What Thanksgiving/Christmas foods are you personally responsible for?

All of it. Mostly do to an aging mother and logistics.

BUT all I do is get Thanksgiving to go at Whole Foods.

I bring deviled eggs when I’m not hosting. It’s weird, because we never had them when I was growing up, but all of a sudden, everyone wants me to make them.

Then my sister found a recipe for Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs, and now that’s my required contribution to Christmas at my brother’s house. I’ll still make the traditional type, too, for those of us who don’t want the bloody ones. :wink:

We host Thanksgiving so I do the turkeys and my husband makes his beloved green bean casserole. The rest of the food is brought by various family members.

My sister hosts Christmas Eve. My contribution is the cheesy potatoes.

I don’t drink—no reason —I just don’t drink, So people tell me to bring wine. I walk in to the local wine store and say " I don’t drink , what do I buy?"

Smoked whatever meat we decide on. Cornish hens this year.
Bacon wrapped green beans.
Cherry cheesecake.

Karen’s Famous Superbowl Cheeseball

  • A very small onion, or half of a small onion or a chunk of onion – as much onion as you think you’ll want
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 oz crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • worchestershire sauce – several splashes, as much as you want

Cut the onion into manageable chunks and process in a food processor until chopped fine. Add the other ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth-ish. Place in a mound on a platter and serve with Wheat Thins, pita crackers, celery sticks and carrots sticks, etc.

My major responsibility is the roasted vegetables - this year eggplant, brussels sprouts and peppers with basil, oregano and garlic.

Lately I’ve branched out with specialty dishes. Thanksgiving '21 featured sausage and seafood gumbo.

For Thanksgiving, I bring the wine.

For Christmas Eve dinner, we host and we do most of the cooking. My mom generally brings dessert of some sort.

This year not much, as I was the transportation for my elderly mother to and from Houston (~275 miles away).

Usually I’m the turkey guy- I typically smoke a couple of them in preparation for Thanksgiving and one for freezing. I’ve cured and smoked hams in years past as well (highly recommended if you like ham).

Turkey and Gravy first. I’ll usually prepare a pie of some other sweets too.

The gravy is key. Just flour, pan drippings, turkey stock, rosemary with plenty of black pepper, salt, and a drip of Kitchen Bouquet.

Tomales. We usually get a group together (next weekend is the current target) to make large batches. We do tomales on Christmas eve and New Years eve. Generally, we do white corn and green corn tomales, with a mix of pork tomales and veggie tomales. My mom generally makes the refried beans, and others will bring other dishes. Sorry, no recipe…it’s my Nana’s secret and known only to the trusted few. :stuck_out_tongue: I will let you all in on one secret though…use real monteca (lard) in the masa (and in the refried beans of course). These aren’t health food tomales, even the veggie ones…

Latkes.

Yes, it’s a Chanukah dish, but the family doesn’t always get together for Chanukah, so I make them at Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving: Nuts & Bolts (Chex mix), Pecan bars, Pumpkin Cheesecake
Christmas: Nuts & bolts (now with holiday pretzels), sugar cookies

Brian