It's just my family of four this year and we're vegetarians. We've tried just about every turkey substitute and haven't found one we all like, so this year I'm making breaded, oven-baked tofu. My husband and I will have that with gravy and the kids can dip it in honey. We'll also have stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls and a veggy I haven't quite decided on yet. I'm baking pumpkin and pecan pie later today. We'll have our meal in the late afternoon with dessert a little later. I think I'll bust out a tablecloth and my Franciscan apple dishes so it's a little more festive than an ordinary meal.

My kids are going to have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as an early lunch. That's buttered toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks and jellybeans.

I really should go make the stuffing now. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

OOh, how do you make "citrus green beans with shallots and pine nuts ". That sounds wonderful. My kids tend to prefer them plain, which i won't discourage but, hey, I can make them for me!

Everyone sounds so happy about Thanksgiving! It's nice to read.

IHGS, I think we should send a film crew to your event! Incredible. Even more incredible that you can find 32 people to eat Vegan on the sacred day of American overindulgence!

Oh and I don't begrudge anyone their marshmallow cream or lard crusts. Personally though, I have found that excuses to overindulge are so numerous (every holiday, birthdays, anniversaries, Flag Day, parties, etc.) that I can undo a lot of hard work if I throw caution to the wind each time!

The green beans are really easy. I use the already cleaned in the bag haricots verts out of laziness but I'm sure any would work.

Blanch and shock the GB's ahead of time so they stay nice and bright green. You can do that just before, or even in advance and pop them back in the fridge.

Toast the pine nuts in advance and make some orange zest and squeeze some fresh orange juice. Not a lot, like a couple tablespoons maybe but of course it will depend on the size of the batch (e.g I'm doing BG for 15 instead of four the last time I made it).

Thinly slice some shallots and sautee them in olive oil. Maybe a couple of shallots for a pound of green beans something like that.

When the shallots start to get tender, add the beans, zest, , juice, some salt and pepper and sautee just till the beans are reheated.

Then dump them in the dish and put on the pine nuts.

You can do all that very last minute if you blanch and shock ahead of time, get the orange stuff ready and slice the shallots.

Easy, fast, festive and healthy!

Mtn- you make me laugh! Its not quite the feat as it sounds; My husbands side of the family is vegetarian. So not a huge leap to a vegan dinner. His sister married an omnivore and has adopted that lifestyle. Yet she still enjoys plant based meals. My own mother became a vegan later in life. My brother was probably the loudest opponent to a vegan dinner. in the beginning his wife would bring over ham laced green beans and turkey. But he's become more open and willing to try new things. He even brings vegan food now! I still find myself smirking when he grabs a second bowl of vegan potato soup or dinner as he once told me "hippie food tastes awful. Im not ruining my holiday". Of course I know a a few eat hamburgers while shopping Friday. Others call it their thanksgiving cleanse. Funny as its still over indulgent and features plenty of snacks and desserts, cookies, hot chocolate, mulled cider etc. And while one dessert is healthy the pecan sweet potato casserole the other pies use a crust of Oreos or flour and coconut oil. So not healthy but everyone enjoys themselves.

I'm with MTN can we have the citrus pine nut green bean recipe!

Red- ever try chickpea cutlets? Question is your tofu breading crunchy or crispy? If so how do you do that?

I've found that the best way to not overindulge on Thanksgiving is to be the host and make most of the food! When I'm cooking all day, I'm not as hungry by the time the big meal is ready, so it's easy to just have small portions of everything.

This year, my parents are hosting - there should be 18 of us. My cousin and aunt were supposed to be coming from Boston (first time I'd have seen my cousin in 20 years) but unfortunately, he's been battling HIV for years and isn't feeling well so couldn't make the trip. Instead, it it will be my immediate family, plus my niece's boyfriend.

We have a pretty traditional Thanksgiving. We will have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato casserole (I'm making - NO marshmallows, it has a pecan crumble topping), garlicky crumb coated broccolini (I'm making this - new recipe), asparagus (I'm also making but not sure yet what recipe I'm going to use), and cranberry sauce (both homemade and from the can). For dessert, my mom is making traditional pumpkin pie (my favorite) and chocolate pudding pie. We are making apple pie, pumpkin chiffon (dh's favorite, not so much mine) and my niece is making sweet potato pie.

