Holiday Menus and Recipes 2015

[wawa]

IT'S THAT TIME.  Bookmark it and add your stuff as you come up with it!

Yes, yes it's early, but it's later than we've started this thread before!!  I know I'm not the only one who's started thinking about holiday menus.  Who's making good shit?

Anybody have Halloween party menus to tide me over till turkey time?

Last year: pandce.proboards.com/thread/374482/2014-holiday-food-recipes-thread
Year before: pandce.proboards.com/thread/232331/holiday-menus-recipes-2013


msmerymac you make the pumpkin stuffed with everything good, right?  Have you ever attempted to make it vegan?  My sister went vegan this year.  The pumpkin was our veggie main dish (SIL is a veggie) the last couple of years.   Trying to figure out if I can still make that work or if we need a new non-turkey star.

[2curlydogs]

I'm liking my post from last year. LOL

[msmerymac]

I have not made it vegan, because the heavy cream and the cheese (I use the 1/2 gruyere, 1/2 swiss shredded cheese from Trader Joes) is just so darn good.

But if you were to go vegan, I think I'd suggest chestnuts (again, from Trader Joes - so good and they come roasted and peeled), the bread, herbs, onion, garlic, and either veggie broth or plain, unsweetened almond milk. If you're cool with veggie sausage, throw some of that in there, too. I've used chopped up tofurkey or field roast sausage, but I think the ground kind made of soy protein would work, too.

My MIL makes a lot of good vegetarian dishes for Thanksgiving each year, but most are decadently stuffed with butter, cheese or eggs. Think cheese souffle, butternut squash soup, other kinds of roasted root vegetables. I've seen this recipe floating around facebook recently that uses cashew milk in butternut squash soup: sodeliciousdairyfree.com/recipes/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-served-with-dairy-free-crme-fr

[ESF]

wawa - this is a good vegan holiday dish:

www.101cookbooks.com/archives/baked-sweet-potato-falafel-recipe.html

You could make whatever sauce you wanted for them, and serve them up like croquets with gravy.

When I make them, I make a tahini sauce for them (dump tahini in a bowl, keep adding pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and salt until it tastes good). Well, except I can't do that anymore since that was the sauce that made me realize that pomegranates make my mouth break out in hives.


If anyone has good Thanksgiving for two ideas, I will take them. H and I have had a crazy year, and we decided for Thanksgiving to escape and rent a cabin near the ocean for four nights. We'll still cook, but probably just a small turkey breast and a couple simple sides.

[2curlydogs]

Anyway, I'm hoping to get my brain around the kids birthday menu soon. It's the week before Thanksgiving, so turkey won't happen. But maybe something "fall-ish".

ETA: My current thinking is Mac n Cheese for the kids and Zinfandel-Braised Short Ribs for the adults as the mains. 

[mbcdefg]

Porter-braised short ribs with maple-rosemary glaze: www.cookstr.com/recipes/short-ribs-braised-in-porter-ale-with-maple-rosemary-glaze 

[orriskitten]

ESF for a thanksgiving for two, have you considered doing Cornish hens? DH and I used to love that. This way you get the full effect, just in miniature

I'm going to enjoy this thread. I like getting creative and have to get extra creative with limited options. I'm already daydreaming about my menu.

[meshaliuknits]

I'm making pumpkin donut holes tonight.

[omgzombies]

I'm allergic to cranberries, but I got rave reviews on this last year, and it made the house smell awesome.

Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce:

www.averiecooks.com/2013/11/cabernet-cranberry-and-blueberry-sauce.html

[darnkatz]

wawa, these lentil mushroom walnut balls with cranberry pear sauce are delicious and vegan. This glazed lentil walnut apple loaf and this roasted butternut squash with kale and almond pecan parmesan are both good too.

[Cicero]

Oct 12, 2015 15:42:32 GMT -5 omgzombies said:

I'm allergic to cranberries, but I got rave reviews on this last year, and it made the house smell awesome.

Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce:

www.averiecooks.com/2013/11/cabernet-cranberry-and-blueberry-sauce.html

That looks amazing and will be on my table this Thanksgiving.

[kittycatlove]

I'm posting here to find the thread later.

I always host Thanksgiving, but it's going to be my first year hosting Christmas for DH's family so I need some ideas.

