Annual Holiday Food Thread 2023

[wawa]

IT'S THAT TIME.  It's actually past that time. 

What's on your menu?  are you cooking?  Are you looking forward to the food of whoever is cooking?  
New things you're trying?  Old favorites we'd like to share?  

Bonus points for recipe links. 

Keep it going through New Year. 

[StrawberryBlondie]

This year for Thanksgiving I am tasked with pies. So I'm making one pumpkin and one Dutch apple.

I will likely also be responsible for Christmas apps and dessert. Currently undecided on apps. I did a roasted shrimp with green goddess dip a couple years ago that was really popular so I might repeat that. Also probably this onion dip that I think is an Ina Garten recipe.

Chocolate cheesecake is the top contender for dessert.

ETA: I forgot - I'm also the annual bacon-wrapped cocktail weenie maker. So I'll be bringing those to Christmas.

[sugarbear1]

For Thanksgiving, I'm making my great-grandmother's rolls and bacon-wrapped dates. I might also make some gingerbread, but DS1 is having a bunch of friends over Wednesday night and some of their parents will stay too. Which is great, but cuts into my prep time.

[jinkies]

For Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I will continue my nearly 20-year tradition of putting Bob Evans mashed potatoes in a crockpot and claiming I made them myself. They are always so impressed by "Jinkies potatoes". (I do, legitimately, have a recipe for make ahead mashed potatoes that tastes almost exactly like Bob Evans, but it's about 50/50 whether it turns out great or is a weird texture, which is what drove me into Bob's arms to begin with)

My mom is onto me, though, and just goes ahead and buys the Bob Evans herself. I will probably do some sort of pumpkin dessert and a cheesecake when we do Thanksgiving with them on Saturday. I made this cheesecake last year. I followed her directions to the letter and it looked and tasted store-bought: sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-cheesecake/ Highly recommend!

[wawa]

I'm making dessert for thanksgiving.  MH is making oyster stuffing. And then he'll make the mashed potatoes and I'll make the gravy at my ILs.  Neither of which have a recipe, just by feel.

People in my household have strong feelings about thanksgiving desserts and I'm pretty much forbidden from doing anything except pumpkin pie and cheesecake.

So pumpkin pie and cheesecake it is!
I think I'm using the Sally baking recipe this year, I like the heavy cream and black pepper.
sallysbakingaddiction.com/the-great-pumpkin-pie-recipe/
Might even do the sugared cranberries.

And cheesecake is my great grandmother's super simple recipe on a Sweetzles spiced wafer crust. IYKYK.
(if you don't know they're a philly region toothbreakingly crunchy gingersnap cookie thing with enough spices and molasses in it to put hair on your chest. They make an amazing sub for graham crackers in a crust.)


Does anybody have a thought on an appetizer that uses duck confit?  I'm in the very weird position of having a lot of duck confit on hand and I'd love to find an app I can put some in.

[tacokick]

We are staying home but my husband is cooking a turkey for the two of us, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy and we need a dessert! Not pie.

[wawa]

Oh! we also decided we're doing a spiced cider aperol spritz as the pre-dinner cocktail. Which is just store bought cider, aperol and top with cheap bubbly. Leave out the aperol for people not obsessed with bitter flavors like me and just call it a cider spritz. Or apple mimosa? Then it's socially acceptable to drink one first thing? Not sure that's a good thing for all families...

[eddy]

I am cooking at my dad's house. I have this meal down to an absolute science. I have spreadsheets with timelines, ingrediants etc. I actually just got home from picking up an aldi order.

