SO much good info here!!! When my kids were small we always went to two Thanksgiving meals 12:00 and 6:00. We learned that our Dutch family's noon meal was not great at Turkey dinner but pie making an art. And always there were 13 kinds of home baked cookies on pie table plus popcorn balls plus candies. It was an omg moment to behold. So I never had to be overwhelmed during those years. I would just bake a couple pies or rolls etc. dinner at my folks was sublime. Total perfection down to my moms gorgeous perfect Turkey. Pumpkin chiffon, apple, pecan every year. I do make a very simple overnight roll because I love to but there are such good bakeries now. Every one of Ina Garden bread puddings are phenomenal. We stay to tradition because it's such a comfort now that all our parents are gone. I would simply be tarred and feathered if a salad appeared on my table. However our green beans casserole is completely homemade. Soul style sweet potatoes for life. How I love your pages and being here. You are such a Godsend to all!!!! And funny as HELL and that is so key to a happy life❤️
This is so similar to what I do and have fully embraced outsourcing some things to make the day less stressful and more enjoyable-i love a partially catered Thanksgiving (and Christmas!)
Last year I served four things which included chicken instead of turkey and no one complained that there wasn’t more OR that I didn’t make a turkey. I figure if I don’t like turkey and I have to cook and host, then I don’t have to serve something I don’t like.
I always host Thanksgiving and make a nearly all make-ahead menu. The only thing I cook, from scratch, on the holiday is the turkey. Everything else is easily made ahead of time and reheated to serve. It makes for a very relaxing day for me and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
We are tossing the whole thing out this year and doing hamburgers on the grill with homemade fries. I will buy a pie or two because I do love pumpkin pie!
We don't like turkey and since it's just my husband and I we cook a beef tenderloin on the grill and I make popovers and either some jazzed up instant mashed potatoes or Hasselback potatoes and the good old pumpkin pie from Costco that we share with our neighbors. If I feel energetic I will make a green veggie too, no promises
Went out on a limb and am making the Ina Garten’s mushroom & leek bread pudding based on your rave review. I’m never happy with my other attempts at dressing so excited to give this a shot. I just assembled it and will let it hang out in the fridge. It smelled divine putting it together!!
We’re also doing:
- turkey on the Big Green Egg (we’re going to spatchcock her this year since we can’t brine anymore after my husband’s heart issue)
- Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot
- boxed Mac & cheese because my children are heathens
- my MIL is making her usual green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole (neither are faves for me, so we’re also doing a roasted Delicata squash salad for something lighter)
- my grandma’s cranberry sauce (cue the Taylor Swift singing “what died never stayed dead, you’re alive sooo alive”)
Desserts are store bought pies & chocolate cake from HEB (I don’t care for pie and this chocolate cake is literally to die for, so making it easy!)
Appetizers will be your pumpkin biscuits with rum butter and prosciutto (it’s my 3rd year to do these and I’ll never stop!!)
Such good suggestions!! Saving this post for next year! This year we’re trying something new - my husband is taking our boys to Hawaii and get a quiet house all to myself!
Love the idea of editing the menu! When we first started hosting Thanksgiving, we included EVERYTHING that my in laws had done and that people wanted to bring. Turned out that no one ate the salad, and things like carrots were unnecessary since they're too similar to sweet potatoes, etc. So we really pared it back but kept the things that they truly found special.
I also keep a list of post-Thanksgiving recipes to transform leftovers when we're tired of reheating the same things. Makes cooking over the next weekend easier! Examples:
Stuffing waffles
Mashed potatoes croquettes
Stir fry with leftover green beans, radishes, green onions
Love this! Any ideas for vegetarian mains? It’s really all about the sides for my family anyways, but thought I might try something new if you have any suggestions…
What are your thoughts on butterflied / spatchcock turkey? I’m tempted to try it because I love doing my chicken this way but curious if it actually makes a difference (aside from cooking faster).
Can you share what your cooking schedule would be like? That’s what’s overwhelming me the most, the timing.
