This is the first year I have to make Thanksgiving dinner, need good recipes and ideas PLEASE!!!?
I am cooking for my boyfriends family of about 10-12 people, my family always does seafood for Thanksgiving so I never have made a traditional Thanksgiving dinner till this year… PLEASE HELP WITH SOME IDEAS!
Make a schedule for the day of. That way you can figure out what’s going in the oven, on the burners, on the grill at what time and you don’t run out of burners or forget to cook something and if you get behind you can grab someone to help!
Besides the turkey (figure about 14 lbs for 12 people, 1 per person and 2 just in case), make another meat – ham’s probably most common, but you can do beef, fish, chicken, whatever. Also, you don’t need as much of your secondary meat since most people will take turkey, but for example I’d say 6 lbs of ham. Or you could ask people what they want 🙂 but I like to surprise!
To make things easier, throw some frozen veggies – corn, peas, broccoli – on the table. They taste so much better than canned with less work. Since some people don’t like naked veg, put out an au gratin sauce – could be as easy as melted Velveeta, or make one yourself. *One serving* 2 T margarine melted (med heat) in a pot on the stove, whisk in 1 T flour. Slowly stir in 1 c milk, and keep stirring until sauce starts to thicken. Add 3/4 c shredded cheese, and keep stirring until sauce has a smooth consistency.
You might want to at least double that recipe for 12 though.
Green bean casserole is a generally beloved Thanksgiving dish. I use the recipe on the bag of French’s French Fried Onions, but the link is here ( http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/rds/frenchs/?id=9374 ). This goes fast, so make at least two.
Mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and possibly an acorn squash (cut it in half, gut it, add about 1/2 c marshmallows, 3 T brown sugar, and as many raisins as you can cram in after that stuff – it will depend on size of squash – then bake in the oven) round out your veggies.
Serve fresh bread from a bakery, put butter, salt, and pepper on the table.
Deviled eggs.
And at least 3 kinds of dessert!
GL
You HAVE to serve the chinese chicken salad with Soycha! I did for my first Thanksgiving and everyone raved about it and wanted recipes. I know it’s not your traditional salad but it was everyone’s favorite!
References :
http://www.palcha.com
Talk to your boyfriend’s mother. Ask her for her family favorite recipes, and what they usually have.
There are just some things that people expect on T-day, that you may or may not think of. For us, it’s a pumpkin chiffon pie. It just isn’t Thanksgiving with out it.
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I usually just go get the meal that is already made at the grocery store and my family thinks I made it myself!
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I have seen people over the years knock themselves out by doing too much for a feast. Then when it all happens they are disappointed or totally exhausted and cant enjoy it. Keep it simple, when people ask if there is something they can bring say yes. Keep their contribution to one dish, and tell them what type dish so not everyone brings the same thing. Keep you contribution to approximately 4 main dishes, so you can concentrate on quality, not quantity. By not over doing for the meal, there will be enough energy left for you to be an enjoyable and happy hostess.
References :
Here’s an idea: how about the 10-12 guests bring side dishes and desserts, and you provide the turkey, gravy, and maybe the dressing?
Perfect Roast Turkey
1 fresh turkey (12 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
3 Spanish onions
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/2 cup good olive oil
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
10 red new potatoes, halved
3 heads fennel, fronds removed, cut into wedges through the core
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, one of the onions (quartered), and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Peel and slice the remaining onions, toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil, and scatter them around the turkey.
Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Toss the carrots, potatoes, and fennel with 1/4 cup olive oil and add to the roasting pan. Continue to roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
Stir the vegetables and return the pan to the oven. Continue to cook the vegetables while the turkey rests. Slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables. Serves 8-10.
–Ina Garten
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LEEK AND WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING
The porcini mushroom soaking liquid moistens this stuffing from Rochelle Palermo Torres.
1½ cups hot water
½ oz. dried porcini mushrooms*
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups dry white wine
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1½ ( 8oz.) French-bread baguettes, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Combine 1½ cups hot water and dried porcini in small bowl. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface; chop finely. Pour mushroom soaking liquid into small bowl, leaving any sediment behind, and reserve.
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and button mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Add leeks and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and porcini mushrooms. Cook until almost all wine evaporates, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover mushroom mixture and porcini soaking liquid separately and chill. Reheat mushroom mixture to lukewarm before continuing.) Transfer mixture to very large bowl. Mix bread into mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough mushroom soaking liquid to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish — alongside turkey or while turkey is resting — until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
To bake stuffing in dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough reserved mushroom soaking liquid to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Bake uncovered until heated through, about 40 minutes.
* Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
–Bon Appétit, November 2002
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martha stewart gives some of the best thanksgiving recipes that are easy and elegant! go to marthastewart.com and find your favorites for a 1st timer i suggest the no fuss turkey feast menu everything from appetizers to dessert
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Hi!
Ok. I did this last year. And it is HECTIC. I did it for 17 people.
PLAN AHEAD! Think of everything.
