What non-traditional Thanksgiving food is part of your menu?

[teachermom2834]

I’m thinking of Thanksgiving…if you have been around here and have a good memory you will know I have posted rants about being overworked and under appreciated and trying to find solutions to that while still hosting and still feeding my family and not causing a family fracture over mashed potatoes.

So this year I have placed and order with a catering company. Yay! It will cover the basics and take a lot of pressure off. I still plan to add lots of odds and ends that are easy and that I want to do -not that I am required to do. I think we will need the added quantity and variety. And I do like to cook and host it just is too much to do everything. so I’ve got turkey, gravy, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, a veggie, and rolls off my plate beyond reheating which I will have to coordinate. 

So, I have some freedom to add to the menu and it got me wondering what things families have as their own traditions that aren’t really standard fare. My family used to have a full Italian course and now still sometimes has eggplant parmigiana. In the south macaroni and cheese is a standard but I swear I never heard of that until we moved south but I shouldn’t talk because we were having lasagna and Italian sausage as a course before the turkey and mashed potatoes. 
 

What do you always have that isn’t typical Thanksgiving but is your family tradition?

[HomeAgain]

Orange cheesecake.  It's a lovely, silky smooth cheesecake with a crust make of chocolate wafer cookies, chocolate shavings, and butter.  It takes all day to make because it has a low cook temp and then 6 hours wrapped in foil and a towel in a cooler, but it's so, so worth it.  The topping is a homemade orange-cranberry sauce.  It's just heavenly. 

We only make it once a year, and only started doing it when we moved to the Northeast (our entire menu reflects all the places we've lived over the years), but nobody wants to miss out on the cheesecake here.

[saraha]

Gold star chili dip. If I didn’t make this I swear my kids would just leave! 😆

[Annie G]

We do Italian because it’s easier than a full T dinner. I can make the shells/lasagna/manicotti the day before and enjoy T day.  Nobody in my extended family really likes turkey and everything else we normally eat several times a year anyway…just not all at once. 
 

Dh grew up with Mac and cheese as a standard at Thanksgiving and his mom used one cup of dried macaroni whether it was the four original family members or the 10 it was when I joined the family. As the family grew the big Thanksgiving memory was whether you’d get any Mac and cheese or it would all be gone before it was passed your way. Weird as it sounds, it’s their fond memory. 
 

[Kassia]

17 minutes ago, Annie G said:

 

Dh grew up with Mac and cheese as a standard at Thanksgiving and his mom used one cup of dried macaroni whether it was the four original family members or the 10 it was when I joined the family. As the family grew the big Thanksgiving memory was whether you’d get any Mac and cheese or it would all be gone before it was passed your way. Weird as it sounds, it’s their fond memory. 
 

My in-laws had no idea how much three hungry boys (my kids) could eat and would always make so little food that it became a joke in our family.  The kids always ate before going over there for holidays.  

My family used to not like turkey, so I'd make corned beef on Thanksgiving along with the traditional sides and everyone was happy.  They all like turkey now so that's what we usually go with.

[ScoutTN]

Birthday cake! Because we celebrate Dh and a nephew who have November birthdays. 

[ScoutTN]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

Orange cheesecake.  It's a lovely, silky smooth cheesecake with a crust make of chocolate wafer cookies, chocolate shavings, and butter.  It takes all day to make because it has a low cook temp and then 6 hours wrapped in foil and a towel in a cooler, but it's so, so worth it.  The topping is a homemade orange-cranberry sauce.  It's just heavenly. 

We only make it once a year, and only started doing it when we moved to the Northeast (our entire menu reflects all the places we've lived over the years), but nobody wants to miss out on the cheesecake here.

Do you make it a day ahead? We need this recipe!

Edited October 22, 2023 by ScoutTN

[ScoutTN]

My mom used to make either an oyster casserole or oyster soup/stew. I detest oysters so have never done these. Blech. 

Homemade mac n cheese is indeed standard here, esp if younger children will be present.
 

I always take a big green salad bc my inlaws will do all the veggies as casseroles or cooked to death. 

[teachermom2834]

We have definitely adopted the homemade Mac and cheese as southern transplants. Homemade Mac and cheese is never wrong. And it is actually a great holiday dish for a crowd because it is easy to make a big batch to help fill up the big eaters. And we try to eat healthy most of the time so it is a treat. So mac and cheese is definitely a standard for us now. My dd makes it but I would if she didn’t!

[El...]

Recipes! Good grief, people! We need those! 🙂

[HomeAgain]

28 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Do you make it a day ahead? We need this recipe!

It's definitely made at least a day ahead.  There was once where it sat in the cooler overnight because we ran out of time, and that was fine, too. 

