Hosting Thanksgiving for mostly seniors, very traditional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make regular mashed potatoes without the skins. If people like mashed potatoes, they like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes with skin does not equal adventurous eating by the way. I'd keep the kale salad and serve it along with whatever traditional items the elderly like.

Mashed potatoes with skin and pepper would be adventurous for the older in-laws.
Is cornbread or dinner rolls "safer"?
Part of the problem here is that I grew up eating non-american food (parents are immigrants) so I'm not sure what is "standard." But I know the inlaws will not want to eat anything "different."

Presumably you know how to Google, and you still can't figure out what a "standard" American Thanksgiving meal typically entails?

Honestly I don't think there is a standard. There are regional differences, for sure. Some areas will put sausage or oysters in their stuffing. Some will use cornbread instead of bread. Some will insist on calling it dressing.

Some will insist on having mac & cheese on the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Indiana. My brother is a well-known chef. Both sides of my family of origins are good cooks and adventurous eaters. Maybe your particular in-laws are not, but please don't make ignorant, sweeping generalizations.

That said, we like traditional Thanksgiving meals. I do have a vegetarian cousin, but we've got her covered. Our mixed-bag menu is:

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Dressing (I make it in the crock pot; vegetarian)
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable Wellington
Burgundy mushrooms (vegetarian recipe)
Green beans
Homemade Parker house rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic glaze
Musubi (SIL family tradition)
Pork and scallion dumplings (SIL family tradition)
Salad with pomegranates and goat cheese

Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Ginger cheesecake

A variety of non-alcoholic beverages, plus beer and wine

Salad with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese sounds good. What kind of greens do you plan to use?

Independent of "where you are from" pomegrantes dont mix with dentures and partials

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make regular mashed potatoes without the skins. If people like mashed potatoes, they like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes with skin does not equal adventurous eating by the way. I'd keep the kale salad and serve it along with whatever traditional items the elderly like.

Mashed potatoes with skin and pepper would be adventurous for the older in-laws.
Is cornbread or dinner rolls "safer"?
Part of the problem here is that I grew up eating non-american food (parents are immigrants) so I'm not sure what is "standard." But I know the inlaws will not want to eat anything "different."

Presumably you know how to Google, and you still can't figure out what a "standard" American Thanksgiving meal typically entails?

Honestly I don't think there is a standard. There are regional differences, for sure. Some areas will put sausage or oysters in their stuffing. Some will use cornbread instead of bread. Some will insist on calling it dressing.

But those are all variations on a theme. Turkey and sides.

And it IS dressing if it's baked outside of the bird! It's only stuffing if it is...wait for it...stuffed inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Indiana. My brother is a well-known chef. Both sides of my family of origins are good cooks and adventurous eaters. Maybe your particular in-laws are not, but please don't make ignorant, sweeping generalizations.

That said, we like traditional Thanksgiving meals. I do have a vegetarian cousin, but we've got her covered. Our mixed-bag menu is:

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Dressing (I make it in the crock pot; vegetarian)
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable Wellington
Burgundy mushrooms (vegetarian recipe)
Green beans
Homemade Parker house rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic glaze
Musubi (SIL family tradition)
Pork and scallion dumplings (SIL family tradition)
Salad with pomegranates and goat cheese

Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Ginger cheesecake

A variety of non-alcoholic beverages, plus beer and wine

Salad with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese sounds good. What kind of greens do you plan to use?

Independent of "where you are from" pomegrantes dont mix with dentures and partials

I think that PP was just posting her menu. It still sounds good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make regular mashed potatoes without the skins. If people like mashed potatoes, they like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes with skin does not equal adventurous eating by the way. I'd keep the kale salad and serve it along with whatever traditional items the elderly like.

Mashed potatoes with skin and pepper would be adventurous for the older in-laws.
Is cornbread or dinner rolls "safer"?
Part of the problem here is that I grew up eating non-american food (parents are immigrants) so I'm not sure what is "standard." But I know the inlaws will not want to eat anything "different."

Presumably you know how to Google, and you still can't figure out what a "standard" American Thanksgiving meal typically entails?

Honestly I don't think there is a standard. There are regional differences, for sure. Some areas will put sausage or oysters in their stuffing. Some will use cornbread instead of bread. Some will insist on calling it dressing.

Some will insist on having mac & cheese on the table.

Is that some sort of faux pas? I hosted one year and I made Mac and cheese as a side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Indiana. My brother is a well-known chef. Both sides of my family of origins are good cooks and adventurous eaters. Maybe your particular in-laws are not, but please don't make ignorant, sweeping generalizations.

