Turkey/stuffing/gravy
Roasted squash or sweet potatoes
Rutabaga
Green beans
Cranberry sauce
Spicery rolls
Maple/pumpkin pie/whipped cream
Apple pie
Eggnog

My orange glazed turkey, my mom's recipe for stuffing that I have eaten every Thanksgiving of my life, creamy mashed potatoes. Green vegetables will be broccoli or green beans depending on what is in freezer. Then we will have the required pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce.

Artichoke dip
Brie
Turkey w/onion sage stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes with apples and maple
Cranberry orange relish (fresh)
Corn casserole
7up salad (long standing tradition)
Pie-haven't decided on the kind yet

Nancy

Turkey (smoked on the grill)
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Wild Rice
Stuffing
Rolls (traditionally butterhorns)
Pickles
Cranberries
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Veg #2 (depends)
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Pie #3 (probably apple, but maybe cherry)
Whipped Cream
Hot Apple Cider
Pop and Water
Way Too Much Booze

I don't like to do appetizers on T-giving because there's already too much food, but several of my guests will probably bring a "before."

DH will smoke a whole kosher turkey
Mandalay green beans, and plain steamed for picky kids
Mashed potatoes
A friend is bringing sweet potatoes with marshmallows LOL
cranberry sauce, but I must have at least half a package made into Jezebel
I'll figure out a vegetarian stuffing
Terri's honey wheat rolls
Dairy free pumpkin pie that uses coconut milk
Same friend is bringing apple pie
Good coffee/tea and good wine, for my guests

I don't usually post here but came to look for TG ideas. I would like to add something on the lighter side but can't figure out what. Here's my menu:

- crudités
- homemade spinach artichoke dip w/ buttered & toasted baguette rounds
- brie w/caramelized onions & flat bread
- organic buttermilk-brined turkey
- turkey gravy
- Mom's bread stuffing
- garlic mashed potatoes
- corn casserole
- field greens salad w/ walnuts, cranberries & goat cheese w/ raspberry vinaigrette
- green beans almondine
- brussell sprouts w/ pancetta
- fresh orange cranberry sauce w/ walnuts
- whipped sweet potatoes w/ cardamom
- rosemary clover leaf rolls
- chocolate pecan pie
- Granny's cherry pie
- pumpkin gooey butter cake
- cranberry bread w/ cream cheese
- fresh whipped cream
- vanilla ice cream
- Arnie Palmer, regular iced tea, soda, BYOB (we don't drink but guests are more than welcome!)

We are having our biggest crowd ever this year and I'm a little anxious. Wish me luck!

good luck, kellyeng. So you want to replace any of those things with lighter stuff, or add lighter stuff to the list you already have?

You already have turkey which is pretty healthy sans gravy, and the green beans have lots of monounsaturated fat in the almonds. The salad could be given a choice of a light dressing and sweet potatoes are good if you don't add too much butter.

Maybe a fruit salad or an additional (lighter) dessert? Or maybe roast the sweet potatoes instead of mashing them since you already have mashed potatoes. You could always add another vegetable, but I don't know how many people you want to feed, you could already feed an army, LOL.

Annie

Annie

Same menu, as always, but I want to add a new green vegetable:

Nuts (for those who are too hungry to wait)

No first course -- too long for the children
Turkey
tarragon/mushroom/pine nut stuffing
candied yams with marshmallows
cranberry orange conserve with cardamom
Timbale of Fresh Corn from Julia Child (but with canned corn)
Green Vegetable TBD
Dessert brought by guests

Kelly your menu sounds great, just the way it is.

OK, I can't help myself......."there's always room for Jello!"

Nancy

We host every other year, and my daughter took on the turkey roasting when she was 14! She makes a sausage stuffing, and acorn squash to go with. My dad doesn't think it's Thanksgiving unless he has candied sweet potatoes, so we have to have those, and my niece loves green bean casserole. My sister is the dinner roll champ in the family. We also throw in a green salad and fruit salad, usually brought by another niece.

For appetizers, we have a hot cream cheese, shrimp, and pepper (banana peppers or other mild variety) dip served with small slices of French bread, and salsa and chips.

For dessert my daughter's pumpkin cheesecake and cranberry cheesecake are big hits. This year we'll also throw in some of my green tomato mincemeat pie (thanks to Annie for the idea and recipe).

