Charlatan

Hey TFP folks... Thanksgiving is upon you in the US and the second annual Thanksmas feast has settled on our household (we Canadians, the first to celebrate Thanksgiving, do our Thanksgiving in October but for a number of us here we are unable to celebrate then and will be scattered at Christmas so we combine the two at time between the two dates... hence Thanksmas).

This year's Thanksmas Feast will be for 20 people... I am taking Friday off work to do my prep and to make a few pies. Saturday will be a day of cooking and eating. I can't wait.

I am curious to hear what your Thankgiving menu looks like. Here's mine:


Appetizers:
Potato cakes with Somked Salmon
Thai Chicken Croustades
Crostini with Avocado and Green Pea Hummus
Various nuts, dried fruits and olives

Salad:
not sure as a friend is bring it

Main Course (omnivores):
Roast Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy

Main Course (vegetarians):
Vegetable Pot Pies
Savory Bread Pudding

Sides:
French Beans with herbs and garlic
Roasted Squash with Brown Butter and Sage
Carmelized Broccoli
Sweet Corn and Roasted Red Peppers
Carrots in a brown sugar glaze
Scalloped Potatoes

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Apple Tart


What are you making (eating)? If you can, try to take some pictures of your dishes and post them here after the event...

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Bear Cub

Chinese buffet (if its open).

I'll be spending Thanksgiving alone this year. Traveling from Houston to PA to visit friends, but they're all going home for the holiday, so I'll be alone at my buddy's house.

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snowy

I'm still figuring out what to serve, but there are some things that make our Thanksgiving complete, and are a part of every Thanksgiving menu. They aren't the fanciest of dishes, but they are favorites.

Appetizers
Crudites tray with dip
Cheese plate with crackers
Baby shrimp over cream cheese, covered in cocktail sauce, served with Ritz crackers
Cocktail sausages
Mini quiches
Stuffed mushrooms

Mains
Turkey with stuffing
Quorn roast

Sides
Garlic mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Carmelized sweet potatoes

Desserts
Apple crisp
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

skizziks

I will be enjoying some type of rice, bean and tortilla dish.

SabrinaFair

The Friends' Thanksgiving: Items in bold prepared by Sabrina. Other items being brought by guests.

Appetizers:
Oyster dip
Clam dip
Cheese-and-sausage tray

Main Course:
Brined Herb-Roasted Turkey
Gravy (God willing; I'm horrible at non-cream gravies)
Cornbread Dressing (two pans; one made with bacon and chicken broth, one made with vegetable stock for my vegetarian friends)

Sides:
Corn pudding (Southern dish)
Ginger yams
Baked apples
Mashed potatoes
Asparagus
Broccoli casserole

Dessert:
Pralines
Cheesecake

That's the menu thus far....plus a whole lot of people bringing booze. :-P

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it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
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snowy

My dad always buys a case of good beer and my uncle always brings either 22s of microbrews he wants us to try or wines he likes.

It's a happy day.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

newtx

Classic stuff here. Turkey, dressing, yeast rolls, and sweet potatoes. Hopefully oyster drssing. If you've never had oyster dressing it's hard to beat. If you can't google a recipe I'll try to help out.

Charlatan

Oh yes... the wine and beer is being brought by our guests... although I am considering having a welcome cocktail.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

levite

Appetizers:

Crudites
Carciofi alla Giuderia (deep fried artichokes in the traditional style of the Roman Jewish community)
Carmelized fennel root

Salad:

Fresh herbs and microgreens, Persian cucumbers, avocado, shallot, and Bosc pear, with a dressing of fresh blood orange juice, pomegranate molasses, black pepper, fresh garlic, olive oil, and anise seed.

Soup:

North African-style curried butternut squash soup with roasted cipollini (tiny Italian onions), red lentils, and hot pepper.