We are traditionalists so I don't fuck with it once I find good recipes.

this stuffing is my absolute favorite.


www.bonappetit.com/recipe/simple-is-best-dressing


And I make this pumpkin pie/cake instead of traditional pumpkin pie.


iambaker.net/ooey-gooey-pumpkin-cake/

[nicanmatt]

I am cooking.
Turkey-will be stuffed using mother-in-laws recipe (bread with sauteed celery/onion/sausage and seasonings)
Sweet potato casserole that tastes like dessert
mashed potatoes (SNORE) and gravy
cranberries-Nobody eats these but me, but I'm cooking so I get to make the menu
Rolls-mother-in-law calls them puffs and they are thawed Parkerhouse Rolls deep fried
Raspberry pretzel salad (strawberry jello with raspberries topped with cream cheese/cool whip covered in buttery pretzels) a nod to my Midwestern childhood
My sister is bringing a cabbage salad with ramen noodles that I will hide and NOT share
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Corn
Pumpkin Pie
Almmond Kringle
Apple Pie

It's pretty basic, but I'm doing the lion's share of the work and not getting much help. Hoping to get stuff started early so I can watch the Macy's parade and enjoy the day with family!

[litebright]

I am kind of bummed not to be cooking, TBH. We are driving to see family. DH prepped stuffing and bought a roaster for it so that he won't take up oven space, he is very on top of things. I'm only planning to make cranberry sauce and I still need to get on that!

OTOH, I ... kind of want to make some more things, and I really do not have the time, I'm stressed out and crunched as it is. I am GFDF and while I can tolerate some gluten, I will be miserable if I have much in the way of dairy and the menu other than turkey is very midwestern, casserole-based vegetables (SIL who is hosting put up a shared Google spreadsheet to coordinate who's bringing what, which is brilliant). When we do our holiday dinners, we usually have at least one roasted vegetable and DH makes me mashed potatoes with chicken broth instead of milk & butter.

I ordered holiday macarons from a local bakery and I'll pick those up tomorrow afternoon to take with us so I have a GFDF dessert, I'll make cranberry sauce and I can have turkey and salad and maybe a small amount of regular mashed potatoes. I still feel like I'm going to not have a lot of options and it's a bummer, but I can't do much about it.

I really want to make this to take with us but I don't know if I'll have time. It's a GFDF corn casserole and I make it semi-regularly throughout the year, my whole family likes it and I don't think you can tell it's GFDF.

rebeccataig.com/gluten-free-corn-casserole-dairy-free/

ETA: I was really upset last night because I checked my macaron pick-up day/time and it turns out I scheduled it for Wednesday afternoon, when we will be driving. I made the GFDF corn casserole this afternoon to console myself and I texted a friend who will be around, I offered the bakery treats to her as long as she can pick them up--at least they won't go to waste, she and her kids will enjoy them. Then DH surprised me by stopping by a GF bakery on his way home from work and getting me two mini-pies and some cookies. So I am feeling much happier, I have an awesome and thoughtful husband, AND I did a good deed. 

[mrsukyankee]

We're not cooking Thanksgiving so I'm planning on Christmas - we've ordered a fresh turkey along with various trimmings to cook. I'll actually have that day off and the days before to do some cooking so can't wait! I'll wait until closer to the time to post about it.

[Vespasia]

We went to a Friendsgiving this weekend and I brought a cheddar broccoli casserole. I made it last year as well and it was a hit. 

For Thanksgiving, we're going to BIL's and I've been tasked with desserts. This is moderately annoying because that is by far my weakest area of cooking. Plus, last time I brought dessert most of them just ate ice cream. 

I decided to make a Tollhouse cookie pie, since this is about as far as my baking skills go. I'll probably buy 1-2 other pies but I don't expect them to get eaten. 

[redheadbaker]

Same turkey as always - Cider Brined Turkey
Make ahead creamy herbed gravy
Trying a different stuffing this year - Herb and Sausage Stuffing instead of Epicurious' Farmhouse Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Braised carrots
Hasselback-style butternut squash
Air-fryer broccoli

H prefers the can-shaped cranberry jelly 

I also have pumpkin brioche dinner rolls that I made; and I ordered a dozen soft white rolls from the same farmers market where I ordered my turkey. 

ETA: My mother offered to "make dessert," which means she's stopping by the grocery store and getting a pie and a bakery cake. 

