I’m hosting Thanksgiving for a group of friends who are all transplants to the area. It’s semi pot luck so I’m only making a couple of dishes and the rest are being brought by guests.
It’s my first big Thanksgiving dinner (small family) and I’m cooking a roast (I originally thought there was only going to be 6 of us and no one liked dark meat turkey, so I thought a bird would be a waste of food - now there’s 9 of us and I realize I could have gotten one of those big turkeys that always scared me) a small chicken, (two guests told me yesterday(!) that they don’t eat red meat) stuffing and Yorkshire pudding. Guests are covering wine, potaoes, pies and veggies.
So, who else hosting, and what’s on the menu? Anyone got tips and tricks for us first timers? Who’s got the longest guest list? It’s bragging time.
There’s just going to be the two of us. We’re making a small turkey, some mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato casserole, cranberry salad, and yeast rolls. Dr.J is talking about making some cranberry sauce, too, and we’ll have some pumpkin creme brulee or mousse, or maybe I’ll make a pumpkin cheesecake. (Why yes, it is a starchfest. That’s how I like my Thanksgiving, thank you.)
I cooked for myself last year, and my best advice is to start earlier than you think you really need to, because things always take longer than you expect.
just us two, too. (is that too, too much?) we’ll be having prime rib, maybe some creamed turnips, salad probably, and if i go carb-wild, maybe some stuffing or instant mashed potatoes. ('course, if we have the potatoes, i’ll make broccoli instead, so we don’t have a white-out on the dinner plates.)
mostly we’re having the prime rib because the door to the freezer downstairs somehow didn’t close completely one time, and things started defrosting. i want to use up that prime rib, rather than worry about it not being quite good enough for company.
We’re going over to the IL’s, but I’m making pumpkin soup and a fluffy pumpkin cheesecake.
I had a bunch of people ask me for the pumpkin soup recipe last year, so if you want it, email me up above and I’ll send it to you. I actually HAVE it saved in email this time, so it’s there.
Next year, we’re hosting. It’s going to be the first year in our own house, so I want to go all out:).
Mom’s making the turkey, stuffing and chocolate pies. I’m doing the mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and rolls. We’ll also have leftover birthday cake, as mom’s birthday is tomorrow.
Then after Thanksgiving at my place, I’ll take a chocolate pie over to a friend’s house and hang out with her and whoever’s there for a while.
I’ll be spending Thanksgiving alone. There’s a 22-pound turkey in the freezer, but there’s no way I’m cookin’ that bad boy. So I’m opting for an Alternative Thanksgiving:
Baby back ribs, potato salad, corn bread casserole, creamed spinach, dinner rolls, and pineapple-upside-down cake with ice cream.
We’re driving 400 miles to have a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner prepared with love and cranberries by… Publix.
Don’t laugh! At least it’ll be edible! I married into a family where none of the women ever mastered cooking, on either side. It’s a big, big change from my mom and grandmother, who cooked so well, their holiday spreads are family legends. But… they aren’t here anymore. So it’ll be my wife, her brother, parents and one grandma.
I will be making dinner at my house and with my 2 kids, 1 live in friend of the family and my mother.
The Spread:
20 pound Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Corn
Homemade gravy (my mother will make this as I have just not mastered it yet)
Fresh baked bread (the frozen kind)
Pumpkin Pie w/cool whip
Apple Pie
Blueberry Pie
I can’t wait. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal to cook and to eat
I don’t know what my sister-in-law’s first Thanksgiving is going to entail, but Saturday we’re having the First Annual Potatoes and Pie Thanksgiving for my friends at my place. Everything but the turkey–because I’m relatively certain we’ll all be sick of it by then. And because it’s all the other stuff that really makes the meal.
Left Hand of Dorkness and I will be attending two Thanksgiving dinners this year, an early one with my family and a later dinner with his. (It’s a hard life we lead…) I’m making maple-walnut pies for both dinners and wheat-free lemon bars for an allergic family member. Left Hand is making dill rolls. I’m most excited about his Aunt Marcy’s smoked turkey. I look forward to that sucker all year long.
I’m cooking for Mr. S and me, and a friend and her two kids. I just finished planning the menu and doing the shopping:
Appetizers:
Crab dip and sliced baguettes
Brie and crackers
Baby dills
Red grapes, if we can find any good ones
Sliced cheeses, if I can get Mr. S to slice them for me (probable)
Main meal:
Brown-sugar-and-apple-glazed ham (per Mr. S’s request)
Cranberry/pecan turkey rolls (new recipe – wish me luck!)
Potato/yam/carrot mashers, with plenty of cream, olive oil, and nutmeg
Ye Olde Green Bean Casserole
Frozen corn liberally laced with Spike and butter
Corn Spoon Bread (another new recipe)
Crusty French dinner rolls and/or finger rolls (I’ll take a vote)
Dessert:
Homemade pumpkin pie (my first one!) with real whipped cream
Deep-dish apple-cranberry pie
An assortment of fine dark European chocolates
And whatever my friend chooses to bring; she’s a wonderful cook and asked if she could bring something, but I know she’s been working a lot lately, so I told her to bring something only if the spirit moved.
I also suggested a showing of What’s Cooking? in the afternoon, as I know my friend would enjoy it, and it’s a Thanksgiving movie.