1) Get help. Have your boyfriend choose a dish and make it himself. This can be easy (e.g. buy prechopped lettuce, some tomatoes, cucs, etc. for a large salad)
2) Get help from his mom or your mom (peeling potatoes, etc.)
3) I made my famous stuffing that is made with large blueberry muffins, Crab Meat, stovetop stuffing mix, celery and onions and some sage. Everyone died over it!
Leave the crab out if you wish.
4) Add cream cheese and heavy creamer, garlic and green onions to the mashed potatoes.
5) Get wine/beer for everyone for before dinner. Make them stay out of the kitchen. Have your boyfriend wait on them while you cook.
6) Breathe.
7) Get a big turkey, let it thaw for 2 days before that day.
8) Season it liberally with butter under the skin, lots of herbs and spices, salt and pepper, and sage.
Look up cooking a Turkey online.
9) Have someone else bring the rolls or buy pre-made rolls
10) Have lots of butter on hand
11) Make a good vegetable (corn, zucchini, broccoli) that is light and not over dresssed wit butter.
References :
http://shylahsrecipes.blogspot.com/
I’m hosting over 15 people this year, and I’m getting most of my recipes from http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
They have amazing recipes. I’ve tried a lot of the Thanksgiving ones, and love them.
Good luck!
References :
Turkey- Get a large pan, take out the neck and giblets in the turkey cover wash it thoroughly, put the turkey in the pan and season ( I use cavendars, seasoning salt, and pepper), cut up carrots, celery, and potatoes and place those in the pan around the turkey, put water in the pan up to halfway where the legs are. Make sure through the cooking process you paste the turkey with the water keeps it very moist.
Dressing- Sausage dressing is the best. All you do is buy the Peppridge Farm dressing in a bag, and cook as directed, cook Sage sausage from Jimmy Dean or Tenn Pride.
Cranberry Sauce-
Ingredients
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 cup (255 mL) water
4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
Optional Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.
Method
1 Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.
2 At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.
3 Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups
Rolls- Walmart has great selection of rolls,
This sounds good too
CRAB MEAT CORN CHOWDER
1 (No. 1) can cream style corn
2 c. milk
2 green onions, cut
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt (or less)
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash cayenne
Chopped celery (optional)
Parsley (optional)
Mrs. Dash (optional)
1 (7 1/2 oz.) can crab meat
Put corn, milk, onion, bouillon and flour in blender. Cover and blend. Empty into cold saucepan. Add butter and salt. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add pepper, cayenne and crab meat. (This scorches easily.)
Or a simple corn casserole, green bean casserole you find on the back of the fried onions is good.
Also have others bring stuff as well Pumpkin pies etc…
References :
Make a schedule for the day of. That way you can figure out what’s going in the oven, on the burners, on the grill at what time and you don’t run out of burners or forget to cook something and if you get behind you can grab someone to help!
Besides the turkey (figure about 14 lbs for 12 people, 1 per person and 2 just in case), make another meat – ham’s probably most common, but you can do beef, fish, chicken, whatever. Also, you don’t need as much of your secondary meat since most people will take turkey, but for example I’d say 6 lbs of ham. Or you could ask people what they want 🙂 but I like to surprise!
To make things easier, throw some frozen veggies – corn, peas, broccoli – on the table. They taste so much better than canned with less work. Since some people don’t like naked veg, put out an au gratin sauce – could be as easy as melted Velveeta, or make one yourself. *One serving* 2 T margarine melted (med heat) in a pot on the stove, whisk in 1 T flour. Slowly stir in 1 c milk, and keep stirring until sauce starts to thicken. Add 3/4 c shredded cheese, and keep stirring until sauce has a smooth consistency.
You might want to at least double that recipe for 12 though.
Green bean casserole is a generally beloved Thanksgiving dish. I use the recipe on the bag of French’s French Fried Onions, but the link is here ( http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/rds/frenchs/?id=9374 ). This goes fast, so make at least two.
Mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and possibly an acorn squash (cut it in half, gut it, add about 1/2 c marshmallows, 3 T brown sugar, and as many raisins as you can cram in after that stuff – it will depend on size of squash – then bake in the oven) round out your veggies.
Serve fresh bread from a bakery, put butter, salt, and pepper on the table.
Deviled eggs.
And at least 3 kinds of dessert!
GL
References :
Iammare is right, if we didn’t have green bean casserole it would NOT be Thanksgiving in my house. I’ve got my In Laws requesting it from me now!
And we always try to do something different. One year it was pumpkin parfaits, last year was acorn squash. I am thinking of trying my hand at butternut squash this year.