That said, we like traditional Thanksgiving meals. I do have a vegetarian cousin, but we've got her covered. Our mixed-bag menu is:

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Dressing (I make it in the crock pot; vegetarian)
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable Wellington
Burgundy mushrooms (vegetarian recipe)
Green beans
Homemade Parker house rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic glaze
Musubi (SIL family tradition)
Pork and scallion dumplings (SIL family tradition)
Salad with pomegranates and goat cheese

Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Ginger cheesecake

A variety of non-alcoholic beverages, plus beer and wine

Recipe for burgundy mushrooms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regular turkey
Regular cornbread or sourdough stuffing depending on which camp you're in
Mashed potatoes (skin off, milk, butter, salt, I do sour cream)
Basic gravy
Green bean casserole or steamed French green beans (depending on what camp you're in, again)
Cranberry in a can
Rolls

Then have other things that are fun:
a fun veggie like an adventurous corn dish
a fun cranberry sauce recipe
a salad with roasted butternut squash, nuts, cheese, spicy vinaigrette, pepitas, dried cranberries

OP here. Thanks this is helpful. I’m not sure anyone eats stuffing. Maybe I’ll buy bread and bake cornbread. I could boil ears of corn bc I know most of my guests will love that. I like the ricer machine idea another poster had. I’ve actually never made gravy! Is store bought gravy gross?

[Anonymous]

Every year there are multiple threads about what is traditional and it amazes me how it varies. OP, do you have a sense of what is special or traditional to these particular seniors? Start with that.

DH and I are both from the midwest and there were similarities on our childhood tables but also some distinct differences. Both families had gravy, white bread-based stuffing, mashed potatoes (skins off, very creamy), gross sweet potatoes or casserole, dinner rolls, and canned cranberry sauce. From there we saw differences. DH's family also made homemade cranberry sauce and usually had some sort of creamed corn, and sometimes green beans. My family had both the canned smooth and chunky cranberry sauce and canned corn.

Almost none of this sounds good to us, but we eat it at their houses to be polite and would ensure that some of it would be on our menu if we hosted. By choice, we'd have one or two starches not four or five. Instead we'd have at least two vegetable options, maybe roasted brussels sprouts or a salad.

[Anonymous]

Bland mash potatoes (Bob Evans), Green Beans, plain or in a casserole with Campbells Mushroom soup. Plain turkey ... not smoked. Pumpkin pie made at the grocery store.

[Anonymous]

Ask the older people to bring their favorite side dish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Indiana. My brother is a well-known chef. Both sides of my family of origins are good cooks and adventurous eaters. Maybe your particular in-laws are not, but please don't make ignorant, sweeping generalizations.

That said, we like traditional Thanksgiving meals. I do have a vegetarian cousin, but we've got her covered. Our mixed-bag menu is:

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Dressing (I make it in the crock pot; vegetarian)
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable Wellington
Burgundy mushrooms (vegetarian recipe)
Green beans
Homemade Parker house rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic glaze
Musubi (SIL family tradition)
Pork and scallion dumplings (SIL family tradition)
Salad with pomegranates and goat cheese

Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Ginger cheesecake

A variety of non-alcoholic beverages, plus beer and wine

Recipe for burgundy mushrooms?

I used this as a base recipe the first time I made it, but lightened up on the salt considerably:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/burgundy-mushrooms-recipe-2106872 (didn't use as much bullion, etc.)

To make it vegetarian, I basically use this method, but I use vegetable broth, no bullion, and basically whatever wine I have around--even white wine. Basically, if you soak small baby bella mushrooms in butter, wine, some form of stock, and some seasonings for a really long time, it's going to taste really good. They cook down and get really small, so you can even get away with larger mushrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regular turkey
Regular cornbread or sourdough stuffing depending on which camp you're in
Mashed potatoes (skin off, milk, butter, salt, I do sour cream)
Basic gravy
Green bean casserole or steamed French green beans (depending on what camp you're in, again)
Cranberry in a can
Rolls

Then have other things that are fun:
a fun veggie like an adventurous corn dish
a fun cranberry sauce recipe
a salad with roasted butternut squash, nuts, cheese, spicy vinaigrette, pepitas, dried cranberries

OP here. Thanks this is helpful. I’m not sure anyone eats stuffing. Maybe I’ll buy bread and bake cornbread. I could boil ears of corn bc I know most of my guests will love that. I like the ricer machine idea another poster had. I’ve actually never made gravy! Is store bought gravy gross?

Buy gravy the week of from the deli section of Wegman's, Whole Foods, or another grocery store. It's as good as homemade and world's better than jarred.

[Anonymous]

My elderly relatives range in age from 55 to 75. I make the standard Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie

I do a festive cranberry and orange peel sauce in the crockpot and roasted Brussels sprouts in the oven

[Anonymous]

traditional meal plus a kale pomegranate salad and a roasted veggie that isn't swimming in butter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regular turkey
Regular cornbread or sourdough stuffing depending on which camp you're in
Mashed potatoes (skin off, milk, butter, salt, I do sour cream)
Basic gravy
Green bean casserole or steamed French green beans (depending on what camp you're in, again)
Cranberry in a can
Rolls

Then have other things that are fun:
a fun veggie like an adventurous corn dish
a fun cranberry sauce recipe
a salad with roasted butternut squash, nuts, cheese, spicy vinaigrette, pepitas, dried cranberries

OP here. Thanks this is helpful. I’m not sure anyone eats stuffing. Maybe I’ll buy bread and bake cornbread. I could boil ears of corn bc I know most of my guests will love that. I like the ricer machine idea another poster had. I’ve actually never made gravy! Is store bought gravy gross?

Everybody eats stuffing, what are you talking about? And no, you can’t serve corn on the cob at thanksgiving. What is wrong with you?