Since there won't be a lot of leftovers from the turkey, etc, yesterday I bought a small turkey breast and will make mashed potatoes and stuffing on Friday so we can have our own "leftovers" for the weekend.

I always enjoy hearing about other family traditions. Here it will just be the four of us, with assorted guests arriving later in the evening for desserts. We'll have turkey on the grill (imparts a lovely smokey flavor); herbed bread stuffing; gravy; a fiery Yemeni cilantro-jalapeno-garlic-red chili sauce; party potatoes; orange-scented cranberry sauce; chipotle sweet potato gratin; sautéed Swiss chard with garlic; roasted brussels sprouts with carrots and bacon; sweet potato rolls; pumpkin pie; old fashioned gingerbread cake; and pumpkin creme brûlée. I make it all from scratch. I've been doing prep and shopping for days!

My hat's off to iheartgiantschnauzer -- what a challenge to cook vegan for so many people. I find the traditional thanksgiving meal pretty easy to fix (except for dessert) -- making all of those different vegan dishes would be so time consuming and such a large effort. Although you may be used to it, I just find the amount of prep required is just so heightened compared to roasting a turkey.

I'm hosting but people are signed up to bring stuff. Although I would like to exercise creativity, I am forced to stay very traditional. That means turkey, glazed ham, mash, gravy (with pan drippings enriched with roasted vegetables in the pan), sausage stuffing, homemade cranberry-orange relish, salad (mesclun, arugula and homemade vinaigrette), sweet potatoes, and a warm veggie. There will also be crudites, charcuterie, pumpkin pie, and cookies. I may try to supplement with some sage-butter butternut squash ravioli (there are some non turkey eaters) or some coconut cupcakes.

Since we've always lived away from family, I've always cooked. But I didn't want to be in the kitchen by myself all day so we thought it would be a great idea for everyone to learn how to make their favorite thing. My son (now 20) makes the pumpkin pie, my daughter used to "make corn". Now that she's 11, she's moved up to snicker salad. Last year my 15 year old son made a butterscotch pie, not sure what he's doing this year. Hubby says his contribution is slicing the turkey :). We all talk about what we're thankful for and after it gets dark, we all get in to the hot tub for a bit. Love having my family home and together :) Miss my Mom and Dad of course, and wish they were not gone, but I have my own family and I feel so blessed.

I want IHGS' Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, I live on the opposite coast as my family, but I've always tried to keep alive our traditions so it feels like a holiday even without family. It's been a struggle to not get down in the dumps. It's also just me to do all the cooking, so I've had to cut out a few traditional dishes.This year it will just be me and my DH as my step son, DIL and two grandkids just moved away from the area. Bleh!

My family is from New England and I think our Thanksgiving menu must be rooted in the old tradition. I've eaten the same menu for my almost 60 years. I usually make a turkey, but this year I bought a turkey breast and a package of wings to roast for stock and gravy. I make cranberry orange sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked yams, mashed rutabaga, and creamed onions. I can't find the small boiling onions on the west coast, so I use pearl onions. It's a lot of work peeling them, but creamed onions are a must!

My ex-husband's mother was a Southerner, so I learned about sweet potato pie from her. I have decided I prefer it over pumpkin pie, so I'll be making one and topping it with homemade whipped cream.

There is no snacking allowed ahead of time so we are ravenous when the turkey hits the table!

IHGS, your menu sounds delicious. I haven't made chickpea cutlets. I think my family would enjoy them though. If you have a recipe or link you want to share, I'd love to try it.

