This Holiday Season What Are You Having For Dinner?

American Thanksgiving Day is upon us and then comes Christmas and New Years, or the Holiday you and your family celebrate, so was wondering what are your favorite foods for the Holidays. If you have a special recipe would you please share it?

Thanksgiving Menu is big because there are so many family favorites.
Turkey & Cornbread Dressing & Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Baby Lima Beans, Green Beans, Corn, Broccoli Casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, Lettuce Salad, A Sweet Salad, and Yeast Rolls. For Dessert there is Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cheese Cake, and Whipped Cream.

With the turkey leftovers or rotisserie chicken I like to make a Turkey or Chicken Rice Casserole for another day. It can be frozen for a later date.
Cooked Turkey or Chicken, 2 Cups Cooked Rice, 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup, 8 oz. Carton Sour Cream, 1 Cup Milk, 1 Pkgs of Ritz Crackers, 1 Stick Butter.
Place rice in greased 9X13 inch baking dish or two smaller dishes. Put cooked turkey or chicken on top of rice. Mix soup, milk, and sour cream together and spread over turkey. Crush crackers over soup mixture. Melt butter and pour over crackers. Bake 350 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until crackers are golden brown.

 

It is hard to cook traditional Thanksgiving for just two if you are not big on leftovers. Maybe go out to eat or invite yourself to someone else's house for dinner. lol
Maybe cook just a turkey breast and a few things to go with it.

 

I've been doing Thanksgiving for two for a while, plus it has to be low-carb. Usually that's when I splurge on something we normally can't afford, like good salmon or Cornish hens or high quality steaks. And of course there are leftovers, but I try to make things that can freeze so we can have another Thanksgiving dinner later in the winter without the effort. One year I did just a turkey breast with traditional sides, but it wasn't the same as doing a whole turkey. Every couple of years one of my sisters invites us over for the full-on Thanksgiving feast, so that usually curbs the cravings for a while./

I was just sitting down to figure out what I'm doing this year when I decided to take a break and came across this thread. This year I'm doing a crock pot balsamic beef roast with carrots, spinach and mushroom casserole, and creamy Brussels sprouts. I'll also heat up some red cabbage, and probably also bake a tube of biscuits. And I've got some berry tarts from Omaha Steaks in the freezer for dessert. Depending on how much my grocery bill ends up being, I may also do my grandma's version of tossed salad, but it's pretty vegetable heavy and none of them are on sale.

Christmas dinners (I have several) are still being decided, although I've nailed down my holiday baking for the year.

 

For Christmas day I get a fresh killed 6.5kg turkey buffet (just breast and wings) delivered the day before and then I get up at 6am on Christmas day and start making the stuffing then I start rubbing the turkey with oil infused with Cointreau and herbs then afterwards I wrap and seal everything up in aluminium foil in a great big baking dish. Meanwhile my wife peels the vegetables and starts to set the table. At about 8am I start cooking the turkey under the hood on the BBQ. At noon the vegies go in as the families start arriving and then after some drinks and nibblies, we start eating at about 1:30pm.
My mum makes a traditional plum pudding from her great grandmother's recipe which we then have for desert with brandy custard.
By 4pm we have eaten and drank enough so we sit out on the deck like beached whales LOL

 

Hey Tim, one of my friends really likes turkey but his wife isn't keen so his solution is get a couple of turkey drumsticks and bake them in the oven when they are having a a roast chicken. He roasts the drumsticks in a separate baking dish so he can make himself turkey gravy. His wife has some of the roast chicken and he has the roasted drumsticks. The next day they have the rest of the roast chicken cold with salad or they make chicken and avocado sandwiches.
Maybe you could get a couple of drumsticks each and roast them up. Then you don't have to miss out on roast turkey and you are not stuck with turkey leftovers for the next week. Make sure they are covered for most of the time when roasting because then they won't dry out and become tough. Also if you get big drumsticks there is a much better meat to bone ratio so the meat is usually more succulent.

 

I have solved the Thanksgiving for One syndrome by accepting invitations from friends. Used to decline because I didn't want to interfere with their family traditions but now I'm like 'Where's the food!' Nice to have friends who treat you like family.

 

ok, u gotta think outside the box..........bbq ribs,baked beans,tater salad,roasted corn,salad,an a big ole glass of sweet tea ! (an pass the remote ! )

 

Hey Laura, this sounds a very interesting idea I might give it a go on Christmas day.....
Because we only ever have turkey buffets (much easier to carve and only breast meat) there is no enclosed cavity to stuff. To overcome this I make a big batch of stuffing and use half in the remaining cavity which I then cover with 4 layers of aluminium foil held on with lots of toothpicks. Because the buffet sits on the remains of the cavity you need to bake it in a raised bottom roasting dish so it doesn't absorb all the turkey fat.
The other half of the stuffing gets cooked later and I put it in a foil lined loaf style cake tin. Just before the potatoes go in I spoon over the uncooked stuffing, two or three tablespoons of the turkey juice from the baking dish then seal it with aluminium foil and bake for the same time as the potatoes. Don't be tempted to put more turkey juice in as it becomes a soggy mess (lesson learned several years ago)
To serve just cut the loaf into slices. It comes out slightly crisp on top and moist the rest of the way through and tastes yum and is really nice in turkey sandwiches the next day

 

Crookedbandit that is close to our 4th July menu. We just add a few more grilled meats for variety and homemade ice cream. At Christmas we will have Baked Ham and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with our meal.