I just found out I'm hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for 13 people.

Guess I'll make the same ol same ol. Turkey, dressing,gravy, taters, broccoli casserole. My sister is bringing pies, her daughter is bringing cookies. So all I have to do is concentrate on the dinner part.

I might make some little snackies to munch on while it's all cooking. Maybe those little brie cups w/jam in them might be good too.

Jessy, you have got to try this then..since you are going for the Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie..It's on my to try list!!!

And with the temps in SoCa..It's what I'd be eating..LOL

As far as what I'm cooking..
Turkey, pre salted
Honey Wheat Rolls
baked sweet potato something (I have fresh ones I roasted and chunked a few weeks back in the freezer.)
mashed potatoes
Roasted green beans or broccoli~depends on what my co op has available.
Roasted beets probably too
Gravy, and a small batch of my grammas peanut stuffing, for me!
Dessert will be Spice Rack Sweet Potato Pie~all for hubby
Pumpkin Pie~for #1 son
and maybe a cheesecake or cheese pie with Raspberries for the rest of us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Decadent Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

My kids are used to me cooking something different and experimenting all of the time throughout the year, but at Thanksgiving they like the tradition!

Shrimp Mold with crackers for appetizer
Turkey: If my brother comes, he'll be frying one or two. But I'll still roast a big one in the oven because as good as the fried ones are, you don't have any drippings for gravy if you only fry!
Cornbread dressing (same recipe for 30 years now!)
Gravy (I'll be "channeling" my dad who was the gravy master!)
Mashed Potaoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans: either "the" GB casserole or a sweet/sour almondine
Green Pea Salad (another must have according to my family)
Canned Cranberry Sauce - cut into shapes with a star cookie cutter
Pickles, Olives, PIckled Okra
Homemade Rolls (Mrs. Zojurushi helps!) served with butter pats molded in shell shaped butter molds
Pecan Pie
Another Pie (cherry probably)

Grace

Terri you enabler you

Jessy, it's healthy icecream!!!!!

This is the plan right now but it could change! I've got quite a few coming too but I love it.

Appetizers while I can pull things together in a very short amount of time:

Large Antipasto Platter (Artichokes, Cheeses, crackers, bread, hummus/pita chips, olives, shrimp, meats, peppers, etc.

Vegetables & Dip

Dinner:

Turkey/Gravy
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Casserole
Green Beans
Grilled Vegetables (Squash, Zucc., Onions & Tomato)
Creamed Onions
Cranberry Sauce
Spiced Peaches

Desserts:

Pumpkin Pie, Candy Bar Brownies, Chunky Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Ann's Silly Toffee Squares

Thanksgiving and Christmas are really the only time that I bake a lot. Lots will be packed up for family to take home.

Here's my menu, subject to change of course!

Appetizers:
Pirouettes for the teens
Pesto Torta & crackers
Hummus & pita chips
Assorted vegs & spinach dip
Shrimp Rillettes w/crostini
Chilled shrimp "dressed" with pesto
Bite-size lemon cakes (doing the Costco dance for this!)
Phyllo Cups--buttered phyllo with a dollop of chevre, topped with a bit of homemade cranberry sauce
Salami & pepperoni & crackers

Bread:
Asst Rolls/Breads with Irish Kerrygold butter (my fave!)

Sides:
Sweet potatoes w/pecans
Cranberry sauce
Roasted red peppers
Buttered corn
Green peas (maybe with pearl onions)
Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread stuffing w/Italian sausage
Vegetarian stuffing w/apples, cranberries, celery, onions & carrots

Main:
Turkey with gravy
Tofurkey for my vegetarian cousins
Baked ziti--only because the lasagna won't fit in the oven with the other stuff

Salad:
Tossed green salad with cranberry/apple salad dressing

Dessert:
Chocolate chip cookies
Pies--pumpkin, apple, maybe a third and fourth pie too
Freshly whipped cream
Freshly whipped maple cream

Assorted wines, bottled water beverages, soda, diet soda, assorted beer, Crystal Lite, Sweet & Spicy Cinnamon Tea

Oh, roll me out the door!

OOPS! Forgot one more appetizer--a wheel of baby Brie that will be "stuffed" with Gorgonzola and a bit of Major Grey's chutney (from lindac's recipe)

We go totally traditional at the Holidays.

