Thanksgiving ...What does your menu look like?

[CountryKat]

We love Thanksgiving with all the festivities and foods. What is on your menu and what tips can you give us all.

Our menu looks like this:

Turkey ( Thinking about brining it this year) Need ideas on how to add more flavor.
Mashed Potatos
green bean casserole
gravey
cranberry sauce
stuffing
pumpkin pie
pecan pie
rolls

I would love to either spruce up my menu and keep it the same or venture out and try something new. Please feel free to add any ideas.

Now for my little tip. I start shopping now and after ( for next years thanksgiving) Thanksgiving for ingrediants. I am determined not to have to go to the store this year just days before.

Blessings,
CK

 

[Wannabefree]

Deep fried turkey breast
Pineapple brown sugar ham
cornbread dressing
mashed potatoes
squash casserole
green beans
purple hull peas
whole kernel corn
cranberry sauce
rolls
Reese's cake
pecan pie
chocolate chip pecan cookie bars

and if they want anything else they better call a caterer The neighbors will probably be over or at least in and out eating here too. I like turkey, the rest of my bunch hates it, so they get ham the way they like it and I'm just cooking a breast for me and whoever else wants some otherwise I eat too many turkey sandwiches and sleep too much over the next week There will be anywhere between 4-15 people or better over here.....that I am aware of anyway. Could be more I never know until the plates start flying off the shelf Pinky has an open invitation to any and all holiday dinners here, as does the whole neighborhood, my family, his family, church family, kids friends, and any random people off the street

On flavoring the turkey, cook it breast side down for the first half of cooking time, basting with butter and spices of your choice, then mid way flip the bird(probably need assistance here) and finish the cooking/browning that way. What that does is keep the juices in the breast so it is not overly dry, by the time it is flipped, juices are already locked in the breast meat. My baste is usually just butter salt onion powder and a hint of garlic. It is better to use real butter for best flavor. The other stuff is just basically salted hydrogenized oil and does not do as well as far as flavoring the meat.

 

[Beekissed]

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes(red taters from the garden), corn from the garden(yum!), sweet onions(our garden), gravy, homemade bread rolls, banana nut bread, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, apple butter/apple sauce (our apples!).

I wish the whole menu could be derived from right off our land...who knows? Maybe we'll harvest a fall turkey! We've been seeing them ghosting past our meadow each day.

 

[Wannabefree]

I'm slaughtering a turkey of ours and the ham will be from our hog too. Most of our meal will be from this property, all except a few ingredients, like the pineapple, cranberries, and the sweets, though the pecans are local produce as well.

 

[so lucky]

Does anybody else put pecans in their cornbread stuffing?

 

[FarmerChick]

we do a smaller basic T-day menu now.

older times we had it all with a giant turkey cause aunts/uncles/grandparents/kids etc all came. Now that has dwindled.

So usual
turkey
stuffing (mom makes the best!)
mashed pot. and gravy
cranberry (the good kind )
corn or green beans
yummy rolls
sweet potatoes with marshmellows (not a like for me but everyone else inhales it)


we won't go overboard this year either. Maybe instead of the above we might opt for steaks on the grill. A few times we blow off the turkey and just have a great steak or standing prime rib.

 

[Beekissed]

Might see if I can rustle up some turkey poults and raise our own for next year....God willing that we are here and the creek don't rise.

 

[Corn Woman]

You you are talking about my absolute favorite holiday.
Glazed ham
Turkey
Stuffing 2 kinds,( cornbread with pine nuts and dried cranberries we gather pine nuts here, and regular with pecans and water chestnuts.
mashed potatoes
sweet potatoes, (baked) I hate marshmallos Hope mine turn out, planted them for the 1st time ever.
dixie salad( apples, pecans, pomegranate seeds and whipped cream) takes forever to get the seeds.
rolls
pioneer creamed corn (dried sweet corn rehydrated and seasoned)
green beans
green salad
pumpkin pie
apple pie
cherry pie
pecan pie
mincemeat pie( maybe I will make green tomato mincemeat this year if I have the time)
and always clam dip (moms recipe) keeps DH out of the kitchen

Most of the meal is from the garden or homegrown

 

[moolie]

Our Canadian Thanksgiving is right around the corner (next weekend) but we are having our turkey dinner this Saturday because my parents from BC will be out visiting. Our dinner plans for this year:

Roast turkey (farmer's market) with stuffing and gravy
Homemade cranberry sauce
Roasted potatoes and mashed (farmer's market)
Brussels sprouts (farmer's market)
Buttered carrots (from our garden)
Salad (with tomatoes and onions from our garden)
Pumpkin pie and apple pie (apples from our tree)
Homemade ice cream (local organic cream that comes in glass bottles)

 

[Emerald]

My mother makes the turkey but I make the stuffing.. Wild rice and giblet stuffing. I've put walnuts in a few times and once I put in apples.. My family will not even eat stuffing with sausage in it. but I do like a bit of browned sage sausage in there..
I want to make some sweet potato gnocchi this year but not sure if anyone but me and hubs will eat it.
baked squash.
greenbean casserole
I make two kinds of dinner rolls.. whole wheat honey butter and white honey butter(I refuse to let my dieting crazy family brow beat me into cutting them out for the holidays.)
Brussels sprouts
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Cheezy broccoli
OH almost forgot.. home made mac and cheese(grand babies would have a fit if I didn't bring it)
all kinds of pickles and olives
relish tray with veggies
cheese and cracker trays
pecan pie
apple pie
pumpkin pie(all three or maybe one or two. hard to say who all is coming)
I'm sure that I've left something out.
We eat at NOON! ACK! but then pick at all the goodies all day and lay out the strategy for the Black Friday shopping trip all evening.