Neither my wife nor I like turkey much, so we started doing a Mexican food spread for Thanksgiving some years back and never stopped. I realize this may sound sacrilegious, but consider this year our spread will include:
- Heritage pork chile verde
- Spanish rice
- Refried Rancho Gordo beans (haven’t decided which variety yet)
- Roasted honey nut squash
- Homemade churros
It’s just the two of us, and we’ll have a more traditional meal when we travel to see her family next week. But a fun alternative if you’re not super jazzed on turkey, plus we’ll get great leftovers to repurpose all weekend.
Thanksgiving was our Super Bowl, but in light of recent events I’m not cooking this year.
That said, this would have been the one time each year I got Janie’s fancy baked mac and cheese, and Pie Day requires making two chocolate pies and an apple pie.
Here’s Janie’s famous apple pie recipe:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled
1/4 cup ice water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine salt and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms into a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Split the ball in two and refrigerate for at least an hour.
For the filling:
8 Cameo, Empire, Northern Spy or Jonagold apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste, then add the water, sugars and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer.
Roll crust out into two sheets sized to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Place one sheet in bottom of pan. Add apple slices, creating a mound toward the center of the pan. Gently pour butter mixture over apples and top with second crust.
Crimp edges of crust shut and cut slits in the top for steam to escape.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft.
We're driving 500 miles to Cleveland to spend Thanksgiving with my kid and his family. My daughter-in-law is a spectacular vegan cook, so it won't be turkey, but it will be good. I will report back.
My wife is making her late grandmothers ambrosia salad to surprise her mom who’s talked about it the last 3 years. I’m sure this last minute experiment will go wonderful...
This year is a bit heretical in the Thanksgiving sense for us. It's our 14th together as a married couple and only the 3rd time that we're staying home and not driving to my mother's place (the first 2 times were dictated by The Missus' 5-day-old meniscus repair and my 103F-fever-turned-pneumonia, so we're treating this like our first REAL Thanksgiving alone), so we're throwing all traditions out the window. We had "Thanksgiving dinner" yesterday- a small turkey breast, mashed pots, dressing, gravy, sourdough rolls--all prepared very simply and traditionally. It was cold and windy and generally miserable outside so it was a fantastic meal for the day.
Thursday? Thursday's gonna be fun. I'm doing Richard Blais' jewish-southern mashup brisket, mushroom-chestnut wellington, some sort of potato-possibly a stacked-in-a-muffin-tin gratin-type thing, or possibly just more mashed because they're awesome. The Missus is doing a traditional green bean casserole because why not, and if time/kitchen space allows we'll be doing some pull-apart bread; if not, Sister Schubert is standing by in the freezer. And the best part is, I'll be doing all of this in my fleece pants with moose on them in my own kitchen, likely with a cocktail in hand at an inappropriately early hour.
We're having a lot of people over this year. I'm smoking a turkey, beef brisket, and venison roast. I think we're doing all the same sides as you, plus scalloped potatoes. Yes, two potato options. Become ungovernable
We do Thanksgiving with my in-laws every year, and my mother-in-law generally handles most of it. The one thing I asked to include my first year with them, and that I now make every year, is a (marshmallow-free) sweet potato casserole; it is basically mashed sweet potatoes with a little bit of butter, brown sugar, and citrus. Nice bright pop in a dense meal. We've also determined that none of us really enjoy the turkey, so we do a small breast for tradition's sake and my MIL roasts a tenderloin or other beef roast and we're all much happier. We skip the traditional pumpkin pie but do make a pumpkin cheesecake.
Growing up, the special drink for the kids (and likely adults who didn't want to hit the hard stuff early) was cranberry juice with a scoop of lime sherbet in it. We haven't had kids around long enough for us to figure out anything exciting yet for my wife's family.
Biggest issue with the dog show is that they don't consistently show the corgis.
first year I'm not making anything in a bit because I'm no longer celebrating with my wife's family. mainly because she's not my wife anymore. ah well. My mom told me she'll take care of everything.
We’re not traditionalists — we will go out for Thanksgiving, and we will switch up the menu constantly. As a result, the only consistent feature of 40+ years of Thanksgivings is… Chex mix.
My grandmother Betty made it, then my mom did, and now I do. In a decade or so one of my daughters will take over, using the same recipe Betty wrote down years ago.
It’s what you snack on when everyone is in the kitchen, and then afterwards while you’re watching football, and then over the rest of the weekend. Too spicy for the kids, but they still eat it. Perfect for everyone else. And I never want it the rest of the year.
