Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

[Jessica_Morris]

What's everyone cooking for this Thanksgiving? I need some ideas.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Shrek has decided he wants turkey and the fixins. I will be looking for something unique to cook, too!

 

[kadesma]

We are doing prime rib, homemade pasta and homemade gravy, of course they have to have some stuffing made with homemade bread. cranberry sauce, artichokes with garlic,parsley,evoo and butter. Pies, pecan,pumpkin, rolls, salad of some sort. What else I've no idea a platter of antipasto...that's it for now.
kades

 

[Al Pine]

I like to make Orange Jello with LOTS of Mandarin Orange slices
in it.
I also like to make Ambrosia
I don't follow an exact recipe for Ambrosia, but it's easy to make,
and hard to mess up....
You will need:
1 cup of small Grapes
1 cup of Mandarin Orange slices
1 cup of Maraschino Cherries
1 cup of loosely packed sweetened Coconut
1 1/2 cups of Mini Marshmallow ..multicolored if possible
1 large tub of Cool Whip (don't get the low calorie stuff)
Drain ALL the liquid off the Grapes, Oranges, and Cherries.
If necessary blot them dry on a paper towel.
Remove the Marshmallows from the bag two days ahead of
time and put them in a pan on the counter for them to dry out.
Shake them around a couple of times a day so they dry out
evenly. ( this makes them a little chewy and wonderful).
Make sure all ingredients are well chilled before mixing them
into the Cool Whip.. and keep it refrigerated until you start to
eat dinner.
You can easily adjust this to your personal taste...you can use
chopped Dates, candied Pineapple, candied Mango, or any other
fruits you like in this recipe. I always eat it with the meal; but it
can also be used as a crazy topping on the Pie for dessert...
Pumpkin, Pecan, Cherry, etc.

 

[Andy M.]

I really enjoy making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I look forward to it.

Roast Turkey
Stuffing (not in the bird)
Rice pilaf
Butternut Squash
Cranberry relish
Creamed onions
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
and sometimes Apple Pie
Vanilla Ice Cream
Apple Cider

That's all, there are usually only two of us for dinner.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I' m pretty much on track with Andy but, I usually throw in some Brussels sprouts, mashed turnips, and mincemeat pie.

This year it will only be two people at my table and I am trying to think of a new main dish instead of the traditional turkey. I usually cook one and freeze it but, I am losing my enthusiasm, any ideas! I am thinking stuffed pork chops but, still not convinced.

 

[Dawgluver]

My Canadian mom tells of her mother making a crown (standing rib roast?) roast filled with stuffing.

 

[msmofet]

We don't stray far each year except to sometimes try out a new recipe or rotate favorites.


Appetizers/Soup
Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream cheese, stuffed green olive & walnut poppers
or
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Entrée
Roasted Turkey
Stuffing
Sweet Potato & Acorn Squash Casserole
Or
Silver Sage's Apple-Sausage Stuffed Squash with Pecans (click for recipe) (I would like to give this a try, it sounds so good)

Brussels sprouts
String bean salad
Baked sweet potato
Mashed potatoes
Rice medley pilaf
Gravy
Cranberry/Tangerine Relish
Cranberry sauce

Dessert
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Homemade Whipped cream

Beverages
Assorted soda
Sparkling cranberry apple cider
Coffee

 

[Andy M.]

My Canadian mom tells of her mother making a crown (standing rib roast?) roast filled with stuffing.

A crown roast is usually pork. It is, however, the same cut of meat as a standing rib (prime rib) roast of beef.

 

[msmofet]

A crown roast is usually pork. It is, however, the same cut of meat as a standing rib (prime rib) roast of beef.

I think it can also be lamb?

 

[CWS4322]

Carmelized pearl onions...one of my favorite sides with turkey. I use the recipe in The Joy of Cooking.

 

[Andy M.]

I think it can also be lamb?

Could be. I've only ever seen it as a pork roast but lamb could work.

 

[msmofet]

Could be. I've only ever seen it as a pork roast but lamb could work.

I've seen it with lamb and the little booties. LOL

 

[CWS4322]

Seeing as how we already had Thanksgiving in Canada, we did maple-apple cider glazed ham, baked potatoes (from the garden), steamed kale, squash, and homemade ice cream. We're brining a turkey this weekend, but we eat turkey about 1x/month. I hope y'all enjoy T'giving in the US. If you are looking for ideas of what to make/serve, there might be some ideas in the CDN T'giving threads.

 

[Andy M.]

I've seen it with lamb and the little booties. LOL

I forgot about the little booties!

 

[Aunt Bea]

CWS4322 your mention of the potatoes, from the garden, made me think of Thanksgiving when I was little. We lived on a farm and one of the big "thanks" related events at dinner was to go around the table and name all of the things that were grown at home or made at home. In those days most of the things were home grown except the turkey and that came from the farm down the road.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Oven roasted turkey
Bread Stuffing with giblets
Turkey liver pate'
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Rutabeggas with a touch of butter and brown sugar
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sea-Breeze salad
Cranberry sauce
Black olives
Celery Sticks with cream cheese-onion dip, or peanut butter and raisins
Shredded carrot salad with raisins and walnuts
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
Milk or Egg Nog

I'd love to make a maple-wood smoked turkey with maple glaze, but DW insists on oven roasted for the holiday.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[pacanis]

Last year was the first time I made myself Thanksgiving dinner. I'll probably do the same thing this year, roast a leg and a breast and the usual, mashed taters, B sprouts or green beans, stuffing... Which reminds me, I better pick up the turkey parts early this year, as they can become non-existent around here come Thanksgiving. Must be a lot of folks cooking small meals and not whole birds.

 

[Andy M.]

It bothers me that the crappy parts of the turkey most don't want (necks, wings, etc) are packaged and sold for stock-making and cost more per pound than a whole turkey.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

It bothers me that the crappy parts of the turkey most don't want (necks, wings, etc) are packaged and sold for stock-making and cost more per pound than a whole turkey.

I know whatcha mean. I used to raise chickens, and there was very little that went to waste. I'd love to get all of the usable giblets in a bird. You can bet I'd be using them.

I also hate that healthy food costs more than pre-processed garbage that haas all kinds of things I don't want in my food. I think we've lost something as a society, when we lost so many family farms. I just don't see that our "modern" society gives us more pleasure than did the lifestyle of 1940's through early 1970's. But that's a different topic.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North