What are you serving for Thanksgiving Dinner?

[Dancing Fire]

When my mother was alive she used to make this Chinese sticky rice with shrimp, black mushrooms and BBQ pork.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[telephone89]

well its just a regular ole week up here in the great white north...so probably chicken
Steak tonight, nandos tomorrow. Some of your menus sound ahhh mazing though!!!

 

[december-fire]

well its just a regular ole week up here in the great white north...so probably chicken
Steak tonight, nandos tomorrow. Some of your menus sound ahhh mazing though!!!

Greetings, Fellow Canuk!

Its been weeks since the Thanksgiving turkey was enjoyed!
Even the delicious leftovers are nothing more than a vague memory.

This thread - and the photos! - are making me hungry!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

[AprilBaby]

Reservations tomorrow at maggianos!
2 appetizers, 2 salads, Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, green beans, ravioli, pasta with sausage, praline pumpkin cheesecake, apple crostatas and an ambulance to wheel us out. All served family style for 4. I think it’s $35/person. My favorite holiday of the year.

 

[canuk-gal]

well its just a regular ole week up here in the great white north...so probably chicken
Steak tonight, nandos tomorrow. Some of your menus sound ahhh mazing though!!!

Slushy Dingy North. 12 degrees today! (love it)

 

[AprilBaby]

Do you do Black Friday this week or after Canadian Thanksgiving? Do people do Black Friday in other countries???? Is there a European holiday like thanksgiving with a big food emphasis?

 

[whitewave]

 

[december-fire]

Do you do Black Friday this week or after Canadian Thanksgiving? Do people do Black Friday in other countries???? Is there a European holiday like thanksgiving with a big food emphasis?

Here in the Great White North (Canada ), we have Black Friday sales starting this Friday.
Although, I've also gotten emails about Pre-Black Friday sales.
Nothing around the Canadian Thanksgiving; at least, nothing called Black Friday.

I'm not far from the US border, and a lot of Canadians around here would head to the US to do tons of shopping on Black Friday. I think the stores here started the Black Friday sales to keep the dollars local. Not sure if many still do much US shopping because our Canadian dollar is pathetic.

 

[Phanie]

I am serving Gougeres, Roasted Turkey with Cream Thyme Sauce, garlic green beans, cheeseS, French Apple tart.
My guests will bring all the rest (squash or pumpkin soup, onion mashed potatoes, lime jello salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and other stuff). All homemade.
I have zero family nearby (everyone is back in France 5000 miles away) and my chosen family of long standing friends (I have been friends for 7 years with one and 5 with the other mom, through meeting at preschool because our kids have similarities).
I host because I have the biggest casual dining room with the makeshift tables and that my small oven in my garage worked! and it has to be potluck because I would botch the traditional American fares (I would omit cinnamon and other things that I find weird or an acquired taste IYKWIM ).
And also because I usually work the day before and sometimes the day off because you know, I am a RN.
We usually start prepping around 10 am, I stay in my jammies until we are ready to hit the table, even if my guests arrive early. We take the prepping seriously but we don't have a set hard timeframe and we can start eating Thanksgiving dinner as late as 7:30pm. The afternoon also involves boardgames and chatting. Sometimes running between houses when ovens fail to produce the needed results!

And the 5 kids are in charge of producing an appetizer of their choosing (recipe is kept a surprised until they make it together) because they complained two years ago that they did not have one they liked. SO problem solved. Last year they did smoked salmon with cream cheese and chive. Delicious!

 

[TooPatient]

I want Maggianos next year.

Yes, it is 3:45am and I have not been to bed yet. With dinner at 2pm, I am not likely going to get to bed at all. The challenge I face is how to sequence stuff so the hot is hot at the same time and everything that needs refrigerated can be refrigerated. Oh, and nothing can be cooked ahead and reheated because I come from a line of food service workers and anything left over would be immediately thrown in the trash.

So the turkeys start in the morning. The stock gets to simmering the night before for use in the morning.
The pies could be done sooner, but then the crust is less than fresh. (Grandma is big on crust just right)

A 2nd refrigerator would help. A 2nd oven would help.
Oh.... Having a dishwasher at my grandparents' house so I could cook on site and not have to drive over an hour each way with multiple loads of food...


ETA:
Exhausted as I am, I am enjoying every minute. As long as my grandparents can enjoy Thanksgiving, I will cook for them. It is worth it for them to not have to stress and get to enjoy a dinner at home with family. Getting to hold the tray while my grandfather carves the turkey and bringing Grandma a piece of pie with the crust just so.... Hearing them so proud of what I put together as they brag to their friends who join us. I know there are only so many years of this left and I will miss it more than anything when they are gone. One night a year of all night cooking is worth every memory.

 

[kenny]

Nothing.

 

[missy]

And the Cherry Cheesecake is complete.





I might just start the dinner with the desserts this year. Why not?

 

[tyty333]

OMG...I LOVE cheesecake...its what I pick for my birthday every year! Here is a pic of our cranberry sauce being made...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Missy - Greg does not disappoint! That cheesecake is fantastic!

TooPatient - You are a saint! I truly hope that all of the dinner attendees appreciate your efforts!

YennyFire - That is a truly impressive list of food! Would love to see photos (when you have a spare moment, lol!)

