Thanksgiving Traditional Foods

[pomtzu]

Wow Grace - did you ever bring back the memories.

Yup - growing up in RI - Thanksgiving was quite an adventure. It started out with the Warwick/Cranston H.S. football game (yup - Grace and I went to the same game and h.s.), then it was an afternoon of eating yourself silly. Sometimes Dad cooked, other times we went to my aunt's place. Being Italian, the dinner at Aunt Milly's was huge. Started with soup and antipasto salad, Italian bread, then the meatballs and spaghetti, then on to the turkey and all that traditionally goes with it. I always skipped most of the Italian because I wanted to have room for all that turkey! If you were still able to move after all of that, then on to the pies and spumoni and coffee. Of course the adults had wine with dinner, and even the kids were allowed if they wanted it. When we stayed home, Dad didn't cook all of that - none of the Italian food first - just the traditional turkey dinner.

Now that those days are long gone, I do the cooking. Usually have a cheese and cracker tray to have something to munch on while everything is cooking. Turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes (no marshmallows!), corn, peas, cranberry sauce, sparkling cider, pies - pumpkin and apple and sometimes mincemeat (I'm the only one that likes MM), pumpkin bread.

My 20 lb bird is defrosting in the fridge - can't wait to get it in the oven and have that wonderful smell of the roasting bird, fill the house.

[Grace]

Wow Grace - did you ever bring back the memories.

Yup - growing up in RI - Thanksgiving was quite an adventure. It started out with the Warwick/Cranston H.S. football game (yup - Grace and I went to the same game and h.s.)

What I didn't mention - my cousins went to Cranston H.S., so Thanksgiving dinner at their house was always a post-game celebration for some of us

[momcat]

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always our big family holiday at my uncle's farm upstate New York. Dinner was what my uncle grew on the farm over the summer, the only thing they bought was the turkey and that was from the local poultry farmer. Dinner was the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, various veggies, creamed onions, gravy to die for and our choice of pie - warm with ice cream. (My aunt made the ice cream). Three generations sat down for dinner, the table went from the dining room, through the hall and into the family room.

Before dinner my cousins and I always had a soccer game in the front yard. One year we totally shocked our parents by coming to dinner dressed up, my cousins in suits and me in my Sunday best. We didn't do that very often.

Those were the days.....

[pomtzu]

What I didn't mention - my cousins went to Cranston H.S., so Thanksgiving dinner at their house was always a post-game celebration for some of us

How sweet it was - but only if it was a Warwick win. Hope you all had a friendly rivalry, otherwise it wouldn't have been a pleasant occasion....

[Alysser]

That's so cool you guys went to the same high school You coulda been sitting next to each other one year.

We have Turkey, bread stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, apple pie, my mom's peanut butter balls (), cranberry sauce, yams (ick my dad eats those), and I think that's it.

I can't wait till thursday! I love my dysfunctional family holidays!

[happylabs]

Good topic Karen! I was just thinking of starting one.

In addition to the bird, we have traditional foods: mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, veggies, usually corn for my brother and another veggie, maybe green beans or peas. Pumpkin pie is a must for my family and maybe a chocolate pie for those who do not care for pumpkin.

I have my menu and grocery list prepared for shopping later today but I feel like I have forgotten something.

Buddy is the only one of my 3 cats that will come out while we are eating and demand a bite or two of turkey. He is such a funny boy. He also likes a bite of dinner roll with butter on it.

[Pinot's Mom]

I, too, grew up in RI, but on the other side of town.

Thanksgiving growing up depended upon whether we were home or not. If we went to Barbara Kerney's across the way, it was a SPREAD! Turkey, ham, lasagna, all kinds of food - HUGE. If we were home; Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and usually a family thing called "Christmas green salad". This was a jello/whipped cream/pineapple/pimiento creation that usually melted next to all the hot stuff, but that was OK, no one wanted it anyway.

Now (T-Day is at our house this year) it's Turkey cooked with bacon on top (so my whole family can fight over that when it comes out of the oven), stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, broccoli casserole, MUST HAVE crescent rolls, salad and for dessert there will be pumpkin, mincemeat and pecan pie.

[happylabs]

I, too, grew up in RI, but on the other side of town.

Thanksgiving growing up depended upon whether we were home or not. If we went to Barbara Kerney's across the way, it was a SPREAD! Turkey, ham, lasagna, all kinds of food - HUGE. If we were home; Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and usually a family thing called "Christmas green salad". This was a jello/whipped cream/pineapple/pimiento creation that usually melted next to all the hot stuff, but that was OK, no one wanted it anyway.

Now (T-Day is at our house this year) it's Turkey cooked with bacon on top (so my whole family can fight over that when it comes out of the oven), stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, broccoli casserole, MUST HAVE crescent rolls, salad and for dessert there will be pumpkin, mincemeat and pecan pie.

I feel sad for the lonely and melting jello salad.

[pomtzu]

I feel sad for the lonely and melting jello salad.

Hey - that salad is GOOD! I make one like it - lime jello, whipping cream, miniature marshmallows, crushed pineapple, and maraschino cherries. It's served as a dessert tho, and not with the hot meal. It's a pretty dish at Christmas with the green of the jello and the red of the cherries! And it tastes great too - very rich with all that whipping cream!


ETA: If anyone wants the recipe, let me know. It REALLY is very yummy!

[Randi]

I've got a recipe for Pecan Pie - can anyone tell me if it sounds good, or do you have one "to die for"? I've never made one before.

Pecan Pie Recipes

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur, such as Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans
1 pie crust (9 inch size), unbaked or frozen

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, slightly beat eggs with a fork. Add sugar, corn syrup, butter, almond liqueur and vanilla; stir until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean and center of pie appears barely set.

Cool on wire rack.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Or is it over?

[moosmom]

A tradition that my maternal Grandfather started was celery, stuffed with blue/cream cheeses and paprika on top. It's one of my childhood favorites.

My "Bumpy" taught me how to make gravy from scratch with pan drippings.

THOSE are wonderful childhood memories!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

[sparks19]

Pretty traditional here.

Turkey

mashed potatoes

gravy

corn

stuffing

green bean casserole

and then more desserts than we should be eating after a meal like that lol

Today I had the BEST pumpkin pie I think I've EVER had. Hannah's preschool had their thanksgiving lunch today and it was all really good but that pie was the best.

I will never forget the year when we were at Brians family thanksgiving and one of the younger cousins made her uncle a pumpkin pie. her first pumpkin pie she'd ever made. She was SO proud of herself. her uncle took a piece of the pie and took a big bite ... only to realize that she really just used pureed pumpkin lol no sugar or anything but he was such a trooper and ate the whole slice

[Asiel]

To all of you celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow---

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!

[jennielynn1970]

My family is PA Dutch... so we have traditional PA Dutch style foods.

Roasted Turkey
Potato stuffing
Dried corn (rehydrated in milk and cooked)
Spinach or lettuce with hot bacon dressing
Fresh cranberry relish/sauce
**Guy Fieri's Green bean casserole (not PA Dutch, lol)
Gravy to die for

Desserts are usually
Mince meat
Pecan pie
Apple pie
Pumpkin
or some lighter dessert like lemon sponge