Yes! We have appetizers for breakfast AND lunch 
(Also mimosas start with the first arrival, whatever time that is. Whether with OJ or āfruit-freeā 
)
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Love the traditions for each dish!
Can you make two small pies instead? I bought small quiche pans that work well for mini pies and tarts.
Iām a thanksgiving dessert dud - I like none of the (many) options we have on offer, and occasionally insert something else (brownies, mini olive oil or bundt cake) but then have no room to eat it, so thereās that.
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Would you consider an apple strudel with puff pastry? Trader Joe has their new batch frozen puff pastry in now. One recipe I saw has you put apple mixture down the middle, then you cut one inch strips on both sides then fold them over the top. Looks fancy but not difficult.
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We start every Thanksgiving dinner with a bowl of plain steamed white rice.
Itās a way to remind all of us how thankful we should be for the abundance of food, family and friendship that we all have.
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5 pounds of cooked peeled potatoes
1 stick butter
2 blocks of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
kosher salt and pepper to taste
I āmashā them with the paddle in my KitchenAid and then whip the hell out of them with the wire wisk. Like for 5-8 minutes. They can be made a day or two in advance and just heated up day-of. They actually are very light thanks to the whipping. My former mother-in-law gave me the recipe (which came from her mother). My friends and family go nuts for them but there is a reason I make them only once or twice a year. haha
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Revising my thoughts after some discussions, and also as a result of feeling like crap this week.
Baked brie (en croute, puff pastry) will most likely make a comeback to our appetizer/day-grazing table as I have a wheel in the freezer Iād like to use up (and my aunt has puff pastry and hot pepper jelly in stock).
Stuffed mushrooms elicited some excitement, but they may be a last-minute addition based on how much energy I have.
Nixing the fish mousses/rillettes (as they did not elicit similar excitement).
Iām toying with the idea of curing salmon again as smoked salmon is a permanent fixture and home-cured is considered an upgrade (by others: Iām happy enough with store-bought, but glad to make it for them).
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I make the ina herb roasted Turkey breast too. It is fabulous
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Sorry you are feeling crappy. Re: stuffed mushrooms, I still make and everyone always likes the old Silver Palate spinach-stuffed mushrooms recipe. One thing I particularly like about it is that the mushrooms are WAY easier to stuff if the stuffing is cold (in other words, ideal make-ahead step). Also the stuffing freezes well - sometimes I make a double batch and freeze half and then I can have stuffed mushrooms whenever I want. Hope you feel better soon!
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Thanks @GretchenS - that looks tasty! Iāve eaten spinach-stuffed mushrooms but not made them myself yet. Will have to try soon, though Iāll probably sub out the feta.
I also like a version with a bit of sausage in the mix, but we usually have some other sausage-y thing on the table so I donāt do that.
Iāve usual taken the ālazyā route and used the mushroom stems mixed with some sautĆ©ed aromatics, extra fresh breadcrumbs (from other things), and a bit of cheese. Started as a way to salvage mushrooms that I found half-dead in my auntās fridge one year 
I just remembered this magic quiche idea, though, so Iām testing it out today with a single egg. (Not really equivalent other than bite-sized, I know )
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Any stuffed mushroom is a good stuffed mushroom in my book. People tend to hoover them down. I think they are like deviled eggs that way - nearly everyone likes them but almost no one can be bothered to make them, just a bit too fiddly, so always super popular at gatherings. No leftovers, ever.
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Totally agree with @GretchenS on the popularity of stuffed mushrooms!
Iāve been doing them with a stuffing of spinach, toasted chopped nuts, and Boursin cheese (melts marvelously and has that lovely garlic). Long-past versions have included crab meat and bay shrimp, too.
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Yes! Which is why Iām thinking about whether I have it in me to make enough for the group of 10-ish
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Iām in major dithering headspace over our Thanksgiving menu: aspirational vs realistic.
