What is your Thanksgiving Day menu?

[Kaleva]

While I'm a 60 year old, soon to be 61, I'm the cook and this is what I'll be making with help from my wife, father-in-law and step daughter:

Turkey
Stuffing (prepared by my wife)
Turkey gravy (from a bottle)
Garlic mashed potatoes
Yams (from a can)
Green bean casserole (made by my stepdaughter)
Three bean salad
Cooked rutabaga (made by my father-in-law)
Corn (from a can)
Deviled eggs
Sliced bread

Pumpkin Pie (made by my wife)
Pineapple pretzel salad (made by both my wife and I)
Cranberry Gelatin Salad (made by my wife)
Applesauce (from a bottle)
Ice cream

Coffee
Milk
Pop

[handmade34]

1. coffee and pumpkin pie for us

planning an easy day

[PJMcK]

2. We have a lot in common

I'm 61 and also will be the cook. But from there, we diverge.

My wife is going to be in the Macy's parade then we're driving from NYC to Maryland to visit family. So our dinner will be on Friday this year.

Beef tenderloin roast (horseradish and Bearnaise sauces)
Baked red potatoes with minced onion and thyme
Steamed asparagus with bits of red bell pepper
Creamed spinach
Caesar salad

Freshly baked bread

Mixed fruit salad
Ice cream
Pumpkin pie

Full bar
Coffee
Sodas (if anyone wants it)

Have a great time and enjoy your meal!

[veganlush]

3. Tofurky and Gardein Roast

No animal "products", just plant based goodness, lots of veggie whole food side dishes. Cold beer and red wine, warm bread. Plan to try a white castle impossible burger stuffing recipe a saw yesterday

[Arkansas Granny]

4. The family is converging on one of my son's house this year.

Turkey and gravy
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli rice casserole
Cranberry orange relish
Pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, apple pies
Hot rolls and butter
Various adult beverages

Cooking chores will be divided amongst the attendees.

[True Blue American]

10. Same here

I make the Dressing,( Secret recipe) and began to make the gravy after my DIL pulled out a can. Funny because she is a Food Scientist.

Wavering between an old fashioned sweet potato pie or peanut butter.

Son’s specialty, Turkey on the char coal grill.

And whatever the rest bring.

[Arkansas Granny]

14. We pretty much cook everything from scratch. The whole family loves to cook.

The exceptions would be the hot rolls and pie crusts. I used to make really good, but it seems that I've lost the touch.

[True Blue American]

15. My Mother made the hot rolls

Now my son does

[bucolic_frolic]

5. I have a chicken

and some veggies. I don't fuss.

[lkinwi]

6. Going to my brother's.

SIL:
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Homemade gravy
Green bean casserole
Me:
Corn casserole- homemade
French silk pie- store bought
Cheesecake-store
Other Family members:
Deviled eggs
Jello
Sweet potato casserole- homemade
Various snacks and hors d’oeuvres
Drinks 😁

[Freddie]

7. Very traditional

Turkey
Mashed potatoes
“Filling” (Pa Dutch bread and potato stuffing)
Green bean casserole
Cope’s Dried Corn (also PA Dutch)
Sweet potatoes (frozen)
Cranberry sauce (can)
Rolls or homemade bread
Pumpkin pie
Apple crisp

[True Blue American]

11. No matter how they make

Cranberry sauce I still prefer that jellied.

[Ohiogal]

17. Me too.

That’s the only kind my mother ever served so I guess that’s what I got used to.

[True Blue American]

23. A bIL

Of my son grew up on a ranch in SD. He saw my can, said,” Real Cranberry sauce!”

[Freddie]

28. It's a challenge

To get it to come out of the can perfectly. Over the years I’ve figured it out.

[mnhtnbb]

8. Taking a sweet potato pie

to my oldest son's and partner's new house. First time they will be hosting Thanksgiving. They already said they won't be cooking turkey, but I don't know what they are planning. I offered to bring pie and they requested the sweet potato pie. My youngest son and his partner will be traveling to Denmark and Sweden over Thanksgiving, so it will just be the three of us.

