t require more cooking time – they can also be made hours in advance and re-heated.

Canned cranberry sauce is pretty awful. Google a recipe and make your own. It is not difficult; stewed cranberries with a bit of sugar, juice, and spices. It will be much-more appreciated.
Lastly, I had to google what a “crown of turkey” is and it seems to be a British butchery configuration of a whole turkey where you are only getting the white meat breast of the bird. For 10 to 12 people, it is definitely not enough meat at all. Figure about a pound-per-person (because there will be bones). You want at least a 12-pound bird, if not more.

8

Another chiming in to say mashed potatoes are an essential part of any Thanksgiving feast. They are a bit more time consuming that roast potatoes (since you are essentially roasting them, then mashing them up) but they don’t take an excessive amount of time. If you have a food processor or a stand mixer, the mashing takes only a couple of minutes. Why not give them a try along side the roast potatoes, instead of as a replacement for them? Having way too many side dishes is also part of the Thanksgiving tradition :slight_smile:

Jellied cranberry sauce is absolutely no match for the “real thing”. That being said, it just isn’t Thanksgiving dinner without a round slice of purplish goo on the plate :slight_smile:

Good luck with your dinner party, whatever you end up serving. Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday growing up, because it was the one time of year that the whole family (30+ people including all the cousins) got together. Of all the “American things” that have spread like viruses across the world, I’m just a bit sad that this isn’t one of them, because it’s really a wonderful holiday that easily crosses national, religious, and cultural boundaries.

9

On this point you will have a lot of disagreement. In my house, you can bring your home made sludge if it makes you feel better, but there must always be a can of the good stuff ready to slice on the table. I have never had home made cranberry sauce that was it’s equal.
Mashed potatoes are easy to make. Boil the potatoes, drain the water, add cream, butter, pepper, and chives(optional), then mash.

It is my understanding that European ovens aren’t large enough for turkeys the size that we cook. A twelve pound turkey is a small turkey. I’m cooking a twelve pound turkey for the three of us. A traditional dinner for 12 would probably require a turkey 20 lbs and up.

10

I just saw a poll in another thread that pointed something out to me. You are missing the most important ingredient in any Thanksgiving meal. More important than the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce put together. You absolutely, positively, cannot serve a “Thanksgiving dinner” without

Green Bean Casserole

No thanks necessary. I’m just glad I was able to save you from a terrible international faux-pas.

11

If you want to really do a standard Thanksgiving dinner, you should expect to have a lot of food left over. I have never been to a Thanksgiving (or a Christmas or an office potluck) dinner where there wasn’t a large amount of leftovers. It’s part of the tradition. You can then arrange with everyone there who gets to take which leftovers home. If you’re going to be doing Thanksgiving with a lot of guests every year as opposed to doing it as a one-shot deal, you need to arrange with the guests in the future who will be bringing what food. You don’t have a single person providing all the food year after year. It’s supposed to be shared work.

12

No, that’s not enough food.

My suggestion is to either get another turkey, or get a small ham or beef roast. Or serve another main dish that would feed about 6 people (for a group of a dozen). A lot of people like to have just a little turkey on Thanksgiving, but are delighted to see something non-traditional offered as well. I’ve had very good results with serving a (meat) lasagna alongside a small turkey, but most people like my lasagna at any time of the year. A nice big bowl of pasta and spaghetti sauce is colorful, and the sauce will be better if you make it a day or two before, and let the flavors blend. If you have a main dish that you’re proud of, go ahead and make it, just make the turkey as well.

Mashed potatoes are very traditional. You MIGHT be able to get away with just offering roast potatoes if you offer plenty of stuffing. MIGHT. But you’re going to need more stuffing than what you’ve listed. People like different kinds of stuffing, but everyone likes lots of it. You are also going to need turkey gravy, which you can make from scratch, from a packet, or just buy in jars. Again, you’re going to need lots of this. If you make the gravy from scratch, use a gravy separator, those things are great.

Do not fear the can of cranberry jelly. Just stick in the fridge until you’re getting stuff on the table. Then open it (preferably on both ends), let the jelly slide onto a serving platter, and slice into thin disks. Or you can use a small melon baller, and scoop out tiny balls which you place around the turkey on its platter. Some people think that the canned cranberry jelly is incredibly tacky, but most people LIKE to see it on the table, even if they don’t eat it. It’s part of the tradition. Personally, I like it, and I hate the cranberry relish that the foodies like these days. Your FIL was probably afraid that you didn’t realize the importance of the cranberry jelly. Or he’s a cheap bastard who thinks that he’s contributed to the cost of the feast.

Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is also traditional. I prefer my sweet potatoes roasted, with a little butter and cinnamon and brown sugar, but a lot of people like the casserole on Thanksgiving. I don’t consider it essential, but a lot of people do, and your husband (or some of the guests) apparently does.

