We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. We had it a week early because my husband and I are going to his mother's for Thanksgiving next week. Last year we decided to start having Thanksgiving a week early (we actually have it on the Saturday before Thanksgiving) because 4 of our 5 kids live in our town and all go to their in-laws for Thanksgiving. Last year we had our dinner at night so they could all go to their inlaws at mid-day. By the time everyone sat down for dinner, no one was hungry except my husband and I, thus the reason for the change.
We have the same things every year. The. Same. Things. Every. Year. This year I thought maybe we should change things up so I asked my kids if we should change some of the dishes. Some mentioned a dish or two they could do without, but most wanted the same things. The. Same. Things. So I made the same things: Turkey (although this year I decided to just do a Turkey breast), Cornbread stuffing, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli-Rice Casserole, Pink Stuff, Rolls, Pumpkin pie, Pecan pie, and then I threw in something new: Cheesecake.
Well, now we're going to go to my husband's mother's next week. Guess what we will have: Turkey, Cornbread stuffing, Broccoli-Rice Casserole, Pink Stuff, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie. :0+ I'm not sure I can eat this stuff for our Thanksgiving plus eating it for leftovers for a day or so, and then go to my mother-in-law's and eat it again. So NEXT year, there are definitely going to be some changes. Maybe we'll start small and just replace one dish at a time. So here's my question: What do you have for Thanksgiving? I need some ideas!
11 comments:
We have a lot of the things that you have mentioned, but we often add a ham. I would like to add a mac and cheese dish, just for variety if it was me. We like corn, or peas as our vegetable, and always have giblets in the stuffing. We also have six or seven different kinds of pies, including chocolate cream, banana cream, and coconut cream to go along with our pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
We have turkey with normal stuffing (but if you really like cornbread, you may not want to make that switch.) We usually have mashed potatoes, gravy, corn or fresh green beans, relish tray, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce. Yup..ours is the same thing too. I don't mind so much though, but I can't have turkey for Christmas or New Year's. I like to do ham at Christmas and chinese food at new year's or steak.
I do have a really good recipe somewhere for a yam dish that is incredible. Maybe you could just make the same things but use different recipes.
Oh, I found it. This recipe is actually almost like dessert...soooooo good!
Sweet Potato Supreme
3 (14.5 oz) cans yams, drained and slightly mashed
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Combine and pour into 9x13 dish (can refrid. for up to 3 days)
Topping
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour
3 TBLS butter, softened
Mix with fork - put on top just before baking
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
Delirious, if you've ever tried Cornbread Stuffing, you'll never go back. That's one thing I can't change. I put orange juice in my Sweet potatoes with cinnamon and brown sugar and marshmallows on top. Don't know if I could do the coconut. :0+
I am hungry just reading about food!!!
sweet potatoes are best when you just cut them into halves, bake them in a pan....get them out and put a little butter on them and sprinkle a little brown sugar on them. I'm serious. It's the only way I can stand them. And I LOVE them this way.
I think turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries and rolls is the best.
I could eat it two or three times in a few weeks. :)
My inlaws hate turkey, so sometimes they just cook chickens the way they would cook a turkey and it's pretty good.
This is what I always have: turkey and regular stuffing (we tried cornbread one year, hated it)mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, corn, fruit salad, 3-bean salad, olives, celery, little smokies, crab and crab dip, sometimes yams, depending on who is coming because a lot of the family hates them, pumpkin pie,and banana cream pie w/cool whip. Did I leave something out? :0)
Oh yeah, sometimes I add a spiral ham. If not, we often have that the Sunday following.
Have you ever tried Sweet Potatoes this way? Peel them, cut them in strips. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Put potatoes on it and spray them with Pam, then salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes. You can turn them over if you want, but I'm lazy and don't and they turn out just fine - kind of like french fries!
I actually don't mind the same traditional items, and sort of look forward to it. It's the only time of year I eat all that stuff! :) This year, I am going to make a Pumpkin New York-Style cheesecake to take to my in-law's house, instead of pumpkin pie. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Stace-Ghost's mom usually does deviled-eggs...you could try that as a different dish...
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