Here’s what is going down at casa del peligro: My dad is grilling a turkey. Mom is making her traditonal mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing with sausage. Sister is making corn pudding and an apple pie. I have decided to get creative with “something green”: braised swiss chard (finished with a bit of rice wine vinegar at the end to give some lightness/mild sweetness) and will be rendering/crisping/dicing some pancetta to add into it. I am also making the gravy (gonna double stock it with two carcasses from rotisserie chickens that have been in the freezer for a week), and my mom has outsourced dinner rolls to be croissants from the local French bakery! Probably also gonna buy cranberry sauce. Looking forward to the spread.
Nov 21, 2022·edited Nov 21, 2022Liked by Scott Hines
Oooh, ACB, you hit on something that was QUITE the discussion in the BSP household last night, as we were nailing down the meal planning - Mac and Cheese on the Thanksgiving spread is INCREDIBLY WEIRD to me, and I don't care for it, but Lemon was quite surprised by that, as she considers it a staple. Anyway, we're not making it, largely due to space concerns + "it's your family anyway, they probably won't miss it since they never had it."
We're going with a turkey breast, as there will only be 8 of us, and my grandmother, mother, and wife all will only take just enough turkey to be polite. We're making mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole(direct quote from Lemon: "I like it, and I don't care if you won't touch it, I'll eat the whole damn thing."), a loaf of bread, and a young greens and spinach salad(with some bacon and etc.). For dessert, we'll also make a couple of pies(pumpkin and some sort of apple crumble, likely). My dad will make a cranberry sauce to bring over, my grandmother will most likely bring a shrimp tray, our friends are bringing deviled eggs, and our bar will be open for perusing.
Omg...thanks for including Auntie Carmel's diatribe! It brought back wonderful memories of my mom & grandma fighting in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning (minus the expletives.) Whenever Mom wanted to try something "new" Grandma had a fit and would start talking in German ( so, maybe there WERE expletives?)
I do the turkey in a bag, have switched to Yukon Golds for mashed taters, do yams & brown sugar, traditional green bean casserole, fresh cranberries, apple pie & the recipe for pumpkin pie from Libby's Pumpkin (not the Libby's Pumpkin Pie mix.) You add your own spices with the plain pumpkin and that's how Mom did it, so...you know...traditions. I did my dinner last week and am in Florida ready to enjoy my son & daughter-in-law's version. Have a great holiday!!
I’m a monster and am just not a fan of thanksgiving (blame dad working every year bc killer overtime, but also meant we were on the other side of the country from family. Also i have ARFID and a lot of TG foods don’t fit my list). Now I get to go to rural Arkansas to see my in laws so you can imagine my feelings have only intensified. They make all the usual thanksgiving accoutrements. I do at least usually get a hand in the Mac and cheese (Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar gives a phenomenal kick, Gruyère, pretty much any cheese on hand I can make work. I sometimes get crazy and mix in a bit of sweet bbq sauce). Just bring me all the carbs and I’m pretty content.
I will say it’s entertaining as hell when my vegan BIL shows up. I forgot to mention my husband is from a family of BEEF CATTLE FARMERS. At least FIL tells me which field I can go scream in so as not to scare the cows when I reach my limit.
Oh and they don’t drink. I’m with you on the gin and sparkling cranberry and the looks of horror I get for wanting one are something to be seen.
My parents hail from Amish country Pennsylvania and we have a family stuffing recipe that's like nothing else I've seen--it uses lots of eggs and some milk as the wet ingredient. The family Thanksgiving was one of the first things I learned how to cook and I'll never not make it. And my husband hates it. So I make his and her stuffing (his is the same as yours) and we alternate whose gets to go in the bird. In fact, he said to me this weekend "it's my turn to get the stuffing in the bird". I honestly can't remember what i did last year so I'm just gonna go with it and save the argument.
Thanksgiving gatherings in my family have scaled back over the past several years, going from a 10-person extended family event (which is small by many standards) to just my immediate family (parents and brother). Lately the meal has been:
-Turkey (duh)
-Sausage stuffing, with whatever doesn't fit in the bird baked as dressing
-Mashed potatoes
-Roasted sweet potatoes with garlic and sage (a nice way to prepare savory sweet potatoes)
-Cranberry sauce (from the can; the ridges indicate quality and flavor)
Neither my wife nor I like turkey much, so we started doing a Mexican food spread for Thanksgiving some years back and never stopped. I realize this may sound sacrilegious, but consider this year our spread will include:
- Heritage pork chile verde
- Spanish rice
- Refried Rancho Gordo beans (haven’t decided which variety yet)
- Roasted honey nut squash
- Homemade churros
It’s just the two of us, and we’ll have a more traditional meal when we travel to see her family next week. But a fun alternative if you’re not super jazzed on turkey, plus we’ll get great leftovers to repurpose all weekend.
