The Thanksgiving Mega Thread

A friend found two cans at Waitrose in Otley, bought them both for me.  Yay!!!  :-)

A friend found two cans at Waitrose in Otley, bought them both for me.  Yay!!!  :-)

Wow!  They must be going fast.  Glad I stocked up. 

For anyone in or near Northallerton, N Yorks - Lewis & Cooper have Libby's Pumpkin Puree (I got a tin on Saturday).

Less than 2 weeks to go!!!  What is your menu, people?! 

For me and my anti-social husband    it will probably be...

Baked chicken breast
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Sweet potatoes with a sprinkling of brown sugar and pecans
Waldorf salad
Glazed honey bars

OR

A small turkey crown
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Green beans with a bit of crispy onions
Cranberry sauce
Baked pumpkin w/nuts & raisins

For  T-day at mine-

Turkey
Homemade Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Green Beans a la Jenn
Rolls
If we get ambitious salad

For starters:
Pretzel M&Ms
Crudite with Ranch
Chips and Frito queso

After dinner we'll serve Jenn's pumpkin pie and fancy cocktails.

My mom, sister and I will make:

Turkey
Homemade stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Homemade gravy
Green bean casserole
Corn (we 'do' corn in the summer, so it's not the canned stuff!)
Candied sweet potatoes (just sauteed in brown sugar, no marshmallows!)
Cracker salad
Rolls
Either deviled eggs or pickled red beet eggs
Raw veggies

Most likely there will be pumpkin pie and some other tasty dessert my sister will bring!

My mom, sister and I will make:

Turkey
Homemade stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Homemade gravy
Green bean casserole
Corn (we 'do' corn in the summer, so it's not the canned stuff!)
Candied sweet potatoes (just sauteed in brown sugar, no marshmallows!)
Cracker salad
Rolls
Either deviled eggs or pickled red beet eggs
Raw veggies

Most likely there will be pumpkin pie and some other tasty dessert my sister will bring!

What is cracker salad, please??

I've decided to make Thanksgiving but we are going to have it on the 20th as I have a huge event happening for the Dept of Ed on the 25th and won't be home to celebrate.

But am having

Turkey
gravy
cornbread dressing
broccoli rice cassarole
sweet potato's with marshmallows and pecans
cranberry sauce

and making a pecan pie and pumpkin pie...with whipped cream for both..

What is cracker salad, please??

Well, it's this weird dish that originated in my dad's family a long time ago. It's basically saltine crackers, broken up (but not pulverized) and mixed with diced hard boiled egg, celery and bits of cooked turkey. It's cold, then you pour hot gravy all over it. My grandma used to cook the gizzards and put that in there too, but that's nasty.    I'm pretty sure my mom uses the neck meat, but you definitely want to use dark meat as it has more flavor.

Also doing mine on the 20th- Having a house full of people- I'm so excited! It's the first time I'm making a proper T-Day meal here. Usually I just make a mini - T-day meal

I've decided to not get real creative and try new things, but rather, to do things I already can do easily- as with 20 odd people coming- I don't want to screw it up 

Appetizers:
Spinach Dip
Cheese Dip/Cheese & Crackers
Pickled Tray

Main:
Turkey
Stuffing (the day-old-bread kind)
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce- (Have a nice recipe with brown sugar)
Mashed Potatoes
Creamed Onions (pearl onions if I can find 'em, if not sliced ones)
Green Bean Casserole (for American sake! Not a huge fan, but it's a traditional dish.   )
Butter-Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn Pudding
Mashed Butternut squash or turnip -haven't decided yet
Broccoli or Brussels Sprouts or both-  again haven't decided yet
Rolls

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Chocolates/After 8s

I am firmly in the No-Brussel-Sprouts-for-Thanksgiving camp!  Brussel Sprouts = British Christmas to me, and I have a thing about Thanksgiving is NOT Christmas - lol! 

(now maybe other people had brussel sprouts for their traditional Thanksgiving back home, but we never did)

I made sprouts the last time I was home for Christmas and my husband and I were the only ones who ate them.    They were not something we grew up with. My mom was annoyed with herself that she didn't like them because she loves cabbage and she thinks they're just like little cabbages! 

I am firmly in the No-Brussel-Sprouts-for-Thanksgiving camp!  Brussel Sprouts = British Christmas to me, and I have a thing about Thanksgiving is NOT Christmas - lol! 

(now maybe other people had brussel sprouts for their traditional Thanksgiving back home, but we never did)

Yeah, we always had sprouts on our Thanksgiving table.  I have sprouts on my table often actually    But I can see your point that sprouts = British Christmas and I'm definitely aiming to not have my meal be another Christmas meal!  Hrmmm....

Oh I love me some Brussel Sprouts!  Never used to, until I moved here & DH got me on to them.  Whenever I had tried them in the US, they were dead nasty & it was just one of things that I didn't think I liked.  But here, we make sure we get really fresh Brussel Sprouts - the ones still attached to the big green clubby stalk on which they grow, we have one right now that came in this week's veg box!  Plus hubby's own sprouts are still growing in his containers in the back garden, but they are wee tiny compared to this one that came in the veg box.  Then the thing is to be sure & not overcook them.

I think whatever I had in the US must have been tinned or from frozen = dead nasty!  And I've had some like that here at a catered function before... 

But even so, there won't be any Brussel Sprouts on our Thanksgiving table, because I do associate them with British Christmas.