Our menu usually looks like this:
mashed taters
turkey
stuffing
Classic green bean bake
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C milk
1 ts soy sauce
generous dash pepper
2 packages (9oz each) green beans, cooked & drained
1 can (2.8 oz) french fried onions
1. in 1 1/2 quart casserole, combine soup, milk, soy sauce & pepper. Stir in beasn & 1/2 can of onions
2. Bake @ 350 F for 25 min or until hot & bubbling.
3. Stir bean mixture. Top w/remaining onions. Bake 5 min more or until hot & bubbling.
Stove stop stuffing options
http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=90966&e=email
Take 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken and mix & match your recipe from these options…
liquid options
orange juice
chicken broth
apple juice
beef broth
vegetable/fruit choices
dried cranberries
chopped green or red apples
shredded carrots
chopped mushrooms
cooked chopped potatoes
add-in possibilities
PLANTERS Chopped Pecans, toasted
chopped fresh parsley
raisins
OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
PREPARE stuffing mix as directed on package, substituting 1-1/2 cups liquid for the water and stirring in 1/3 cup vegetables/fruits and 2 Tbsp. add-ins along with the liquid. Cover; let stand 5 min.
FLUFF with fork before serving.
Sweet taters
Orange coconut*
prep time up to 2 days.
bake time 45 min
3 1/2 lbs sweet taters, peeled & cubed
6 tb butter
1/2 ts salt
3 tb frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed*
topping
2 TB each all purpose flour, brown sugar & butter
2/3 C sweetened coconut*
1. In large saucepan, simmer taters in salted water until soft. Drain. Place in large bowl & whip with electric mixer. Add butter, salt & oj to potatoes & whip to combine. Put taters in baking dish, cover & refrigerate up to 2 days.
2. To bake, bring to room temp.
Heat oven to 350 F. Combine topping ingredients in small bowl, & mix together using fingers. sprinkle topping over taters & bake 45 min. Makes 10 servings.
*Maple pecan sweet potatoes
Use 3 TB maple syrup instead of orange juice in taters & 2/3 C chopped pecans instead of coconut in topping.
Spicy Gingersnap
Use 1 ts pumpkin pie spice instead of oj & 2/3 C crushed gingersnaps instead of coconut in topping.
Pumpkin Pecan Parfaits
1 C dairy beverage (soy milk, rice milk, cow’s milk)
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
2 pkg (4 serving size each) sugar free vanilla instant pudding & pie mix
1 ts ground cinnamon
1/2 ts ground ginger
1/4 ts ground cloves
1 C whipping cream
8oz cream cheese (low fat), softened
1/4 C splenda (or I used regular sugar)
2 ts vanilla extract
1/2 C finely chopped pecans
1. In medium bowl, combine dairy beverage, puddin gmixex, spices & pumpkin
2. Whip cream until stiff. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, & vanilla extract. > Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
4. To assemble, spoon 2 TBpumpkin mixture into parfait, or small wine glass. Add 1 TB cream cheese/whipped cream mixture & 1/2 TB pecans.
Repeat layers as you please.
References :
Okay, deep breaths, and plan ahead! Buy your food and do everything in advance as much as you can. For 10-12 people I’d say buy a 18-22 lb bird. That’ll be plenty for everyone plus some leftovers for you for the day after. I get the Jennie-O frozen birds. Don’t forget to take the package out of the inside!!! You don’t want burned plastic inside.
If you stuff the bird, they have these little pouches at the grocery store for a dollar. You put the stuffing in the pouch, tie it up, and place the pouch inside the bird so there is less fuss and mess at the end.
Have people help out too… If you are cooking the food, have one guest bring champaign, one guest bring apple pie, one guest bring pumpkin, etc. Sometimes guests will even help with appetizers. It’s easy and takes more away from you.
If you are going to make homemade cranberry sauce, do that one day in advance, cranberries are fussy.
References :
Go to the Butterball Turkey website. It’s wonderful! They have recipes, meal planners – everything you need to organize your first big Thanksgiving meal.
You have some great recipes listed by other posters, so I won’t add mine. Whatever menu you choose, I think you’ll find the Butterball website invaluable.
I hope your boyfriend is helping with the meal. When my guests ask if they can bring something, I always say yes – and ask what they’d like to bring. I don’t want three mince pies, for instance. I keep a list of who is bringing what, so I don’t have duplicates. I’ve found most guests want to contribute to a big holiday. They feel like they’re more a part of the festivities if they have a stake in the fixin’s. I’m always sure to give credit to each at the table – Aunt Maybelle brought her famous pumpkin pie, for instance. I love to watch them beam when they get credit for their efforts.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
References :
http://www.butterball.com/en/index.jsp
Spaghetti squash. Take half a spaghetti squash, scoop out the seeds, and put a sprinkle of salt and a pat of butter in the middle. Cover it and zap it in the microwave for 6-10 minutes or until the flesh starts to come apart in strings. Drizzle with maple syrup or brown sugar and tease the flesh apart into strings, and serve in the squash skin.
It’s pretty much the only squash I like…
References :
Try looking at Paula Deen’s recipes at Foodnetwork.com. She has great traditional recipes that are simple to make and will impress the in-laws.
I know, I had my in-laws for the first time last year and I did 2 of her side dishes (a green bean casserole and a sweet potato casserole) and 2 of her desserts (not yo’mama’s banana pudding and a sweet potato pie). They all turned out perfect and were a joy to make. If the in-laws are from the South, they’ll really like Paula Deen’s recipes.
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