Thanksgiving was our Super Bowl, but in light of recent events I’m not cooking this year.
That said, this would have been the one time each year I got Janie’s fancy baked mac and cheese, and Pie Day requires making two chocolate pies and an apple pie.
Here’s Janie’s famous apple pie recipe:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled
1/4 cup ice water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine salt and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms into a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Split the ball in two and refrigerate for at least an hour.
For the filling:
8 Cameo, Empire, Northern Spy or Jonagold apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Set oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste, then add the water, sugars and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer.
Roll crust out into two sheets sized to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Place one sheet in bottom of pan. Add apple slices, creating a mound toward the center of the pan. Gently pour butter mixture over apples and top with second crust.
Crimp edges of crust shut and cut slits in the top for steam to escape.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft.
We're driving 500 miles to Cleveland to spend Thanksgiving with my kid and his family. My daughter-in-law is a spectacular vegan cook, so it won't be turkey, but it will be good. I will report back.
My wife is making her late grandmothers ambrosia salad to surprise her mom who’s talked about it the last 3 years. I’m sure this last minute experiment will go wonderful...
This year is a bit heretical in the Thanksgiving sense for us. It's our 14th together as a married couple and only the 3rd time that we're staying home and not driving to my mother's place (the first 2 times were dictated by The Missus' 5-day-old meniscus repair and my 103F-fever-turned-pneumonia, so we're treating this like our first REAL Thanksgiving alone), so we're throwing all traditions out the window. We had "Thanksgiving dinner" yesterday- a small turkey breast, mashed pots, dressing, gravy, sourdough rolls--all prepared very simply and traditionally. It was cold and windy and generally miserable outside so it was a fantastic meal for the day.
Thursday? Thursday's gonna be fun. I'm doing Richard Blais' jewish-southern mashup brisket, mushroom-chestnut wellington, some sort of potato-possibly a stacked-in-a-muffin-tin gratin-type thing, or possibly just more mashed because they're awesome. The Missus is doing a traditional green bean casserole because why not, and if time/kitchen space allows we'll be doing some pull-apart bread; if not, Sister Schubert is standing by in the freezer. And the best part is, I'll be doing all of this in my fleece pants with moose on them in my own kitchen, likely with a cocktail in hand at an inappropriately early hour.
We're having a lot of people over this year. I'm smoking a turkey, beef brisket, and venison roast. I think we're doing all the same sides as you, plus scalloped potatoes. Yes, two potato options. Become ungovernable
We do Thanksgiving with my in-laws every year, and my mother-in-law generally handles most of it. The one thing I asked to include my first year with them, and that I now make every year, is a (marshmallow-free) sweet potato casserole; it is basically mashed sweet potatoes with a little bit of butter, brown sugar, and citrus. Nice bright pop in a dense meal. We've also determined that none of us really enjoy the turkey, so we do a small breast for tradition's sake and my MIL roasts a tenderloin or other beef roast and we're all much happier. We skip the traditional pumpkin pie but do make a pumpkin cheesecake.
Growing up, the special drink for the kids (and likely adults who didn't want to hit the hard stuff early) was cranberry juice with a scoop of lime sherbet in it. We haven't had kids around long enough for us to figure out anything exciting yet for my wife's family.
Biggest issue with the dog show is that they don't consistently show the corgis.
first year I'm not making anything in a bit because I'm no longer celebrating with my wife's family. mainly because she's not my wife anymore. ah well. My mom told me she'll take care of everything.
In the past though, I was not a fan of my mother-in-law's stuffing so I made my own with challah or brioche, Italian sausage, and leeks. You can find the recipe here - https://itseatinseason.blogspot.com/2017/11/th-cooks-sausage-leek-dressingstuffing.html
We’re not traditionalists — we will go out for Thanksgiving, and we will switch up the menu constantly. As a result, the only consistent feature of 40+ years of Thanksgivings is… Chex mix.
My grandmother Betty made it, then my mom did, and now I do. In a decade or so one of my daughters will take over, using the same recipe Betty wrote down years ago.
It’s what you snack on when everyone is in the kitchen, and then afterwards while you’re watching football, and then over the rest of the weekend. Too spicy for the kids, but they still eat it. Perfect for everyone else. And I never want it the rest of the year.
