So far, this is what I'm thinking:
appetizers:
baked brie with nut glaze and crackers (done before, simple, good)
white bean dip (done before, simple and good)
Main:
Heritage turkey, brined (brined before, fool-proof, testing out a new brine this year)
sides:
Paula Deen old fashioned country stuffing (tested this week, very good. will adjust seasonings for more depth.)
mushroom giblet gravy (new - untested)
Suvir Surain jalepeno skillet cornbread (made many times - delish)
creamed spinach and parsnips, Food and Wine recipe (made many times, sleeper hit of every occasion)
something cranberry (Wayne's Cranberry Sauce is a favorite, made several times)
something potato (loved the garlic mashed potatoes I made one year that kept in a crock pot during buffet - excellent)
maybe something else green - green bean casserole? (I never make these, but I thought I'd go traditional this year)
dessert:
southern comfort apple pie (tried - wow, so good!)
turkey cupcakes (Family fun recipe, untested but looks cute)
What's on your menu? How many are you hosting? Any last minute entertaining tips? Particularly for large groups of mixed-age kids?
11 comments:
We love The Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes. To die for! I usually make the typical sweet potato casserole but instead of marshmallows on top, I make a pecan/cinnamon/brown sugar streusel topping. I like your idea of asking guests to bring a side dish. Much easier on the host! Do you assign the side dish or will they just bring what they want?
As for the kiddos....Maybe you could set up a craft table for the kids to make their own placemats or name place cards for the table. And for dessert, along with the pies, maybe put out some assorted toppings, and pre-frozen scoops of ice cream ( so much easier with kids!) ,and let the kids make their own ice cream sundaes?
Oops, I meant to say that for the prefrozen ice cream scoops, I just scoop it out, sometimes roll in sprinkles, nuts, or coconut and freeze the scoops on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Then place in large ziplic in freezer until needed. Then I serve the frozen scoops in individual bowls for the little guests to decorate! Easy!
Katie - I love the ice cream idea! I recall seeing something similar on pinterest, but I think she put the scoops in a muffin tin or something. I think your idea would use less space once you got everything into a freezer bag (plus, it would keep the ice cream from picking up freezer odors.) Boy do I miss my extra freezer in the basement!
I'm not a cook, my husband's a fireman :)(sounds like I am not a doctor but I play one on TV) but when we have a kid's table we usually cover it with plain paper (IKEA rolls) and leave buckets of crayons or pencils and let the kids rip. It totally distracts them. It has ranged from massive epic-type first thanksgiving scenes to individual multicolored turkeys to ninja warfare.
I like the ice cream idea !
Turkey treasure hunt out the back (do you have a back?) Paper bags with the list of "to be founds" pasted on. Keeps them out from underfoot.
BTW- my son's I am thankful for was blunt this year.
Last year it was thankful for God and meateaters (?) the year before was his brother. This year was I am thankful for.......the generator.
A little hardship puts things in perspective:)
mouth-watering! sounds like it's going to be a wonderful time. ever since i had that heavenly cornbread, it's the one thing i look forward to the most at thanksgiving....and dessert of course.
km - I'm liking the butcher block paper on the table idea. Especially, since I was wondering how to decorate the kids table. Both tables we're using are the same height and I'm hoping we can set them up next to each other outside, but I didn't want to use candles or fancy plates on the kids table. I'm going to try using the end roll paper from the newspaper factory, crayons, and if I have time, do a little idea I saw mapping out "the new world."
Not much of a backyard here, unfortunately... a bit of grass, some space in the back.. but little tight... oh well.
Does the fireman do the cooking? LUCKY!!!! And generators are a mighty fine thing to be thankful for. I'm so happy we have one here, especially when we're in hurricane season.
T - that cornbread recipe is my absolute favorite. I could easily eat the whole skillet full myself. Wish you guys could join us again!
OMG - it all sounds so yummy! We need ideas too. We are going to Shenandoah for Christmas (10 adults, and just M & HJ for children), but I have to bring all ingredients to cook and prepare (for three days!). SO...I need simple & tasty. Starting to do research.
Just curious, would the jalepeno cornbread be suitable for kids or too spicy? I am intrigued by the recipe!
Yes the fireman does the cooking. I am pathetic at it. I have no patience for cooking. I do the paperwork, he has no patience for that. Evens out then.
My biggest challenge though is that he tends to dole out firefighter portions which go like this - one firefighter snack =4 portions of dinner for a normal adult.
I think I should start running:)
Another hit with cornbread - add bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese. SO yummy!
Post a Comment