Annual Holiday Food Thread (will likely have some @ content)

[redheadbaker]

We're not hosting anyone this year. I ordered a small turkey, will freeze a lot of the leftovers. Plus I'll make gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and creamed spinach. And rolls. H wants canned cranberry sauce. 

It's the anniversary of our legal wedding, so I'll probably make a small chocolate peanut butter cheesecake instead of a tradtional Thanksgiving dessert. 

Oh, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 

[VillainV]

Were having houseguests…..total we’ll be 5 adults, two teens (might as well be adults), and one child.

I ordered the Thanksgiving meal from HelloFresh that is supposed to feed 8-10 people. It’s a 14-pound Turkey, four sides (broccoli casserole, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce) and apple crumble, and a charcuterie board. The whole thing was like $225, which is probably less than I would have paid in ingredients. Plus it means I’ll still get to cook, but it’s a LOT less planning and organizing. I’ll add maybe one more side and a few more desserts. And a ham, because MIL likes to have a ham, and it will be good for leftovers.

[macmars45]

My mom informed me my aunt is hosting a TDay meal on Black Friday this year. Because they're local we'll make an appearance. It'll be loud (extended family are loud talkers) & crowded (smaller space) so we probably won't stay very long.

For the past two TDays H has made his homemade pizza and I make grasshopper pie. I like our tradition. Hopefully H still wants to do that.

[sadie]

We are staying home for the holidays. MIL may or may not come out; this is the first holiday without FIL and what would have been their 49th anniversary.

I'm torn between going all out cooking for us 4, picking up an entire meal from a local bbq joint or somewhere in between.

[bronxgirl]

We're staying home for Thanksgiving and dinner will be just the three of us. I'm ordering the meal from Whole Foods. We're getting turkey breast, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, and orange cranberry sauce. I'll also pick up some dinner rolls and dessert from a bakery. We've had this same meal the last two years and it's always been good.

[pinkdutchtulips]

We're going somewhere so I'll be making batch pumpkin pies w my mom's recipe - one for work potluck, one for Thanksgiving proper, and one for R and I to munch on over the weekend. 

[msmerymac]

@@@

Just the two of us and a newborn in a rental house. I think we’d like to cook rather than ordering something pre-made. Thinking about doing Cornish hens though.

[RoxMonster]

It's just H and me this year. My grandma doesn't travel and since my grandpa died this year, my parents want to stay with her, which I am totally cool with. We can't go up there because our dog is old and arthritic and doesn't travel anymore either.

We're delivering meals to families in the community on Thanksgiving morning for a few hours, so we decided to cater the meal this year (for the most part) so we can just pick it up hot when we're done delivering and eat. It's a whole turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, stuffing, and rolls. H will make a corn casserole we like the day before as well. And I'll order a pumpkin pie from someplace. It'll be way too much food for two people but I like eating leftovers that entire weekend.

[carmenere]

We're hosting Thanksgiving for the first time and H is stressed about it. I insist on making stuffing from my Grandma's recipe, which is always a crap shoot because there are no measurements. Grandma just knows it by heart and eyeballs the ingredients and then bakes it "until it looks right."

We're having turkey, TJ's turkeyless roast, mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole made from scratch (even the fried onion topping) because my H is too fancy to serve anything that came from a can.

[circa1978]

carmenere, tell your H not to stress! Most holiday food is actually really forgiving, and many things can be made ahead. I'd rather make one holiday meal for 20+ people than cook every night for a month.

And if that doesn't help, tell him about my first-ever Thanksgiving 15 years ago, when I'd been married exactly one month. I accidentally put Corningware on a hot induction burner while taking things out of the oven and the casserole dish holding our stuffing exploded SUPER dramatically all over the kitchen and into the dining room, ruining basically the entire dinner. My lovely FIL ran into the kitchen and just held me as I burst into tears, leading to my MIL's annual saying, "It's not a holiday unless someone cries."