[True Blue American]

12. Funny thing about that

Sweet potato pie. Never made it until I went to Tennessee.

[mnhtnbb]

19. I'm cheating.

I've never even eaten sweet potato pie. I gave them a list of options from a pie company that makes pies to order and that's what they chose!

I'm moving the Monday before Thanksgiving and told them I wouldn't be cooking.

[True Blue American]

22. Pumpkin is just more

Intense.

Truthfully the younger ones make a delicious Sweet potato casserole. That may be why I take peanut butter. My son sweet talked the owner of a Hungarian restaurant to tell him.

[True Blue American]

24. Some of these pie

Companies make better than scratch.

[Arazi]

36. You're moving? Again? Two days before Thanksgiving?!

You're an Amazon. I'm impressed. You've been thru a lot of changes in the last 5 years ...

[mnhtnbb]

37. Just upstairs same building

I'm going to schlep dishes, glassware, fragile stuff myself on a cart. Take stuff out of a cabinet and put it back in a cabinet so no packing or unpacking of boxes. Movers will handle furniture and anything I don't get done the weekend before they come.

I'm moving to the same floor plan 12 floors higher. Fabulous view. Everything goes back in the same place.

No more moves after this! Famous last words, right? Actually this represents a decision that I'd been thinking about for some time. I'd considered moving abroad, returning to Chapel Hill, buying a condo, relocating to another state and decided that I really like this building and downtown Raleigh but the one thing that could be better would be to be on a higher floor for the better view. They've had a lot of turnover in the 2 bedroom apartments from tenants buying houses so they dramatically dropped the price and I decided to take advantage of it.

So I'm basically going through the hassle of moving for the view, but I'll be getting what I wanted originally that wasn't available when I settled last year for this apartment so I wouldn't have to put stuff in storage after the house sold.

[Ohiogal]

9. I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the last 30 some years.

We’re pretty traditional here.

This year the menu will be:

Roast turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Real sweet potatoes, mashed with butter and brown sugar
Yeast rolls

all made by me from scratch.

Green beans - probably almandine- that I froze from my summer garden. I detest green bean casserole and will not allow it in my house!

Mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce made by my sister

Pumpkin and apple pies made by my son

And my sister is bringing brownies because she doesn’t like pie

I’m sure the wine will be flowing, as well ....depends on what my hubby brings home from the store .... most likely a Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir.

[True Blue American]

13. I do not like

Canned or frozen green beans.

[Ohiogal]

16. To each his own!

Some years we have asparagus instead of green beans. Or broccoli. I just happen to have green beans available this year. 🙂

[True Blue American]

20. But you said you canned

Your own. I was referring to store bought. I love fresh green beans. That was not meant for you.

[Ohiogal]

25. I freeze them in my Food Saver

I think they come out fresher tasting that way.

Yes, I get that wasn't meant for me now that I re-read it. Not enough coffee I guess!

[True Blue American]

26. Even better, home frozen.:)

[Arkansas Granny]

18. I hosted our dinners for years, but after all the kids were grown and gone from home,

we started having it at my daughters house. She wanted her kids to have memories of waking up to the smells of the meal being prepared like she had as a child. Now her children are all grown and she has passed the torch to her brother who still has 3 children at home. Thanksgiving is our big family dinner of the year.

[True Blue American]

21. Same here!

I was not happy at first, but our dinners have gone from Grandpa and Grandpa, mom and Dad, then us, now on to the next.

[sarge43]

27. Just the two of us, so

Turkey
Mash potatoes
Stuffing
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Succotash
Tomato, green pepper, onion salad
Pie, apple or pumpkin

[rsdsharp]

29. We host sort of a potluck every year. This year:

Me:

Turkey (done Alton Brown's way)
Ham
Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Gravy (out of a jar)
Butternut squash, bacon, apple bake
Brussel sprouts with bacon and maple syrup
Emma's corn (sort of a cross between regular and creamed corn)

Wife:

Cranberry, pear and apple chutney
Pecan pie
Chocolate dream pie
Pumpkin bars

Friends:

Homemade rolls
Brie Bites
Poppy seed noodles.

