New friend from the UK-American Thanksgiving

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No offence taken :cool:. Goose is for the Brits that will be there. We're not used to having two big turkey dinners, within a month of one another. So if they want another meat, they've got one. Or maybe something like a game meat be more suitable.

The menu at this stage isn't set in stone. I'd rather have all bases covered at this point, then remove as necessary.

Though I've kinda realised that the starters might not be so suitable for the kids that will be there. Will need to check on their ages.

My parents almost insist on both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner being almost identical. One year I told my mother that I was making goose for Christmas, and wasn't doing the same meal I already did for Thanksgiving. You know what? She was so insistent of the same turkey thing that she brought it all, and I wound up doing the goose in a portable oven, which made it way to greasy. She got sick, and couldn't eat any of it (and, yes, she has apologized for that debacle). I don't live near my parents now, and have a group of friends who share holiday dinners. So no more roasting a turkey, then having to do it again before you've even eaten the leftovers!
 
I've basically spent the weekend on this meal, and have to say I'm tempted to offer to cook christmas dinner for my mum. But I think this year we'll be at my eldest sister's house. Its a lot of work,

Atleast except for the drinks I think I've got the menu sorted. Got a kiddy starter, and desert.
 
At the risk of offending our Southern friends, I do not care for grits. Or polenta. Or cornbread.

Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, something with green beans, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce, these seem to be the most universal American dishes served at Thanksgiving.

Make sure you make lots of gravy, a pitcher of it sounds like a good idea! Biggest complaint we've always had, we ran out of gravy!

With you on grits, cornbead and polenta. Maybe it is because I am a New England Yankee. Thanksgiving started not too far from where I live. One cannot have too much gravy. A pitcher at each end of the table should be enough for the first round. :chef:
 
At the risk of offending our Southern friends, I do not care for grits. Or polenta. Or cornbread.

Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, something with green beans, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce, these seem to be the most universal American dishes served at Thanksgiving.

Make sure you make lots of gravy, a pitcher of it sounds like a good idea! Biggest complaint we've always had, we ran out of gravy!

I live in the south and I don't like grits or polenta, either :) I do like cornbread, but not at Thanksgiving.

Dawg, your menu sounds most traditional to me, too. A couple of other suggestions for the OP: Go simple on the appetizers - there's a big, heavy meal coming, so you don't want to fill people up in advance. I usually just do a veggie/dip tray and a fruit/cheese tray.

Keep an eye on how many starches you have. imo, it's not necessary to have potatoes, rice, several preparations of corn and bread all at one meal. Other traditional sides include broccoli and/or cauliflower casserole and glazed carrots. I generally also have a relish tray with pickled vegetables - this helps cut the richness of the rest of the meal. hth.
 
GotGarlic said:
I live in the south and I don't like grits or polenta, either :) I do like cornbread, but not at Thanksgiving.

Dawg, your menu sounds most traditional to me, too. A couple of other suggestions for the OP: Go simple on the appetizers - there's a big, heavy meal coming, so you don't want to fill people up in advance. I usually just do a veggie/dip tray and a fruit/cheese tray.

Keep an eye on how many starches you have. imo, it's not necessary to have potatoes, rice, several preparations of corn and bread all at one meal. Other traditional sides include broccoli and/or cauliflower casserole and glazed carrots. I generally also have a relish tray with pickled vegetables - this helps cut the richness of the rest of the meal. hth.

+1
 
A favorite for my family has always been peas and carrots mixed. They also like creamed carrots. As pointed out you don't want too many starches. Remember the stuffing is a carb. Rolls, potatoes and stuffing are three carbs. They do tend you fill you up. I am wondering where would gravy fit in. Carb? Meat?

I try to keep color on the plate. An orange, green and maybe a yellow veggie. You have the 'red' of cranberry sauce or compote. Brown gravy and the skin of baked potatoes. And white of mashed if you go in that direction. :chef:
 
Pre-Testing Menu

:chef:This is what I've come up with: This is what I'm calling my pre-testing menu. As will decide once I've tested all the recipes which ones I'm keeping in, which just don't work.

Once I can subtle decifer the kid's ages and they're likes in food, I can adjust the kiddy starter & desert. The joys of planning a surprize meal.

