Cammie Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Hive, I would love to see what you all are having for Thanksgiving! The first few years we lived here we went out to hotels on Thanksgiving. Then one year there was a terrorist attack in Bombay on Thanksgiving. That year the restaurant agreed to pack all the food for take out! Since then it has become easier to buy what we want and make what we want. Here is what we do: Mashed Potatoes Gravy (made from powder purchased from Costco on DH's last visit home!) Stuffing Balsamic Green Beans Garlic Broccoli Spicy Corn Sweet Potato Casserole (it is weird because the sweet potatoes here are more gray than orange so the whole thing is not as pretty as home...but it tastes as good!) Rolls The big question is the turkey. The imported frozen ones are VERY expensive. The local ones (you do get them!) don't taste very good. And honestly, I wouldn't even know how to cook the thing. Last few years I have purchased turkey cold-cuts from the deli to have for anyone who wants some of that flavor! Apple Crumble Pecan Pie (my friend is making it...even though caro syrup here costs well over $20 a bottle! Pecans are from Costco!) What are you all having?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I would just get two chickens and stuff them normally. Use poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, marjoram, and ???) :) (If those spices are easily available.) When I lived in Switzerland, I remember they somehow found a Turkey and made Pecan Pie. I didn't even like pecan pie, but it tasted great. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I would think that Golden Syrup might be available in India and would work the same/similar to corn syrup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 You can use Lyle's Golden Syrup (which is British so may be available more readily?) or cane syrup if you can find that instead of corn syrup. We prefer cane syrup anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We've usually done rotisserie chickens when turkey isn't convenient.. An expensive turkey that doesn't taste good is so disappointing. I also like it when the family agrees to get whatever the local specialty is, but they don't usually since they're hung up on American food at Thanksgiving. We would have arrachera this year if they would agree. If we can find a ham, that's good too, but often not possible. We also do potatoes and gravy (the gravy is made from homemade chicken broth from the freezer) since you can make that just about anywhere, stuffing from whatever local or homemade bread is available (stuffing make from Central Asian naan is amazing), rolls or borsak, and pies. I've always been able to find some sort of pumpkin or squash of varying colors to bake in the oven and turn into a pie. We make another pie or two based on what we can find locally. We do fresh or frozen cranberries when we can get them. No cans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 This is my standard menu. Roast Turkey Sage dressing (not stuffing, as the turkey roasting temp is too high, and we might spatchcock it this year) Mashed potatoes with turkey gravy Sweet potatoes with pineapple and marshmallows Cheesy broccoli and rice Mandarin orange salad Whole berry cranberry sauce (from a can, per dh's request :D ) Dinner rolls (not homemade) with butter Apple cider, sparkling grape juice, water Pumpkin pie (from the Libby's canned pumpkin label) Lattice top apple pie (Apple Pie II from The Joy of Cooking) Turkey cookies (made by kids) Peach crisp (new this year - we need more dessert) Whipped cream Coffee and tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Oh yeah, I need to get that. Per my own request lol. Dh actually wants the plain jelled kind, served in nice round slices, so the whole berry is a compromise. I like it as long as it doesn't touch any other food :D . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We're having our first Thanksgiving as just us, since we didn't plan a flight across the country when I might have had an 11/25 baby (she came early on 11/10 and surprised us all - but I'm still glad not to be traveling). For the 2.5 of us, we 're having Cornish hens (turkey sounded silly for 2 adults and a toddler) mashed potatoes gravy stuffing ginger green beans spinach salad with pomegranate arils, cinnamon sugar pecans, and cinnamon vinaigrette pumpkin and sour cream puddings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Oh, and I forgot my grandmother's cranberry salad, which no one but me will eat :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I don't know if this is often an alternative for turkey for most people, but we sometimes have beef wellington instead of turkey. Tasty. :P I am not a huge fan of turkey, though, at least the whole bird version. I prefer the days after Thanksgiving when it's incorporated into other meals - soups, salads, quesadillas, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We go to my mom's and she does most of the traditional stuff. However if I were making a Thanksgiving meal for my DH and kids the menu would look like this (based on their tastebuds and still include the "traditional" type of foods) Asiago Cheese Bread (5 minutes a day recipe with chunks of asiago cheese thrown in) Chicken ( we eat turkey because it's cheap but given the choice we'd all take chicken over turkey any day) stove top stuffing (my kids hate homemade stuffing/dressing of any kind and I refuse to buy stovetop on a normal basis so this would be a super treat to them) broccoli (green beans are only tolerated here so given the choice I'd skip them altogether) lettuce salad jello/fruit/whipped cream (my kids love jello and I only make it for holidays) mashed potatoes (for some of the kids) baked stuffed potatoes (for the rest of the kids) roasted sweet potatoes (because those mashed casseroles are nasty) craisins (because this is the only edible way to eat a cranberry) - they could put them on their salads if they want but personally I have a hard and fast rule that fruit never goes with veggies or meat "Pumpkin" pie (I'd make it with sweet potatoes because they are easier to process than a pumpkin and I always preserve my own) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 What is spicy corn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We're having our first Thanksgiving as just us, since we didn't plan a flight across the country when I might have had an 11/25 baby (she came early on 11/10 and surprised us all - but I'm still glad not to be traveling). For the 2.5 of us, we 're having Cornish hens (turkey sounded silly for 2 adults and a toddler) mashed potatoes