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June 2011 Moms
alm0309
member
Thanksgiving Dinner
alm0309
member
I am very excited for Thanksgiving this year because I feel like having LO around makes everything so much more exciting! I will be hosting Thanksgiving for the second time. The first time, a few years ago, it was slightly disastrous because I was very unorganized and stressed out. It was not fun and I am hoping to redeem myself this year. So, what time do you eat Thanksgiving dinner? I am thinking 4. Also, share your menu! I love to see other family traditions & want to make sure I am not forgetting anything.
Menu
Apps (are they necessary?)
hot onion dip w/ French bread
Entr?e/Sides
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Pineapple Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Creamed Spinach
Corn
Sweet Potato Casserole
Dinner Rolls
Desserts
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Trifle
Apple Crisp
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Re: Thanksgiving Dinner
Your menu looks great! We do like to have some apps out because people tend to arrive while we're still making dinner. So we do a big veggie tray (easy to prepare the day before!!), and I'll usually do a pumpkin dip and apples or something. The hot onion dip sounds great!
Our menu is pretty similar to yours. We do challah instead of rolls, and usually add a green salad with pears or apples.
On being organized, I have cooked the entire dinner a few times (won't be doing that this year, asking for lots of help since I'm still BFing and there is no way I can mass prep like I have in years past without taking time out to feed!) But if you are doing it, I would literally write out the major steps of everything I was making and make a schedule way in advance. So the day of schedule literally was as specific as "9:15, cut up apples. 9:30 turkey in oven." etc. That always made it go really smoothly!
*drool* Your menu sounds delicious and very similar to what we have. I've never hosted and give you props for doing so. We will be going to my parent's house on Thanksgiving for their meal and to my in-laws on Friday for theirs. I will probably make a dessert (haven't decided what kind to make yet!) for my parent's Thanksgiving and a green bean casserole for my in-law's.
My parents always have their meal at lunch time...then we lazy around the rest of the day and nibble on leftovers for dinner. My in-law's have their meal at dinner time usually.
I love Thanksgiving so much. There is no stress of getting presents, but you get to be with family and eat good food!! Love it!
My side of the family really doesn't get together for any holidays anymore (my mom and one of my aunts have not been on speaking terms for a few years now, I'm not sure anyone wants to be around my other aunt's husband after the standoff over the summer, my dad and I have not been on speaking terms for more than four years, my uncle cannot stand my dad, etc.). However, one of my aunts now works in the restaurant/dining area of a public golf course and wants the family to all have dinner there. At $10 a person. Yeah, no.
We will once again spend it at DH's aunt's house. And we specifically look forward to her homemade mac & cheese while avoiding the chitlins like the plague.
When my family still got together for holiday dinners, we were always big on the apps: various cheese balls, veggie tray, fruit, this clam thing, shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, etc. I used to load up so much on apps that dinner itself usually didn't happen for me.
We were just organizing our menu last night! We are hosting too, just 6 adults and 2 kids though. Here's the menu so far:
Maple Roasted Turkey w/Sage Butter (Tyler Florence recipe)
Sweet potato casserole
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Green salad of some kind
Stuffing (cornbread?)
gravy
rolls
cranberry sauce
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie
We've hosted a few times before, it's always gone well because we're very organized about it. I don't see myself being as organized this year, but DH seems to be picking up the slack.
Your menu sounds delicious! We definitely do apps, since people tend to get there hours before dinner is ready so I like to have something to snack on. I'm planning to do spinach artichoke dip and probably a veggie tray of some sort. Nothing too fancy. And our dinner menu is pretty similar to yours, minus the pineapple stuffing, spinach, and sweet potatoes, and adding a baked macaroni and cheese that I absolutely love, and probably a green bean casserole because it's a staple at family thanksgivings. No idea what we'll serve for dessert yet, but I love to bake so I'm sure I'll be overly ambitious and make several things
I'm so excited - thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I love cooking for it!!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.. like Christmas without the stress of gifts.
)
I'm looking forward to being able to eat without feeling nauseous!!!
)
Last Thanksgiving is when we told our families that we were pregnant.
)
DS1 -6/25/11
DS2 -3/23/13
Missed MC D&C 8/26/14
DD - 8/26/15
LO#4 due 5/30/17
I've been hosting Thanksgiving ever since D was born. His 1st Thanksgiving was also the 1st one without my mom(she passed away when he was 4 months old). Normally, we ate dinner at my parents' house and then went to DH's aunt's house for dessert(since my mom hated dessert and never bothered making it)
We decided it would be best to start new traditions. So now, my dad and brother come to us. Plus my MIL and FIL come. We are having
Apps
Brie bites https://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/brie-bites.html
Smoked salmon with dill cream cheese on crackers
Cheese tray
Bacon wrapped shrimp(dad is bringing this)
Stuffed mushrooms(haven't picked a recipe for them yet)
Meal
Turkey(will be cooked on the grill)
Mashed potatoes(MIL is making)
Green bean casserole(MIL again)
Bourbon creamed corn(Dad's bring this)
Turkey gravy
Mushroom gravy
Stuffing-no recipe...I make it the way my mom used to with lots of bread, broth, butter, onion, garlic, celery and bacon
Roasted veggies https://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/02/vegetable-tian.html
Roasted carrots https://afoodcentriclife.com/roasted-carrots-with-thyme/
Rolls
We're going to do dessert at DH's aunt's but I want to make these with D https://cookiesandcups.com/pumpkin-pie-pockets-and-a-fun-giveaway/ and https://www.madeinmelskitchen.com/2010/10/pumpkin-cake-truffles/ to bring with us. I also usually make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
I do a lot of the prep the day before. I'll make the stuffing and put it in the baking dish so all I have to do is pop it in the oven. I plan on chopping a lot of the veggies too. Doing the turkey on the grill frees up the oven for other stuff. I season the turkey like I normally would by sticking lots of fresh herbs and onions in the cavity. I rub butter all over the bird. It goes in a tin roasting pan, covered with tin foil and DH puts the pan on the grill. We use chicken stock to baste it. It takes the same amount of time as it would in the oven but comes out so juicy. Plus the kitchen doesn't get hot from the overn being on for hours!