Instead of an appetizer we have turkey egg drop soup as a light meal/lunch/brunch a couple hours before the meal. I take the wings off the turkey and the neck and make a good sized batch of broth with it for the stuffing and use the rest for the soup.

Turkey [22 lb free from Acme]
Sage Stuffing [I have some of my artisan bread to use in it]
Mashed potatoes
Candied White sweet potatoes
Steamed brussel sprouts
I too have to have the Ocean Spray jellied
Creamed carrots are a family tradition from my parents and now Christy has to have them
Tons of great gravy
Grn and blk olives to go along with the cranberry sauce in clearing palate inbetween all the heavier stuff ;]
Dessert is Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Pudding Pie. Both with very slightly sweet whipped cream.

Too much food for 2 people, 1 dog and 8 cats? Good thing I'm the queen of loving to eat leftovers. Can almost smell that bird cooking now. mmmmmm

Sooz,
Could you please tell me your cranberry apple dressing for salad? That sounds so good.
Barb

We're doing two smaller (12 lbs. each) turkeys this year, one that's brined and then stuffed and roasted inside and the second to fry outside, as the men-folk are out there roasting and shucking oysters, too.

Appetizers

Bacon wrapped pineapple chunks
Ham & cream cheese pinwheels
Crabmeat stuffed mushroom caps
Veggie tray with dip

Turkeys
Oyster stuffing
Home-made cranberry sauce
Giblet gravy
Butternut squash
Sweet potato casserole
Do ahead mashed white potato casserole
Asian-style green beans

Assorted rolls

Desserts
Pumpkin chiffon pie
Apple pie

And I'm looking for something else sweet with chocolate - if anyone has any ideas.......??????

Kelly, we've had some Arnie Palmer in FL and liked it - can't get it here in NJ!

Barbara, in case you're still interested in a smoked salmon appetizer, DDIL just made this the other day and they were a really big hit - adapted from a Cooking Light recipe. It was a little too tart/lemony for me and I would reduce the lemon juice, unless maybe her hand slipped as she measured!

Smoked Salmon Appetizer

4 ounces of light cream cheese
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
4 teaspoons chopped chives

4 ounces smoked salmon
24 slices cocktail size pumpernickel bread

Mix first 4 ingredients together and spread on bread. Lay slices of smoked salmon on top.

OMG I forgot one of my vegetable dishes! It wouldn't be a Louisiana holiday without Spinach Madeleine!!

Grace

Traditional fare that our family has been serving for decades -

Cranberry/Apple Punch (for the kids)
Cheese/cracker & fruit tray
Crudites & dip
Roast Turkey
Meat Stuffing (old French Canadian recipe)
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Cranberry/Orange Relish (homemade)
Fresh Green Beans
Turnip/Carrots (combo) Mashed
Hot Dinner Rolls
DH's Bread Pudding w/Orange Caramel Sauce
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Coffee & Tea

Not truly Asian, but Asian-inspired. My family all loves to cook, so we email like crazy as we decide on who's making what!

Thanksgiving 2008 Menu

__Appetizer
Veggie crudités and dip and chips and cheese

__Soup
Wintermelon soup (Sho)

__Main courses/Sides
Deep Fried Turkey and gravy
Asian Seasoned Roast Turkey (it will be an Apple-Oolong tea brine with
five spice rub)
Shrimp Curry with veggies
Garlic Noodles with lobster/crab and veggies)
Sticky rice "stuffing"
Thai Green beans
Asian Mashed potatoes
Tempura sweet potato and Kabocha Squash
Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce (with fresh cranberries)

__Dessert
Coconut rice pudding with gingered pears and lichee
Beautiful Beignets
Apple Pomegranate Tarte

JKom - what a great menu!!! Will you share recipies for the Asian Mashed Potatoes, the Tempura Sweet Potatos and the tart?????

Hi, Barb,

Email coming at ya!

Sooz

Thanks Sooz. I have send you an email. My address is new from the list, not sure how to change it.
Barb

rhome, you are more than welcome, I hope it turned out well. I don't like the traditional meat based mincemeat, but I like the green tomato stuff, go figure. I like Nancy's (wizardnm) pear mincemeat too.

Grace, Mrs. Zojirushi helps me with the dinner rolls too, I usually make a batch of Sol's honey rolls and one of Terri's honey wheat.

