Americans: what's on your Thanksgiving menu this year?

[booandbrimom]

I am out of ideas, and time is ticking.

Hubbie does the turkey in our house. This year, I hear he's taking the bone out and spatchcocking it, whatever the heck that is. I told him as long as it's not illegal, I'm good.

I do desserts. This year, I think it's going to be mini pies (apple, cherry, pecan), cake pops and chocolate pudding parfaits.

Otherwise, same old menu. Anyone have anything novel they're doing?

Oh, I am excited about making a veggie lasagna this year, although I am still trying to find soy ricotta. My son recently passed a soy challenge and we have a couple vegetarians coming, so it would be nice if he (and they) could have something different.

[YouKnowWho]

Turkey (traditional)
Green Bean Casserole (not for DS1)
Cranberries (MIL makes one from scratch, I also buy a can)
GF Dressing (wild rice, sausage, raisins, apples, onions, garlic)
Mashed butternut squash
Sweet potato casserole (sans marshmallows)

Dessert - apple pie (not sure who it will be safe for, SIL in charge), GF/EF Pumpkin muffins and GF/EF brownies with raisins.

[hezzier]

Spatchcock means he's going to essentially butterfly it.  DH just showed me a picture of one today...look in his eye was one of wanting to try it.

We are going paleo for thanksgiving.  Herb & garlic mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, paleo dressing which has no bread, broccoli because DH picked it, paleo gravy that has no flour (cook onions and garlic in chicken stock and then puree) and cranberry sauce.  Rolls and jello pineapple rings for the kids when they don't like anything else but the turkey.  I bought an gluten free apple crisp and pumpkin cheese cake from a local peanut/treenut free company for dessert.

Should be interesting.

[twinturbo]

game hens
sweet potato croquettes
various greens stir fried
corn bread stuffing
pan dripping gravy
pumpkin rice muffins

[booandbrimom]

Here's our complete menu (for 20, I think):

1 spatchcocked turkey, one turkey confit (BIL is bringing)
pork tenderloin
mashed potatoes
cranberry stuffing
sausage stuffing
sweet potato casserole
asparagus (we don't do beans in our house)
veggie lasagna
homemade rolls
mozzerella, tomato, basil skewers

Desserts are now:

- coconut cream berry parfait (need something vegetarian)
- bittersweet coffee chocolate cake pops
- chocolate souffle cupcakes (low carb for those who need it)
- mini pies

Hopefully that will feed everyone!

[krasota]

I think we'll actually cook.  Well, I bought a turkey.  Not a whole lot, though.  Stay simple. 

Turkey, brined and roasted
Green beans (blanched, then sautéed with olive oil and garlic)
mashed redskin potatoes and/or sweet potatoes
gravy from drippings (with cornstarch)
cranberry sauce (from a can, b/c I'm the only one who eats the real stuff)
dressing for me.  Nobody else will eat it, so I'll make it with parsnips and mushrooms.  Manbeast only likes his family recipe, which isn't safe for the rest of us.  So he can go without.

And we need more veggies than that.  Maybe sprouts or a salad.  I'm making veggie broth right now to have on hand.  (Parsnips, parsley, onions, celery.  No carrots, no tomatoes, no yeast, no bones.)

We'll make some pumpkin em-pie-nadas later in the week(end).

[CMdeux]

Lasagna.

Probably vegetarian.

Garlic rolls (home-made)

Pumpkin empanadas (because I am in love with my empanada pan).

Might do some fun side veggie, but just as likely to just do a salad with a good (home-made) balsamic vinaigrette, too.

[hedgehog]

I was considering spatchcocking this year, too.  I am still going back and forth over it.  It is easy, decreases cooking time, and cooks more evenly.  But it does not have tat Norman Rockwell look that a whole bird has.

W have a vegan (my mother) dining with us.  So I am doing quinoa as a side, and that can be her main.  Roasted veggies, cran sauce, apple sauce, non-vegan mashed potatoes and stuffing, at least one vegan bread, plus some non-vegan ones.  For dessert apple pie, pumpkin pie, vegan chocolate, and some store-bought vegan ginger snaps.  Appetizers will include homemade cheese, plus all kinds if things to enjoy with tat cheese, hummus with veggies and pretzels, and mini corn dogs. 