SO much good info here!!! When my kids were small we always went to two Thanksgiving meals 12:00 and 6:00. We learned that our Dutch family's noon meal was not great at Turkey dinner but pie making an art. And always there were 13 kinds of home baked cookies on pie table plus popcorn balls plus candies. It was an omg moment to behold. So I never had to be overwhelmed during those years. I would just bake a couple pies or rolls etc. dinner at my folks was sublime. Total perfection down to my moms gorgeous perfect Turkey. Pumpkin chiffon, apple, pecan every year. I do make a very simple overnight roll because I love to but there are such good bakeries now. Every one of Ina Garden bread puddings are phenomenal. We stay to tradition because it's such a comfort now that all our parents are gone. I would simply be tarred and feathered if a salad appeared on my table. However our green beans casserole is completely homemade. Soul style sweet potatoes for life. How I love your pages and being here. You are such a Godsend to all!!!! And funny as HELL and that is so key to a happy life❤️
This is so similar to what I do and have fully embraced outsourcing some things to make the day less stressful and more enjoyable-i love a partially catered Thanksgiving (and Christmas!)
i recently heard ina garten refer to things like mashed potatoes/pureed parsnips as "puddles" - "slouchy" is in this same camp and i'm here for it 🤣
Last year I served four things which included chicken instead of turkey and no one complained that there wasn’t more OR that I didn’t make a turkey. I figure if I don’t like turkey and I have to cook and host, then I don’t have to serve something I don’t like.
Copy & paste 🙏🏼🤤
I always host Thanksgiving and make a nearly all make-ahead menu. The only thing I cook, from scratch, on the holiday is the turkey. Everything else is easily made ahead of time and reheated to serve. It makes for a very relaxing day for me and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
We are tossing the whole thing out this year and doing hamburgers on the grill with homemade fries. I will buy a pie or two because I do love pumpkin pie!
Please don't wash your birds! It's a recipe for food poisoning. If the meat is cooked then any bugs will be killed anyway 👍🏻
We don't like turkey and since it's just my husband and I we cook a beef tenderloin on the grill and I make popovers and either some jazzed up instant mashed potatoes or Hasselback potatoes and the good old pumpkin pie from Costco that we share with our neighbors. If I feel energetic I will make a green veggie too, no promises
Went out on a limb and am making the Ina Garten’s mushroom & leek bread pudding based on your rave review. I’m never happy with my other attempts at dressing so excited to give this a shot. I just assembled it and will let it hang out in the fridge. It smelled divine putting it together!!
We’re also doing:
- turkey on the Big Green Egg (we’re going to spatchcock her this year since we can’t brine anymore after my husband’s heart issue)
- Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot
- boxed Mac & cheese because my children are heathens
- my MIL is making her usual green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole (neither are faves for me, so we’re also doing a roasted Delicata squash salad for something lighter)
- my grandma’s cranberry sauce (cue the Taylor Swift singing “what died never stayed dead, you’re alive sooo alive”)
Desserts are store bought pies & chocolate cake from HEB (I don’t care for pie and this chocolate cake is literally to die for, so making it easy!)
Appetizers will be your pumpkin biscuits with rum butter and prosciutto (it’s my 3rd year to do these and I’ll never stop!!)
Happy early Turkey Day everyone!
Such good suggestions!! Saving this post for next year! This year we’re trying something new - my husband is taking our boys to Hawaii and get a quiet house all to myself!
Love the idea of editing the menu! When we first started hosting Thanksgiving, we included EVERYTHING that my in laws had done and that people wanted to bring. Turned out that no one ate the salad, and things like carrots were unnecessary since they're too similar to sweet potatoes, etc. So we really pared it back but kept the things that they truly found special.
I also keep a list of post-Thanksgiving recipes to transform leftovers when we're tired of reheating the same things. Makes cooking over the next weekend easier! Examples:
Stuffing waffles
Mashed potatoes croquettes
Stir fry with leftover green beans, radishes, green onions
Twice baked sweet potato skins
Love this! Any ideas for vegetarian mains? It’s really all about the sides for my family anyways, but thought I might try something new if you have any suggestions…
What are your thoughts on butterflied / spatchcock turkey? I’m tempted to try it because I love doing my chicken this way but curious if it actually makes a difference (aside from cooking faster).
Do we have any turkey carvers in the chat...? For some reason I’m stuck cooking that damn bird every year and need a fool proof carving technique!