Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 What do you have? When oldest dd is here with her family, we have traditional T'giving food because she really likes the traditional stuff. But she's 1000 miles away in Florida and it's just going to be me and dh and our two youngest. We usually have stuffed shells or lasagna but we like that for Christmas so we're trying not to have it for both holidays. I make Mexican every week, so that's not really a treat unless I can find something new and different. The night before Thanksgiving we're hosting a dinner and a movie party- we always watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles the night before T'giving and this year have 5 other couples joining us. It'll probably be a chili/baked potato bar. So no chili the next day. All I can come up with is spaetzle and schnitzel...which will be a treat for my family but I'd really like a couple of other ideas...since I also have Christmas Eve to think about. What do you guys have? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Local seafood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Whatever we want. Fried chicken was a favorite for awhile, and then pizza. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 You could do a different meat, like a roast beef or a pot roast. Those are treats here. Or get a holiday cooking magazine and see what appeals to you. They have Christmas ones out and those foods can be different from the traditional turkey day things. We do usually have the traditional fare, but I think the key Thanksgiving thing - at least for me - isn't the dishes, it's the taking the time to cook something fun and special. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I've almost got dh convinced that most holidays should be Chinese take out. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I thought lasagna was traditional for Thanksgiving! (But then, I grew up in Bensonhurst, heart of Italian Brooklyn, so what do I know?) If I want to make a treat meal for my family, I make lamb or Swedish meatballs, with sides of mashed potatoes (for the meatballs), peas with mint and scallions (for the lamb), and carrots roasted with brown sugar (for both). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 My mother in law is allergic to all poultry/fowl so we always have a Thanksgiving Pork Loin when we are with that side of the family. There is still stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and apple pie. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 All you can eat sushi? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I thought lasagna was traditional for Thanksgiving! (But then, I grew up in Bensonhurst, heart of Italian Brooklyn, so what do I know?) If I want to make a treat meal for my family, I make lamb or Swedish meatballs, with sides of mashed potatoes (for the meatballs), peas with mint and scallions (for the lamb), and carrots roasted with brown sugar (for both). I have a new copy of Cook's Illustrated Thanksgiving in preparation for hosting this year and, indeed, there's a lasagna recipe included. So... maybe? :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 The last couple years we've bought rotisserie chickens at the grocery store. Some of them are really good, and SO much easier than making a turkey!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocassie Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I tend towards the gourmet or from scratch food for holidays so things like lasagna, ravioli, homemade pasta with meatballs or some other fancy sauce, lamb, prime rib, cornish hens, duck, roasted chicken, salads with homemade dressings, homemade bread, and some fancy, rich, and delicious dessert. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 We usually have stuffed shells or lasagna but we like that for Christmas so we're trying not to have it for both holidays. What do you guys have? I thought lasagna was traditional for Thanksgiving! (But then, I grew up in Bensonhurst, heart of Italian Brooklyn, so what do I know?) :D We always had eggplant parmigiana and/or ravioli (with meatballs and sausage in the sauce). Dh is used to and likes traditional Thanksgiving food, so I've switched to that for Thanksgiving and moved our Italian-American feast to Christmas. That doesn't help you though since you have Italian at Christmas. We once grilled salmon for Easter (when everyone else we knew was having ham or "Easter Pie"). How about seafood of some sort? Other ideas - -beef stew - easy if you put it in the crock pot so you don't have to spend the day cooking -cold platter - sandwich meat (gasp!), vegetables and dip, cheese and crackers, fruit, etc. -pork tenderloin with whatever sides you like -as others suggested, a different meat but with traditional sides -main dish salad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 we decide every year. We have done Mexican themed, Asian themed, appetizers, homemade pizza....seriously, we have no traditions lol. We have done the full spread, but no one likes the same sides. I end up making 4 sides that we all eat from one and then no one wants leftovers. Dh asked for turkey this week, so I think this year we will be more traditional, but the kids are cooking more, so I don't think it will be a huge deal for me to cook this year. I say make what you want. Or everyone's favorites. Heck, I would go out if people didn't want so much for their meals at restaurants! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 My MIL used to make flank steak. She refused to make turkey because she refused to do anything someone told her to do. