You're lucky to have such sweet inlaws! Mine had no problem telling me my jambalaya had too much rice in it. :D Most people like green salad. Could you do your salad but pass the cheese and dressings separately? (Yup, an extra dressing just in case that's what they dislike.)

Hi Susie,

This year I'm doing crab chunks on endive or romaine with a cocktail sauce, mayonnaise & lemon juice dressing. I also have a recipe for a cranberry, orange Jello & crushed pineapple salad that is very good & can be made the day before.

A cucumber salad sounds good if you can use the English/burpless variety - easier on older folks' digestion.

Your in-laws were very poilte not to tell you, but I sure understand what you are saying - it seems futile to have made it, doesn't it!

Kathleen

You said it Kathleen!!
I will gladly make something else as I work in a supermarket and have plenty of time to switch out.

My kids like the salad so I will make it for them some other time this week.

You know I never though of adding a seafood course so I'll give that some thought.

Cheers!
Susie

I would check with your inlaws before making a cuke salad, as I have known quite a few people who really just don't care for cukes (I love them myself).

Sometimes older folks don't care for the leafy greens part of a salad, as depending where they grew up, they might only have had access to things like iceberg lettuce or romaine. It would help if you knew just what it is about that salad that they don't care for.

As an elegant starter salad, I like a bed of greens, grapefruit sections (without the pith and membrane)avocado & red onions with poached shrimp or crab meat and a lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Everything can be prepped ahead of time, and then it's just a matter of assembling the salads and drizzling them with the vinaigrette.

Another easy, but attractive and tasty salad is a nice bed of baby spinach, with mushrooms, bacon bits, sweet onions slices of apple or pear (or I have used mandarin oranges too), and a buttermilk dressing. As it's Fall, I'd likely sprinkle a few dried cranberries on top after drizzling the dressing on...very pretty.

If you like one of these, I'll type out the dressing recipe if you don't have one.

Our traditional salad is very easy, mostly all do- ahead and pretty healthy. The coldness and the bright green of the peas is a welcome addition to all of the browns and yellows of the other food. It's so simple and yet really delicious!

Simple Pea Salad

Frozen Peas
Mayo/Yogurt
Bacon
Salt and pepper

The day before take as many frozen peas as you think that you will need and rinse under hot water (I do this at a colander in the sink). Toss around til they are all defrosted. Drain well. Put a bowl (or ziplock bag if you're short on space in the fridge) and refrigerate til needed. I usually tuck a paper towel or two in with the peas to get all the water soaked up.

Cook bacon til crisp and crumble or chop. Save til needed. (For a bag of peas, I usually do about 4-5 pieces of bacon)

That morning or just before serving, stir some mayo or plain yogurt into the peas til just coated. It won't take much. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the crumbled bacon and turn into a serving dish lined with lettuce leaves or into individual bowls.

Grace

should you tell your host if they are serving something you don't care for??

I would never tell a host that I didn't like something they were serving. I think that's rude. I'd just not eat it. Especially if I'd been served it before and knew I didn't like it. I just wouldn't have any. And especially at TG where there's so much good stuff, why waste any stomach room on something I don't like!

Now, if the host asked why I wasn't having any, I'd probably say that I was saving room for more of the (insert dish name here) that I wanted to be able to eat more of. As host, though, I'd never ask that question.

I'm assuming that people are allowed to serve themselves as opposed to dishes being plated by the host where you'd get salad whether you wanted any or not. But heck, even then, I'd just leave it on the plate. If you saw that no one was eating it, that would give you the hint that it wasn't that loved by them.

As for what to serve, I'd probably go with something completely unsaladlike. Or better yet, ask the inlaws to bring the salad. That way they can bring what they like!

I make a salad of mixed greens (or sometimes just butter lettuce), fresh or canned mandarin oranges (no membrane), slivers of red onion and walnuts candied with sugar, orange or tangerine juice and cinnamon. Vinaigrette is Trader Joe's Sicilian olive oil and Pear Champagne vinegar.

Sadly, I've quit serving anything with grapefruit. There are too many people on cholesterol medications who can't eat it.

Carol

I forgot to say, that salad you make sounds purdy darn delish to me!!

I am planning to serve a citrus salad, grapefruit and orange sections on a bed of mixed green with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I have found this balances the heavy food, mashed potatoes and gravy, and gravy.

susie, I love fennel but many people don't, so that might be the offensive ingredient. I don't like blue cheese, but I'd eat the salad and pick off the parts I didn't like, LOL.