 

Has anyone tasted or made pumpkin cheese cake? Just wondered if it is worth the trouble or should I just stick to traditional pumpkin pie and a separate cheese cake?

 

I've made a few different versions, and they are something you either love or hate. We tend to love them, especially the two-layer one I made. Base layer was pumpkin cheesecake, top layer was regular cheesecake swirled with caramel, and it had a gingersnap crust. It is a rather giant PITA, however, so if you're already doing a bunch of other stuff you might as well just stick with pie if everyone likes it. I tend to do a cheesecake if I'm going to someone else's house for dinner, but not if I'm cooking.

Edit: I just noticed you said you're already making a cheesecake, so you're already in for the trouble. Might as well make one!

 

I am making a cheesecake of some variety and thought if pumpkin cheesecake was good I'd do that. The caramel sauce sounds interesting.

 

I'm going to cook one of those Butterball turkey breast roasts. Green beans and onions. Beets . Leaks. Wash it all down with a pot of coffee.

Can you say food coma?

 

This is the one I was talking about...really, really tasty, but kind of a huge PITA.
Pumpkin and Caramel Swirled Cheesecake
Serves 10

*Takes more than one day to make.*

Crust:
1 1/2 cups gingersnaps, crushed
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling)
9 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons caramel sauce (sundae topping)
1 cup sour cream OR 12 gingersnaps cut in half

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350F. Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan (2 3/4-inch sides) with aluminum foil to ensure it is sealed.
Step 2
Finely grind crushed cookies, pecans and sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs are formed. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
Step 3
Press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of prepared pan.
Step 4
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Step 5
Transfer 3/4 cup of mixture to a small bowl and cover; refrigerate until needed.
Step 6
To the filling mixture in the bowl, add pumpkin, 4 tablespoons whipping cream, cinnamon and allspice and beat until well combined.
Step 7
Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Step 8
Pour filling into crust (it should almost completely fill the pan).
Step 9
Bake until cheesecake puffs, top browns, and center moves only slightly when jiggled, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Step 10
Transfer cheesecake to a rack and let cool 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges to loosen from pan and let cool completely. When completely cooled, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Step 11
Bring reserved 3/4 cup cream cheese mixture to room temperature; add remaining 5 tablespoons whipping cream and stir to combine well.
Step 12
Pour cream cheese mixture over top of cheesecake, spreading evenly.
Step 13
Spoon caramel sauce in lines over top; run a knife through the lines to swirl caramel sauce into cream cheese topping.
Step 14
If using sour cream, spoon into a pastry bag with a small star tip (do not stir before using) and pipe around edge of cheesecake. If using gingersnaps, place half-cookies around edge of cheesecake.

 

Looks good Sgt Tibbs, thanks! Although I think my family would prefer a gram cracker crust in place of the ginger snaps.

 

Leftovers, as usual. I have to work AGAIN this year . . . so I'll run by my moms and pick up my customary goodies

 

Spad at least Thanksgiving leftovers are some of the very best leftovers known to man.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that celebrate it!

 

Laura I do as much the day before as I can also. I cook and mash my potatoes the day before and heat them in the microwave with real butter and I have never had any complaints about them, honestly don't think anyone can tell the difference. Getting ready to tackle that Two Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake now.

 

We're taking the cheaters' way out and getting our feast from Marie Callender's. We'll eat it at home and add a few of our own things, but Marie's doing the cooking. And we still get to have leftovers!

 

Here is the verdict on the Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake from my family....Everyone thought it was good but they still like my plain Vanilla Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce better. So guess that is what I will make for Christmas Dinner.

 

I kind of want a plain vanilla cheesecake with strawberry sauce myself! At least they thought it was good... I'd hate to think you tried something new and everybody hated it. Live and learn!

Dinner was a resounding success here, even though I made way too much food especially given there are only two of us. I did end up with the red cabbage and also my grandma's salad, and instead of tube biscuits I used the last of my mix from the Loveless Cafe and did drop biscuits. We just now finished up with the berry tarts, which I served with some whipped cream (vanilla sugar added) since I had some whipping cream left over from the Brussels sprouts and spinach-mushroom casserole.

 

May I have a wish?

I wish I could invite everyone on this thread to my home... I will eat myself into a coma.