Main Course:

Roast duck (I'm not a fan of turkey)
Wild rice with roasted elephant garlic and herbs
Casserole of sage and onion dressing
Mashed winter root vegetables (including varieties of potatoes, parsnips, turnip, and celery root)

Sides:

Fresh whole grain pumpernickel
Fresh nine-grain peasant bread
Fresh cranberry relish with lime
Candied kumquats
Asparagus steamed with garlic
Roasted cauliflower
Carrots glazed in hard apple cider and honey, with allspice and clove
Steamed Sugar Snap peas in the pod

Desserts:

Pumpkin tart
Salad of tropical fruits and berries, macerated in mead, with star anise
Sorbetto alla ciocolatta

I'll probably serve the appetizers, salad, and soup with a New Zealand Riesling of some kind, or possibly an Alsatian Gewurtzraminer-- something light and crisp and fruity; and the main courses with a couple bottles of a nice, muscular Valpolicella that I've been saving for a rainy day. Dessert will probably be accompanied by chilled mead. After dinner, scotch will be offered for a digestif. Probably Balvenie, the 15-year malt, if I can get it conveniently. It's my favorite.


...And that's the way we throw down in the Levite hizzouse!

__________________
Dull sublunary lovers love,
Whose soul is sense, cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
That thing which elemented it.

(From "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne)

ColonelSpecial

Wow, Levite, your menu sounds fabulous! My meal is mainly cooked by my aunt but we all bring a dish.

Appetizers
Veggies with Dip
Cheese/Meat with Crackers
Lots of adult beverages while we play poker and watch football

Main Course/Side Dishes
Roast Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Creamed Corn
Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes (a sauteed dish)
Cranberry Salad
Rice for my Japanese Great Aunt

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Dirt Cake (Oreos, vanilla pudding, cool whip)

Yup, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

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Eweser

I go to a few different ones, so I usually get at least one traditional (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc). The others are usually whatever is easiest for the host, which I don't mind at all. I'm not much of a cook, so I usually show up with paper products or something to help out. At Christmas, we always seem to have at least one meal of Mexican food (casseroles, etc).

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Lasereth

I am taking corn muffin casserole to my parent's house. We made it for the first time last week and it is delicious. Very, very filling, but very delicious also.

inBOIL

Shrimp salad and cranberry bread.

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Charlatan

I can't believe it.... I actually managed to serve 20 people.

Over the last two days, I spent much of my time baking pies (Pecan, Pumpkin and Apple Tartlets) and preparing for the second annual feast of Thanksmas.

Despite some set backs... our second oven, borrowed from a friend, tripped our circuit breakers so we couldn't use it. With some shuffling I managed to get everything that needed baking baked.

I was amazed at how well my Turkey turned out this year. Super juicy... and the gravy was awesome.

Sadly, I took no photos. Perhaps some of my guests did.

Good luck all with your Thanksgiving dinners.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

SexyCat

I get dinner made for me by my mother-in-law. My favorite thing she makes in macaroni and cheese. YUM!

evilbeefchan

So far it's, boozy cranberry sauce (with barenjager), chorizo and turkey cornbread dressing, cheddar mashed potatoes, Turkey stuffed with garlic and herbs, giblet gravy, and slooow roasted prime rib with au jus. And because we're asian, white rice and stir fried bok choy.

snowy

I'm not in charge of Thanksgiving this year, but I was wondering what other people were making. I'm expected to contribute "bread". I am going to do some cloverleaf rolls (made with milk-honey dough or potato dough, haven't decided which yet), and am looking at doing some other "bread"-like things for an appetizer, like these gougeres I spotted: she's in the kitchen: tiny gougeres with scallions, parsley, and lemon Might also take this as an opportunity to turn out another batch of ciabatta.

I'll probably also be contributing a dessert, but I'm having a tough time deciding between doing this apple cake Recipe: Apple Cake with Brown-Sugar Frosting :: Carrie Floyd :: Culinate or this pie: Recipe Sleuth: BlackSalt?s Caramel-Apple Streusel Pie - Best Bites Blog (washingtonian.com) I made both last Thanksgiving and found both to be great twists on the usual apple pie contribution.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Willravel

Breakfast! Everyone's coming over around 10:30. I'll have a fire going in the fireplace, the table in the living room, and The Nutcracker playing over the speakers.