[taratru]

We have to go to school the day after (booooo). But we are planning a big dinner with some other Americans, and it should be really fun! I'm still making some of redheadbaker recipes from over the years. 😊

[mcppalmbeach]

Nov 5, 2022 21:08:33 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

carmenere, tell your H not to stress! Most holiday food is actually really forgiving, and many things can be made ahead. I'd rather make one holiday meal for 20+ people than cook every night for a month.

And if that doesn't help, tell him about my first-ever Thanksgiving 15 years ago, when I'd been married exactly one month. I accidentally put Corningware on a hot induction burner while taking things out of the oven and the casserole dish holding our stuffing exploded SUPER dramatically all over the kitchen and into the dining room, ruining basically the entire dinner. My lovely FIL ran into the kitchen and just held me as I burst into tears, leading to my MIL's annual saying, "It's not a holiday unless someone cries."

Your ils sound like the best kind of people ❤️

[SusanBAnthony]

We are vegetarians and IMO most thanksgiving side dishes are gross, so we started picking up takeout the day before. Usually sushi.

But now we go to the in laws every year and changed our tradition to making an epic jello creation of some kind (either a "salad" or a mold) and eating the traditional side dishes SIL makes.

So if anyone has an amazing jello suggestion let me know. Two years ago I did a rainbow layered jello mold and last year I did a pistachio pineapple type of fluff.

[mcppalmbeach]

Nov 6, 2022 7:59:15 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

We are vegetarians and IMO most thanksgiving side dishes are gross, so we started picking up takeout the day before. Usually sushi.

But now we go to the in laws every year and changed our tradition to making an epic jello creation of some kind (either a "salad" or a mold) and eating the traditional side dishes SIL makes.

So if anyone has an amazing jello suggestion let me know. Two years ago I did a rainbow layered jello mold and last year I did a pistachio pineapple type of fluff.

It’s not epic but one of our family traditions is sea foam salad. I do think it’s good even though jello salads are not really my thing…it can be a little tart so it’s a good palate cleanser. www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14197/sea-foam-salad/

[pixy0stix]

We will be out of town in a vacation rental. No one is interested in a typical turkey meal, so I dunno what we're going to have. The only thing definitely on the menu is mac & cheese.

[nsl]

We're hosting my side of the family the weekend before the holiday, and then it'll just be the four of us on Thanksgiving proper unless MIL gets a personality transplant and decides to come visit for the first time since we moved here 2.5 years ago. I enjoy cooking but am not crazy about prepping two big meals in the same week, so I think we'll break it down this way:

Early Thanksgiving:
-mustard-glazed ham on the smoker (H is in charge)
-roasted brussels sprouts (I'm in charge)
-Kraft mac and cheese (young people are in charge)
-dessert (my mom)
-appetizer (my sister)
-rolls/bread (my dad)

Actual Thanksgiving:
-pot roast w/ root veggies (I'm in charge)
-mashed potatoes (I'm in charge)
-dessert (H is in charge)
-rolls/bread (young people are in charge)

I may throw in a salad or something on either day as well, but at least this way we're making use of our second kitchen and everyone is responsible for some of the prep.

[tacokick]

After a fiasco last year that left us all without dinner we decided to have salmon for family Thanksgiving on the actual day. I am really not sure what to have for sides. It’s only 4 or 5 of us and my dad is a somewhat reformed picky eater. I might just do seasoned roasted potato wedges and something with broccoli?? It’s very boring. I feel like it’s not really worth putting a lot of effort into because my dad isn’t really into food (I honestly don’t think he has ever been able to taste much) and my brother doesn’t help or appreciate anything and it’s a pain to travel to my dad’s with too much food that we really don’t end up eating.


We are having fake Thanksgiving this week and having more traditional food with a twist which I’m more excited about. My husband got this pie plate at a thrift store that lets you bake two different pies at once so we need to figure that out! I guess the pies will have to have similar baking times.

[mrsukyankee]

I'm working on Thanksgiving (as per usual) and heading to Venice for the weekend. Unless someone else offers to feed me, no traditional dinner this year (we usually do it on the weekend).

[audette]

My folks are coming down for Thanksgiving, and we'll be hosting them, along with a bit of a Friendsgiving. I think it'll be 10 adults. Maybe a couple other folks who have no where to spend the holiday.