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I'd suggest going with the local harvest, whatever that may be. It seems like the best way to honor the intent of the holiday with non-traditional foods. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 How about calzones? We have done those for Christmas. I made the dough and pizza sauce and had mozzarella cheese and all sorts of meats and veggies on hand. Each person chose his own fillings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Here in the Philadelphia area, lasagne seems about as traditional as turkey. You know how grocery stores give away a turkey with x number of loyalty card points? Here you can choose a huge frozen lasagne instead. One thing my in-laws do that is a little different - though maybe still not what you're looking for - is to smoke the turkey a day ahead and rewarm it. The side dishes are different though I can't remember exactly what they are. No stuffing/dressing for one thing. You could make a favorite soup or stew. Beef stew could be good. Or roast beef/prime rib. Or local seafood. Not Thanksgiving, but when we lived in Oregon we had cracked crab on New Year's Eve. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. That probably sounds too plain and everyday though. :-) You could also do an appetizer dinner. We do that for Christmas Eve. Shrimp cocktail, cheeses, maybe stuffed jalapenos... enough snacky stuff to make a meal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 We have had steak, baked potatoes, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, good French rolls, salad but I have to have traditional dessert of Apple and pumpkin pie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Seafood Alfredo over pasta? Gumbo? BBQ? Thai coconut curry? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I've almost got dh convinced that most holidays should be Chinese take out. This. Except he doesn't need convincing. ;) I'm not into cooking holidays though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Cackling here. MIL (Filipino) cooks some interesting foods for Thanksgiving that are not at all traditional. Squid in purple ink. "Chocolate Meat" - which has no meat or chocolate in it. - ie. it is blood pudding. Pancit - a rather nice Filipino noodle dish that she ruins with shrimp paste Oh wait, that wasn't what you were looking for? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Cajun. Sausage gumbo, shrimp creole, and crawfish étouffée. Yum! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 One of my favorite Thanksgivings was when I was pregnant with oldest and couldn't stand the thought of turkey. I was too sick to travel so MIL and a niece came to us and we made every yummy appetizer we could think of: jalepeño poppers, pigs in a blanket, all manner of mini cheesecakes and cookies and mini pies, chips and dips and small meat dishes. I've craved it every year since... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I wish we didn't have to do the whole Thanksgiving thing on Thanksgiving. It's ok, but I don't much like it. We get Chinese on Christmas. I'd love it on Tgiving, too. If I could do Tgiving my way, I'd just pick whatever favorite foods my family likes and do one of those. I'd try to find something we all love. (Which is impossible in my family.) So, maybe I'd do 2 or 3 dishes of everyone's favorites. Personally, my favorite is Shrimp Fried Rice. With lemon bars for dessert. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 I tend towards the gourmet or from scratch food for holidays so things like lasagna, ravioli, homemade pasta with meatballs or some other fancy sauce, lamb, prime rib, cornish hens, duck, roasted chicken, salads with homemade dressings, homemade bread, and some fancy, rich, and delicious dessert. Yes, for me holiday food is special food, which is why we have lasagna or stuffed shells. But making my own ravioli might the a nice change, and would get the family involved. I like to start the prep while watching the Macy's parade on tv and then we eat between lunch and dinner (I'm not cooking two meals!) Homemade ravioli is definitely going on the list. I'm just going to let the family decide after I put together a list of things I'm willing to make. (Which eliminates things like blood pudding and sushi. I know some folks like that but not in our house) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 I'd suggest going with the local harvest, whatever that may be. It seems like the best way to honor the intent of the holiday with non-traditional foods. That's how we eat all summer because we have a fabulous farmer's market (an hour away but worth the drive!). But this week is the last week before it moves indoors for the summer and when I went last week, there wasn't much I would consider holiday fare. But if I make ravioli I could use some of the traditional things like butternut squash to fill some of them. Or if you meant just going with what's grown in my area, that would be corn and soybeans. And pigs, dairy cattle, and chickens, I guess. Nah, I think butternut squash might be better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 Here in the Philadelphia area, lasagne seems about as traditional as turkey. You know how grocery stores give away a turkey with x number of loyalty card points? Here you can choose a huge frozen lasagne instead. One thing my in-laws do that is a little different - though maybe still not what you're looking for - is to smoke the turkey a day ahead and rewarm it. The side dishes are different though I can't remember exactly what they are. No stuffing/dressing for one thing. You could make a favorite soup or stew. Beef stew could be good. Or roast beef/prime rib. Or local seafood. Not Thanksgiving, but when we lived in Oregon we had cracked crab on New Year's Eve. