Recipes

[Bridgegal]

We're are going to Texas for the first family Thanksgiving together since 1994.   I'll eat anything on the table but I sure am hoping for our traditional Thanksgiving meal.   Especially the cornbread and sage dressing..  

[Mothertrucker]

 I am with you @chickenbutt...I am a do-a header! However, in the case of Thankgiving, I work a 12 hour day Weds, and the kids won't be able to start the drive down from Reno till late Weds as well...

good  thing I am an early riser...at least my turkey will be brined....and my son is bringing one of his special desserts.....sigh.....I will only make one kind of stuffing this year...I can do my stock in advance..i'llget some extra necks and wings...

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Glazed Carrots
Green Beans
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Orange Relish
Strawberry Pretzel Jello
Dinner rolls or mini croissants
Soft drinks
Wine
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Texas Sheet Cake

[qualitygal]

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@Firemans Wife 2001 wrote:

What is on your menu for Thanksgiving?

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What's on yours?

[Blk&GoldFan]

I, too, starting doing my turkey the day before a few years ago.  I reheat low and slow on a warming tray with a little turkey or chicken stock.  Gets the house smelling great again. One hint I read was to cover the turkey with the skin when storing and reheating to help keep it moist. I also make my gravy a week or so ahead with purchased turkey wings and freeze.  Then I add the broth/turkey drippings from Wednesday cooking to make additional.  After years of stress, I have found as many ways to simplify Thursday as possible to let me enjoy my family.  I had a co-worker tell me she would set her table days ahead and cover it all with a clear plastic tarp to keep glassware/silverware clean.  This is great to do as I also put all the serving pieces in the middle of the table w/post-it notes on each with what food goes where.

[beckyb1012]

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@Bridgegal wrote:

We're are going to Texas for the first family Thanksgiving together since 1994.   I'll eat anything on the table but I sure am hoping for our traditional Thanksgiving meal.   Especially the cornbread and sage dressing..  

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Tyler Texas here born here and will die here.  There had better be cornbread/sage dressing on your table or it is not the home of a real TEXAN!! 

The only thing in the last couple of years we have added different to our Texas Thanksgiving menu is having a Cajun twist to the mashed potatoes and their very own Cajun gravy.  Love that heat!!!    Still have the other gravy for the turkey and stuffing.   1994?  Mercy how did you stand the wait, WELCOME!!!!!!!!

[Firemans Wife 2001]

my menu is pretty traditional too:

- turkey with gravy

- stuffing

- mashed potatoes

- sauteed mushrooms

- green bean casserole

- glazed carrots

- coleslaw

- cranberry sauce

- relish tray

- rolls

- Carmel Apple Cake

- Pumpkin Piie

[chickenbutt]

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Mothertrucker wrote:

 I am with you @chickenbutt...I am a do-a header! However, in the case of Thankgiving, I work a 12 hour day Weds, and the kids won't be able to start the drive down from Reno till late Weds as well...

good  thing I am an early riser...at least my turkey will be brined....and my son is bringing one of his special desserts.....sigh.....I will only make one kind of stuffing this year...I can do my stock in advance..i'llget some extra necks and wings...

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Hey Tam!  Oh, I forgot that your kids live up here.   I hope they are enjoying a few cool days we've had lately.  I guess it's getting warm again soon, though.    I sure miss our long, cold, snowy winters.  

Yeah, the further we get on with age and physical challenges the harder it gets to knock it all out in a short period.  After a one day thing, except making the pumpkin pies on Wed, I started  with two days, then went to three, and now four.   But that includes my grocery shopping. It's the one huge list I have each year.   I always order a fresh turkey from Raley's to be picked up on Monday.  It's a little bit spendy but totally worth it.  

Hope you and the family have a great holiday!  I'm trying not to think about it too much so soon because I end up getting too into it and I peak out ahead of time.  That probably sounds weird, but it makes sense in my complicated head.

[NoelSeven]

I'm with Chicken Butt, I try to make as much ahead of time as I can, too.  We used to have a crowd over but people have moved away, a few have passed on, so there's just the three of us for holidays now.

Now I've added something new...  There are a couple of things I make the next day to add a little spark to the meal and so I don't get too tired, like yams.

DH has always done the turkey and dressing.  He slices celery and chops onions Wednesday night and keeps the dressing mix in the frig. 

DD makes my mother's gravy.

I make a fancy homemade cranberry sauce Tuesday.  Usually the one with Gran Marnier.

We're not big fans of green beans, so I do a festive salad: baby greens, small blue cheese chunks, candied nuts and bright red pomegranate seeds.

Black olives and watermelon pickles.  My mother used to make the watermelon pickles from scratch, I order them from the Vermont Country Store.

Dessert is always homemade pecan pie, but I cheat with a frozen crust.

And champagne throughout the meal.

[NoelSeven]

Forgot one thing...

Our daughter is allergic to onions so she makes her own dressing.  She begins by making her own croutons, sometimes from Challah, which comes out amazingly well.

Always fresh sage, which we also use under the turkey skin, and other little fancy touches she adds.  Hers is incredibly delicious.