Thanksgiving / holiday dinner

[artiemom]

I'm going to make this: Skillet Chicken with Cranberries Easy enough for me to make and doesn't require too many ingredients or cook time. I'll probably make stuffing from a box to go with it.

That looks really good..I may copy you with that recipe!!

 

[LTS3]

I have never really liked turkey either Maybe because we only had it once year at Thanksgiving and it was always overcooked, dry and overly salty and generally flavorless. Mom has never been a good cook.

I have a bag with a handful of leftover frozen french fries that can go in the oven with the skillet chicken and cranberry. Baking a whole potato or sweet potato is a little

 

[artiemom]

I have never really liked turkey either Maybe because we only had it once year at Thanksgiving and it was always overcooked, dry and overly salty and generally flavorless. Mom has never been a good cook.

I have a bag with a handful of leftover frozen french fries that can go in the oven with the skillet chicken and cranberry. Baking a whole potato or sweet potato is a little

If you are having stuffing with it, I would just add a veggie: fresh green beans, or any autumn squash.

 

[Kat0121]

I went to the grocery store Friday night and looked at the half turkey breasts. They really didn't look that great and they were expensive. I think I'm going to change plans and have a steak instead. A nice rare bone in ribeye. The girls and I shared a steak last night and boy were they happy. It is hands down their favorite people food. I'll likely have a baked potato and salad with it or maybe just salad.

 

[denice]

I decided I didn't even want to do the lasagna. I order the Bob Evans turkey dinner for four so there will be leftovers. They are doing the pumpkin pie here instead of the cherry pie.

 

[klunick]

I decided I didn't even want to do the lasagna. I order the Bob Evans turkey dinner for four so there will be leftovers. They are doing the pumpkin pie here instead of the cherry pie.

I have been ordering that for the last few years. Depending on who we have order, I sometimes get the "for eight" meal.

 

[LTS3]

Here's one suggestion for a small scale 2 - 4 person Thanksgiving dinner:

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes of All Time

We make these year after year after year.

www.thekitchn.com

 

[posiepurrs]

I really don't know what our menu will be. Neither of us really likes turkey and just being the 2 of us it would be to much. We don't like left over turkey. Thinking maybe a small ham. Scaling back on desserts since we are watching our glucose levels. Bill actually suggested hamburgers on the grill. Of course the weather may prohibit that. I am just not into it this year, so feel like I need to make the effort to get into it. I do have a lot to be thankful for - Bill is still with me after the most recent health scare.

 

[LTS3]

More small scale holiday menus: Suggestions For A Smaller But Still Festive Thanksgiving From Chef Kathy Gunst Who knew that a cookbook for small Thanksgiving dinners exists?

 

[artiemom]

I have decided that this year is going to be the Untraditional Thanksgiving.
LTS3 , I am going to be making the chicken thigh recipe, you posted. Thank uppitiest for posting it.

I am planning on having that with some rice pilaf, or wild rice.. instead of stuffing or potatoes. I am feeling like plain fresh green beans for veggies--instead of squash.
Not certain about desert...will have to see what catches my eye~~ something simple.

Need to pick up the perishable, next week.. I may substitute green onions instead of onions.. still not certain if I can eat onions.. or I will cut back on the amount of onions.

Since this year, 2020 is the year that should be wiped off the calendar, I have decided to do the same with T-day...
Not a fan of turkey, so this will do..

If it does not turn out well, for my tastes----well, there are hot dogs in the freezer! And the building is giving us a T-day full meal, the night before--as a gift, during Covid. Kitchen is closed on holidays.

One of my friends thinks I am crazy to try a new recipe for T-day.. I said, Why not? It is something different for a very different T-day. It will be something positive to focus on.

 

[strider rose]

im going to attempt to cook for the hubby and i this year ... i will let you know how that went

 

[Winchester]

I know it's just the two of us. And my co-worker; I mentioned him in my Name 3 Things post. He's just told his mom that he's not coming home for Thanksgiving. So then his stepdad called and kind of gave him a rough time about it. But they don't do the mask thing at all. His brother and GF will be there and they don't mask either. He gets enough of it at work and doesn't feel comfortable going home. But he was bummed out, so I invited him "for dinner". I'm going to make dinner and put a large portion of everything outside for him. He can pick it all up, take it back home, heat it, and chow down. And he won't go without turkey on Turkey Day. I felt so badly for him. Talked to Rick and Rick knows the guy well, since he's one of my co-workers and a good friend of ours. We don't feel comfortable having him in the house....the damn pandemic. But he should at least have something.

I just love to cook. And I love doing holiday dinners. I worked this morning on finalizing the menu (will work on timelines later on). And as of now, it's set in stone. While it seems like a lot, I have worked on scaling down some of the recipes, pretty much in half. I don't normally make buns when I serve stuffing, but it can all go into the freezer.