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. That probably sounds too plain and everyday though. :-) You could also do an appetizer dinner. We do that for Christmas Eve. Shrimp cocktail, cheeses, maybe stuffed jalapenos... enough snacky stuff to make a meal. I'm glad to hear lasagna is traditional in some areas- for years I have put up with people teasing me about what we have. Annoying. I'm not asking them to give up their beloved sweet potato casserole, so they need to lay off my family not wanting a traditional turkey dinner. We do appetizer dinner on New Year's Eve, as that was my mom's birthday and it's what we always had when I was growing up. I love that!!! Local seafood- I wish! We live in a triangle between Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Not a lot of local seafood. Not any, actually. And we're not sushi fans, except for dd. But she just got back from spending 6 months n Japan and our sushi can't compare anyway. I envy people who can get good seafood! Is it worth it to use frozen? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 I could have this: I've almost got dh convinced that most holidays should be Chinese take out. If I told them I was serving this: Cackling here. MIL (Filipino) cooks some interesting foods for Thanksgiving that are not at all traditional. Squid in purple ink. "Chocolate Meat" - which has no meat or chocolate in it. - ie. it is blood pudding. Pancit - a rather nice Filipino noodle dish that she ruins with shrimp paste Oh wait, that wasn't what you were looking for? :lol: And I haven't ruled that out yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 All you can eat sushi? My daughters would be in heaven. Me...not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I thought lasagna was traditional for Thanksgiving! (But then, I grew up in Bensonhurst, heart of Italian Brooklyn, so what do I know?) If I want to make a treat meal for my family, I make lamb or Swedish meatballs, with sides of mashed potatoes (for the meatballs), peas with mint and scallions (for the lamb), and carrots roasted with brown sugar (for both). That is my families traditional food too. Ancestry is Norwegian/Czech and I've never lived in an Italian area. But I am an only child and both mom and I really don't care for turkey. One year, mom and I were discussing how Not looking forward to turkey we were. So, we settled on Lasagna. I think it makes wonderful holiday food because It is very good. It is very filling. You make it a day or two before then clean the kitchen. So you don't have to deal with monster kitchen mess during the holiday. I make extra special lasagna on the holiday. I make the Ricotta using a microwave recipe. I buy the Italian sausage from a certain store. I am considering making the noodles this year too. I will have to do a trial run on the noodles first though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 Wow- lots of good ideas! The only thing I don't want to do is just change the meat but serve traditional sides. The traditional sides are all things we eat through the year- potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberries, etc. I want a different feel plus I don't want the hassle of making a lot of dishes just for four people. But there are some good suggestions here and I'm glad I asked, because it's not just Thanksgiving, but other special days, too. We don't do ham on Easter so I always have to find something we like that's special. Calzones, ravioli, swedish meatballs, appetizers, seafood (assuming I can procure decent stuff)! Lots to think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 That is my families traditional food too. Ancestry is Norwegian/Czech and I've never lived in an Italian area. But I am an only child and both mom and I really don't care for turkey. One year, mom and I were discussing how Not looking forward to turkey we were. So, we settled on Lasagna. I think it makes wonderful holiday food because It is very good. It is very filling. You make it a day or two before then clean the kitchen. So you don't have to deal with monster kitchen mess during the holiday. I make extra special lasagna on the holiday. I make the Ricotta using a microwave recipe. I buy the Italian sausage from a certain store. I am considering making the noodles this year too. I will have to do a trial run on the noodles first though. I made the noodles for our lasagna last year. Never again. I make my own noodles for chicken and noodles so I figured, how hard can it be? Not worth the effort. Well, not worth it for what mine tasted like. Just not spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 No one likes turkey. We have cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, Dominoes pizza and my daughter makes apple pie for dessert. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 No one likes turkey. We have cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, Dominoes pizza and my daughter makes apple pie for dessert. Wait. That can be a menu? My family would LOVE that. Gosh, we miss Domino's pizza. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 :ears: we're not doing turkey for the first time ever - dh is suggesting courses. . . how about greek? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Well, here in this house spaetzle is always a treat! So, my kids would be all over that! But, my husband's family always paid tribute to their Italian heritage with homemade lasagne. So, for any holiday that does not demand a turkey, it is lasagne. