I love Thanksgiving. I only feed myself, my spouse, and our three teenagers every year, and I like to make a huge variety even if it’s just the five of us.

One thing I try to do every year is make something slightly unique that I haven’t made before. One year it was fondant potatoes, last year it was just a fall salad I’d never made.

I can’t figure out what to do as my “new” side this year. Any suggestions?

Here’s our menu for this year so far (it’s a carb fest but we like it that way).

Roasted turkey with herb butter
Mashed potatoes
Roasted parmesan green beans
Candied carrots
Sweet potato casserole
Corn casserole
Stove top stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Dinner rolls
Corn bread
Pumpkin pie
Sparkling cider

Edit: thank you everyone for the amazing ideas! I’m definitely switching plain cornbread for broccoli cheddar cornbread, but now I’m also contemplating making some kind of brussel sprouts and a second dessert. 😋

So, we are going to have to do Thanksgiving on Saturday this year, which is fine. But I don't want to sit at home (me and husband, maybe my parents, idk) and eat pizza. Nor do I want to do the Thanksgiving spread twice. Throw your suggestions at me! Cooking? Going out to eat? Activities out of the house? Inspo, please!

(P.s. No drumstick dash for us. And we already occasionally volunteer at local places.)

I’m hosting a small Thanksgiving meal for about 8 people. I have a chronic illness and really really need to figure out a way to break up the prep work over a long period of time. Ideally over a couple of weeks.

I’m willing to plan the menu around this. I typically make pies and Parker House rolls, which are always loved. But I am utterly miserable by the time the meal comes around from exhaustion and vertigo.

Are there any parts of the meal that can be well ahead and frozen without tasting less than fresh? Every little bit will help.

Thanks!!!

Edit: I would normally make Turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, Parker house rolls, gravy. I suck at making stuffing so I’m hoping to buy that.

The oven timer went blank two Saturdays ago while I was doing a turkey breast for practice. I never looked at the clock when I put it in. I guessed how much was left and set a timer on my phone and one on the microwave too so I would not lose track again. I took it out when they went off and it was dry. I called my mom after and the first thing she asked was if I checked the temperature, and I do not own a meat thermometer.

I volunteered to host my partner’s family for Thanksgiving this year. Before this the biggest thing I had hosted was pizza night with 4 friends. There are 9 people coming and our table seats 4. The plan is a 14 lb turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans.

My partner’s mom offered to “bring a few things.” I do not know if my partner told her about the practice turkey, and I keep hearing it as she is not sure I can pull this off. My partner says “you’re overthinking it, she brings food everywhere.” Maybe I am. Is that a normal thing to say to the host or am I reading too much into it?

When I was a kid my mom did Thanksgiving every year, some years for 20 people. There is a photo from one of those years that comes up on the little AstroToo speaker on my desk, she is on the couch with a glass of wine before anyone got there.

Yesterday I got a text from my partner’s mom that she is bringing gravy too just in case, so I guess I will not be making gravy.

I grew up in the 70s/80s and in our home mashed potatoes were made at least weekly so not special enough I guess for our Tday table. The gravy was for the turkey and cornbread dressing. Bourbon sweet potato souffle was the only potato dish. It wasn't till I married 30 plus years ago that I realized it was a key part of most other's meal. Since we've been the primary host for 30 years, I just had my MIL bring them until about 10 years ago. Now I make them but I will seldom eat them on Tday. I love mashed potatoes but I'd rather enjoy the items we don't eat frequently.

trying to prep some things early. can I make stuffing (really dressing, the kind not in the turkey) ahead of time and freeze it? would I bake it, let it cool, freeze- then thaw and reheat? any tips appreciated!!