And I'm actually thinking of adding Ann T's parmesan coated sweet potato wedges this year for those of us (Elery and I, LOL) who don't care for the brown sugar/ marshmallow/pecan thing. I just bought sweet potatoes for 29 cents a pound at Horrock's, nice, big, fresh ones!

Annie

Annie, I was looking to add another "light" dish to the menu. Luckily a vegetarian friend ask to bring something so she solved my problem. Maybe she'll bring jello!

Woodie, that's so weird because I live in Texas where no Arnie Palmer is to be had but it was in New Jersey where I discovered it!

Everyone's menu sounds wonderful!

Kelly, that is really funny! Where in NJ did you get it? You can email me if you like.

Mendham, Bernardsville, Chester, Shorthills area. My sister lives in Bernardsville and when we're driving around I usually have no idea what town we are even in because they are all so close together.

Anyway, I usually find AP at grills or pubs.

Thanks Kelly, that's not far from me - we'll look for it again!

JKrom - what a fabulous menu. could you share the green bean recipe? Maybe i could work it into my menu. My son is on a low residue diet after an operation and it is tough planning this menu, I guess it is turkey and potatoes for him. smoked salmon works as well.

Well, I think we finally have our menu:
Cheese and Crackers
Wine and beer
Turkey on the grill (with a bottle of white wine)
Dressing with sage
Gravy
Fresh Cranberry Sauce and canned sauce, also
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
Sweet Potato Casserole
Vegetarian Dish
Homemade Rolls
Iced Tea
Apple Pie
Spanish Bar Cake

Ours will be:
Turkey
Cornbread dressing with celery, onions, and sage
Scalloped oysters
Mashed potatoes with gravy
Glazed sweet potatoes
Some sort of salad (this year, the lettuce, cauliflower, bacon salad)
A jello salad (this year, the orange jello with grated carrot salad)
The infamous green bean casserole
Some sort of 'lighter vegetable' - this year, green peas with pearl onions
Rolls
Raw cranberry relish
Pies

Sometimes someone brings something new - which is great, but these tend to be our standbys.

Judi

I'll jump in here ;o)

Cold antipasto: Assorted olives, salami roll-ups, artichoke hearts, provolone, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, breadsticks.

Roast turkey with cornbread-sausage stuffing
Herb stuffing
Mashed potatoes (our garden potatoes) & gravy
Sweet potato casserole with cranberries & apples
Cipollini agradolce
Asparagus
Cranberry-orange sauce
Dinner rolls

Baba's apple cake
French apple pie
Pumpkin bread
Apple cider, tea assortment, coffee
Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc

I've searched, planned and have thoroughly (and OCD) outlined it all and this is the plan: for 14 people

appetizers
dubliner and brie cheeses
(considering putting the spiced cranberry sauce on the brie)
assorted crackers
jalapeno olives
apple slices, grapes
black pepper almonds
(decided to forgo the bacon wrapped asparagus to promote hunger)

drinks
red and white wine, beer
sparkling pomegranate and cranberry juices
assorted sodas and waters

Dinner
Alton Browns Good eats roast turkey (over 1700 positive reviews!)
Honey baked ham
England Sausage, apple & dried cranberry stuffing
Southern Cornbread stuffing
Baked mashed potatoes with parmesan & bread crumbs
Maple glazed yams with pecan topping
Creamed Corn gratin with fried onion rings & bacon
Green beans with mushroom Madeira sauce
Southern Biscuits
Assorted dinner rolls
Homemade Gravy
Cranberry Horseradish sauce
Spiced cranberry sauce with Zinfandel

dessert - guests will bring
pumpkin, pecan, apple pies, cookies

Would like to make a homemade whipped topping in place of the cool whip/whipped cream but have never tried it. Any tried and true recipes?

Thats supposed to be New England sausage stuffing, not England
(epicurious recipe)

For homemade whipped topping - I just make sweetened (with a drop of vanilla too) whipped cream and stop whipping when it is sort of soft - not when it is stiff.

We are having Thanksgiving at a friends house, so I am bringing the appetizers, a side or two and a Pecan Pie for desert... sort of a group effort! Here is the menu that I know of....