Daughter:
Probably Chex Mix and maybe another appetizer.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. Probably some soup and a sandwich.

I'm not going anywhere.

[Tree-Hugger]

31. Just 5 of us

My mom typically makes Thanksgiving dinner, but her health has been scary in the recent month so we are figuring things out. I can easily make a full dinner, but my dad just told me he will be cooking it this year. It'll be interesting. lol

Turkey
Gravy (most from scratch, but mom always has an emergency jar)
Homemade mashed potatoes
Stuffing balls (we don't stuff the turkey)
Mashed sweet potatoes
Candied sweet potato slices
Green beans
Corn
Cranberry sauce - which is the only thing from the can.

I think I will be handling the pies this year. I HATE all pie and have never made one, but I feel confident in my ability. Our traditional Thanksgiving pies are:

Pumpkin Pie
Pudding Pie

Sometimes, there is cheesecake.

Coffee
Tea

[Runningdawg]

32. Our menu is so predictable I have a master copy with recipes and shopping list attached

Tabbouleh
Cabbage rolls
Olives
Turkey w/gravy
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Asparagus
Brussel Sprouts
Cranberry sauce
Hot rolls
Something Chocolate
A Cheesecake
Pecan Pie

[jpak]

33. Turkey!

Gradma's stuffing (bread, Bell's seasoning, wilted onions)

Home-grown mashed potatoes

Home-grown squash

Home grown broccoli and onion casserole

Mom's corn pudding

Home-grown peas

Homemade (homegrown) apple pie

Homemade Maine wild blueberry pie

Homemade pecan pie

Homemade orange-wild Maine cranberry relish

Home-grown hand-pressed home-brewed sparkling hard cider

(and beer and wine and spirits).

[smirkymonkey]

34. I will be going to my sister's house this year, and my parents will be coming up

from NY. My brothers will be having Thanksgiving with their inlaws. I am kind of a purist and like the basics - Turkey, basic mashed potatoes, stuffing baked in the oven, mashed butternut squash, gravy and a few assorted vegetable dishes, at least one green. However, my mother will always dominate and likes to try new recipes.

She always likes to doctor up the mashed potatoes w/ sour cream/cream cheese, etc. - they aren't bad, but they are very rich. She likes stuffing in the bird, and I don't. I like a homemade cranberry orange sauce and she likes to make a cranberry ice/sorbet type of thing, which is good, but I still miss the traditional cranberry sauce.

She will always come up with a few other "surprises", whereas I would rather have something like sauteed greens, green beans almondine or a broccoli/cauliflower gratin. There is always a little bit of a struggle and we manage to come up w/ a compromise or making a little bit of everything. I like interesting dishes, but on Thanksgiving, there are certain classics I like to stick to.

As for dessert, I really don't care, because I rarely eat it. We eat on the later side and I am usually full until I go to bed, so they can have whatever they like. If I was to make a dessert choice, I suppose I would like a chocolate, bourbon pecan pie or a pumpkin cheesecake (both of which I have made before) with homemade whipped cream.

I am sure I will be happy with whatever we have. I just wish I had a larger place so that I could host every once in a while instead of always having to visit family.

[Skittles]

35. frozen dinner at work

maybe I will make it turkey

[Generic Brad]

38. Aw, crap. I hate Thanksgiving

Our daughter lives states away and can't visit. We don't have any friends or relatives here. I avoid sodium, calories and fat so there's not even a good meal to look forward to.

As I age, holidays have become just long, boring days I have to live through until I can go back to doing something useful at work.

[Harker]

39. Mashed potatoes...

Stuffing with celery and carmelized onions
A simple vegan gravy with mushrooms
Roasted sweet potatoes
Fresh cranberry sauce
Corn or peas
A peppery tofu cutlet
Wine
Love
Thankfulness

[Lady Freedom Returns]

40. Whatever whichever shelter in the area with sleeping space is serving.