Hosting Thanksgiving for mostly seniors, very traditional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Corn on the cob with butter and salt is one vegetable I know they will eat. What is wrong with it?

[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.

OP here. I was actually considering mac and cheese as a side since it is a soft fairly mild food.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if you think of it as "retro Thanksgiving" it will feel more fun. If you want to be extra, you could reach out to your guests and ask if there are any favorites they would love to have (but then you may need to make mashed rutabagas and jello salad I'm planning to do a pumpkin roll this year, which I am super excited about and maybe watergate salad which was always my favorite as a kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

grew up in MD.. we have Mac and cheese as a side plus green beans, both kinds of cranberry sauce, mashed and roasted potatoes, some greens could be peas and pearl onions/brissels sprouts and candied yams with the marshmallow on top.
OP here. I was actually considering mac and cheese as a side since it is a soft fairly mild food.

[Anonymous]

Buy Sister Shubert's frozen rolls. They are really, really good and super-easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Corn on the cob with butter and salt is one vegetable I know they will eat. What is wrong with it?

Nothing. Do that and then make a more you-friendly vegetable dish. I feel for you OP. When we cook for my parents it is always a challenge to make food they eat that isn’t really bland and boring for everyone else. You could boil potatoes and make half plain and half with garlic/more adventurous ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Why are you bothering with this? DH can cook for his difficult guests.

[Anonymous]

I would do a turkey and brine it with traditional herbs. You can buy the brine mix. This will help it be moist.
Do the French style masked potatoes that use a ton f butter and cream and just salt. Midwesterners love to douse stuff in butter.
Buy the gravy or make it. It’s easy to make but you have to pay attention when you do the roux and then add in the juices.
Buy dinner rolls, basic soft ones.
Have some cans of jellied cranberry sauce.

Give the seniors one bland gross traditional flavorless side dish. It could be green bean casserole made with canned soup or sweet potatoes loaded with butter and brown sugar with a broiled marshmallow topping.

For the other sides go tasty! Honey glazed grilled carrots, carmelized brussel sprouts, a Persian style wild rice side, salad with cranberries and goat cheese, a spiced up butternut squash soup etc etc. Do as many or few as you want.

[Anonymous]

Don’t forget desserts!

Plain sugar cookies but use turkey cookie cutters and frost and
decorate. Might be a fun, multi generational activity to do pre dinner or even the day before.

Pumpkin pie!

Pecan pie!

My 86 year old mom loves old fashioned fruit cake. Can even be bought. It’s a favorite, a great conversation piece and nostalgic. Not just for Christmas anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be a stupid question... but how do you get smooth mashed potatoes like you'd get in a store/box? I know two of the guests won't eat lumpy mashed potatoes. But I've only ever done chunky/skin on roasted garlic mashed potatoes because that's what we like. I don't have a hand mixer. Would a stand mixer with the hard metal paddle be good for potatoes, or would they go gluey? Or is the trick to add more liquid?

I started buying prepared mashed potatoes and gravy from Wegmens and Balduccis (Costco also has excellent mashed potatoes, but no gravy). It’s really been a game changer since these tend to take too much time and or last minute prep.

Costco in California had excellent gravy for last year’s dinner. Has there been a change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Corn on the cob with butter and salt is one vegetable I know they will eat. What is wrong with it?

DP. Corn on the cob is not in season at the end of November, so it may be really hard to find fresh corn that actually tastes good then. It’s picnic fare during the summer months and not a thing that’s served at what many consider a formal meal. Some people with dental issues, like seniors, or those with braces, also have difficulty eating the corn kernels off the cob. You can serve corn at Thanksgiving, but buy the frozen kernels.

[Anonymous]

I’m 69 and your in-laws sound like a royal PITA. They won’t eat skin on or lumpy mashed potatoes? Too damn bad. They can’t tolerate garlic or black pepper? Those are not generally considered to be controversial ingredients. If they don’t like them, then they can eat something else. I can’t stand kale, so I just pass it by. Make them corn (of all things) if that’s what they want; that and turkey and maybe some canned cranberry sauce should fill them up. Personally, I don’t have the patience anymore to cater to everyone’s food quirks, unless they have medical reasons to back them up.

[Anonymous]

OP — have you talked with these seniors? Many people that age don’t eat a lot of food. I would ask what they would like to eat, and make a few dishes catered to them, and then make the rest for you. For example, if mashed potatoes are a fav, then make a batch, take a bit and flavor it the way they like, then flavor the rest the way you like. Sort of like the way one makes less spicy versions of food for toddlers.

[Anonymous]

No garlic at Thanksgiving in my house. Mac and cheese is a southern thing. I am from the NE so no to r the Mac and cheese. But seriously, if you are cooking, you make what YOU want. There is so much food at this meal, no one will leave hungry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you bothering with this? DH can cook for his difficult guests.

Exactly this! Why are you the short-order cook/caterer? His difficult, picky guests, his problem. He can buy a Swanson TV dinner for them to split and call it a day.