I think the coating on my tofu is fairly crispy. I drain my tofu block well and leave it wrapped in a towel for an hour or so. I cut the tofu into cutlet-like slabs and pat them dry. I whisk together milk and spicy brown mustard in a bowl (I've used soy milk too and it works well). In another bowl, I mix fine breadcrumbs with some panko, a little bit of flour or Bisquick, salt, pepper, and spices. I dredge the tofu pieces through the milk mixture and then coat evenly with the breadcrumbs mixture. I place them on a baking sheet that has been heavily sprayed with canola oil cooking spray. When they're all on the tray, I lightly spray the tops too. I bake them at 375 for 7-10 minutes and then carefully flip them. I respray the top and bake another 7-10 minutes.

i love thanksgiving and the aromas of thanksgiving!!!

i am roasting a turkey/gravy with traditional bread stuffing-i have an assortment of breads too- (called it dressing growing up-guess that's regional?!), mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole- (can't decide whether to chunk the potatoes or mash them!), creamed pearl onions, carrots and parsnips, steamed broccoli, and homemade cranberries.

already made the pies- apple, pecan, and pumpkin chiffon ( we love it too annie- make ours with the gingersnap crust- yum!) also made pumpkin cranberry chocolate chip bread.

it's even more exciting and fun to cook now that i have kids coming home from school!!! (they really appreciate home cooking now! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

my FAVORITE holiday!

My pumpkin pies are in the oven....the aroma is heavenly !

Tomorrow will be the coldest Thanksgiving here (Central FL) in 30 years! We have wood ready for the fireplace. can't wait for the family to get here! Small crowd, 14. The table is set.

Traditional menu.

ML

I have a gluten sensitivity so my favorite holiday as a kid has had to change a little. On our menu is:

Whole Free Range Turkey
Gluten Free Sage Stuffing (with Bacon)
Gluten Free Gravy
Mashed Garlic Potatoes
Some sort of Veggies
Deviled Eggs

Gluten Free Pumpkin Loaf
Gluten Free Cherry Cobbler.

Have a happy thanks giving everyone.

This post was edited by cblanco75 on Wed, Nov 27, 13 at 14:47

patty0315 - I grew up having Peas & Onions for Thanksgiving and Christmas. DH and I love the pea tradition, but the kids, not so much. A friends of mine gave me the layer salad recipe years ago when we lived in Beaufort, SC. I made it a few times in the summer. One recent year, my daughter asked if we could have the salad for Thanksgiving. I mentioned that we already had green peas as a side dish, but we could have the salad instead. It's worked out great! Along with the water chestnuts, there is celery and scallions.

lucas tx - We never had deviled eggs for the holidays. That's an Easter tradition, but my SIL's family likes them. His mother is making those. I grew up having tiny pickles and black olives. I have dropped those from the menu.

I love reading about all the traditions! Overwhelmed reading about some of you that are serving so many.

Guess what I have been doing the last few hours?

I made the cornbread dressing. that's all ready to be put in the oven tomorrow. I made the layered salad - minus the bacon topping. The salad taste better when it's a day old. But the most amazing thing that I did is to roast the turkey a day ahead! I got the idea from a TV chef. See link. So smart and this will free up the oven and the mess tomorrow.

Watch the video. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Here is a link that might be useful: How to carve the turkey

Busybee, I was never a big fan of the pumpkin chiffon, but I think it's because dh has always made it with a graham cracker crust, even though the recipe is for a gingersnap crust. The graham cracker crust has always been a bit soggy, which is what I didn't like about it. This year though, I bought ginger snaps so dh is making the crust with those - I think I'll like it much better that way!

I just finished the sweet potatoe casserole (I mashed them but I cook the potatoes in the oven first, so they are already a mostly mushy consistency and I just mash whatever chunky pieces there are). I still have to do the broccolini and figure out what I'm going to do with the asparagus. I have a recipe that has them served at room temperature, which I've made several times for summer picnics. I may do that just so there is one less thing vying for oven space, but I'm going to see if I can find any other recipe I feel like trying. Any suggestions, anyone?

lucas_txThanks for the recipe for citrus green beans with shallots and pine nuts? I've been having trouble deciding on a green vegetable for the meal and that sounds delicious.I've added it to our menu.

We will have 18 or there about for dinner. Some are coming early to help and or play with the grandkids.

Our menu is different this year because we will be celebrating Hannukah along with Thanksgiving.

We are planning on having latkahs as an appetizer - traditional potato ones and a guest is bringing sweet potato pear ones. I'm making cranberry applesauce to have with them for another Thanksgiving twist. We keep kosher so we can't have dairy at the meal with the turkey and having them ahead of time allows us to have sour cream with them.

