This is the first year I'm hosting Thanksgiving. We recently bought our first house and my parents and my in-laws, plus my grandparents will all be coming here for the meal. There will be 9 people, not to many. However, my family has the exact same thing every year for thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry, yams, lima beans, mashed potatoes, jello salad, apple salad, date pudding and pumpkin pie.
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Menu Suggestions for an Italian flavor Thanksgiving - Italian Wedding Soup, Lasagna with spinach and ricotta, Roast capon, chicken or cornish hens with potatoes and carrots. Caesar Salad and then pumpkin pie ala mode with spumoni ice cream. Optional, wine on the table. Some of these items can be made ahead. We had this when we were growing up for the Holidays.
Here is one of my family's faves!
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
1 (29 oz.) can yams or
2 c. mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 stick butter, melted
Mix with mixer. Bake 25 minutes in 400 degree oven. Then add topping.
TOPPING:
1/2 c. finely crushed cornflakes
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c. pecans or walnuts
1/2 c. light brown sugar
Combine all the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake another 15 minutes or until knife blade comes out clean. Bake in an 8 inch square baking dish.
I haven't eaten actual cranberry sauce for years. I am diabetic and this is what I make instead.
1 large navel orange
2 bags fresh cranberries
Sweeten to taste with sugar or Splenda
Wash the oranges as u will be using skin and all
Clean and wash the cranberries
Cut oranges as small as necessary to fit in food processor(I have a hand crank meat grinder which I use solely for this purpose)
8 sweet potatoes
1/2 c. brown sugar(I'd use the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
2 tbsp butter(or marg I would think)
Dash cinnamon (personally I do more than dash with cinnamon :], it is a natural regulator of blood sugar as well for your diabetics.)
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/8 tsp salt
Pare potatoes and cook until tender in lightly salted water
Split potatoes and place in greased, shallow pan
Combine sugar, water, butter, salt and cinnamon in saucepan
Replace that heavy pumpkin pie with something like this:
LIGHT FALL PARFAIT
Note: All starred ingredients may have to be purchased for this recipe.
WHISK TOGETHER:
1 c. low fat plain yogurt 250 mL
1/4 c. canned pumpkin puree* 50 mL
2 tbsp sugar free maple-flavoured syrup* 30 mL
Pinch cinnamon Pinch
Layer in parfait glasses with toasted chopped pecans or ginger snap crumbs.
Here are some corn casserole recipes that my family enjoys. Both can be prepared ahead of time and baked on Thanksgiving Day. I use whatever size bag of corn bread mix they have at the store, I can't always find the 8 or 8.5 oz and they come out fine. These casseroles are also great served with chili.
CORN CASSEROLE
FROM: MAKE IT MIAMI
Yield: 6 servings
Preheat oven to 350.
1/2 cup butter
1 (16-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (16-ounce) can cream style corn
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) package corn bread mix
1 small onion, grated
Gated cheddar cheese, for topping
Combine all ingredients except cheese. Place in greased 8x8-inch casserole dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake in greased 8x8-inch casserole at 350 for 45 minutes.
ZUCCHINI CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
FROM: Diana S. at www.allrecipes.com
Yield: 7 servings
4 cups shredded zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8.5 oz) package dry corn muffin mix
0.50 teaspoon salt
0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. In a large bowl mix together the zucchini, onion, eggs, muffin mix, salt and pepper. Stir in 4 ounces of the cheese. Spread this mixture into the casserole dish; top with remaining 4 ounces of cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes.
Last Thanksgiving my sister-in-law made roast beef and baked potatoes. Not what you associate with the holiday but it pleased everyone and was a really nice change. How about adding broccoli, rice and cheese casserole, sweet potato biscuits, and gingerbread with ice cream? All of these can be made ahead of time and you can get recipes from southernfood.about.com -- just put what you're looking for in the search bar.
Our family enjoys a wilted lettuce salad. It is a head of lettuce shredded cabbage style. Then you take a half cup of mayonnaise and thin it with milk until it is runny. Add onion powder, salt, pepper, and whatever spices you enjoy then, pour it over the lettuce and mix well. I love this with my turkey!
From my French Canadian Hubby's Family they have French meat pies:
French meat pie filling/stuffing for 2 pies
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lb ground pork
(I ask the butcher to double grind this together)
2 Large onions chopped fine
(I use 2 TBSP onion powder,picky hubby)
1 clove garlic
Cook stirring often, drain fat.
Stir in 1 cup water.
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 medium potatoes cooked and mashed
Simmer meat/spices/potatoes over medium heat for 20
minutes.
Prepare 4 pie crusts.
do not heap full
cook at 425 for 15 minutes
350 for 25 minutes or unti crust is golden brown
This is a lot of food for one meal but the leftovers are GREAT!
p.s. would anyone miss the Lima beans???
Our family enjoys a wilted lettuce salad. It is a head of lettuce shredded cabbage style. Then you take a half cup of mayonnaise and thin it with milk until it is runny. Add onion powder, salt, pepper, and whatever spices you enjoy then, pour it over the lettuce and mix well. I love this with my turkey!
From my French Canadian Hubby's Family they have French meat pies:
French meat pie filling/stuffing for 2 pies
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lb ground pork
(I ask the butcher to double grind this together)
2 Large onions chopped fine
(I use 2 TBSP onion powder,picky hubby)
1 clove garlic
Cook stirring often, drain fat.
Stir in 1 cup water.
