Traditions at Thanksgiving?

Just curious - what are your traditions (menu-wise) for Thanksgiving?  Since this is my third Thanksgiving with a "Damn Yankee" hubby -   we must  include "his" traditional  stuffing (HE cooks the complete dinner -so I can't complain).  But being a Texan I also make my cornbread dressing - as my kids would not think it was Thanksgiving otherwise!   So,  what does everyone out there have for your dinner?

HAPPY  THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

A first course of pasta must absolutely be included.  It's a typical Abruzzese Italian holiday meal - first the home made ravioli, then that's cleared and the turkey dinner is brought in. 

This is to please the older generation who are shocked that we "younger" people don't want the pasta anymore, and we don't want the cleaning up of two sets of pots either,.  However, the guilt trip, if it's not served, makes it not worth defying my mother and her sister - at ages 95 and 90, we indulge them.

The other Italian elements in the meal are plenty of salad, lots of good bread, side dishes of roasted peppers, all kinds of olives, and sitting at the table for hours, talking. 

Other than that, it's roast turkey with cranberry sauce, a simple stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans almondine, and cold asparagus vinaigrette, nuts and fruits are served after, with pie and cookies later in the day. 

Gotta have the turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, DINNER ROLLS, corn bread, that green bean crap, that canned cranberry sauce, those nasty marshmellow sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and I believe that's all. Everything came out of a can or a box except the turkey and gravy. I've been deprived of the good stuff. Never did like thanksgiving food. But if the dinner rolls aren't there, it just isnt thanksgiving.

Original Post by clairelaine:

A first course of pasta must absolutely be included.  It's a typical Abruzzese Italian holiday meal - first the home made ravioli, then that's cleared and the turkey dinner is brought in. 

This is to please the older generation who are shocked that we "younger" people don't want the pasta anymore, and we don't want the cleaning up of two sets of pots either,.  However, the guilt trip, if it's not served, makes it not worth defying my mother and her sister - at ages 95 and 90, we indulge them.

The other Italian elements in the meal are plenty of salad, lots of good bread, side dishes of roasted peppers, all kinds of olives, and sitting at the table for hours, talking. 

Other than that, it's roast turkey with cranberry sauce, a simple stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans almondine, and cold asparagus vinaigrette, nuts and fruits are served after, with pie and cookies later in the day. 

 Sounds wonderful - if you have any leftover ravioli-send it to me!!  I've never had home-made...oh yum.....

my dad likes to cook this dish called sausage stuffing. very delicious.

My family varies slightly from a lot of the American classics (sweet potatoes, bread, green bean cassarole, canned cranberry sauce ar NOT included).  Many dishes rotate, depending on the year, but there are some had and fast staples:

- Turkey (my mom always brines it so it is super moist.  One time I had turkey at someone else's house, and I was like, what IS this dry junk)

- Stuffing (bread, sausage, mushrooms, celery and chicken stock.  So simple, but so good)  The stuffing is really the only thing I care about it, one year my mom did a different one, and I almost died.

- Cranberry relish (my dad makes it, it's the one thing he ever cooks.  It has whole cranberries, orange peel, and ginger.)

- Salad & Vegetables (usually steamed brussel sprouts and carrots or green beans with garlic.  The vegetables change every year.  The salad is a simple dinner salad)

- Dessert (changes every year, usually includes a fruit pie/crisp, and some kind of pumpkin dessert (either pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake) 

My mom makes this old-fashioned pumpkin bread which is my grandmom's recipe. It has shortening in it so it's INCREDIBLY moist (and bad for you - I wouldn't analyze that recipe if someone paid me, I want to enjoy it)

My favorites are the very traditional things, but I like to mix them up a bit and serve them differently year-by-year.  Sometimes the stuffing is sage and mushroom, sometimes it's fruit and nut.  Sometimes the sweet potatoes are savory and mashed/roasted, sometimes they are sweet with that pecan/brown sugar topping...

BUT there was one thing that my mom always made that I miss:  officially it's called 7-layer salad, but I called it "apple salad" even though there are no apples in it, because she served it in a big apple shaped bowl and it was the only time of year she used the bowl!  The 7 layers are: shredded lettuce, peas, eggs, celery, bacon, dressing made of miracle whip and sugar, and shredded cheese.  The salad itself is mediocre, but I miss it.  And I miss celebrating with my family.

HOT POT

For my Asian family and friends =]

Also a Christmas tradition.

Well, I am cooking the works and I have to get past it.

Homemade Dinner Rolls
4 Hens this year.. No turkey, I eat turkey 24/7 I need a break.
Ham
Corn Bread Dressing w cranberry sauce
Mac and Cheese Not the stove top one..
Greens
Green Beans- a must for the kids
Pinto Beans Or Field Peas
Potato Salad
Sweet Potato Casserole
Winter Squash
Greek Salad
Garlic Bread
Stuffed Mushrooms
Apple Pie
Pumpkin pie
Banana Pudding
Cheese Cake
Butter Roll
Punch Bowl Cake
Jello W fruit in it for me..

If I eat too much of these foods. Back to 150 I will be.. I know this for a fact. I love my cooking.