gravy stuffing ginger green beans spinach salad with pomegranate arils, cinnamon sugar pecans, and cinnamon vinaigrette pumpkin and sour cream puddings Mmmm! Ginger green beans! Can you share your recipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Turkey Ham Mashed potatoes Gravy Sweet potatoes Regular and cornbread stuffing Homemade rolls and cornbread muffins Corn Green beans Rice and veggies Some kind of cauliflower dish Squash casserole Fruit salad Load of pies and cookies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Mmmm! Ginger green beans! Can you share your recipe? It's super easy! Steam 2lbs of green beans until crisp-tender (can be done up to a day ahead). Slice approx three inches of peeled ginger root into very fine matchsticks. Sautee ginger for about three minutes in three tbsp of butter (until lightly golden and fragrant). Toss green beans in hot ginger butter until heated through. Off the heat, toss green beans with zest of 1/2 lemon then serve. This recipe is even eaten by my green bean phobic step dad, so it's a winner in our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I made chicken instead of turkey when we lived in Venezuela. It was fine. I could usually find cranberry juice and I'd make cranberry and sparkling wine cocktails instead of serving sauce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 It's super easy! Steam 2lbs of green beans until crisp-tender (can be done up to a day ahead). Slice approx three inches of peeled ginger root into very fine matchsticks. Sautee ginger for about three minutes in three tbsp of butter (until lightly golden and fragrant). Toss green beans in hot ginger butter until heated through. Off the heat, toss green beans with zest of 1/2 lemon then serve. This recipe is even eaten by my green bean phobic step dad, so it's a winner in our family. This looks so good! Thanks! I think we'll have to try it this Thanksgiving. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Well, having grown up overseas, I would be far happier to have a large bowl of Chicken Tikka Masala, rice, and chapatis for Thanksgiving. However, if you want to have a traditional American Thanksgiving, I would just use a diff. meat. I know people who prefer ham or even Prime Rib for Thanksgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I can relate. We've done the very expensive, not good tasting, local bird the last few years. This year we are splurging and doing the frozen, imported, outrageously priced turkey. I hope it's good! Along with the turkey we are having: Mashed potatoes Gravy Homemade cranberry sauce from frozen berries Rolls Green beans or brussel sprouts Squash soup Pumpkin pie (from canned pumpkin) Apple pie Banana cream pie It's all about the pie in our house:)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We're eating a very basic Thanksgiving meal--turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, some basic green vegetable, etc. We do candied sweet potatoes instead of casserole, but I don't know if that's unique to my family or not. I've never heard of anyone else eating them that way, ever. The sweet potatoes are boiled whole, then the skin is removed. They're sliced lengthwise and laid on baking sheets, dotted with butter and sprinkled with brown sugar, then baked in the oven until the brown sugar is crispy. Otherwise, we eat pretty simply at Thanksgiving. I would just get two chickens and stuff them normally. Use poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, marjoram, and ???) :) (If those spices are easily available.) When I lived in Switzerland, I remember they somehow found a Turkey and made Pecan Pie. I didn't even like pecan pie, but it tasted great. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I would think that Golden Syrup might be available in India and would work the same/similar to corn syrup. I agree. I'm not even a big fan of turkey, so I'd actually prefer the chicken! And I have a fantastic pecan pie recipe that involves no syrup of any kind, if you'd like me to link it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 We just cook chicken instead of trying to find turkey. To me, it is actually more about all the other dishes anyway. ;) For pecan pie, I have often substituted chopped walnuts which were more readily available. Also, if you can get brown sugar, for 1 cup dark Karo, use 1 cup brown sugar + 1/4 cup water. I usually pour the water over the sugar, stir to dissolve, and then add more sugar to make 1 cup. Works great, is cheap and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Our Menu so far... Grilled swordfish (right off the boat) Roasted Sweet Potatoes Mashed garlic potatoes Lemon quick bread Avocado Grapefruit salad Oven Roasted Asparagus Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I don't know if this is often an alternative for turkey for most people, but we sometimes have beef wellington instead of turkey. Tasty. :p I am not a huge fan of turkey, though, at least the whole bird version. I prefer the days after Thanksgiving when it's incorporated into other meals - soups, salads, quesadillas, etc. I'm not sure Cammie can get beef. :D It does sound yummy to me, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Thanksgiving wouldn't be quite the same without the turkey, but I'd probably do chicken if turkey was not available. We have stuffing, rutabaga mashed with brown sugar and butter, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (canned), gravy, and sautéed shredded Brussels sprouts. Pretty simple and basic really. The stuffing is a bread stuffing with celery (and yes I do put it in the bird). You can stuff chickens too, but they are small so in that case I'd just do that in a casserole dish. I once made homemade cranberry sauce, but I missed the lines from the can. LOL And I'm actually the only one who eats it so...Just a tiny bit...needs to be mixed in with a bite of stuffing and gravy. I'm very particular about this. :laugh: For dessert I bought an already made pumpkin cream pie. I will be making 2 different apple pies as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I don't know if this is often an alternative for turkey for most people, but we sometimes have beef wellington instead of turkey. Tasty. :p I am not a huge fan of turkey, though, at least the whole bird version. I prefer the days after Thanksgiving when it's incorporated into other meals - soups, salads, quesadillas, etc. It's not, but that sounds yummy too. I love turkey! I wouldn't pay a zillion dollars for it though. I'd get whatever is available and deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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