[GoingNuts]

If the weather wasn't forecasted to be so windy and nasty, I was thinking of spatchcocking too so we grill the turkey (not sure how it would taste, but what doesn't taste good on the grill?) to free up my oven for other stuff.  Having only one not-generously-sized oven really bites on holidays. 

This year's Thanksgivvikah menu is:

Assorted cheese/crackers/crudites
Pumpkin Soup
Turkey
Corn Bread Stuffing
Stuffed Cabbage
Sweet Potato Casserole
Potato Latkes (in place of Mashed)
My SIL's Green Bean Casserole
Broccoli with garlic and lemon
Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Rugelach
Apple Cake
Fruit Salad

[becca]

Roasted turkey
Mashed potatoes
Bread stuffng, very simple, Pepperidge farm bagged and I add celery and onions
Butternut squash, mashed(maybe roasted in chunks with sage, have not decided) 
Green beans
Green peas, maybe, because I like them, but there is plenty of other stuff
canned cranberry sauce, the jellied kind, per ds's special request.  "It makes the turkey taste so good, instead of like nothing." 
I have a bag of brussel sprouts, just because they were a great deal, but maybe another night.  We have too much already!  Just the 4 of us. 

Desserts:  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, cookies(most were given to the teachers today) and brownies(I will freeze some of this and/or share some with neighbors over the weekend).  The cookies are cranberry/oat/white chip, cho. chunk, and butterscotch, but we have just a few of each.  I made a big pan of brownies since ddo does no tlike cheesecake or pumkin pie, put peppermint patties on half the pan. 

Of all of that, the kids will have a bit of turkey, some mashed potatoes, and green beans.  Ds will have cranberry sauce with a bit of those things on the side,

Not eating wheat free tomorrow, maybe cheating all weekend. 

[Macabre]

Turkey (DH and I questioned whether tondo it this year)
Stuffed acorn squash with a grain & wild rice cranberry stuffing for DS
Mashed potatoes
Cornbread stuffing
Turkey gravy
Vegetarian gravy
Lemony creamed Brussels sprouts (every holiday we do this)
Sherries Sweet potatoes and Granny Smiths (again, very holiday)

Millionaire pie

Settlers of Catan

Love Actualy

[hezzier]

Sherries Sweet potatoes and Granny Smiths (again, very holiday)

Millionaire pie

Ok, curious on these...what's in them?

[momtoAidenDeclan]

we go to my SIL's

various dips and cheeses as well as steamed shrimp for beforehand

turkey
butternut squash, mashed
brussel sprouts (my recipe is below)
green beans
stuffing
mashed potatoes

chocolate, pumpkin and apple pie and brownies with cookie dough

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH ONIONS & BACON

1/2 lb lean bacon, finely diced         Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced         2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced            4 T butter
2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed

In heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.  Sauté the onion and garlic in bacon fat over low heat until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add Brussels sprouts and stir them around so that they are coated with the bacon fat.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the broth and cook, covered, over low heat until the sprouts are easily pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir in the butter and transfer the sprouts to a serving dish.  Garnish with bacon bits and serve.

[GoingNuts]

OMG, MomtoAD, that sounds amazing!

[Macabre]

Sherries Sweet potatoes and Granny Smiths (again, very holiday)

Millionaire pie

Ok, curious on these...what's in them?

Millionaire Pie --Furr's--DH doubles the filling to get it to the right size:
http://www.food.com/recipe/furrs-cafeteria-pineapple-millionaire-pie-112211




It is from this, the Nov 1990 Gourmet magazine. We have done it, the Brussels sprouts,  and the pumpkin cheesecake on the front every year since our second year if marriage (we wee married in 1989)--except for the year we lived in Switzerland.




And here is the Brussels sprouts recipe. It's is amazing. We use fennel instead of celery these days.