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3 medium potatoes cooked and mashed
Simmer meat/spices/potatoes over medium heat for 20
minutes.
Prepare 4 pie crusts.
do not heap full
cook at 425 for 15 minutes
350 for 25 minutes or unti crust is golden brown
This is a lot of food for one meal but the leftovers are GREAT!
p.s. would anyone miss the Lima beans???
I find your situation challenging. I totally sympathize with not wanting to present "same ol" for thanksgiving, yet, there are people who might be disappointed if their favorite dish isn't there.
How about making a representation of most of the standards, just, make a little less. Perhaps you can ask some of your family if they might bring a specific dish. Then, add a few "wow factor" dishes. I've made something very similar to the cornbread pudding recipe here, and it's delicious. I do it in a double batch, and make one with jalapino peppers, and one with brown sugar, so that there's one spicy, one sweet. (I put a little red color in the hot one for differentiation)
You might add an exotic veggie dish, or serve several different gravies (all simple, starting with the same base) Perhaps an apple pie with some creme fresh or vanilla ice cream. If your family brings a few standards, you'll be freed up to make the new, extra dishes : ))
I make string beans Italian style. Snip the ends from fresh string beans. Par-boil them for four minutes - still crisp.
Toss them with grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Take about 6 or 7 of them and line them up in a bundle. wrap the bundle in the center with one strip of thinly sliced prosciutto.
Bake the strips on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until prosciutto is crisp. Approximately 15 minutes.
Delicious! and different. I was beginning to gag on the annual string bean casserole with mushroom soup, so I made the change. At first my family was very resistant, but the dish was too good to complain.
One day a year and you are tired of the same old?
I look forward to that same old, same old.
You have 300+ days a year to have something different. I wouldn't trade my Turkey or/and Ham for Christmas, Sauerkraut and Pork for New Years, Ham for Easter, Hot Dogs and cook out for the 4th of July.
Birthdays my family get there choice.
It just wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving with out Turkey and stuffing.
Poll your family and see if turkey is a "have-to". It is for me! Try a few new recipes from the many magazines that have Thanksgiving recipes, and make a few of your traditional favs. The raw cranberry relish someone posted here is great-I make a similar one and also add ground walnuts to it. You might try a pumpkin cheescake made with Splenda for dessert as a slight change from pie. Offering some traditional recipes and some new ones should keep everyone from going into too great a state of shock! I commend you for wanting to try something new!
My family would be upset if I didn't make "the same old things" how ever I do try new ones now and again. For some reason I have added scalloped corn, creamed onions, a jello dish with cranberries, cool whip or whipping cream. I play around with breads/rolls and ask if anyone wants to bring something special.
if i were you i would take the family to and all you can eat place and let them eat what they want and then you could have desert and coffee at your house..
I made chicken cordon bleu one year for Thanksgiving or Christmas as I was tired of the same old thing, And I really don't even like turkey. For me, the enjoyment of the dinner is having everyone there.
Perhaps you can still keep the turkey, stuffing, and pie (kind of must haves for Thanksgiving-I think your family will feel disappointed if you don't) and try new on the other foods. Perhaps have two meats offered.
Sweet potato casserole is great, maple-glazed carrots are yummy, looks like you never have green bean casserole so you might want to try that, brussels sprouts, asparagus, cranberry bread, mixed fruit salad. Good luck!
Just don't do like on "Everybody loves Raymond" and serve tofu turkey.
Since your dad is jewish I have a jewish dish a jewish friend of mine who gave it to me 20 years ago.It is called Noodle Kugel, it is great warm, cold as a side dish, freezes great, and you can prepare the day before and then let it sit out 1 hour then bake it. Everyone loves it.If you would like the receipe I will send it to you.
Lil
I agree, keep SOME of the traditional dishes, like the turkey, but you can make a different kind of stuffing, potatoes (like garlic mashed potatoes or cheesy potato casserole), etc. We always have Thanksgiving with my in-laws & we had Texas barbecued brisket last year - no one said there are RULES! There are some fabulous Jewish recipes out there - just ask your in-laws what they like.
Maybe you need a different twist on the get together, like food from another culture or a fun activity. One aunt always brings a jar or container filled with treats, like candy or a filled cookie jar - whoever guesses closest to the amount wins it. Another aunt always made all the pies, but her bad back & knees made it difficult for her to continue doing it every year. Last year, we decided to have a dessert contest - we voted for our favorite, & we gave out prizes. I made a cute apron, a tablecloth, & a fleece blanket, & the winners picked the prize they wanted. It was FUN!
Before you do this ask yourself is your family looking
forward to the usual dinner? Will there be some favorite
of someone that you will leave out? Also I would not try to
much "new" stuff as it will cause you more stress.
I just wanted to mention this as once I went to my sister's
for dinner only to find; sliced turkey, bread, cold salads,
NO cranberry (any kind)and no yams...
We had a great family time but she could have warned us
turned out she had cooked turkey a few days ahead and had some with the usual mashed potatoes so she felt like something different on Thanksgiving day.
Oh and instead of pies she had cookies.
One easy change is to add one sweet potato into the regular mashed potatoes. it gives it a nice slightly golden color and changes the taste just slightly. It's not a big change but still something different.
I love turkey but this year I decided to have my turkey for Christmas dinner. For Thanksgiving, I'm making a pork roast. To go with, I'm making sweet and sour red cabbage (cooked the day before in my crockpot), pierogies and a tossed salad. For dessert, a pumpkin bread pudding, using challah bread, and topped with vanilla ice cream.
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