I'm also making a bourbon sweet potato kugel for lunch.

Some of the family are vegetarian. The last few years, I've made a vegetable biryani (from Olive Trees and Honey) which can be a main for the veggie crew and a side for the rest. I was thinking of doing something else this year, but apparently it has become a family tradition - my DIL's sister (who isn't vegetarian) asked if we would be having it and offered to make it. (It was a traditional Sukkot meal for Indian Jews and since Thanksgiving is modeled on Sukkot, seems appropriate.) It has a layer of rice with tumeric, then a vegetable layer with chickpeas and a final layer of the rice mixed with raisins and cashews.

There will be turkey for the omnivores - I love dark meat. This year, the stuffing will be apple-challah. Apparently, I'm in the minority here preferring stuffing cooked in the bird, but some will also be cooked outside the bird for the vegetarians with fresh apple juice to moisten it. Also mashed potatoes with horseradish and chives.

DH will make challah rolls.

My vegetarian DIL may also make vegetarian pot pie for the vegetarians.

My other DIL is making pumpkin and apple pie and another guest is making a chocolate cake.

newhomebuilder- I have a Pea and Onion side dish I make if we do not have the layered pea salad. Saute onions, celery, and 2 cans of mushrooms drained (save the mushroom liquid) in butter. Add cooked baby peas. Mix about 1/4 of the mushroom liquid you saved when draining the cans with a little flour to thicken the peas and veggies a little. This can all be put in a casserole with a crumb topping and heated in the oven until topping is browned. Sometimes I skip the crumbs and oven and just serve it as a veggie from the sauté pan.

We have a very traditional Thanksgiving meal: a relish tray, roasted nuts, crudites, roast turkey w/ stuffing (both in and out of the bird--can never have enough stuffing), orange-glazed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas and pearl onions, butternut squash, home-made cranberry sauce (DH's specialty), white rolls, wheat rolls, homemade pumpkin and apple pies (DD2 will be making them this year), ice cream, whipped cream and coffee. We have movie tickets for an evening showing of The Hunger Games.

This is only the second Thanksgiving without extended family. My beloved father passed away last year and my MIL is unable to make the 1+ hour drive. Typically we have boyfriends, the girls' college roomies/friends who are too far from home to travel and/or our in-town friends.

Our youngest DD has already arrived (and has gone out for the evening with her townie friends-a traditon in our small town) and the other two will be here mid-day tomorrow.

Both DH and I are thankful that our children are nearby and able to be here for a couple of days. After, we will head to the Cape for some R&R and will probably roast another turkey-just because!

I worked all day and have not done a single thing to prepare yet...better get going!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are 2 key things to know about our Thanksgiving dinner here in the South:
1) No experimenting allowed.
2) No "light", "low calorie", "fat free" or "diet" items allowed.

Menu:
Turkey and dressing (we've never called it "stuffing")
Gibblet Gravy (made from the drippings)
Glazed Ham
Fried Chicken (usually legs for the little kids)
Potatoe Salad (When my mother was alive, people would stop by her house with a empty bowl just to get some. It's that good.)
Mustard Greens and cornbread
Fresh Green Beans
Special Salads: Pea Salad, Squash Medley (If my brother can find some.)

Drinks: Iced Tea +

Desserts:
Pecan Pies
Sweet Potatoe Pies
Cream Cheese Pound Cake (1 w/icing and 1 w/out)
Blue Bell Ice Cream (No other brand allowed.)
Butter Cake w/chocolate icing
Apple Pie

Appetizers:

Deviled Eggs
Mixed Nuts
Assorted Chocolates

Our Thanksgiving is in early October but we're having a really early Christmas dinner on Sunday. Not everyone can be here for Christmas but at least we'll all be together on Sunday. Our menu will be barbecued bone-in ham with chutney, barbecued chicken, mashed potatoes with goat cheese and sour cream, roasted vegies with brussel sprouts, carrots and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, quinoa salad and spinach salad.

I'm also doing vegies and dip, my niece is bringing caramelized onions with brie cheese and my brother is bringing nachos which he brings regardless of the occasion or time of year. There is no dessert because we do a cookie contest and that is the dessert.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Drive carefully and be safe.