Ours started out from here: Epicurious Cranberry Orange Cheesecake, BUT

Crust: dark chocolate, grated

Pan: wrap it in quite a few layers of tinfoil to keep any water seepage out

Time: Turn off the oven after it is set (it will take longer than their 55 minutes) and continue letting it sit in the oven for another hour or so.  Wrap in a towel, place in a cooler, and let it finish getting to room temp in there.  If you do not, the filling will be set in some areas but not others.  The slow temperature drop helps it finish setting up.

[HomeAgain]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

Gold star chili dip. If I didn’t make this I swear my kids would just leave! 😆

I think I need this recipe for our Christmas meal. 😄

[Ali in OR]

Green salad. So simple, yet missing from many a Thanksgiving table. There are so many "traditional" veggie dishes that we just don't like, and definitely any turned into a casserole. Green salad is fresh and palate-cleansing with all of the heavy food.

[teachermom2834]

1 hour ago, Ali in OR said:

Green salad. So simple, yet missing from many a Thanksgiving table. There are so many "traditional" veggie dishes that we just don't like, and definitely any turned into a casserole. Green salad is fresh and palate-cleansing with all of the heavy food.

I also prefer a green salad to any of the veggie casseroles. We do heavy charcuterie (well we don’t call it that because we are Italian and have always done it before it was cool) so I like to stick out a bowl of salad greens and a few dressings with the charcuterie and veggie trays and there you have a salad bar. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by teachermom2834

[Clarita]

We are now doing smoked brisket instead of turkey.

[marbel]

My family likes the standard American Thanksgiving dishes, except for the vegetarian who wants mac and cheese. Oddly enough, the only southerner in this house (my husband) does not think mac and cheese belongs on the T-Day table. (He doesn't object to it, but def didn't grow up with it.) I don't do green bean casserole, but just simple green beans sauteed with shallots and almonds. I also add some sort of greens - collards, kale - because I like them. 

So I'm actually not qualified to respond to this thread since I am pretty traditional but I like talking about food. 😎

[HomeAgain]

2 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Green salad. So simple, yet missing from many a Thanksgiving table. There are so many "traditional" veggie dishes that we just don't like, and definitely any turned into a casserole. Green salad is fresh and palate-cleansing with all of the heavy food.

None of us are fans of the traditional veggie sides, either.  We've swapped them out for better options:

Candied yams -> twice baked sweet potatoes with thyme and talleggio cheese

Green bean casserole => roasted green beans

Canned cranberry jelly => homemade cranberry sauce simmered with chicken or vegetable stock, shallots, and rosemary

and then we do asparagus, roasted in the oven, and a very light salad made with arugula, pecorino, and thinly sliced pears.  It's a great pairing with a light white wine or sparkling apple cider. 

 

[Pam in CT]

I never thought about a yuge green salad as non-traditional -- we have salad at 98% of all meals, so I guess it just registers as "part of dinner."

I don't do casserole vegetables. Depending on who comes, we'll often *have* one or two that somebody brings; but my own veg offering is usually roasted asparagus or roasted root vegetables.

I make cranberry sauce, which I'd argue is more "traditional" than canned anyway, but mine has orange chunks in it which I suppose isn't.  And pumpkin bread (arguably "traditional"?) but also banana bread (mmmm.)  And my mother 100% makes banana cream pie, which is invariably the best-loved pie though def not traditional.

[Annie G]

2 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Green salad. So simple, yet missing from many a Thanksgiving table. There are so many "traditional" veggie dishes that we just don't like, and definitely any turned into a casserole. Green salad is fresh and palate-cleansing with all of the heavy food.

 My very southern mother in law always had salad at T’giving but also called it ‘lettuce salad’ or ‘garden salad’ because there were other ‘salads’ on the table, like potato salad, jello salad, etc.     The green salad was rarely eaten. 

[wintermom]

Whenever I had the good fortune of celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas with my dad's side of the family there would be perogies and cabbage rolls added to the traditional turkey and sides. I loved those special times! 😍

My mom's side of the family had a different "special" item which I hated - jello salad with bits of fruit or veg inside. 🤢 

[mmasc]

Coleslaw. This is a traditional thanksgiving food from my DH’s FOO, which to this day I think is weird, yet still make. 😂

[wisdomandtreasures]

A few years ago we had Italian sausages, roasted sweet potatoes and beets (seasoned with just salt, pepper, and a little chili powder), feta salad (romaine, spinach, Fuji apple or green pear, dried unsweetened cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese, with dressing of 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp poppyseeds), traditional stuffing/dressing, and molasses crinkles for dessert. I prefer that over the big spread of heavy foods. 

[LifeLovePassion]

Taco salad...DHs family does that. 