Appetizers:

Tiny sandwich bites with apple, smoked gouda and proscuitto
Red Pepper and Boursin Tart
Goat Cheese Crostini with Orange Marmalade
Crudites & Dip
Chips

Main:

Roast Turkey with Shallot Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Corn
Green Bean Casserole with COM Shoup AND Durkee Fried Onions
Some sort of Tossed Salad
Roasted Root Veggies with fresh herbs

Dessert
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pecan Pie
Brownies
Cookies

And lots of wine and beer and sodas and iced teas.....

Am I missing something? Where I come from (VA) an Arnie Palmer is half iced tea and half lemonade. You don't have to go to Texas or New Jersey to get it. It's easy to make yourself. Are you speaking of something else?

Dottie I am from VA also and as far as I know an Arnie Palmer is half and half just as you described. I do know that there are alcohol versions that are named Tom Arnold and such.

I just posted a couple of weeks ago about how I am hooked right now on Nantucket Nectars Half & Half. It's great!

I love Nantucket Nectars Half & Half on a hot summer day, ice cold from a cooler on the beach. Can't beat it.

seagrass

Appetizers (basically serve as lunch)

Cheese & Crackers
Celery Stuffed with Cream Cheese & Olives
Relish Tray
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Shrimp Cocktail

Dinner
Roast Turkey with Bread Stuffing
Gravy
Whipped Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Red Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts
Glazed Carrots
Green Bean Casserole
Creamed onions
Cranberry Sauce (from the can)

Served with Date Bread and Parker House Rolls

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Banana Cream Pie
That Necco Wafer Chocolate Refrigerator Roll thingie I will make with the kids
Irish Coffee with Real Whipped Cream
BaileyÂs
Mints & Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Cherries (a must!)

Wines
Beaujolais Nouveau
Riesling

I'm talking about a cabernet sauvignon :)

The only place I've ever had half ice tea and half lemonade has been in Virginia or in North Carolina!

Here is a link that might be useful: Arnie Palmer

Okay Dixiedog....I need to know what a Nantucket Nectar is.

Everyone's menu sounds so good! Sooz, I told DH that I think I want to go to your house for Thanksgiving instead of his sister's house, lol. There's nothing wrong with what she prepares, but your menu just sounds so good, especially since you're fixing vegetarian food too.

As I mentioned, we're going to my SIL's for Thanksgiving, as we do pretty much every year.

I'll be bringing:

Spinach Gratin
A green salad
Preacher's Wife's Rolls
Chocolate Ricotta Pie
DH's Apple Pie
Maybe some Truffles

SIL usually makes

Roast Turkey
Roast Ham
Green Bean Casserole
Potato Casserole
Dressing of some kind
Sweet Potatoes, in a casserole kind of dish - I think the traditional candied type.

So, it's pretty much traditional fare.

Sally

I want to show up at everyone else's house that has posted here...for Thanksgiving!

We have such varied tastes at our home. So here is my menu...so far:

Cornish Game Hens, smoked
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy, that I will make from turkey wings
Biscuits, my Aunt Ruby's recipe
Sauteed Green Beans, my sister makes these
Scalloped Oysters OR
Scalloped Corn OR both!
Cranberry Sauce w/Oranges, fresh
Pumpkin Cake w/Whipped Cream, first time trying this

I have asked everyone to come up with something they want, so the menu is bound to expand. My sister and I are the only ones that will eat the oysters...so I am looking for a different recipe to try.

Scratch my traditional Thanksgiving menu that I posted last week!!

I knew that only one of my sons would be home, but now my nephew and brother won't be able to join us and everyone else that I've thought of to ask to join us already has plans. So it will just be the three of us. When you're used to cooking for 12 most years, it's hard to get excited about doing it all for just 3! Especially since we'll have almost the identical menu for Christmas day.

My son who's home from college happily agreed that it seemed a little silly to cook a turkey, so I'm going with the flow and changing plans! A local deli has some beautiful stuffed chicken breasts that I've always wanted to try and so that may be the main course. I'll still do some special vegs, dessert and homemade bread. Just not the dressing, gravy, bird etc.

Grace

"Okay Dixiedog....I need to know what a Nantucket Nectar is."

I love them! Their Half & Half is just right. Not too sweet. I get them at Whole Foods but they are sold at other places also.

http://www.nantucketnectars.com/

Grace, your holiday will be just as special. The chickens you are thinking about getting sound great.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nantucket Nectars