Our Thanksgiving dinners are always typically Southern and we never worry about calories on this day. Turkey (some 'fight' over the turkey legs, lol), southern-style cornbread dressing, rich turkey gravy, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes too for the kids, haricots verts because the kids and grandkids like them, broccoli salad, corn casserole with bacon, cranberry-orange relish (made it last night), deviled eggs, homemade apple pie, and another dessert to be provided by my DIL. I'll also have crudités - mostly raw veggies because all the grands like them. And of course plenty of tea and coffee. No big pumpkin fans here, so we usually don't do a pumpkin pie but I have occasionally baked one. One of us often has a surprise dessert or new vegetable dish to add to the mix but we keep it almost the same every year because that's what everyone wants. DD may have to work part of the day (nurse), and she may bring another nurse who has a DH in Afghanistan and her young son. The son is about the age of our youngest grandsons, so will be no problem. With the 2 of them, we're talking 16. We'll have plenty.

The food you all are serving sounds wonderful. I can't wait! Safe travels to those of you on the road. Bless you all, and Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a small TG dinner--just DH, MIL, and me. This year we ordered a BBQ smoked turkey from a restaurant. If it tastes anywhere as good as it smells, it will be fabulous. I do have to reheat it.

We had a little kitty who loved TG. It was his favorite day of the year. He passed away in March, so I didn't want to have to cook a turkey without him this first year. That's why we ordered the BBQ.

I am going to try oyster stuffing/dressing since I don't have giblets to make my normal stuffing. I'm using the Pioneer Woman recipe.

fourkids- you have to let us know what you think! i like the extra spice that the gingersnaps add- unfortunately, it will also get soggy if made ahead of time just like most pies will- crust of all types are best fresh! i like the chiffon because it is lighter and less 'strong', though i have found over the years that what i object to most in some pumpkin pies is the heavy cloves flavor- i prefer just cinnamon and ginger!!!

patty0315 - Thank you for the recipe. That sounds good enough to have any day of the week.

I am pooped! Turkey done and carved...and so moist. Pies are made and cooling. My mothers ice tea punch is fixed. I ended up making one pie for my daughter, and assisting with the other pie AND the sweet potatoes. So much for having others help. LOL I am going to bed in a bit.

Another southerner who makes traditional Thanksgiving foods, although I don't make cornbread dressing- I make it with bread, sausage, pecans, chestnuts, dried cherries, onions, celery and I would add oysters if everyone wouldn't have a fit.
Long day cooking today for a small family of 4!

I am getting so hungry reading all this! Stuffing with dried cherries, yumm! Apple challah stuffing, oh my! Pear sweet potato latkes!

Someone above asked about asparagus recipes. We just went out to dinner tonight and we shared an appetizer of asparagus wrapped in goat cheese and proscuitto, drizzled with aged balsamic. It was so good. Might be discordant with turkey but it sounds like a lot of people go buffet style and meld flavors.

I also make asparagus parm. Blanche the stalks in water. Saute some shallots, add white wine and reduce. Lay them flat in a casserole. Pour the wine and shallots over. Grate nice strips of best quality parm. Broil until bubbly.

I also like it marinated in balsamic vinaigrette and grilled.

Lastly, you could go decadent and do a Hollandaise.

We made a triple batch of pumpkin waffles tonight. My kids love them, and with all of the spices and pumpkin flavor it is easy to make them whole wheat and throw in flax, etc. Yum.

NHB-What no black olives and sweet midgets to swipe before the meal? What will the little ones do? ;-)

I think it's possible that deviled eggs are the pre-meal snack of choice for any and all occasions in this part of the world, just had them at a funeral last week. One size fits all!

Cloud-hope the green beans go over well!

Happy Turkey Day all. Lots done today but lots more to do tomorrow!

Newhomebuilder, I hear you. I AM EXHAUSTED!!!

We're hosting (which I do love) but of course that entails cleaning too.... There will be seven of us this year but it doesn't matter whether it's 7 or 20; I'll cook the same amount. However... my boss is coming so the pressure's on :)

(Starting with the desserts, of course!).
Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie, which will be served with freshly whipped cream. I am filling and baking these this morning.