Ok so I’m wanting to implement some more soul food recipes into thanksgiving. Simply because they are delicious and very healthy. I grew up with :

cornbread stuffing
Fruit salad with sour cream and sugar added as a sweet next to the savory or the cornbread stuffing
Sweet potato pie
Rolls
Turkey
Mac and cheese
Possibly mustard greens ( can’t Remember )
Deviled eggs
Some sort of green bean dish I think
Sugared Sweet potatoes (forget what they are called)
Mash potatoes and gravy of course

What else would y’all add to this list? Or any variations of recipes that everybody you know needs up loving! Want to make some good traditions with my kids moving forward.

TIA!

Hi everyone,

I’m hosting a Friendsgiving this year for about 7-9 people. It’s going to be from 2-4 PM and we’re going to do snacks and then a craft.

I’m looking for ideas for REALLY simple but delicious snacks as I’m a terrible cook and don’t even want to try anything more elaborate.

For example, something ambitious for me is making a Nutella crescent roll using store bought crescent roll pastry, just to give you an idea of what we’re dealing with here.

Thanks so much!

I feel like the only place I can change things up is with the sides.

Last year, I did the following.

Stuffing

Mashed potatoes

Corn Casserole

Mac & Cheese

Salad

Brussel sprouts

The corn casserole and the mac & cheese are the only ones that are specifically requested, so those are must-haves on my table.

I also pay attention to timing and effort. Some of these sides are easy to partially prepare ahead of time (which matters to me, since I am mostly a one-man show).

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just like the title says, this will be my first year cooking a whole turkey. I don't really have good models to learn from, and feel like cooking a turkey is a rite of passage.
I'm looking to do a small bird maybe around 12 pounds. I did a google search and so many things popped up that made me overwhelmed. I know to let it thaw in the fridge, take out the neck and other innards. What's next? Do I need a roasting pan? Can I use a one time disposable one? I saw Aldi will have a ceramic one next week, are those worth it? What else do you use a roasting pan for during the rest of the year I'd hate for it to just sit for a once a year thing.
I'm open to all tips and suggestions that'll help me have a flavorful, juicy turkey that doesn't turn out like the one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. (Stuffing- bag/homemade?, seasoning, basting and when?, etc)
Thank you in advance, I appreciate you all!

Any suggestions? We (my husband and I, both late 20s and no kids yet) have been hosting Thanksgiving for the last 3 years. We have 6 nieces and nephew ranging from 0-7 y/o, with 4 of them being 4+. Last year I bought Thanksgiving themed coloring pages and the year before I bought a simple craft kit. These only seem to keep the kiddos busy for about 20 minutes though. We also have some trains and kids games. Any other suggestions to keep the kids busy so the adults can play games/hangout?

Because I have family visiting the USA for the first time this year at Christmas, we’re going to do a more traditional Thanksgiving style meal for Christmas. For the first time ever, we’re doing Italian American food for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be so weird. (Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, lasagna, green salad, antipasto)

For logistical reasons (primarily space) we are going to have a drop in style Thanksgiving this year rather than one big sit down meal. We’re thinking of eating from something like 2-5pm. Has anyone ever tried those silicon heating mats? Do they work? Any other tips for making this kind of drop in meal work?

With a big family dinner, the "who sits where" part tends to end up as a pile of sticky notes, so I built something for it.

You paste the family names (or upload a CSV with table numbers), pick a design, and it lays out tent or flat place cards on A4 or US Letter. It warns you about duplicates and names that are too long for the card before you print. Everything happens in your browser; nothing gets uploaded.

What's free right now: checking your whole list (up to 500 names), the preview of every sheet, a PDF with the first 6 cards (marked SAMPLE), and a printer test sheet so you can check your printer doesn't shrink things before you use good cardstock. The full version isn't out yet; it's planned at €6.90 one-time, and there's an "I'm interested" button if that sounds worth it to you.

https://print-my-names.lovable.app

Honest question for people who host: do you do place cards at a family Thanksgiving, or is that only for weddings? I'd love to know if it's worth finishing.

I’ve hosted Thanksgiving for the last 15 years or so, and the one thing that I haven’t found is a green vegetable dish that I love, and that fits into my menu/cooking flow. My limitations are that I have one normal-sized oven that has a turkey in it for most of the day. When the turkey comes out, all the side dishes go in to heat up, and I don’t really have room for one more, but also, I think green bean casserole is too heavy with everything else going on, and I don’t like reheated roasted vegetables (like Brussels sprouts).