I plan on getting a big turkey, and we'll figure out sides as we go - dressing, crescent rolls, canned cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes... someone will bring pies, I suspect, and one of the folks attending is a fan of the yams with marshmellow topping thing. Likely some sort of veg - steamed or roasted, most likely. And wine. Lots of wine. (my folks drink quite a lot of wine, and with them pouring, it's likely many of the other guests will, as well...)

[bimbi284]

I ordered our vegan Turkey, stuffing, cheesecake and Shepards pie from the Butcher’s Son. I’ll probably also make my vegan scalloped taters and green bean casserole, too.

The cheesecake is plain, and I’m thinking about livening it up by topping it with guava paste syrup and some crumbed guava crackers that I recently discovered and am obsessed with.

[rondonalddo]

-Smoked turkey
-Rolls
-Mashed potatoes
-Noodles
-Stuffing
-Cranberry sauce
-Some sort of vegetable (one family member wants steamed artichokes, probably need another veg too though)
-Persimmon pudding
-Pecan pie
-Pumpkin pie

[bears]

We're going to my MIL's for the first time since 2018 and I am not looking forward to it. She is not a great cook, is a control freak, and is bound by "tradition" to make the same handful of dishes in the same way. The food, for the most part, is just not good and my MIL gets super stressed out and spends literally the entire day (and most of the day before) in the kitchen by herself (will not let anyone help).

Any suggestions for a good vegetarian side I can make entirely in the Instant Pot? Any stuffings that would fit the bill--otherwise my MIL will do Stovetop for the vegetarian famly members which I don't actually think is vegetarian.

[mrsd2006]

I am not sure yet what we are doing. My sis wants to have a small b-day party for my soon to be 85 year old dad two weeks after Thanksgiving, so if we do I'll probably skip going home for that and go for the party. Plus she is going to be out of town and not coming back until Thursday (as of right now). So that will be impossible for her to host and she always hosts and we share the cooking. My dad could care less either way, whether we have Thanksgiving dinner or not.

Otherwise, we'll go up to our cabin and some friends will be around for the holiday so we may do something with them. There are several couples with no plans.

I've heard there was a turkey shortage so I've already bought two turkey breasts. Plus half and half and heavy whipping cream since it was out at Publix (I had to go to a second store). Plus cornbread mix for the corn casserole and lots of cheese lol. I don't want to run around town looking for ingredients!!

Menu will be turkey breast, small ham, mac and cheese, corn casserole, mashed potates and a pecan pie. Carb overload!!

[stemmie]

We're supposed to go to my niece's house.

Her DH is a terrific cook and he'll be doing the Amish turkey and gravy. She not great in the kitchen and tends to cook trendier food rather than go with traditional family recipes which my DH and mom hate. I don't care if I don't have to cook it.

[InBetweenDays]

We go to a Whistler with a few other families every Thanksgiving. We usually all stay in small condos so we have 4 ovens we can use and we make the full turkey dinner. This year avian flu is throwing a slight wrench in our plan because we can't bring a turkey across the border.

[audette]

Nov 6, 2022 16:13:11 GMT -5 audette said:

My folks are coming down for Thanksgiving, and we'll be hosting them, along with a bit of a Friendsgiving. I think it'll be 10 adults. Maybe a couple other folks who have no where to spend the holiday.

I plan on getting a big turkey, and we'll figure out sides as we go - dressing, crescent rolls, canned cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes... someone will bring pies, I suspect, and one of the folks attending is a fan of the yams with marshmellow topping thing. Likely some sort of veg - steamed or roasted, most likely. And wine. Lots of wine. (my folks drink quite a lot of wine, and with them pouring, it's likely many of the other guests will, as well...)

And...  just like that, we're back down to 6-7 adults.  One family cancelled, due to another family thing popping up.  With it being a friendsgiving, I can't really fuss about people going and spending the day with their actual family. 