[secretlyevil]

Oct 12, 2015 15:36:46 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I'm making pumpkin donut holes tonight.

::wipes drool::

[secretlyevil]

Oct 12, 2015 15:42:32 GMT -5 omgzombies said:

I'm allergic to cranberries, but I got rave reviews on this last year, and it made the house smell awesome.

Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce:

www.averiecooks.com/2013/11/cabernet-cranberry-and-blueberry-sauce.html

[gbr]

Pinned!

[darnkatz]

I think this butternut squash mac&cheese will make it on there this year. It's fucking delicious. Also, bacon. I use smoked mozzarella because gruyere tastes like dirty feet smell.

[Deleted]

Hold up! Let me find my vegan loaf. I have to make 2 because the meat eaters need their own now. It's a family tradition.

Found it! blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-meatless-loaf.html

[Vespasia]

Oct 12, 2015 15:42:32 GMT -5 omgzombies said:

I'm allergic to cranberries, but I got rave reviews on this last year, and it made the house smell awesome.

Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce:

www.averiecooks.com/2013/11/cabernet-cranberry-and-blueberry-sauce.html

Yes!!!!! I made this too and it was amazing.

[Vespasia]

Potato side recommendations:

These are the closest I have found to a local restaurant's version that MH goes crazy over:
thefoodcharlatan.com/2014/02/28/gruyere-crisped-potatoes-au-gratin/

Decadent make ahead goodness:
www.thekitchn.com/recipe-makeahead-mashed-potato-casserole-recipes-from-the-kitchn-212438

[redheadbaker]

Oct 12, 2015 14:44:30 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

I'm liking my post from last year. LOL

Dude, I got yelled at for starting this thread before Halloween last year!

[mbcdefg]

My mom eats *nothing*, but she loves it when I put a piece of Brie on puff pastry, spoon some preserves on top (apricot is fine, or raspberry), maybe throw some toasted almonds on as well, wrap it up, and bake it. 

[sushi]

I don't know where I'll be and whether I'll be with H. We still don't know what's happening with him in 2 months, and therefore I'm not making any plans

I love holiday food

[sushi]

I had something similar to this last night and loved it. It could probably be made vegan, although I don't cook vegan enough to recommend how to make it creamy without the parm

www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pumpkin-risotto

[StrawberryBlondie]

I really want to work in brussel sprouts but I think everyone will think I'm crazy.

[redheadbaker]

I don't know if I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. I told FI to ask his family, since we didn't see them at all during the holidays last year. If they say no, I doubt my parents will drive into the city for Thanksgiving.

If we end up doing dinner at my parents', I'm doing a little "post" Thanksgiving for just us three. I like spending time with my family, but I need to have good turkey.

[2curlydogs]

Oct 16, 2015 15:43:55 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Oct 12, 2015 14:44:30 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

I'm liking my post from last year. LOL

Dude, I got yelled at for starting this thread before Halloween last year!

That was the post I liked! LOL

[omgzombies]

Oct 16, 2015 15:48:09 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

My mom eats *nothing*, but she loves it when I put a piece of Brie on puff pastry, spoon some preserves on top (apricot is fine, or raspberry), maybe throw some toasted almonds on as well, wrap it up, and bake it. 

If you have Safeway grocery stores by you, they have a freezer appetizer that is Brie and Chipotle Raspberry in a puff pastry that you toss in the oven.  It's Safeway's own brand so it's the only place you can find them, but they are yummy.

[EnchantedSoul]

I missed this thread. I love the holidays and there's only 10 weeks til Christmas! I'll be all up in here

[redheadbaker]

Oct 16, 2015 16:08:47 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I really want to work in brussel sprouts but I think everyone will think I'm crazy.

I made these last year, and while I don't eat brussel sprouts, those that did said they were amazing: www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/11/15/pan-roasted-brussels-sprouts-bacon-apples-2/

[Vespasia]

Oct 16, 2015 16:08:47 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I really want to work in brussel sprouts but I think everyone will think I'm crazy.

I made this last Thanksgiving and loved it!

www.thekitchn.com/recipe-smoky-lemony-sauted-shredded-brussels-sprouts-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196909

[orriskitten]

I got a book for DD about thanksgiving and they are rolling out dough for a pie. She now wants to make a pie with me.

Help me out with some recipes? I suck at baking and finding pre made crusts here is hit or miss.