Not very exotic, considering that both we and our friend are quite experimental/vegetarian/organic/ethnic/eclectic in our cooking when we have the time. But I’ve been bombed with work, I haven’t had much time to plan, and I’ll be glad just to get a nice meal on the table and have my friend over, since our schedules haven’t coicided for a while. It’ll be fun. We’ll eat, drink, and be merry.
ooh, maple walnut pies… would you mind posting that recipe, burundi?
We’re having Thanksgiving at the in-laws’, as usual. We normally have 30-40 people, mostly from church or other friends, but this year it’s just 6 of us! It’ll be a lot quieter than usual… Parents-in-law are doing the turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and something green. Sister-in-law is doing an apple pie. I’m doing the mashed potatoes, a honey-pecan pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and possibly garlic-rosemary rolls, if I have time. Hubby is doing the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows (my mom’s recipe), because he loves it and I’ve never liked it. So that’s now his specialty.
Friday, I’m using leftover turkey to make the best pot pie you’ve ever tasted. Can’t wait!
This year it’s at my mom’s, with sundry brothers and SIL’s and a new baby (yay!). I’m contributing:
apple pie
rolls
green jello salad that nobody likes but me and mom (more for us)
Brussles sprouts
So, not everything, but a good fraction of the dishes. We’re pretty traditional, since we looooove all the traditional stuff, and we don’t get it the rest of the year, so why get fancy?
Turkey. Boiled in oil. I’ve got the traditional fryer and gas burner but am considering just dumping the hot oil off the ramparts - the shed roof - onto the bird. The wimmenfolk will handle other stuff.
We’re going to my in-laws’ house for dinner and my MIL never lets me cook anything. However, I am making stuffing for my own family’s dinner, which I am not attending. I’m making it the night before and bringing it to my mom’s so she can take it to my aunt’s house for the dinner. Which reminds me, I still need to pick up some bourbon for the stuffing…
I baked pumpkin creme brulee last night, and I’ll be torching it this evening. It’s not technically for Thanksgiving dinner, but close enough.
A very quiet, laid back Thanksgiving here, with Mr. Adoptamom, myself and two Adoptakiddo’s. Perhaps MIL, but we’re not sure. This is her first holiday without her hubbie of 63 years and she hasn’t decided what (if anything) she wants to do.
Roast
garlic mashed potatoes
carrot souffle
peas
sweet potato casserole
rolls
apple pie
blackberry cobbler
The only things from scratch will be the roast, garlic mashed potatoes and carrot souffle, so it should be fairly simple to throw together.
My parents-in-alw are coming from Alabama, and my sister and brother-in-law are coming from Kentucky. My stepson and his girfriend will also be in attendance. I will be making: for appetizers, artichoke-pesto dip, a veggie tray, and smoked salmon.
For the Main Event, an 8-lb turkey breast, a ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade mac-and-cheese (my stepson's favorite), broccoli casserole, steamed green beans, asiago bread, and a big salad. And canned peas, because my weirdo husband mixes them with his mashed potatoes. My MIL will bring cornbread dressing.
For dessert, a homemade (except the crust- I can't make crusts) pecan-chocolate chip pie, and a yellow cake with caramel frosting. I'll probably get some kind of ice cream thingy too.
I also have 8 bottles of Cakebread chardonnay, and 3 bottles of champagne. That should make the relatives tolerable!
Well It’ll be the Nay and I and of course The Boys. One of my brothers and his family will aso be coming. I’m sure someone unexpected will drop in, it never fails. I’m doing most of the dinner, and Nay is doing most of the deserts.
Apettizers (though in reality these will be out all day after noon. )
Various Cheeses
Various Meats - Pepperoni, Salami, Turkey etc.
Various crackers
And especially for the kids those cheese spreads from a can
Dinner
25lb Turkey
12lb (ish, I haven’t bought it yet) Medium Rare (btw if you know the correct temp let me know) Beef Roast
Mashed Potatoes
Dressing (made with turkey, sausage and apricots)
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese(x3)
Candied Yams
Broccoli and Cauliflower Mix with cheese sauce
Greens and Hamhocks*
Dinner Rolls
*Nay’s contribution to dinner
**My contribution to dessert
On dinner, Nay is my helper doing all the chopping, cutting and cleaning. When she’s doing dessert it’s my job to beat the boys in licking the bowls I’ll start cooking tommorrow afternoon. Everything should be done by Noon Thursday with Dinner at 5.
Here you go. This is from the most recent addition of The Moosewood Cookbook. (One caveat: I haven’t made this before, so I can’t personally vouch for the recipe. But how bad could it be?)
4 large eggs
3/4 real maple syrup
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
Preheat over to 375. Beat together all the ingredients, except the walnuts and crust, until light and frothy. Spread the walnut into the pie crust. Pour the batter on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until solid in the center. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
we’ll be having prime rib, maybe some creamed turnips, salad probably, and if i go carb-wild, maybe some stuffing or instant mashed potatoes. ('course, if we have the potatoes, i’ll make broccoli instead, so we don’t have a white-out on the dinner plates.)
It’ll be a lot quieter than usual… Parents-in-law are doing the turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and something green. Sister-in-law is doing an apple pie. I’m doing the mashed potatoes, a honey-pecan pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and possibly garlic-rosemary rolls, if I have time. Hubby is doing the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows (my mom’s recipe), because he loves it and I’ve never liked it. So that’s now his specialty.