Course 1: Raspberry Danish with Kona blend coffee and/or orange juice
Course 2: My famous French toast with cinnamon whipped cream (lemme know if you want the recipe)
Course 3: Eggs Benedict with apple and chicken or pork sausage
Course 4: Sleep

Dinner! I'm holding off Thanksgiving dinner until Sunday because dad's preaching and step mom is out of town.

Course 1: Alton Brown's 2 1/2 hour turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, peas, croissant and cranberry in a can thing
Course 2: Homemade pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream
Course 3: like 2 hours of cleaning

ZombieSquirrel

I may have volunteered to make a cheesecake for Mr. Snowy's family's Thanksgiving.

(Thanks BTW for the invite snowy!)

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Grasshopper Green

I'll bring my old standby - my mom's mashed sweet potatoes that are far superior to any candied yam I've ever tried.

No one in my step-family likes them, but my dad loves them and so does hubby and son. More for us!

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Formerly Medusa

noodle

We have around 50 people.
That said...


tomato-cheese pie (some german recipe)
relish tray (my cousins will eat ALL of the black olives off their fingers in 12 minutes)
crackers and some type of sliced cheese, shrimp dip, and/or cream cheese and pepper spread
assorted nuts (relatives as well)
deviled eggs
Any number of random appetizers

1 AppleJack marinated turkey (charcoal grilled)
1 brined-in-herbs turkey (charcoal grilled)
1 randomly cooked a different way turkey
Usually a ham of some kind

2 - 3 types of stuffing
mashed potatoes (someone forgot last year!)
sweet potatoes with those nasty marshmallows
green bean casserole
several cold salads
fruit salad

rolls of some kind or other

pumpkin pie
pecan pie
Quakertown Crumb Pie
cookies, brownies, and assorted yummies
** Note: Do not bring baked goods unless you're Mennonite or there might be a riot

Coffee
Assorted sodas
Bottled water

Don't smell my cup or you'll bust me on my beverage that I have to drink to deal with 12' alligators and 49 relatives. Well, 48... S and I get along fine.

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jewels

Sounds good, noodle. Tell me 'bout the Quakertown Crumb pie, please.

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We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
Mark Twain

Charlatan

I have 35 people coming for Thanksmas this year. I haven't finished my menu but, given the size of my oven (tiny), I am thinking about doing my two turkeys in two batches - braising the legs and thighs and then roasting the breasts. I wish I had two ovens.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

noodle

It's basically like the filling of a pecan pie (but not as sweet) with a crumb topping. I can't find the true Mennonite recipe anywhere but here is one close to it...

Ingredients :

BOTTOM PART:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 x egg
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbl flour
1 tsp vanilla

TOP PART:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp baking soda


How to cook :

Combine ingredients for bottom part and cook until thickened.
Combine flour and baking soda for top part.
Add sugar and shortening.
Pour bottom mix into an unbaked crust.
Sprinkle crumbs over top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Makes 1 (9 inch) pie.

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jewels

MMmmm! Sounds sa-weeeet. Gonna have to try that sometime this holiday season. Thank you!

__________________
We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
Mark Twain

snowy

You inspired me to look into perhaps making a savory cheesecake as a vegetarian dish to take with us. I am planning on making a risotto with chanterelles, and E.'s gramma is usually pretty good about leaving meat out of the sides, but I'd like to make sure there's plenty for you and E. to eat. I figure a savory cheesecake can be served as an appetizer if there's enough to eat for the main meal, or can be served at the main meal if there isn't.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Charlatan

It's five days until Thanksmas... We now have about 40 people coming for dinner. Holy crap!

I am making one large Turkey, a large beef tenderloin and a nut loaf (five vegetarians).
There will be tonnes of sides: carrots, sweet potato casserole, onion gratin, green beans with thyme, squash with brown butter, braised leeks and sweet corn with red peppers
Desserts: Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Crumble, Lemon Tart, an assortment of butter tarts, cookies and fudge.

I have made my pastry, cookies and am making fudge tonight.

I have lists and lists and lists...

I still have to do a lot of grocery shopping and find some folding tables, etc.

I am both freaking out and looking forward to the challenge.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

LazyBoy

It was the typical southern meal.

Turkey
Ham
Casseroles
Dressing
Pies
Fruit Salad


It was typical, and it was amazing

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