Chocolate cake with mocha frosting (which has slid). I may have to apply a second layer of frosting.....

I try to prepare as much as possible with index cards and premeasuring ingredients when possible:

A side note - this year I'm using the pie crust recipe from Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything' cookbook; love it and will continue to use. Anyway, precooked crusts; had to make two batches because one shrank - curses! - but happy ending - I used the shrunken crust to house one of my favorite Julia Child's gratins 'Rapee Morvandelle' (Gratin of Shredded Potatoes with Ham and Eggs and Onions - so simply by pouring into a shell, made it into a quiche) for dinner tonight- quick, easy, beautiful - meant to take a picture but forgot. Truly - it was so good, that I hopefully will remember to bring this as an appetizer over the holidays, perhaps sliced in 1" squares with toothpicks. (That good and easy to prepare!). Here is what was left:

Moving on...

Prime Rib Roast with Merlot Gravy
(From Epicurious website). This is a repeat from last year's XMAS (which is very unusual for me). Usually, I experiment without worries.... Fabulous recipe, amazingly good. The Yorkshire puddings were not the best so instead of trying other recipes (I meant to...) I've moved on to other vehicles for the AMAZING gravy yielded from the recipe.

Such as:
Sage Dressing Muffins (think home made stuffing, piled high in a ramekin, baked and presented individually).

Mashed potatoes

Potato and Carrot Casserole (another Junior League recipe), layered with swiss cheese and cream.

Holiday Sweet Potatoes from the Junior League 'Southern Sideboards' cookbook.

St, Anthony's Hotel Spinach Pudding, from the Junior League Centennial cookbook. (Have meant to try for years).

One Hour Rolls - Southern Sideboards. Never made these before, hope they turn out well!

Above all (this was drilled in to me throughout my youth!) I would like everyone to sit down to a hot dinner. So... the gravy boat needs to be filled with hot water prior to the gravy being poured into it.... As much as possible is on hot plates...and when I call dinnertime, I mean it!

Happy Thanksgiving all! I am hugely grateful for my 'GW Friends'.

Wishing a very happy thanksgiving to all my GW friends.

I'm very excited about TG this year. I had an accident back in August, not life threatening but accident resulted in a broken arm and I needed surgery to repair a broken ankle. Since I'm still recovering (but in pretty good shape, all in all), my wonderful sister did the grocery shopping and I'll go to her house to cook my offerings.

I'm making sweet potato souffle, corn pudding, and pumpkin pie pudding. Sister is roasting a traditional turkey and a truffle butter turkey (Barefoot Contessa recipe), a ham, and roasted root veggies. I think she's handling the dressing (I suck at dressing). Our 86-year-old aunt brings a cranberry molded salad and seven-layer salad. Sister-in-law usually bakes so probably a pie or two and usually a torte or tart of some kind (she's English and has lived in the U.S. for about 10 years so TG is relatively new for her).

I think we're close to 20 people this year. So happy to be spending the day with everyone.

This year we're going to my father and stepmother's. When I host I generally serve:

Spiced nuts
Cheese straws

Turkey
Sausage and Leek Stuffing/Dressing
Squash Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping
Field Peas
Fresh Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
Corn Soufflé
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Homemade cranberry sauce
Assorted breads
Cranberry butter
Plain butter

Sparkling and still water
Iced tea
Wine and Champagne

Some sort of pecan pie
Some sort of apple pie
Some sort of cake
Pumpkin bars

My stepmother's dinner will be pretty similar. I'm cooking a turkey for us so we'll have leftovers, and I'm taking mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing/stuffing, and a praline pie to my father's house.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope everyone's day is full of peace, love and safe travels.
I'm just cooking for the 5 of us plus DS's girlfriend will stop by. We will have a simple meal, roast turkey with stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and rolls with butter. There will be a nice green salad and of course pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Oh and of course there will be some wine! Enjoy the day!

Although I'm only cooking for 6 people this year (my folks came out from NJ for the week....) It's still a lot of work - 6 or 60 - but in a good way.

Thanksgiving is an all day eating affair. Baked French Toast with praline topping.... fresh berries on the side and Fresh squeezed OJ.