 

Thanks! I was pretty pleased. As to the dish, we've always called it "Grandma Unrath Salad", because it's the method of making tossed salad my maternal grandmother made for every holiday. I tried not to make it this year to cut back on food, but holidays are just not right without it.

Grandma Unrath Salad

Edit:
OK, finally found the first thing I don't like with the new forums look: Links are really hard to distinguish from regular text.

 

Sgt Tibbs my take on a salad near yours is putting all salad ingredients of your liking in a bowl (I prefer 9x13 dish) then mix mayo and graded parmesan cheese together and spread over the salad mix then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. You can even do this the night before. Cover tightly and place in refrigerator.

 

Yes, I strongly agree that we need to think of the next occasion and Christmas is almost here. Thanksgiving was over and Turkey was served at its best.. For the holiday season. I'm thinking of so many recipes to have for dinner and I wanna prepare for this. I just started checking on different appetizers, desserts and main courses for the holidays. I guess, I'll take time to see these options: Elegant Recipes For Christmas .

 

katkat, your salad sounds good, too! I'll have to keep that in mind for future family parties.

I figured out Christmas in all its various incarnations! This is what I'm making, but for the family parties my sisters and parents will also make stuff.

#1 (Dad's house): Cornbread salad, blue & blackberry salad.
#2 (Mom's house): Cheese and garlic stuffed mushrooms, gingerbread trifle
To share between the two houses: Mississippi spiced pecans, five spice pistachios
#3 (Christmas Day at my house): Still deciding between Cornish hens with root vegetables and marinated leg of lamb for the entree (it'll depend on what goes on sale), hearts of palm Parmesan salad, turnip greens & pearl onion gratin, green bean casserole (if I do the lamb, otherwise we'll have vegetables already), buttermilk biscuits, sweet & sour red cabbage, and lemon sponge pudding for dessert.
Holiday baking: Old-fashioned gingerbread (the cake kind, my great-grandma's recipe), cherry pie filling bread, strawberry cream cheese cookies, cashew cookies, molasses cookies, cream cheese walnut cookies, chocolate mint snowdrop cookies, and Reese's Nutter Butter truffles.

I should note that I do trays of cookies and stuff as gifts for a lot of people: my regular taxi drivers, my bartenders, the folks I work with in the booth for hockey games, and anybody else who surprises me with a gift I wasn't expecting. I also do the gingerbread as gifts for my family since it's my great-grandma's recipe, so I end up making usually four batches of it (each one does a 9x13 pan, or two 9-inch rounds). This year it'll be five so I can make the trifle. The various kinds of cookies are usually 5-6 dozen each, and the pie filling bread is two loaves which I split in half lengthwise before slicing for trays.

 

That is a lot of baking Sgt Tibbs!
Kestrel cooking is a skill that gets better with lots of practice. Honestly there is a long list of mistakes, some eatable some not.

I want to grill meat for Christmas Dinner if the weather is good. You never know it can be 70 degrees and other Christmas Days we have 12" show and zero temps.

 

Believe it or not, I'm cutting back this year! I usually end up with about 70-80 dozen cookies and 6 dozen truffles. I just don't have time to give it more than two days this year with how my work schedule is shaping up.

 

Day one of baking is done! Two batches of gingerbread (one 9x13 and two 9x9), five-spice pistachios, Mississippi spiced pecans, strawberry cream cheese cookies, molasses spice cookies, and pumpkin white chocolate spice cookies. And through some miracle I can actually give it three days this year, so I don't have to kill myself!

 

Looks good Sgt Tibbs! I do Sugared Pecans and they are always a hit. I plan to make my desserts for Christmas Dinner individual size so everyone can serve themselves easily and less mess.

 

Thank you! These are sugared, but also have cayenne, rosemary, and thyme. They're way tasty!

Today's installment was cream cheese walnut cookies, cashew cookies, cherry pie filling bread, and chocolate mint snow-top cookies. Not pictured are the 96 truffles in my freezer because they still need to be dipped in chocolate. One more day and the treats will be done, then it's on to real food!

 

You must have a very big freezer...

 

It's only two cookie sheets' worth...they're only one-inch balls. I did have to do some rearranging to make a flat space, though!

 

My bad...
I read/thought trifles!
How embarrassing...

Time for a Carling...

 

That would be quite something!

I'm making the trifle (one singular trifle ) Saturday night.

 

I'm done with the baking!! Two more batches of gingerbread, two batches of cornbread, and hand-dipping 90-some #@#$#!%$^#@ truffles. I always forget how much I hate dipping truffles. Now I just have to make my stuff for the two family parties this weekend over the next couple of days.

 

I made 4 desserts yesterday and today the real cooking and prep begins for Christmas Eve Dinner. I have to make several dishes to take to 2 other dinners also, so it looks like I will be in the kitchen for a long time. Sunday will be the first day of rest! Busy time but enjoying every bit of it!
Merry Christmas!