You will need at least another dozen rolls, possibly two dozen. Or make biscuits, which are fairly easy if you make drop biscuits. Cornbread, being very American, is also a good option. Jalapeno cornbread is very pretty, with red and green bits showing through the golden bread. I can’t eat it, but it’s very pretty.

My father regards a condiment platter to be essential for feasts. This consists of at least three kinds of olives, tiny sweet pickles, artichoke hearts, and peppercini. My mother and I insist on a raw veggie platter as well, which has things like celery, carrots, and bell peppers (use at least 2 colors), sliced, and broccoli and cauliflower florets, and halved cherry tomatoes, and green onions which have been trimmed, the outer two or three leaves peeled off, and the rest of the green sliced lengthwise. Plus we’ll put on whatever looks good from the produce section. Similarly, we assemble a fruit platter, and this is an ideal place for that sack of clementines, along with grapes and bananas and such.

I’d probably go with an apple pie along with the other two, and I’d add whipped cream to the options. However, I’ve never had pumpkin sorbet to offer.

13

I think I should probably try to get another non-meat source of main protein in if the turkey won’t be big enough for the seven or so non-vegetarians it will have to feed. Are there any traditional non-meat protein mains, like a cheese dish or something? I’m definitely not going to add any more meat options, since only about two-thirds of my guests eat it.

I’m not sure what Thanksgiving “traditions” will evolve for us so I’m not too worried about planning for the future. I don’t want to have a lot of food left over or to ask guests to take it home with them; I want to have a normal dinner party with Thanksgiving food.

A 20lb (9+ kilo) turkey is £90-100, there is no way I’m paying that! Don’t whole turkeys take hours and hours to cook, anyway? I get home from work at about 5:30pm so I can’t see how it would be ready in time to eat (and it would only just fit in our oven so I couldn’t do any kind of roasting or baking anything else while it was in).

Thanks for the tip, Surburban Plankton, I may have to give that a try… :wink:

?? Why would he be expected to contribute to the cost of the feast?

14

That turkey will be big enough to feed 7 people if they all take one slice. Maybe.

The canned cranberry is very traditional. Mashed potatoes are easy, the only thing that’ll slow you down is peeling them. Boiling them and mashing them with butter, milk (or cream. Or half 'n half), salt and pepper doesn’t take much time at all.

How are you making the sweet potaotoes? Chunked and candied or mashed with marshmallows on top?

15

SecondJudith writes:

> I’m not sure what Thanksgiving “traditions” will evolve for us so I’m not too
> worried about planning for the future.

I would think really carefully about this if I were you. What are you going to do if people ask if you’re going to be doing a Thanksgiving dinner every year? You better be prepared to tell them that the tradition is that everyone brings some food for the dinner and that would have to be true in the future if it’s to become a tradition. You do not want to get sucked into a situation where you’re always expect to do all the work.

16

Of course Americans have the day off, so hours of cooking time is normal. I’m impressed if you plan to cook all this after getting home from work. You will need to start the day before on many things.

17

I think it will be fine. Your guests won’t be expecting to eat like we eat on Thanksgiving (for example, most of them will probably have a normal lunch.).

18

You’re going to do this as a dinner party and not a whole-day affair? O.K., already that’s bizarre. The whole point of a Thanksgiving dinner is that you start eating in the early afternoon and continue to eat until the early evening. The food will be prepared on the evening before (sometimes several days before if it’s really complicated) or in the morning if it’s fairly simple. A meal that’s served in the evening to people who get there after work is so different from traditional Thanksgiving dinners that it’s hard to even compare it.

19

This may surprise you but not everyone in the world has the day off work for a holiday that only US Americans celebrate.

20

Can’t believe nobody’s mentioned green bean casserole, I thought every red-blooded American family had that at Thanksgiving dinner. :slight_smile:

My grandmother was from Alabama, and she always made it Southern-style. (with cream-of-mushroom soup, a parmesan cheese/bread crumb crust on top, and French’s fried onions around the edges)

I agree with Lynn Bodoni on the cranberry sauce from the can - it IS tasty, even if it looks a little… tasteless! My family usually has both kinds (we call them “fancy” cranberry relish and “the good ole stuff!”) We have the rather amusing and ironic tradition of slicing the canned cranberry into flat discs and then artfully arranging them in the fanciest, heaviest, most ornate Waterford crystal bowl we own! :slight_smile: Kind of like a Limoges bowl full of Twinkies!

No GRAVY? :slight_smile: What kind of American dinner is this! Got to have some gravy for the turkey, mash potatoes, and the buttermilk biscuits - hey, we’re Southerners around here, what can I say?

If you need a cheese / protein dish, nothing says American like macaroni & cheese casserole.

I think Thanksgiving dinner in many if not most American households tends to be a semi-potluck arrangement. Probably because it’s just too difficult to make that much food in one kitchen at once.

If a whole roast turkey isn’t available, how about a small ham to fill things out?