Dinner will be served around 4pm-ish - so everyone always looks for something to eat around 12 or 1pm. I have some yummy appetizers planned

- baked brie en croute with sliced almonds and a fig jam
- charcuterie plate
... and my boys always request the infamous spinach dip in the pumpernickel bread (I must confess I love this too)
- sliced apples and big globe grapes

Dinner is pretty much the same each year - I only really change out the desserts...

Dinner will consist of:
~ Fresh Hoka Turkey (from northern Illinois) brined Alton Brown Style

~ Homemade stuffing - sausage, pecans, apples and dried cherries

~ Sweet potato casserole (another request from the boys)

~ haricot vert with caramelized onions and smashed garlic

~ mashed potatoes - made with a dollop of sour cream

~ sautéed mushrooms with fresh thyme and white wine to finish

~ two cranberry sauces - whole berry & relish with orange rind

~ gerkins

~ homemade gravy from the drippings

To stuff or not to stuff the turkey -- Jury is out on this for me - I've done both and never had a problem with the bird cooking unevenly - but America's Test Kitchen says to do the stuffing separately. They are most concerned with the bird cooking properly... so I'll probably go that route.

We made this amazing pie yesterday - My mom makes the best crust in the world and showed my son how to make it. (that was the best part!)

It's called "Apple Caramel Blondie Pie" from Southern Living... Man, it looks so good! Can't wait to dig in. We'll also make a quick pumpkin pie - and I'm tempted to use ramekins.

Last year we had Thanksgiving in NJ with my brothers and their families -- My sister in law covers her Turkey with bacon... never heard of that before; it was definitely good, but I think our meal has enough butter, cream and pork.

I did lots of prep yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to enjoy a scrabble game with my husband and the boys between apps and dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

holly-kay - The stewed dried sweet corn sounds so good. I've never seen the dried sweet corn in Texas though. I may have to try ordering it.

joanie38 - What is snicker salad?

Happy Thanksgiving All! :)

Just we two souls here and two soulful cats .... and our turkey is in the oven -- stuffed with apples, carrots, celery, onion and fresh herbs from the garden and lots of cider in the pan ... and later on ... dressing made on the side, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, peas .... and a baked apple with maple syrup and covered with cream for dessert.

Do listen to Public Radio Right Now -- Turkey Confidential (the gal from the wonderful Splendid Table show))

Thankful for This Wonderful, Talented Group! :)

msrose - more of a dessert really. My son got into the snickers so we won't be making it. I'll have to do a better job of hiding them next time. It is 1 pack instant butterscotch pudding, and 1 cup milk mixed together. then add 1 carton cool whip, 6 chopped snickers or bag of them chopped, and 3 chopped apples. I know, so unhealthy (except for the apples) but it really is good.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We're going to the BIL/SIL's house, so no turkey cooking here. I'm the dessert person, so I made a pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie. Safe travels to all and wishing you a wonderful day.

I have to follow up that the BBQ smoked turkey was amazing! I highly recommend it if you have a BBQ restaurant nearby. The oyster stuffing turned out great, too. Linens are washing, then the DW will run. DH and MIL have to work tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Sorry to revive the now dated thread but just wanted to say thanks for the citrus bean and crispy tofu recipes. Red many people love the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon:
http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/
The recipe is easily adaptable to spices that ones family prefer. A little high in fat for my taste but it can make a nice entree for a Sunday dinner or holiday...

IHGS - Have you tried the chickpea cutlets? I like the idea....

Busybee, the gingersnap crust was sooooo much better! It wasn't soggy at all. While I still prefer the thicker custard-like regular pie pumpkin pie versus the chiffon-type of filling, the pumpkin chiffon with the gingersnap crust was definitely good.

When discussing desserts with my mother, she said my niece was bringing a sweet potato pie, and my mom would make the regular pumpkin and this chocolate pie my kids love. I told her we'd do the pumpkin chiffon and also an apple pie. She thought that was too many pies for 17 people, but I knew that everyone would want some leftovers. Dh's apple pie was so good that not a morsel was left by the end of the night and only about 1/4 at most of each of the other pies so very few leftovers! I didn't even get a second piece of pie tonight. I think I'm going to have to make a second apple pie this weekend since I only had a tiny sliver last night b/c I was afraid I wouldn't get any (and I almost didn't - i took a tiny sliver right b/f my nieces and their boyfriends came in and finished it off).