Mine's not fancy and very typical..ha

• Turkey/Gravy
• Mashed Potatoes
• Cornbread Stuffing
• Green Bean Casserole
• Biscuits
• Fruit Salad
• Cranberry Sauce

Desserts vary.. this year it's apple pie, cherry cream cheese pie and Nestle's chocolate chip cookies

This is a traditional holiday dish from Iraq that takes days to prepare.  We call it pacha.  What you have to do is clean and soak beef tripe and intestines in lemon-water, stuff them with ground beef and rice and spices; boil them for hours; add lamb and chickpeas. If you're not Iraqi, you probably have to be pretty hard-core to eat it.  Some people split open the tripe and just eat the insides.

we're fairly traditional...it's just four of us for thanksgiving and none of us are really big eaters, so we keep it simple. Lately we've been doing a pork tenderloin instead of turkey because no one really likes turkey all that much. Always have cornbread stuffing which is AMAZING and by far my favorite. We usually do a green bean casserole although this year we are going to skip it in favor of a salad of wild greens, lemon juice, EVOO, salt, pepper, and grated parm cheese. yummy homemade foccacia bread. Sweet potato streusal casserole with marshmallows, pecans, butter, and brown sugar, fruit salad with whipped cream/cool whip and marashino cherries, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin, pecan, or apple pies (usually 2) for dessert!

My husband and I are hosting this year ...  will be serving about 15 people!

Turkey/Gravy

Mashed Potaoes

Sage/Onion/Celery stuffing

Sweet Potatoe casserole- the pecan/brown sugar kind

Broccoli salad

Winter squash

Cranberry orange relish

Cranberry-jello mold

Fruit salad with whipped cream

Deviled eggs

Cream cheese stuffed celery

Pickle/olive tray

Pumpernickel/rye bread with dip

Rolls

Pecan, lemon meringue, pumpkin, and apple pie

YUMMY!

Another southerner here.

Baked Turkey, Ham, and sometimes a fried turkey also

Cornbread dressing w/cranberry sauce

brown giblet gravy

Corn casserole

Turnip greens and hopefully another green veggie

Field peas & Butter beans

Sweet Potato casserole w/pecans on top

Deviled eggs

German Chocolate cake

Pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan pies

Cheesecake

Banana pudding

Rolls

Basically meat and a ton of carbs.  I usually deal with it by eating mostly turkey and greens, then adding the other sides in small quantities.  We then go for a long walk and come back to have dessert.  I try to stick to one dessert but that part is really difficult.  Luckily we are going to my sister's so the leftovers can stay there. 

Have a great holiday everyone!

Our thanksgiving traditions begin in the wee small hours of the morning, when the little ones are roused from their beds, sleepy as they are (some of them are as young as 3!), we arm them with slingshots and blunt sticks, and then they're taken out to the turkey pen where they beat the biggest, juiciest Tom to death. 

It would just warm your heart to see the smiles of delight on the older folk's faces as the traditions of their youth are passed down from generation to generation, and the blood-spattered toddlers emerge victorious from the pen, another family holiday begun.

It's nearly as much fun as Easter - oh what fun we have with the bunnies!

Original Post by splitrail:

Our thanksgiving traditions begin in the wee small hours of the morning, when the little ones are roused from their beds, sleepy as they are (some of them are as young as 3!), we arm them with slingshots and blunt sticks, and then they're taken out to the turkey pen where they beat the biggest, juiciest Tom to death. 

It would just warm your heart to see the smiles of delight on the older folk's faces as the traditions of their youth are passed down from generation to generation, and the blood-spattered toddlers emerge victorious from the pen, another family holiday begun.

It's nearly as much fun as Easter - oh what fun we have with the bunnies!

 

 BAHAHAHAHA!

Original Post by white_sakura:

HOT POT

For my Asian family and friends =]

Also a Christmas tradition.

 ok..WHAT IS HOT POT????

Original Post by lippygal:

This is a traditional holiday dish from Iraq that takes days to prepare.  We call it pacha.  What you have to do is clean and soak beef tripe and intestines in lemon-water, stuff them with ground beef and rice and spices; boil them for hours; add lamb and chickpeas. If you're not Iraqi, you probably have to be pretty hard-core to eat it.  Some people split open the tripe and just eat the insides.

 WEL...I've never eaten tripe....but I'd try it....

Well...we are home from AZ and had a wonderfull  Thanksgiving!  I really enjoyed all of your answers - sounds like we might just have gained a few pounds...??   Hope all of you had a great holiday!!

Original Post by starlitocean:

Original Post by splitrail:

Our thanksgiving traditions begin in the wee small hours of the morning, when the little ones are roused from their beds, sleepy as they are (some of them are as young as 3!), we arm them with slingshots and blunt sticks, and then they're taken out to the turkey pen where they beat the biggest, juiciest Tom to death. 

It would just warm your heart to see the smiles of delight on the older folk's faces as the traditions of their youth are passed down from generation to generation, and the blood-spattered toddlers emerge victorious from the pen, another family holiday begun.

It's nearly as much fun as Easter - oh what fun we have with the bunnies!

 

 BAHAHAHAHA!

 what a sense of humor!!