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Pizza here--none of the dc like turkey and aren't too crazy about baked chicken either. Last year dh made a ham. Dd is petitioning for Chinese this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 If you want to be adventurous and non traditional pick a region you love and cook something feast like and awesome from there. I'd be doing a massive homemade Vietnamese spread, given half the chance. Or my delicious Polish hot pot recipe of sauerkraut, pork, and beans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Jean I love pancit. Just saying in case you need me to keep some leftovers in my fridge for you ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 We have done prime rib for thanksgiving several times. No one here is really crazy about turkey. Fish would be nice - we would probably do beer battered halibut, but baked salmon would be a good choice too. We also have done All-Appetizers for T-day dinner and let people graze from a buffet of choices. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Jean I love pancit. Just saying in case you need me to keep some leftovers in my fridge for you ;) I love pancit too. Just not the kind that MIL makes with stinky shrimp paste. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Probably not super helpful, since we eat vegan/vegetarian, but our "traditional" Thanksgiving meal is: Potato pancakes Homemade applesauce Homemade cranberry relish Mashed sweet potatoes Cornbread muffins Some kind of rice-based dish Sauteed green beans We used to have the same meal on Christmas day, but several years ago we decided we'd rather have Indian food. So, now we have all of our favorite Indian stuff on Christmas: Chana masala Curried potatoes Onion chutney Mint-cilantro chutney Basmati Lentil puri Every now and then, we discuss the possibility of flipping the order and doing the Indian meal on Thanksgiving, instead. But I prefer to save that for Christmas since I can do a lot of the prep ahead of time and avoid spending as much of the day in the kitchen. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 You could always just eat pie! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 We've done steak for the last several years, it's quite fabulous and an actual holiday for me, instead of elaborate cooking. I do usually make baked mac and cheese, but that's easy enough and enjoyable when I'm not doing too much other stuff as well (dh cooks the steaks, heh). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Probably not super helpful, since we eat vegan/vegetarian, but our "traditional" Thanksgiving meal is: Potato pancakes Homemade applesauce Homemade cranberry relish Mashed sweet potatoes Cornbread muffins Some kind of rice-based dish Sauteed green beans We used to have the same meal on Christmas day, but several years ago we decided we'd rather have Indian food. So, now we have all of our favorite Indian stuff on Christmas: Chana masala Curried potatoes Onion chutney Mint-cilantro chutney Basmati Lentil puri Every now and then, we discuss the possibility of flipping the order and doing the Indian meal on Thanksgiving, instead. But I prefer to save that for Christmas since I can do a lot of the prep ahead of time and avoid spending as much of the day in the kitchen. Actually that might work! We don't need meat and many of the items in the top would be treats for us. And Indian food would be totally different than anything we usually have. I think I'm adding these to our list. If Indian food doesn't make the vote I think I'll try it soon anyway. I'd love to learn how to make these dishes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoxinsox Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Ham or brisket with Potatoes Anna, homemade cranberry sauce, artichoke casserole, green salad, fruit salad, pickles, olives, homemade rolls, chocolate and pumpkin pie or peach cobbler. We do a variation of this for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. . If we have guests, I start adding veggie sides--green beans with bacon, creamed peas, corn, roasted carrots. This gives all my picky eaters something that they enjoy. I'm hungry just starting to think about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Ham or brisket with Potatoes Anna, homemade cranberry sauce, artichoke casserole, green salad, fruit salad, pickles, olives, homemade rolls, chocolate and pumpkin pie or peach cobbler. We do a variation of this for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. . If we have guests, I start adding veggie sides--green beans with bacon, creamed peas, corn, roasted carrots. This gives all my picky eaters something that they enjoy. I'm hungry just starting to think about it. Artichoke casserole?! That sounds wonderful! What's in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 All these ideas sound fantastic :001_wub: except for the stinky shrimp paste. :ack2: We are either doing prime rib or salmon, with roasted vegetables. :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Dh likes the traditional foods, but the last few years previous, he was working out of state. The kids and I would go on Pinterest, and each of us would choose a course. One would decide the meat, a couple sides, and someone else the dessert. It was a fun way to try new stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 My BIL makes the best pancit. Sometimes he makes it for thanksgiving and sometimes not. I am going to put in my order this year so he makes it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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