I make Woodie's 7 layer salad and I know that some guests will eat it and love it, others will pass. That's fine, I always have plent of everything else.

I like a salad with mixed greens, fresh pears, candied pecans, dried cranberries and a quick dressing of yogurt and orange juice, a bit of honey and orange zest, if you really want a green salad and have it be kind of...well...seasonal.

Annie

sounds wonderful to me....everyone else seems to like it don't they?
I would change it!...no fennel, toasted pecans instead of walnuts and add thin slices of apple dipped in lemon water so they don't brown...
Maybe chenge the dressing...I make a honey duijon balsamic that's good.
So you have the same thing...only different.

At my table the serving dishes are passed as opposed to me dishing portions out and serving.
So basically they can pass on the salad if they choose to....but they always take some and eat it-which is why I never gathered that they did not care for it.

For my in laws I think its the fruit/salad thing...like fruit with sweet dishes-salad should be savory...not paired with things like fruit.

Maybe I'll just make a mixed green salad with evo and lemon juice.
Maybe some sort of shrimp cocktail.

Cheers!
Susie

It's funny but you think that no one can complain about a salad but my in-laws do. I have always left the dressing up to each person but found out some don't like cukes or carrots or onions or peppers. So now I serve it with just a variety of lettuce with the extras on the side and let them decide what they want to include.

My personal favorite is a spinach salad with mandarin oranges. sliced almonds and a sweet dressing.
Clare

I'm sorry Susie, but I can't help but laugh. Made me think of my grand parents. My grandfather had a sweet tooth but when he was in his 60's he had to go on a diabetic diet. Grandma made applesauce to satisfy his sweet tooth. He had a bowl almost every night with dinner. Grandma was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and my mom was looking out for grandpa. He was out of applesauce so mom told him that she was going to make him some. He told her not to bother because he hated the stuff.

I think in a normal situation you don't tell your host that you don't like something. You either just pass on it if you are making up your own plate or , if it is on your plate you eat it. BUT hey this is your family and you have been part of this family for many years. I think it is okay to share likes and dislikes with family.

Ann

That salad sounds like my kind of salad, but I know some people just don't like anything but a more traditional kind. I find some just don't like fruit and nuts and such in their salads, and blue cheese can be strong if you are not a fan. I would suggest a more traditional garden type salad. No fruits, no nuts, no strong cheese and no fruity or specialty dressings. I would actually not dress the salad and offer a couple different dressings to choose from... probably Ranch and an Italian or Thousand Island.

For the salad, I would do simple greens (nothing too exotic), maybe some green onion, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and croutons.. if you want to be daring add a hard boiled egg or two and some bacon or a cucumber. Keep it simple; sounds like they are not exotic salad lovers.

It is nice of them to eat it without complaint. I can usually tell what people don't like by how much of it is eaten or if people go back for seconds. My SIL came right out and told me she doesn't like fruit (or fruity dressings) in her salad. I'm glad to know although it doesn't keep me from making salads with fruits.

Although salad is my favorite food, I actually think most Thanksgiving meals don't really need a green salad. I find it's often passed over on Thanksgiving with all the other foods. Are you serving other green veggies, cranberry sauce? You can count the cranberries as a fruit salad and as long as you have at least one green veggie and filling meal you should be covered.

Susie, you're so nice. lol. I wouldn't say anything, but I wouldn't eat it either. Smiles. I don't like fennel, but I also don't like raw onions and avoild salads that have them in it. I find picking them out doesn't help because that raw onion flavor/oils permeates everything. If you like to have a nice salad with your meal, go ahead and make a somewhat plain one or serve it in something that you can offer the components seperately, so people can choose which parts they want, like Clare said. Lettuce in one bowl and another platter with piles of the sides?

I did this salad last year for Thanksgiving and my family loved it:

Napa Cabbage Salad
Submitted by: dlife
Source: dLife

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber (about 1/2 lb.)
6 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)
1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 fresh jalape¤o chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Instructions:

1. Cut cucumber in half, cut off ends, and scoop out seeds. Finely slice cucumber.

2. Mix together cucumber, cabbage, and carrots.

3. Whisk together vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili, and garlic. Drizzle dressing over salad and gently toss. When ready to serve top salad with peanuts.

This salad can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance.

I'm not sure where I found it online. Sorry dlife!

I left out the fish sauce and cut back on the jalape¤o. Seemed odd with turkey!