I'm now checking with the other folks attending to see if they want a traditional turkey day, or if we should venture into some other territory...  Supper for 6-7 is a very different scenario than 10 or more.  I'd love to go with mom's chipotle-maple glazed salmon, but I'm fairly sure a couple of the folks that are left don't eat fish.  Hrm.  Decisions.  Also need to figure out if it'll be warm enough to grill.  I say that, even though I know my mom will happily grill at any temperature, so long as the propane doesn't liquify.  And it would take one heck of a cold snap here to get that cold.  (yes, mom will be a guest, but there is no way I can keep her _out_ of the kitchen if a big meal is happening while she is present, so I might as well assume she will be helping...  I enjoy cooking with her, anyways)

[litebright]

My parents will probably stop in for about 48 hours on their drive from Ohio to FL. They'll get here Wednesday, spend Thursday with us, then leave Friday. So we'll be 6 for Thanksgiving instead of 4, and I'm considering extending an invite to another local family of three who don't have any relatives in the area.

DH will take care of the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes (regular + DF for me) and make fresh bread. I'm on vegetables and desserts. We love cooking together so that part is always really nice.

I know I'm going to make a GF/DF corn casserole (I use this recipe with the Bob's Red Mill option and it's so freaking good: rebeccataig.com/gluten-free-corn-casserole-dairy-free/) but I am waffling on a green veggie side. I hate green bean casserole, so usually we do brussels sprouts with bacon.

Desserts will be some kind of pumpkin dessert + some kind of fruit dessert. I think. I love trying new things for holiday meals, and being both dairy and gluten free makes the classics challenging -- I tend to throw up my hands and not want to fuss with a GF pie crust/DF pumpkin pie, so I make a conventional pie that I can't eat and then something else that I can.

My best pumpkin pie is actually a pumpkin praline, but I'm also debating trying a GF/DF pumpkin cheesecake or chiffon-y something. If I do the DF thing, though, I have to make one in advance so I don't end up with a weird-tasting-or-textured dessert on the day of. I always debate a pavlova but so far I have ended up not going that direction.

If DH had his way I'd just make a pumpkin pie and an apple pie that everyone can eat, and call it a day. I tend to get obsessive about holiday desserts, though. I'm determined to make at least a couple of dessert test-runs in the next couple of weeks to try new things and see if they make the cut. My goal this week is to make a GF cranberry upside-down cake.

[candreco]

I've done variations on basically the same menu for a few years now, and I've got the timing down to the point that it's kind of anticlimactic? I really love my usual menu, but seriously considering shaking things up just for my own entertainment.

And this year I think it's just going to be one Thanksgiving, not the two I often end up hosting due to people's schedule conflicts so I should really cut back on sides. Kind of sad, I like being able to do some as split batches and then do some completely different sides.

[wawa]

Siblings and my mom are converging on my sister's house.
I think the plan is very typical mostly traditional, too much food because there are certain sides that each person *has* to have and we all love leftovers so we just go all in - turkey, some sort of veggie alt for SIL, gravy, vegetarian gravy, unstuffed stuffing (probably two kinds), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a green veggie that isn't green bean casserole, green bean casserole, coleslaw, mac n' cheese, cranberry sauce and homemade bread.

Then too much pie. H will want blueberry, SIL will want sweet potato, I want apple. And our great grandmother's recipe for cheesecake. Pumpkin and sweet potato are totally redundant (and I prefer sweet potato, my SIL makes a good one), but maybe also pumpkin because it's my kid's favorite. I might make ice cream...maybe maple ice cream? that sounds good and would go with most of those pies.

My sister is handling bread, appetizers and a pie. And vibes. Then Brother, SIL and I will descend and obnoxiously take over her kitchen to make the rest of it happen.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I honestly don't know for Thanksgiving this year. I usually do various apps and pies but we have to travel this year because DH's brother who lives 3 hrs away decided he wanted to host. So all 10 of us who live less than 10 minutes of each other will all be making the trek to the 4 of them. Cause that makes sense.

Yes, I'm bitter. I'm secretly praying for a minor illness so we can stay home.

But I'll probably end up doing pies.

Christmas we're doing enchiladas and some sort of cheesecake, probably.