I have tried more than a few sautéed green bean recipes, some Brussels sprouts ones as well, a few salads. Last year I did collards, and they were good, but not especially Thanksgiving-y. Also one of my vegetarian guests did not like them. So, do you have a stovetop or cold/room temp green veggie dish that you love, and that works as a holiday dish?

ETA: Wow! Thank you for all the responses! I’m going to try some of your suggestions this weekend and see what works for me!

I was thinking of getting a mini lunch crockpot for gravy this year (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Crock-Pot-625-qt-20-oz-Moonshine-Green-Lunch-Crock-Slow-Cooker-Food-Warmer-2178529/331126218). I used a Stanley insulated bowl on a warming mat last year, but the gravy lost a lot of heat once the lid was off.

I saw some old threads on crockpots/other ideas and some people recommended using an insulated coffee carafe. Has anyone used one of the mini crockpots or have thoughts on specific carafes?

I have a very nice roasting pan that I received for Christmas many years ago from my parents. But we have never once used it. We have an electric roasting pan thing that we plug-in and then we bake the sides in the oven. I was just looking at the roasting pan and thinking of decluttering it, but also realized that Electric roasting pans and other small appliances can go out so maybe I should save it for just in case someday. However, now I’m reading online that a lot of people do not use roasting pans for their turkeys. I would love some feedback. Thanks!

This my first time hosting thanksgiving and I want to try something different and put the butter under the skin since people swear by it. I have found a bunch of different recipes and some are very vague like put a handful of herbs. Some have citrus and some doesn't. What do you guys swear by for your herb butter? I am planning on following a wet brine recipe with brown sugar, shallots, garlic, peppercorn, dried juniper berries, rosemary, and thyme. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

How am I looking? (hosting anywhere from 15-20)

Apps:

caprese bites (mozzarella, pesto, cherry tomato)

hummus and whipped feta dip with veggies and pita

mini meatballs in vodka sauce

wild mushroom tart with gruyere cheese, thyme, and balsamic glaze

deviled eggs (sil)

shrimp cocktail (sil)

"savory tart" (sil)

mains:

smoked turkey

fresh cured and smoked ham (curing starts on the 31st!)

mashed potatoes,

mac and cheese

green beans with wild mushrooms

roasted honeynut squash with maple sugar bruulee

herb heavy quinoa salad with chickpea, feta, cucumber, tomato, and lemon (greek inspired)

roasted beets with pistachio, goat cheese, and mint in an orange vinaigrette

cranberry sauce

stuffing (mil)

rolls (sil)

gravy

Dessert:

Apple cake

Pumpkin Pie

Berry Pie

Unknown dessert (mil/ail)

I should note that I cannot eat gluten so I am trying to make this a feast I can actually enjoy. That's kind of why I have outsourced very little. My step daughter has also recently become vegetarian so I am try to accommodate it.

I typically do the Julia Child garlic mashed and am feeling like doing something different this year.

Love this channel as I'm kind of an advanced home cook (if I were on an Epicurious vid, I'd be considered a Level 2 cook). I'm up for the challenge but want to know if this is too much for Thanksgiving dinner

I'm debating between doing this or their recipe for potato puree. Probably won't be exact as I might use some beef tallow or just all vegetable oil.

Serving a perfectly browned whole bird on the table, Norman Rockwell style, is wonderful, but it doesn't always go down like that.

For practical reasons, like a house party buffet line type Thanksgiving, ya often need to throw on some gloves and pick the carcass. White meat in one dish, and dark meat in the other.

But what to do with the skin??

Dudes.. DUDES! We make Turkey Cracklins!

Pull the skin off the roasted bird, and slice it, and batter it, and fry it! Sprinkle a cajun seasoning on to finish.

Ohh my my it tastes soooooooo good!