Kitchen

[iQue]

Decided on last minute Thanksgiving plans with family. Have to drive 8 hours. I was told I did not have to bring anything but I would like to take sometihng. What would be a good, easy travel dish or something to take? thanks for your help!

[chickenbutt]

Maybe the menu is already filled out and when they said not to bring anything, they meant it. An 8 hour drive is a long time with food in the car. There are numerous ways to keep a dish cool, but not so much for a hot dish. I would respect what the host said.

I don't mean that to sound rude (there is enough rudeness here, eh?), but I guess it's just odd to me that if I were told not to bring anything I would insist on doing so anyway. But I imagine they don't want you to have to try and maintain food in the car for 8 hours. I wouldn't want somebody who had to drive 8 hours to get there to bring anything.

[Hoovermom]

You could bring a bottle of wine, bouquet of flowers or even great chocolates for after dinner for the hostess. Enjoy the time with your family.

[santorini]

Bring a dessert. You won't have to worry about keeping it at a certain temperature. I feel strange showing up empty-handed also, so I always bring something.

[welshgirl]

I am also traveling for Thanksgiving - 13 hours. I don't need to take anything either. But I also don't like to be empty-handed. I'm going to take a box of some nice local chocolates and some baked goods - making pumpkin bread (which could even be used for breakfast the next day).

[chickenbutt]

The pumpkin bread is great idea! There are lots of great, and easy pumpkin bread recipes out there. At least stuff like those items mentioned would be aside from the menu of the main meal.

[forrestwolf]

I make a wonderful chicken ball, that travels well, and needs to be at room temp to begin with, and cream cheese, that it is made with, can set out for a long time, and makes an impressive but simple presentation when you spike with with almonds to resemble a pine cone.......Olive cheese biscuits are another, along with sausage balls, as well as prosciutto wrapped marinated or grilled/roasted asparagus, just take in a cooler, or a nice cranberry sauce, that will travel well, or deviled eggs, kept in a cooler, or a condiment tray, or a nice marinated veggie salad, kept on ice, or cheese straws, or even carrot cake cupcakes, that are stored at room temp, that I am making for my dad.........

[mima]

On 11/24/2014 forrestwolf said:

I make a wonderful chicken ball, that travels well, and needs to be at room temp to begin with, and cream cheese, that it is made with, can set out for a long time, and makes an impressive but simple presentation when you spike with with almonds to resemble a pine cone.......Olive cheese biscuits are another, along with sausage balls, as well as prosciutto wrapped marinated or grilled/roasted asparagus, just take in a cooler, or a nice cranberry sauce, that will travel well, or deviled eggs, kept in a cooler, or a condiment tray, or a nice marinated veggie salad, kept on ice, or cheese straws, or even carrot cake cupcakes, that are stored at room temp, that I am making for my dad.........

Forrestwolf, I'm assuming a chicken ball contains chicken. I wouldn't eat anything containing chicken that has set out for a long time and kept at room temperature.

[gardenman]

Oddly enough, there's a breed of lunatic out there that uses the heat of their running car engine to cook food. With a little experimentation (okay, a lot of experimentation) you could cook an entire Thanksgiving meal on the trip there. Different parts of the engine/exhaust system provide different levels of heat so you'd have to pick the start time for the various dishes based on what part of the engine you're cooking it on, but in theory you could cook an entire Thanksgiving meal on the eight hour drive, and think how impressed your relatives would be as you open the hood and pull out their dinner! (Okay, impressed may not be the right word, but you'd definitely be the talk of the dinner.)

[JustJules]

On 11/24/2014 mima said:

On 11/24/2014 forrestwolf said:

I make a wonderful chicken ball, that travels well, and needs to be at room temp to begin with, and cream cheese, that it is made with, can set out for a long time, and makes an impressive but simple presentation when you spike with with almonds to resemble a pine cone.......Olive cheese biscuits are another, along with sausage balls, as well as prosciutto wrapped marinated or grilled/roasted asparagus, just take in a cooler, or a nice cranberry sauce, that will travel well, or deviled eggs, kept in a cooler, or a condiment tray, or a nice marinated veggie salad, kept on ice, or cheese straws, or even carrot cake cupcakes, that are stored at room temp, that I am making for my dad.........

Forrestwolf, I'm assuming a chicken ball contains chicken. I wouldn't eat anything containing chicken that has set out for a long time and kept at room temperature.

I agree with you mima. Besides, I wouldn't want a chicken ball when the cook has gone to the effort of making a nice juicy roasted turkey.

OP, like some others suggested, take a couple bottles of wine and/or a nice box of chocolates. Even if they don't get used on Thanksgiving, the hostess can use them over the holiday season. Have safe travels.