Apps: (1 needs to go)
Baked Brie (mini)
Crab & Sweetcorn Chowder
Goats Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Pumpkin Soup
Sausage Roll Twist (Kiddy)
Vol-Au-Vents (kiddy)

Main:
Turkey / Goose / Pheasant (will be either one of the last)
Roasted Veg Galette (veg main)
Honeyed Sweet Pots
Corn Casserole
American Salad
Bread Rolls
Mash Pots / root veg
Mum's Brussels Sprouts
Carrots & Peas

Desert:
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan pie (maybe tarts)
Cheesecake
Ice-Cream (Kiddy)
ButterScotch Banana Surprize (Kiddy)

Condiments:
Cranberry Sauce
Cornbread Sauce
Coleslaw
Gravy
Maple Bourdon Sauce
Stuffing
Mum's Relish (she's makes loads)

Snack:
Cashews with crispy sage & garlic
Spicy Maple Walnuts
Cheese Plate

Food Gifts: (home time)
Sweet Pecan Snowball
Peppermint Creams
 
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That's quite a list. :)

Don't feel the need to go too extravagant. Despite the Norman Rockwell image, in most American homes we typically serve one main meat (usually turkey or other fowl) with mashed potatoes, dressing/stuffing (my favorite), gravy, and two or three sides. Sides might include cranberries, seasonal vegetables, etc. And it wouldn't be in bad taste to ask your guests to bring a dish or two. This was the gist of the so-called first American Thanksgiving: everyone brought something to the table.

But the most important thing to remember about Thanksgiving is that, while the feast tends to be the centerpiece, the underlying theme is giving thanks for the things that we have in our life. At our house, before anyone commences eating, we go round the table and everyone talks about the things that he/she is thankful for.
 
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I was just about two weeks from having open heart surgery. As we went around the table, everyone said they were thankful that Grandma was here to celebrate with us. Came my turn. I was grateful that I was alive. That definitely was a Thanksgiving to be grateful for. :)
 
Oh my gravy, Crystal, that's an ambitious menu! For how many people are you cooking?
 
Oh my gravy, Crystal, that's an ambitious menu! For how many people are you cooking?

So far 15 adults, and about 4 kiddies, and could be up to 30 odd. I will have the use of a huge kitchen, which will be a plus. We have one huge circle. But everyone is gonna chip in for the food

So far everyone in on the surprize will do something, one/two is decorating the house, I've passed off the drink selection onto someone else,
 
That's quite a list. :)

Don't feel the need to go too extravagant. Despite the Norman Rockwell image, in most American homes we typically serve one main meat (usually turkey or other fowl) with mashed potatoes, dressing/stuffing (my favorite), gravy, and two or three sides. Sides might include cranberries, seasonal vegetables, etc. And it wouldn't be in bad taste to ask your guests to bring a dish or two. This was the gist of the so-called first American Thanksgiving: everyone brought something to the table.

But the most important thing to remember about Thanksgiving is that, while the feast tends to be the centerpiece, the underlying theme is giving thanks for the things that we have in our life. At our house, before anyone commences eating, we go round the table and everyone talks about the things that he/she is thankful for.

+1
 
When it comes to holiday meals, I do Thanksgiving and a friend does Christmas. She always asks me to do the "appetizers" because I don't over-do it. I've taken to doing what was very "in" in the US in the 60s, that is to say "stuffed celery". I (I'm talking Christmas here) spread ribs of celery (cut in halves or thirds), half with plain Philadelphia cream cheese, half with a prepared pimento cheese spread. I put a little sweet paprika on the pink ones, a little of any green herb on the white ones. Voila! Christmas colors. I'll toss on a few olives, maybe a few pickled mushrooms, small pickles of any kind. What is great about this is that kids pretty much like anything that is cut down to their size. The other great thing is that it is not filling. If you go to over the top with "appetizers" they are no longer appetizers, they are what we called in Hawaii, "heavy pupus", which are a meal in themselves. This just gives folk something to munch when you're busy doing last minute stuff in the kitchen. If I remember right, it used to be called "cruditees" when I was a teen taking home ec.
 
I've invited a few friends round at the weekend to have a starter weekend. To critique the starters I've got planned. I know I need to look at the brie recipe as the recipe calls for a larger brie portion. So that will be scaled down greatly.

I think the ones up for debate will be the chowder & soup. Though I could just put all the fillings into the vol-au-vents.

Good thing that has come out of this, is that I'm actually slowly compiling my family's own recipes, as I go, as I'm thinking - I'm sure mum's got this sort of recipe. So will put them into a scrapbook for safe keeping.

I just want to thank everyone who has posted, and putting up with this 'Brits' naivity.
 
My favorite part is the leftovers. I make a kind of Shepherds pie with them layering turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy and whatever else suits my fancy. It is great!
 
lyndalou said:
My favorite part is the leftovers. I make a kind of Shepherds pie with them layering turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy and whatever else suits my fancy. It is great!

I do the same. It's so good with a bit of cranberry sauce!

I've even frozen the dish, Thanksgiving in July!
 
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