Food What's on the menu for Thanksgiving?

Since it's just going to be me, my wife, and my daughter I thought that I would roast a duck, pan fry some potatoes in duck fat, and do similar with some good asparagus. A bread of some sort, sour dough if I'm feeling frisky, and we've got Thanksgiving whipped. The wife says she's going to make apple pie.

What's everyone else having?

 

Mmmm, pies.

 

We'll be eating at my step sister's house...she always hosts. We have a fairly traditional spread - turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, a vegetable of sorts, a green salad, homemade rolls, and a variety of desserts (stepsis makes an awesome trifle, to hell with pumpkin pie!).

The dinner is potluck for the most part. The hosts make the turkey, stuffing, and a dessert, everyone else brings a dish. I always bring the sweet potatoes and usually a pie, but I'm not bringing a dessert this year because there will be some new faces and they're bringing dessert.

I'd also like to add that last year I turned to TFP for Thanksgiving Day wine help, as I was a complete wine noob and had NO idea what to bring. I got a lot of awesome tips from the folks here and have moved from clueless to not quite as clueless, and I'm feeling much more confident about what I'm bringing this year. Thanks, TFP!

 

I was thinking of trying that Pumpkin Chiffon cake as well. I was also looking at Bacon Mincemeat pie as well.

 

turkey, wine, stuffing

 

Since Lordeden and I don't host dinner, the main dishes are all taken care of. I'll be making a couple side dishes, and maybe dessert. Baked beans are a definite, and I'm still trying to decide on the rest. I'd like to make some kick-ass cupcakes (I have recipes for both pumpkin and maple with walnut), and maybe something squash-ish.

 

Pumpkin chiffon. I have never tried that. Will be saving the recipe.

The baked beans made me think that Thanksgiving may very well be the gassiest holiday of them all.

 

I just put the turkey in the brine a couple hours ago. Gonna roast that one. I'm also smoking a ham. And deep frying another turkey. The rest is up to other people. And I don't much care cause I don't really like Thanksgiving food. I'm just here for the booze.

 

I already had "Thanksgiving" with my family, on Sunday. We did the usual: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, pumpkin pie. This year, we added sweet potatoes (roasted with brown sugar, butter, and pecans) and hot cranberry cider with amaretto. It was a great meal, and I wish I would have stolen some leftovers!

 

This year I'm making Thanksgiving dinner for 8 - 9 for my daughter and her co-workers at the convalescent facility where she's a charge nurse and will be working a double shift. My son will be joining us and helping me cart and deliver all the goodies. I usually like to put on a big spread but I'll be sticking to just the staples tomorrow.

Turkey with home made gravy
Stuffing with sage sausage and cranberries
Mashed potatoes
Broccoli and cheese casserole
Sweet potato casserole
Whole cranberry sauce with blueberries and mandarin oranges
Yeast rolls
Fudge brownies
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream

Easy to transport, easy to reheat, comfort food.

 

Typical single guy meal: Cheerios and Jack Daniel's.

 

lots of nibbles: cheeses, crackers, sliced pepperoni/sausages, pickles, olives
spinach artichoke dip w. french bread
roasted turkey
cornbread dressing (from scratch, dog)
collard greens
green bean casserole (i know, it's corny, but my kids love it)
roasted potatoes
broccoli, cranberry, red onion salad
old family recipe green jello w. cream cheese, crushed pineapple and pecans
homemade gravy
canned cranberry sauce
some sort of rolls my daughter is bringing home from work
pecan pie w. fresh whipped cream
chocolate/cream cheese pie w. graham cracker crust
sugar-free apple pie for my (1st) ex-husband (he's diabetic)
iced tea

'twill be good.

 

I don't tend to do much for thanksgiving, as I leave that to the others in the family that like to lay claim to it. I stick to the occasional desserts, and I am in charge of the alcohol. For that, I still don't know what I'm going to do. I need to go beer shopping later.

I also have an urge to fire up the smoker, so I might grab some nuts and smoke them tomorrow morning.

 

my job is to find a wine to accompany a relatively traditional thanksgiving spread at my brother's house. i found a granache that should do the trick, a light-ish spanish red (a little peppery at the back end, but basically a burgundian red, more than a pinot--where all the complexity of a good one would get lost---but not too much, something that can hold its own with the range of quite strong roasted flavors.) the menu should be quite traditional---turkey, roots vegetables variously baked, creamed onions. there's some threat of grasshopper pie for dessert. i'm not sure about that.

then there's an annual cocktail party that often gets confusing. my mission this year is not to get confused.

a trick for roasting duck is to pour a kettle of boiling water over it a couple hours before you start cooking and let it stand at room temperature until it's time to roast it. i usually do the roasting at 425. it'll take out a lot of the fat beneath the skin and make it crunchy. a chinese thing that works like a charm. you should still have enough fat to flavor the potatoes.

 

Reservations. My wife works until 5pm and I'll be at work until 6. Nearest relatives are an hour+ drive. 8pm reservation at one of our favorite restaurants was the best and least stressful option.

 

That's one thing for sure here. Pumpkin and Pecan.
There's both a special veggie dish and a specialty lower-sodium stuffing/dressing we make, recipes from the long-ago a Chicago Tribune newspaper's special holiday recipe section. That's about all I do well in regards to making a big holiday meal. I'm good at picking dishes to make. This year, now that he's again able to be with us if we give my dad free reign at Christmas we are liable to get an old-timey Canadian (Ontarian) Thanksgiving Christmas meal. He always did the exact same meal for both (to be accurate <sorry> we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, then American and Christmas--all with the same meal which my dad made most of). There were 3 pie choices instead of the normal two. Apple, Mince, and Pumpkin. If he could find it 'on sale' there would be a fourth, pecan pie (my fave). The dressing was to die for but you cannot replicate it without filling it full of 'bad stuff,' so he won't make it--though I'll beg-- 'cos it's the best turkey dressing evar. There also had to be raw turnips cut to be eaten like a raw carrots--which served, too. Cooked turnip was offered as well but I only ate (loved) the raw turnip so I think we have that, too.

 

I have to work, so it will be somewhat potluck style. I'm bringing a pulled venison roast with Gorgonzola on sourdough, p0-boy style for my crew. I'm sure whoever doesn't bring anything will be making the traditional guilt(ed) trip to KFC for a bucket of chicken and assorted sides.

 

Our family was busy with mom getting married this week, so my brother-in law offered to
treat us all to dinner out. (thank you, Steve) Nice place on the lake, outstanding food, not-too-stuffy-atmosphere.
It's going to be a lovely time. Yay!