[wawa]

Nov 20, 2023 14:55:09 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Same turkey as always - Cider Brined Turkey
Make ahead creamy herbed gravy
Trying a different stuffing this year - Herb and Sausage Stuffing instead of Epicurious' Farmhouse Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Braised carrots
Hasselback-style butternut squash
Air-fryer broccoli

H prefers the can-shaped cranberry jelly 

I also have pumpkin brioche dinner rolls that I made; and I ordered a dozen soft white rolls from the same farmers market where I ordered my turkey. 

ETA: My mother offered to "make dessert," which means she's stopping by the grocery store and getting a pie and a bakery cake. 

Oh, I've got a butternut upstairs that needs to be something.  I'm going to try that recipe.

[mrsd2006]

We are going to our cabin and cooking for the two of us.
Smoked ham, turkey breast
Homemade mac and cheese
Costco loaded mashed potatoes
Green beans/peas
Cornbread casserole
and a store bought pecan pie for DH.

Carb overload lol

[DotAndBuzz]

We're bailing on turkey, after everyone decided last year it was firmly "mid." Will still have a turkey breast for the couple traditionalists in attendance, but are instead going to grill a prime rib roast.

Will have the other traditional sides and pies.

I'm hosting for 16, 11 of whom will be in my house Thurs-Sun (my family of 4 included).

[akayf]

Charcuterie board for appetizers. I bought the crackers and meat already at Trader Joe’s on Sunday. Didn’t have the cheeses I wanted though so that’s an Aldi trip.

Butter dip biscuits www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/butter-dip-biscuits/

DH is smoking the turkey

Stuffing(no recipe….I eyeball it like my mom did)
Mashed potatoes (I make these the night before and reheat in the oven www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a12083/delicious-creamy-mashed-potatoes/)
Green bean casserole with fresh green beans and homemade mushroom soup
Mushroom gravy-no recipe…I follow my aunt’s instructions.
Turkey gravy-the no dripping version of this is basically what I do whatsgabycooking.com/homemade-turkey-gravy/
Roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon www.theendlessmeal.com/bacon-roasted-brussels-sprouts/
Steamed carrots for picky eaters
Baked mac and cheese…no recipe. I make a roux, add milk and seasoning and when that’s hot, dump in a boatload of freshly grated cheese to make a sauce. Dump over cooked macaroni and top with more cheese. That’s how the family likes it.

Dessert is a cannoli pie(graham cracker crust filled with cannoli filling), pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and an apple tart from the freezer section of Trader Joe’s.

[RoxMonster]

It's just H and me for Thanksgiving. We deliver meals in the morning so we just pick up a pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner from a local restaurant after doing that. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and rolls. Then H makes green bean casserole, corn casserole, and we buy some cranberry sauce. Plus we order a pumpkin pie.

We also make a yummy apple cider cinnamon sangria.

[clairebear]

Nov 20, 2023 11:52:17 GMT -5 jinkies said:

For Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I will continue my nearly 20-year tradition of putting Bob Evans mashed potatoes in a crockpot and claiming I made them myself. They are always so impressed by "Jinkies potatoes". (I do, legitimately, have a recipe for make ahead mashed potatoes that tastes almost exactly like Bob Evans, but it's about 50/50 whether it turns out great or is a weird texture, which is what drove me into Bob's arms to begin with)

My mom is onto me, though, and just goes ahead and buys the Bob Evans herself. I will probably do some sort of pumpkin dessert and a cheesecake when we do Thanksgiving with them on Saturday. I made this cheesecake last year. I followed her directions to the letter and it looked and tasted store-bought: sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-cheesecake/ Highly recommend!

I love this! My husband will only eat Bob Evans mashed potatoes. They have gotten so expensive I make him suffer my homemade mashed for regular dinners but we are splurging for Thanksgiving.

[aurora]

I'm making stuffing and mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, and H is making apple pie. I love Thanksgiving food and we tend to stick to the traditional in our family. I'm looking forward to leftover turkey soup and sandwiches almost as much as the main meal.

