Thanksgiving menus

[S.Vashti]

Here's my tentative start, something traditional, something new:


Salad:
Carrot Salad with chili, feta, and mint
Cranberry/Apple/Pear salad

Entree:
Roasted Turkey breast
Roasted Leg of Turkey

Side Dishes:
Broccoli with garlic butter and cashews
Stuffed acorn squash with cornbread stuffing
Mashed potatoes

Dessert:
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Apple ice cream

[One for Sorrow]

The stuffed acorn squash sounds awesome. I was thinking of bringing something like that to my almost-in-laws, as a side dish for everyone else and as a main dish for myself (to keep my mind off of my sad, turkey-less existence) and my vegetarian main squeeze. I'm not sure if anyone else would eat it, though.

[Demimonde]

I always have to add major salad and veg for the holidays or else suffer the starch overload that follows. I am a guest for two different dinners, one with Contra's fambly at game time and another that night with my friends. Ever since I told my bff that we would be gone for Xmas she has been ramping it up in a big way.

I make a spinich salad with dried cranberries, pecans, blue cheese crumbles and a balsamic vinagrette. I also make green bean bundles wrapped in bacon, (well it is still the holidays) and roasted. I am not making my drunk apricot yams this year, but will be making a mushroom savory dressing. I may try my hand at a sweet potato pie if I can find a good recipe. /hint

[mulebear]

Since my Mom, Sisters and Brother all live close together and I live 2 1/2 hours away, I'm the one that always has to travel. Typically we all bring something to the feast, but, since I have to travel, I'm only expected to bring a dessert or two.

In the past I've made some fairly extravagant desserts, but since there is always a huge gaggle of kids at these affairs, Sonoma Bear and I have decided to make a variety of cookies to take. A few classic cookies mixed with some more adult fare.

White & Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt
Peanut Butter Rice Crispies with White and Dark Chocolate

Our Thanksgivings are huge family affairs which usually involve about 30 or so individuals. Last year was one of the smallest with only about 20. With that many people involved the feast is huge. On Sonoma's first Thanksgiving visit with my family he was shocked to see that two large tables had been set up just to hold all the desserts.

[Janet]

I keep it pretty traditional, but I'm not a fan of pumpkin or sweet potato.

Small Turkey
Bread dressing
Mashed potatoes - sister insisted we needed both
Gravy
Cauliflower with Red Leicester cheese sauce
Roasted Carrots - raw for me
Cranberry Salad - my sister-in-law's recipe which I love
Relish tray with raw carrots, olives, marinated artichoke hearts and maybe pickles
Prize-winning Pie - actual name Bittersweet Honeycomb Pie, a chocolate mousse pie with bits of candy in it.

[Ensign Steve]

Since it's just the two or three of us this year, we're going to do what the fuck we want (neener neener) and make turkey lasagna.

[Janet]

But making turkey and stuffing is what I want to do! There are only three of us as well.

[Dingfod]

Turkey and dressing and gravy sammich from a local restaurant.

[LadyShea]

Cranberry Salad - my sister-in-law's recipe which I love

Please to share?

I love cranberries

[Janet]

I don't have it with me here, but I'll try to remember to post it tomorrow.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by Dingfod

Turkey and dressing and gravy sammich from a local restaurant.

Correction: turkey sausage, dressing and gravy on a bun at Fassler Hall.

[wildernesse]

We are having:

Roast turkey breast
Cornbread dressing
Gravy
White/wild rice
Collard greens
Sweet Potato casserole
jellied cranberry sauce from a can
probably fresh cranberry relish
Pecan pie

I'm not making rolls this year, and I think we'll just have the one dessert--although the sweet potatoes could pass as a dessert as well. We will probably also have apple slices, minty sweet green tea, and a relish tray. This year, I am going to focus on some of the non-edible touches like flowers and place settings. There will only be four of us.

[mulebear]

Mmmmm... Collard Greens.

I cook bacon and then sautee the very wet greens in the bacon fat. Towards the end I add a little garlic, a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar, and crumpled bacon. Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and served with pepper vinegar.

Sonoma Bear doesn't like Collard Greens. Double

[wildernesse]

RA is in charge of the collard greens. He usually braises them in the slow cooker in a peppery broth concoction, and of course we serve it with pepper vinegar.

Collard greens remind me of my grandmother and of being a tiny child in her kitchen with her and Granddaddy. She liked RA's version of them, so it is nice to remember that at Thanksgiving.