So I think from now on dh will make the pumpkin chiffon with the gingersnap crust - I'm not sure why in the past he used a graham cracker crust since it calls for a gingersnap crust. Definitely way better with gingersnaps!

Hope everyone enjoyed their meals and the company of family and/or friends.

I started cooking Tuesday, did more on Wednesday, and finished everything by lunchtime Thursday.
I felt that I had finally worked out the kinks (I've only been hosting for a few years), and it was truly a great meal.

My FIL said it was the best turkey he had ever eaten.

Then, before he had taken one bite of our delicious meal, my DH left the table in mid-sentence.
After about five minutes, I noticed that my SIL was gone.
Unfortunately, it was The Attack Of The Horrible Stomach Virus.
My DS was next to go down; it hit him this morning.
The rest of us are tiptoeing around with our fingers crossed hoping we aren't next.

Somehow, it was still a great time. DH and SIL are completely better and were able to enjoy the leftovers.

Bad things have happened this year, and we know they will continue to happen -deaths in our families, serious health issues, job problems, relationships have ended, etc.- and we're thankful that we've been able to deal with the hard stuff as it comes without us coming apart.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Old-sorry I didn't make that clear. Yes I've had them.several times. when they are made thin (crispy on outside and chewy interior), they are delicious. I have had the unpleasant experience at a friend's house where they were made too thick (maybe with homemade breadcrumbs?) And were dense soggy and only crispy at the edges--- those were not so tasty. But the other 10 or so times I've eaten the cutlets at friends or made them myself, they were delicious.

Im late to the party. We had 20 for thanksgiving dinner. I bought my turkey from a farm in Princeton, NJ. I stuffed it with an apple cranberry sausage stuffing with fresh rosemary and sage. I also injected my turkey with butter and white wine then glazed it with a maple bourbon glaze. It was moist and delicious. I made pioneer woman's creamy mashed potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash with leeks and a balsamic glaze. We had an apple cider sangria as our signature drink. It was a great day and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Polly, I want to try pioneer woman's creamy mashed potatoes next year I followed all her ingredients except the cream cheese because it was too late to get that. I never hand mashed ten pounds of potatoes but I can tell you it was quite a work out. Did you make them ahead like she said you can? I would love to know if you did. The rest of your menu sounds wonderful. I love Thanksgiving!

I saw Pioneer Woman's mashed potato recipe in the paper last week and immediately recognized it as my brothers recipe. It's wonderful! He has been making it for many years and for a long time, would not tell us the secret ingredient - cream cheese. We were suppose to have them this year, but my son-in-laws mother wanted to make her potato casserole topped with cheese. It was good, too!

We didn't make them ahead of time. My husband followed the recipe. I was skeptical the first year I used the cream cheese, but I can't imagine them any other way now. Two years ago I did make them ahead of time and I popped them in my crockpot. They were great.

Thanks for the info Polly and new home. I used my crock pot to keep them warm too Polly. I think I may try the real recipe including the cream cheese for Christmas.

I've started to believe that if I didn't cook anything but Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls no one would notice. So since rolls are a major part of the equation, I decided to do them from scratch this year for the first time.

I used the rich refrigerator rolls recipe from Red Star yeast, got them mixed up Wednesday and left in the garage overnight (luckily is was plenty cold here). Did a double batch and they almost overfilled the giant bowl I had them in. Here they are after being punched down and shaped, ready to rise.

They received high praise indeed from an eight year old attendee who took one bite and nearly jumped out of his chair. "Mom, these are better than Chicken Express!"

Here's what was left over.

(If you are not familiar with them, Chicken E, as it's known is a fried chicken chain that does make a pretty tasty roll).

The little one's mom, who is DH's niece told me, "Great, thanks. Up till now he never knew you could get rolls like that at home. Now he's going to want me to make them." She's not what you call interested in cooking but I guess I'll have to convince her to try. I'm pretty sure she could do this if she tried. :-)