[Pom]

Someone in the universe loves us. We got invited to a Thanksgiving Day Friendsgiving, thrown by the very best baker of cakes, cookies and treats in town. It's casual, everyone is watching the Lions game, but I KNOW she will go all out. We are contributing a smoked whitefish and I will make some whitefish dip and taco dips for the kids and non fish eaters. Very excited to get to know some new friends of friends and widen our neighbor circle too.

I have no idea what our Christmas plan is (just the two of us) but we are too focused on the bounties of Thanksgiving at this point. LOL.

[picksthemusic]

We go to my IL's house and my MIL cooks the majority of the food. We are usually responsible for wild rice/mushrooms, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, and deviled eggs.

We're anxious to see if XSIL will try and come to dinner. My BIL is a coward and probably won't tell her to come if she does try, but my MIL/FIL will be very against it since the divorce is final now.

[basilosaurus]

I actually have 2 turkeys on order this year. They're roughly 10# each. You don't know how monumental this is. Last year poultry from America was banned and entire cargo crates from Australia languished for months at the port before customs would deal with them. I don't eat turkey often, but this made me really miss it.

I don't have the equipment to cook (or store). But, I do have a friend (from turkiye! He prefers lamb though) who has a restaurant, and he happily is letting me use his pro setup. I'm so excited.

This is only about the turkey part. I won't get anything traditional with sides probably, but for the first time in 6 years I'll have a taste of my dry brine spatchcock turkey.

[nsl]

We are hosting this year, so while my parents and sister are bringing some sides this is what H and I will be cooking:

Maple and Dijon-glazed ham (this might go on our Big Green Egg if the weather cooperates)
roasted broccoli with a lemon sauce
corn souffle from my very first boss's family recipe
goat cheese cheesecake with a cranberry glaze (there is also cream cheese in this, but it's 50-50)

Thinking about buying a Thanksgiving-clearance turkey for our Christmas dinner since we'll be solo for that meal, and I do like having turkey once a year even though we almost never do one on Thanksgiving.

[snapoutofit]

My SIL is hosting this year and I am tasked with mashed potatoes and a dessert. I was considering an apple pie but they’re never as good as I want them to be so I’m trying to think of another apple dessert to make.

[tacokick]

My husband came home with a 14 lb turkey for the two of us and is worried it’s too small lol

[wawa]

Nov 20, 2023 20:56:38 GMT -5 tacokick said:

My husband came home with a 14 lb turkey for the two of us and is worried it’s too small lol

He should be. How are you going to get 3 days worth of sandwiches, two more full plates and turkey soup out of that?

[wawa]

Nov 20, 2023 18:25:08 GMT -5 aurora said:

I'm making stuffing and mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, and H is making apple pie. I love Thanksgiving food and we tend to stick to the traditional in our family. I'm looking forward to leftover turkey soup and sandwiches almost as much as the main meal.

yessss.  I like the actual thanksgiving meal a lot, but i LOVE leftover turkey sandwiches.  So many options.  Especially when you also had a cheeseboard as an app so now you can be like, "hmmm, do I want to go with mustard and aged cheddar or brie and cranberry sauce?"  both of those with stuffing too. 

Also for those cooking too much bird for too few people, turkey enchiladas are delicious if you need a change of pace.

[cattledogkisses]

Nov 21, 2023 6:58:19 GMT -5 wawa said:

Nov 20, 2023 20:56:38 GMT -5 tacokick said:

My husband came home with a 14 lb turkey for the two of us and is worried it’s too small lol

He should be. How are you going to get 3 days worth of sandwiches, two more full plates and turkey soup out of that?

Plus turkey pot pie, and my favorite Thanksgiving leftovers, turkey and gravy on toast. 

[cattledogkisses]

I'm going to attempt a recipe I found for maple bourbon bruleed pumpkin pie, for my husband who loves all things pumpkin and creme brulee.