Vegetarian meal for three adults. One wants āthe traditional stuff,ā one is ambivalent about what we eat and says they donāt want me to overdo things, and then thereās me - who wants ātraditionalā (in terms of our family traditions) but is also dealing with neurological issues that impact energy, attention/focus, and physical coordination. (For complex and okay reasons Iām going to be doing all the prep work and cooking.)
Working with those constraints, Iām trying to put together a menu where things can be prepped on Tuesday and Wednesday and then finished /reheated on Thursday.
- Field Roast Celebration Roasts (roasted on Th)
- Mashed potatoes (made T/W and reheated)
- Mushroom gravy (made T and reheated)
- Stuffing/dressing (maybe make this weekend and freeze, then bake on Th?)
- Roasted sprouts with bountiful garlic (prepped W and roasted Th)
- Green beans with toasted almonds (almonds on T, sautƩ beans on Th)
- Dinner rolls of some sort?
Dessert? Probably an apple cake and ā¦ ? Possibly purchase a pumpkin pie or pecan pie? Am craving plain cheesecake with fruit topping, but ā¦ . Dunno.
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Great idea on Boursin! I just used the last bit of a package in the mini quiches.
Crabmeat is next-level!
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Itāll be a small Thanksgiving here, just four. My husband hates casseroles and does not really care about turkey, so no nods to tradition are required (yay for easy in-laws!). Weāll probably have a fall pastaāmaybe pumpkin/winter squash gnocchi and a special salad. Something I can have ready easily since our guests will drive all day. Iād love to do a stuffed pumpkin of some sort one day during the visit though.
I have a tree full of persimmon. Last year I did a persimmon tart that will be tough to not make again (also tough to make as good again!). But Iāve been wanting to make persimmon ice cream and cake. I also have tons of quince and my mother and sister in law share my love of it.
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That sounds pretty aspirational! Also delicious. My trick is always to have an āescape hatchā - something I can majorly simplify or just skip if time/energy runs out. Would think both mushroom gravy and toasted almonds could be made this weekend and frozen, if that helps.
Also LOVE the idea of Boursin in spinach-stuffed mushrooms, genius.
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There is/was a restaurant in Brandon (or maybe Bradenton), FL with a decadent appetizer: a portobello mushroom stuffed with crabmeat and covered with a creamy/cheesy sauce - sharper than an Alfredo - that was run under the broiler. That plus a salad was a perfect meal.
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That frittata has my mouth watering, and Iām not even hungry. I bet I could eat the whole thing.
And have access to a hose
Weāll be home doing the same-old, same-old for foodstuffs. I will have somewhere between 9 and 13. The 9 is my family and wifeās parents plus my oldest daughterās new husband. The other 4 maybes are an old church-lady friend of my MIL and various college friends of my other 2 daughters whose home towns are far enough away that it may not make sense to try to go home (both universities officially have class through Wednesday). I told them no problem either way but try to let me know by Monday.
My MIL always brings the stuffing (dressing) for me to cook here, and a chilled strawberries-Jello-cream cheese salad with a crushed pretzel crust.
I brine and make the turkey in an outdoor air-fryer. The fryer doesnāt do well with more than about 16 pounds so on Wednesday Iāll also smoke a turkey breast and a couple of legs and maybe thighs (if I can find them) for extra.
Also will get a smallish spiral cut ham and warm it. Otherwise here I (and sometimes āweā) are doing:
- Pies (pumpkin, apple, cherry)
- Mashed potatoes and gravy (I do gravy from giblets, drippings + frozen turkey stock from a prior carcass, my 2nd daughter mashes & seasons potatoes once I get them cooked. All 3 daughters chip in on peeling the spuds)
- Mashed rutabaga with a bit of butter and brown sugar
- Rolls (start Wed, dough in fridge overnight)
- Green bean casserole (my 3d daughter, vegetarian and gluten free, makes this entirely from scratch and using GF flour for thickening)
I feel like Iām forgetting something(s) here.
Also (edit) forgot to mention the vegetarian gluten free daughter is also dairy free so Iāll make her a separate allotment of taters before the butter/cream cheese and sour cream go in, and mushroom gravy.
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