[kbutton]

In the extended family, many things have shown up at various times because people like to try stuff, so I’m not sure what all is traditional or not as we didn’t do green bean casserole and such until someone married in and brought it…

salmon

baked ziti

appetizers, like stuffed mushrooms or shrimp cocktail

savory sweet potatoes—cooked with breakfast sausage and pears or apples

cabbage salad, many varieties

baked beans

brussels sprouts

green bean almondine 

pickle tray

hot Turkey salad (usually with leftovers though)

fancy tuna noodle casserole (big tubular curly pasta, white sauce, diced tomatoes (drain off the juice), frozen peas, and halved black olives. Top with sliced mushrooms (or not) and Parmesan cheese before baking until bubbly. The peas migrate into the olives, lol!

My favorite is a canned pea dish (trust me on this one because it sounds weird):

Sauté chopped scallions in a little butter

Add the juice from a can of peas

Whisk in prepared mustard until it’s just a little yellowish

Thicken with cornstarch (add water to a little cornstarch and whisk it in)

add the can of peas (petite are the best) and let simmer until the flavors meld

It’s a dish that can be made the day before and might even be better the second day. Scales up easily for a crowd, and it’s a hit when I’ve taken it places. I just tell people to try it and I won’t be offended if they don’t like it, but then they do. 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by kbutton

[athena1277]

Jello salad!  Although my family just calls it “green stuff” now.  Yes, it is considered a side.

Dh always wants Rice A Roni at Thanksgiving.  Even his mom doesn’t know where he got the idea that it should be served at Thanksgiving.

[Lynn in al]

Not part of a menu but we have done steak and baked potatoes, and a few years ago I made a German dinner for Thanksgiving meal, the kids loved that.  The only different side would be sauerkraut at my DD request if we go traditional.

[ScoutTN]

3 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

None of us are fans of the traditional veggie sides, either.  We've swapped them out for better options:

Candied yams -> twice baked sweet potatoes with thyme and talleggio cheese

Green bean casserole => roasted green beans

Canned cranberry jelly => homemade cranberry sauce simmered with chicken or vegetable stock, shallots, and rosemary

and then we do asparagus, roasted in the oven, and a very light salad made with arugula, pecorino, and thinly sliced pears.  It's a great pairing with a light white wine or sparkling apple cider. 

 

Yummmm.

We need the asparagus recipe, please!

[saraha]

6 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

I think I need this recipe for our Christmas meal. 😄

Haha, no recipe needed! I buy a packet of Gold Star Chili seasoning, follow the recipe on the package to make the chili (tomato paste, ground beef and water) spoon chili over a pie plate full of cream cheese, top with shredded cheddar and bake til warmed through. Serve with tortilla chips. Even easier is to buy a can of gold star chili to use. 
Some Ohioans will use skyline chili to make the dip, but they are making it wrong 😉

Edited October 22, 2023 by saraha

[Katy]

Thanksgiving was something we spent with my grandparents. My grandma was a professional and had Thanksgiving catered when I was young. Then there was a 30 year period when we went to a fancy restaurant. I guess this is why I’m inclined to catered food too. 

[rebcoola]

I dont really like thanksgiving food so if its here and juat us its not a traditional meal at all.  

[El...]

7 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

It's definitely made at least a day ahead.  There was once where it sat in the cooler overnight because we ran out of time, and that was fine, too. 

Ours started out from here: Epicurious Cranberry Orange Cheesecake, BUT

Crust: dark chocolate, grated

Pan: wrap it in quite a few layers of tinfoil to keep any water seepage out

Time: Turn off the oven after it is set (it will take longer than their 55 minutes) and continue letting it sit in the oven for another hour or so.  Wrap in a towel, place in a cooler, and let it finish getting to room temp in there.  If you do not, the filling will be set in some areas but not others.  The slow temperature drop helps it finish setting up.

I think I need to make this. Thanks!

[prairiewindmomma]

Thanks for this thread. It reminded me that most of my family doesn't enjoy traditional Thanksgiving foods.  We may mix it up a bit ourselves this year.

[Eos]

We go super traditional and try to have as many things we've grown or foraged as possible and think of it as a harvest celebration.  Even If I have a terrible harvest from my garden I always save something for Thanksgiving.  We grow the spuds, buy a local turkey, hubby makes bread to make the stuffing, we get the cranberries from a creek nearby, etc. 

Non-traditional = sauerkraut and key lime pie.  

[Spryte]

Our non-traditional favorite is stuffed ham. Spiral sliced ham stuffed with cabbage and spices. Yum.

[bensonduck]

I love the idea of coleslaw. Nice crisp cabbage sounds so good among all those soft dishes.