Roast Turkey (I'm going to brine it, but not doing AB's Good Eats Roast Turkey this year, unless it gets really cold at night)
Crock Pot Stuffing (Dear Richard lives for this stuffing and I'm making the full batch, now that I know I can freeze it!)
Party Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Sagaponek Corn Pudding (Ina Garten)
Roasted Winter Vegetables (Ina Garten)
Mom's Cranberry Relish (it's simply not the holidays without it, even though I'm the only one who eats the stuff)
Applesauce
Japanese Milk Breads Rolls with Honey Cinnamon Butter
Pumpkin Pie (I'm going to use either sweet potatoes or a butternut squash for the pumpkin)
Rolled Sugar Cookies (going to make turkeys!)
Iced Tea and Coffee
Autumn Harvest Blush Wine

 

[Kat0121]

I went shopping earlier. Publix has bone in ribeye steaks on sale. I bought a pack of two nice ones. Now I have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners settled. Sides are the easy part.

 

[bbdoll22]

We are staying home.
My brother usually has an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner for my side of family and then we have dessert with hubby’s large family.
My brother has canceled due to the pandemic but my in-laws are still having the dinner and dessert. It includes many different households, is quite a large gathering and no one believes in wearing masks. So no way are we going. And it’s caused hard feelings.
My husband, myself and our 2 little boys took a dinner vote on what I should cook.
I voted for turkey
Youngest voted for turkey
Hubby voted for eggplant Parmesan
Oldest son voted for turkey and eggplant Parmesan. (Growing 10 year old boy lol)
To keep everyone happy I’ll be making both.

 

[neely]

I have decided that this year is going to be the Untraditional Thanksgiving.

Same here but for different reasons.

Since I'm vegetarian and one of our daughters is vegan we decided to order a special veggie Thanksgiving meal. However, I will be cooking a turkey breast for DH with onion roasted potatoes and baking but haven't decided on his dessert yet.
My daughter and I chose two meals, the first one includes: Cream of Greens Soup, Lentil Loaf, Cauliflower Mash, Cranberry Orange Sauce, Cashew Gravy, Maple Roasted Carrots and Pumpkin Pie.
The second includes: Pumpkin Coconut Soup, Stuffed Acorn Squash, Cranberry Orange Sauce, Cashew Gravy. Cauliflower Brussels Sprouts Roast and Apple Pear Cobbler. We usually cook but since it's just the three of us this year we thought this might be fun for a change.

 

[di and bob]

I'm still going all out, 20lb. turkey, stuffing, and homemade chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes. Only my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson over. We will make plates and bring them to the in-laws (leaving them on the porch). We usually have a houseful, but compromised this year. Leftover turkey will be shredded and frozen for the cats, bones, and scraps boiled up into stock for the next batch of noodles. No hugging and no prolonged within 6-foot contact.

 

[LTS3]

I made my Thanksgiving dinner early. A review and picture: What's For Dinner? - 2020

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I will be having Thanksgiving with my family, the four of us. My sister and I will be cooking. Besides the Turkey, we will have Butter Squash soup, two stuffings (Apple Walnut and sausage stuffing), Garlic Mash Potato, Green Bean Casserole, sauteed Mushrooms and some other side we haven't decided on yet. Pumpkin Bread Pudding or Pecan Pie. We usually have lots of leftovers. Love Thanksgiving!

 

[Winchester]

artiemom While Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are expected to be traditional around here, I don't worry about trying a new recipe or two. Rick deals with it much better than our son does; our son expects "his" standard foods for those holidays. So while I always prepare our traditional dishes, I'm not above adding an extra dish or two to the meal. For years, I only made a certain kind of corn pudding or baked corn. Then I found Ina Garten's recipe for Sagaponek Corn Pudding. Tried it and we all love the stuff. Our son wasn't particularly amused because it wasn't the baked corn he was used to, but when he tasted it, turns out it was perfect.

When it was just the three of us for Christmas, I always had filled pork chops with apples and raisins for our dinner. When he got married and The Grands were born, well, six filled pork chops (plus a couple for second helpings) seemed a little much. So I switched over to a crown roast of pork with the crock pot stuffing. He still complains bitterly about the blasted crown roast. He hates it. And I don't know why; it's still pork. But it's a change and change is not the time for holiday dinners.

My point is (and I do have one, but it takes me a while to get to it): Do what you want. If you want a full-blown dinner, make it. If you want to change your menu up, do it. You do what you want to do. And enjoy it!

LTS3 , I saw your chicken and cranberries picture and it looked positively decadent! I do something similar. But I make a bit of sauce with the cranberries in a separate saucepan and then spoon it on top of the chicken as it's being served.

 

[susanm9006]

My top turkey day tips.
The stuff inside your thawed turkey is NOT stuffing. keep digging until it’s all out

Salt is your best friend. If you baste the oven instead of the bird or your pies bubble over or otherwise gooey stuff builds up on your oven floor and starts to smoke, dump a bunch of salt through the lower rack onto it to stop the smoke and odor. You can leave it there until you are done cooking and the oven cools. Then scrape it with a spatula and wipe or vacuum it up.

Take time in the craziness of meal prep to appreciate your guests and the joy of having someone to burn yourself for.