We are only five for dinner, much to my daughter's dismay. Apparently, she was expecting a house full of people. She truly enjoys all things about a fancy table (ours isn't very), serving guests (waiting on everyone like a waitress is super fun for her 6 year old self) and, of course, dessertre!

We are also late food preparers and are only just starting now.

Half turkey
Roast chicken
Veggie Stuffing
Mashed potatoes (Martha Stewart style with a little cream cheese mixed in)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts/Acorn Squash/Carrots
Likely broccolini
Homemade cranberry sauce
Some sort of sweet potato (about to look at recipes next!)
Homemade rolls
Homemade Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream and real whipped cream
Pumpkin parfaits (which my daughter will make)

DH makes most of the food. I will make pie (just put crust in fridge) and rolls.

Here's the start of the stuffing. Not too exciting, but I love seeing the photos.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

And the Cherry Cheesecake is complete.





I might just start the dinner with the desserts this year. Why not?

Missy, he seriously needs to consider a side gig making desserts because this is amazing, it's like the epitome of the perfect cherry cheesecake.

 

[telephone89]

Do you do Black Friday this week or after Canadian Thanksgiving? Do people do Black Friday in other countries???? Is there a European holiday like thanksgiving with a big food emphasis?

Retailers have [unfortunately imo] started pushing black friday up here - tomorrow. It's not quite the same, because people don't get the day off, so there is relatively little waiting in line over night and the crazy "door crashers" but it definitely still happens.
There is nothing after canadian thanksgiving, but we have boxing day, which is the day after christmas. Usually lots of good sales there, all the retailers trying to get rid of product before the new year.
Up here, Christmas is much more the big food holiday. A lot of families will come together to eat on Thanksgiving, but it is nothing like the crazed american version of it LOL. We didnt even "celebrate" it this year. Probably ordered pizza or something haha. Well, we celebrated with extra wine because it was still a long weekend

 

[lissyflo]

Do you do Black Friday this week or after Canadian Thanksgiving? Do people do Black Friday in other countries???? Is there a European holiday like thanksgiving with a big food emphasis?

In the UK, we seem to have imported the Black Friday/Cyber Monday idea from you over the last couple of years, and also have a second round of traditional Boxing Day sales just after Christmas. I much prefer the idea of sales before Christmas, especially with children to buy for, to make present purchasing a bit more economical.

Christmas is the big winter food celebration here. Your Thanksgiving feasts sound similar to what us Brits would have for Christmas - traditionally we’ll have turkey and possibly also gammon, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, Brussels sprouts etc.

I don’t know about anyone else but personally I almost prefer the leftovers after that type of meal - bubble and squeak made from leftover sprouts and roast potatoes, and Christmas pudding fried in butter is delicious the day after!

All these winter feasts are a perfect way to build up an insulating layer of winter blubber - I think we all need an excuse to hunker down, relax and over-eat slightly to get through a long, dark winter!

 

[whitewave]

And the Cherry Cheesecake is complete.





I might just start the dinner with the desserts this year. Why not?

I'm really wishing I had a spring foam pan right now....

It looks amazing!

 

[whitewave]

Ree Drummond's mac and cheese is ready

 

[Elizabeth35]

This is a little Thanksgving-just 8 of us so only one turkey. I do roast turkey ala Cooks Illustrated--400 degrees and cook 45 minutes breast down. Then turn it over and 1-1/4 hours breast up. 2 hours plus 30 minute rest time for 16# bird.
Usually we roast one and fry one. One kiddo out of town, one working and one sick so very small this year. Very casual and eating in the kitchen on every day dishes and no crystal or silver. Should be way easier clean up!
Normal sides, less sweet potatoes since nobody in our family eats them.
Appetizers are roasted shrimp and Chex mix. I am not allowed to change this or make it more gourmet-lol.
It's not my favorite meal since so carb heavy but it makes everyone happy.

May your birds be moist!

 

[Phanie]

Gougères
Turkey Pre oven
Apple tart pre glaze

 

[december-fire]

@Phanie ,

Your first photo looks like a Bavarian Apple Tart that I've made before.

Love all the photos everyone is sharing!

 

[VRBeauty]

So here's my favorite photo of the evening (it's almost midnight here now) - the highlight was not the food, but the conversations, connections, and re-connections taking place around the table. In this photo are two cousins who haven't seen each other in years even though they live less than an hour apart from each other... I'm not sure their wives had ever met each other, and I'm quite sure some in my generation had never met my cousin's kids. (Including me... I had never met one of my cousin's wife or kids... but then, I do live an ocean and a continent away). This was easily the most "Norman Rockwell" Thanksgiving dinner I've ever been a part of, and it took place in an air bnb in Amsterdam!

BTW, the green bean casserole was one of the evening's big hits! We used fresh haricots verte (French green beans) but other than that we followed the traditional recipe to a tee. Maybe we Americans have just become jaded to the pleasures of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and French's French Fried Onions?

 

[mrs-b]

Lunch.

 

[Gussie]

Fried turkey
Cornbread dressing
Pecan praline spiral ham
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Squash casserole
Spinach salad
Fruit salad
Rolls
Sweet tea
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Strawberry cake

A very southern Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[valeria101]

.

I Love You, @TooPatient !