Anonymous wrote:if you have houseguests or just people coming over to spend the day, what appetizers/snacks to serve to tide people over until the big meal at 5 or 6?

I spend pretty much the whole day making the Thanksgiving feast so need something that requires minimal prep. Oven and stovetop will already be in use.

Breakfast = muffins, hard boiled eggs and fruit

Lunch = appetizer buffet! This always goes over well. People want the variety and specialness of the apps, but don't want it to ruin Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe add a soup if you feel like something more substantial.

Dinner at 5, like proper civilized people. I hate "dinner" at 2 p.m.

Anonymous wrote:I'm making:

Turkey
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Green beans with shallots
Dressing

Having trouble narrowing down the starchy sides: Potato gratin, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted butternut squash, mac and cheese, corn casserole? Which 2 or 3 of these?

Open to other suggestions but I'm not a great cook, so I try to stick with familiar (or simple) recipes.

MIL is covering desserts.

I made this corn pudding last year (in the oven not the grill like they do there) to great fanfare. It was easy and delicious. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/almost-famous-corn-pudding-9485040

I'm making:

Turkey
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Green beans with shallots
Dressing

Having trouble narrowing down the starchy sides: Potato gratin, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted butternut squash, mac and cheese, corn casserole? Which 2 or 3 of these?

Open to other suggestions but I'm not a great cook, so I try to stick with familiar (or simple) recipes.

MIL is covering desserts.

if you have houseguests or just people coming over to spend the day, what appetizers/snacks to serve to tide people over until the big meal at 5 or 6?

I spend pretty much the whole day making the Thanksgiving feast so need something that requires minimal prep. Oven and stovetop will already be in use.

No to cornbread stuffing. I cannot do it.

Anonymous wrote:What’s THE best stuffing? Cornbread? Chestnut? Oyster? sausage?

This one! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/sausage-cornbread-stuffing-recipe2-1949137 I used to try a different stuffing recipe every year and was never quite satisfied. I adore this one and have made it for at least the last five years.

I'll say it: this is the time for real plates and cutlery. They don't have to be china, they don't have to be fancy, they don't have to match. They can be borrowed, or even rented. But paper/plastic plates are awful for Thanksgiving. You can't properly cut into turkey and other food with plasticware on a flimsy paper plate. Use real!

Anonymous wrote:What’s THE best stuffing? Cornbread? Chestnut? Oyster? sausage?

Ritz crackers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH does one do with rutabegas? My DH says his grandmother used to feed them to her horses and refuses to allow them in the house.

Bashed neeps! Peel it, boil it, mash it with butter and plenty of salt and pepper. I love them, my family will not.

Yep. We're Irish, and this is a treat for me!

We're vegetarians but we're also the only people in our family who seem to like to host, so we've been doing an "everything but the turkey" meal for years. Our guests say they love it because the sides are the best part (or else they care more about not hosting than having turkey). My brother used to say they only thing he missed was the pan drippings in the gravy but I found this recipe a few years ago and he actually says he prefers it (or, again, he just doesn't want to wash dishes in his own house) https://umamigirl.com/best-vegetarian-gravy-recipe/

I am just going to say it, I love the skin and the drippings. That is the whole reason to even cook and eat turkey. Mashed without those drippings all over are a no go.
I don't want gravy, I hate gravy, plain pure drippings is where I am at.
I am not in favor of Keto, in fact I hate that diet, but give me fat drippings and I am a hog in heaven.

Anonymous wrote:
Foreigner here who has no emotional attachment to any traditional Thanksgiving food but loves the gratitude concept of this special day.

Etiquette question:
If we invite Americans for Thanksgiving, would it be disappointing-to-offensive (pick a level) to serve a different menu? Would they need advance warning?

Menu question:
And if we did serve a non-traditional menu, what substitutions that would be more acceptable than others?

It is absolutely fine to serve a different menu, just please make it clear up front that you are doing so. "We'd love for you to join us for Thanksgiving, but please know we are serving a Mediterranean spread, in lieu of the turkey dinner. You'd be more than welcome to bring other dishes!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Foreigner here who has no emotional attachment to any traditional Thanksgiving food but loves the gratitude concept of this special day.

Etiquette question:
If we invite Americans for Thanksgiving, would it be disappointing-to-offensive (pick a level) to serve a different menu? Would they need advance warning?

Menu question:
And if we did serve a non-traditional menu, what substitutions that would be more acceptable than others?

You would absolutely need to warn people, and it might affect attendance. Would you be interesting in hosting a Friendsgiving the weekend before? I think Friendsgiving tends to be more of a potluck for twentysomethings, but it seems like you could tweak it to be a way to have people over for a nice break before everyone starts making the the jillion dishes the guests expect.

Agree you should mention it. Some will be thrilled/some will be fine but happy to change their expectations in advance (especially if kids are involved)/other might plan a typical meal another day. I don't think it is offensive though..

I would not say it's offensive, exactly, but it does make me wonder why you want to host Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving foods are not arbitrary; most of them have some tie to the meaning of the day. If you just want to have a dinner party, you should probably do it on a different day.

Maybe at least do a nod to the day? I can see not wanting to do turkey, which is a pain to cook and honestly, not that great. But maybe throw in a pumpkin pie or something.

My family doesn't go for turkey and most of the traditional sides, so since it's just the four of us I'm debating between making Indian food or going with a Lebanese spread.

Anonymous wrote:What’s THE best stuffing? Cornbread? Chestnut? Oyster? sausage?

Giblets dressing, followed by sausage.

Cook the giblets in a few cups of water with poultry seasoning. Save the broth for the gravy.
When they cool, pick the meat from the neck-bone and chop with the giblets into small pieces. Reserve some of this meat for the gravy.
Chop onions and sauté in butter until the onions are translucent. Mix in the chopped giblets and any additional seasonings.
(Add cooked sausage, mushrooms, or anything else you want to add.)

I start with a package of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix, adding additional lightly toasted bread. I follow the package directions, tweaking as necessary. This makes enough to stuff the turkey, with dressing left over.