[LadyShea]

I think we are doing

Fried turkey
Cornbread dressing
Apple/Sweet potato casserole
Mac and Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Corn (the only veggie dad eats)
Homemade cranberry sauce, maybe

I think I will bake Parker House Rolls as a test run for Christmas
Oh also I saved and froze some gingerbread, maybe I'll try a gingerbread pudding

[lisarea]

So far, we've got:

Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes *
Brussels sprouts
Some kind of salad with stuff in it
Cranberry relish *
Pumpkin pie

I had an epiphany the other day, though. I just plain do not like soggy bread, whether it's accidental or intentional. I don't like soggy sandwiches, I don't like bread pudding, and I don't like bread stuffing. As such, I don't want to make any soggyassed bread stuffing this year, and nobody can make me.

So what should I make? Some kind of wild rice thing with giblets? Barley maybe? I'm open to ideas.

* Mostly for the leftovers.

[LadyShea]

Somethin hearty, like wild rice and barley, yeah.

[S.Vashti]

I can't stand bread stuffing of any kind, make me gag something awful, which is why I'm cooking the stuffing in individual portions on acorn squash-Mine is going to be free of that nasty stuff.

For stuffing, Wild rice, brown rice, chunks of apple and lemon juice.

[Janet]

I forgot about the rolls. We are going to use pieces of epi baguette for rolls this year. Much easier than baking for just us.

[livius drusus]

I hate collards too, mulebear, but I found much to my amazement that they make a pretty fucking awesome pesto. It's now the one way I'll eat them.

I'm not doing anything noteworthy for TG. I'll slow roast a chicken, I suppose. Definitely making the sweet potato, lemon zest and scallions mash that I made last year for Christmas that turned out completely heavenly. I even forced wei yau to make it for his vegetarian guests and he had to admit it was sublime.

[Dingfod]

I put sweet potato chunks in this stew I'm eating. Deeelicious!

[Sonoma Bear]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

I hate collards too, mulebear, but I found much to my amazement that they make a pretty fucking awesome pesto. It's now the one way I'll eat them.

I'm not doing anything noteworthy for TG. I'll slow roast a chicken, I suppose. Definitely making the sweet potato, lemon zest and scallions mash that I made last year for Christmas that turned out completely heavenly. I even forced wei yau to make it for his vegetarian guests and he had to admit it was sublime.

Would you share how you do pesto with Collards? I keep trying them in the hope that someone makes them edible - and since my partner, who seems to otherwise manifest good taste, likes them, I'd like to give this a try.

[Brimshack]

I expect I'll be eating whale blubber.

[Kael]

I heard there's going to be food, but haven't been able to confirm it as more than hearsay.

We're bringing rolls and drinks and maybe a non-pie treat, since aforementioned hearsay has someone else in charge of pies.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Sonoma Bear

Would you share how you do pesto with Collards? I keep trying them in the hope that someone makes them edible - and since my partner, who seems to otherwise manifest good taste, likes them, I'd like to give this a try.

I'm always glad to help a brother in collard-hating.

You start with a batch of collards. I have no idea what weight it is; it's just whatever I get in my local organic produce delivery, usually something like a half dozen freakishly gigantic fronds. Remove the stems and center ribs, then blanch the leaves in salted boiling water until they're just tender enough to eat, I'ma say about 6,7 minutes.

Remove them from the cooking water using tongs and drain them in a colander, pressing the water out gently. You'll use the cooking water to cook the pasta in, so just leave it on the stove with the lid on for a while. Once the collards are decently drained, chop them coarsely.

Pit a half dozen or so giant green olives and chop them coarsely too. Chop 2 large garlic cloves while you're at it. If you have a food processor, which I assume you do because it hasn't exactly gone unnoticed that you guys are running a professional kitchen up in there, blend the olives and garlic together until finely chopped. Add the collars, a scant 1/2 tsp or so of salt, freshly ground pepper, and like a quarter of cup of toasted pecans.

Once everything is finely chopped, add 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream while the motor runs. Turn it off, then add 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano and pulse until combined.

If you don't have a food processor, you can do all of this with a large mortar and pestle, which is how I make it because I'M HARDCORE LIKE THAT YO.

As with all pestos, when you cook the pasta is the leftover collard pot likker, keep a cup or so of the cooking water in case you need to thin out the sauce when you toss it. You won't need to use more than a few tablespoons, most likely, but better than safe than sorry.