Here’s what is going down at casa del peligro: My dad is grilling a turkey. Mom is making her traditonal mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing with sausage. Sister is making corn pudding and an apple pie. I have decided to get creative with “something green”: braised swiss chard (finished with a bit of rice wine vinegar at the end to give some lightness/mild sweetness) and will be rendering/crisping/dicing some pancetta to add into it. I am also making the gravy (gonna double stock it with two carcasses from rotisserie chickens that have been in the freezer for a week), and my mom has outsourced dinner rolls to be croissants from the local French bakery! Probably also gonna buy cranberry sauce. Looking forward to the spread.
Oooh, ACB, you hit on something that was QUITE the discussion in the BSP household last night, as we were nailing down the meal planning - Mac and Cheese on the Thanksgiving spread is INCREDIBLY WEIRD to me, and I don't care for it, but Lemon was quite surprised by that, as she considers it a staple. Anyway, we're not making it, largely due to space concerns + "it's your family anyway, they probably won't miss it since they never had it."
We're going with a turkey breast, as there will only be 8 of us, and my grandmother, mother, and wife all will only take just enough turkey to be polite. We're making mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole(direct quote from Lemon: "I like it, and I don't care if you won't touch it, I'll eat the whole damn thing."), a loaf of bread, and a young greens and spinach salad(with some bacon and etc.). For dessert, we'll also make a couple of pies(pumpkin and some sort of apple crumble, likely). My dad will make a cranberry sauce to bring over, my grandmother will most likely bring a shrimp tray, our friends are bringing deviled eggs, and our bar will be open for perusing.
Omg...thanks for including Auntie Carmel's diatribe! It brought back wonderful memories of my mom & grandma fighting in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning (minus the expletives.) Whenever Mom wanted to try something "new" Grandma had a fit and would start talking in German ( so, maybe there WERE expletives?)
I do the turkey in a bag, have switched to Yukon Golds for mashed taters, do yams & brown sugar, traditional green bean casserole, fresh cranberries, apple pie & the recipe for pumpkin pie from Libby's Pumpkin (not the Libby's Pumpkin Pie mix.) You add your own spices with the plain pumpkin and that's how Mom did it, so...you know...traditions. I did my dinner last week and am in Florida ready to enjoy my son & daughter-in-law's version. Have a great holiday!!
I’m a monster and am just not a fan of thanksgiving (blame dad working every year bc killer overtime, but also meant we were on the other side of the country from family. Also i have ARFID and a lot of TG foods don’t fit my list). Now I get to go to rural Arkansas to see my in laws so you can imagine my feelings have only intensified. They make all the usual thanksgiving accoutrements. I do at least usually get a hand in the Mac and cheese (Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar gives a phenomenal kick, Gruyère, pretty much any cheese on hand I can make work. I sometimes get crazy and mix in a bit of sweet bbq sauce). Just bring me all the carbs and I’m pretty content.
I will say it’s entertaining as hell when my vegan BIL shows up. I forgot to mention my husband is from a family of BEEF CATTLE FARMERS. At least FIL tells me which field I can go scream in so as not to scare the cows when I reach my limit.
Oh and they don’t drink. I’m with you on the gin and sparkling cranberry and the looks of horror I get for wanting one are something to be seen.
My parents hail from Amish country Pennsylvania and we have a family stuffing recipe that's like nothing else I've seen--it uses lots of eggs and some milk as the wet ingredient. The family Thanksgiving was one of the first things I learned how to cook and I'll never not make it. And my husband hates it. So I make his and her stuffing (his is the same as yours) and we alternate whose gets to go in the bird. In fact, he said to me this weekend "it's my turn to get the stuffing in the bird". I honestly can't remember what i did last year so I'm just gonna go with it and save the argument.
Thanksgiving gatherings in my family have scaled back over the past several years, going from a 10-person extended family event (which is small by many standards) to just my immediate family (parents and brother). Lately the meal has been:
-Turkey (duh)
-Sausage stuffing, with whatever doesn't fit in the bird baked as dressing
-Mashed potatoes
-Roasted sweet potatoes with garlic and sage (a nice way to prepare savory sweet potatoes)
-Cranberry sauce (from the can; the ridges indicate quality and flavor)
-Green beans
-Salad
-Rolls (Sister Shubert's, everyone's favorite Thanksgiving sibling)
-Pumpkin and apple pies
It's been a while since we hosted, due to distance, but when we did the maximalist spread was something like:
- Deep fried turkey (nuoc mam / pepper slurry before frying)
- Fried Rice (peas, carrots, Chinese sausages)
- Mushroom Risotto (saffron, bacon chunks)
- Stuffing (Stovetop, traditional and/or sage)
- Vietnamese Egg Rolls
- Caprese Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Grilled Vegetable Skewers (zucchini, onion, mushroom)
- Red Velvet / Chocolate Crinkle Cookies