Thanksgiving menu ideas

[vraiblonde]

Thanks for making me feel like a hermit with no friends
I'll go have a cocktail now

How on earth did that comment make you feel like a hermit with no friends?

 

[KDENISE977]

How on earth did that comment make you feel like a hermit with no friends?

LOL, was joking b/c you made me realize, a. we don't really have neighbors we care for b. our friends NEVER visit the house

 

[MarieB]

Thanks for making me feel like a hermit with no friends
I'll go have a cocktail now

It's 5:00 somewhere

 

[MarieB]

LOL, was joking b/c you made me realize, a. we don't really have neighbors we care for b. our friends NEVER visit the house

Maybe they are waiting for an invitation.


We used to have friends over all the time for holidays, but we haven't really made many friends here.

 

[vraiblonde]

LOL, was joking b/c you made me realize, a. we don't really have neighbors we care for b. our friends NEVER visit the house

Okay, so you are a hermit with no friends and my post merely reminded you of that.



I was surprised at the enthusiasm when I threw my first Orphan's Thanksgiving. There are an awful lot of singles and small families who don't want to do the whole turkey day thing for just them, but it kind of sucks sitting at home alone with a frozen meal on Thanksgiving.

 

[MarieB]

Our group of friends used to call them the misfit holidays

 

[Bann]

One of the desserts we'll be having is Pumpkin Lust Cake. It's not really a cake, but it has a shortbread type of crust. It is OMG out of this world delicious.

Not really a new recipe, because I've made it with Butterscotch pudding & the lady who gave that version to me called it Butterscotch Fantastic. I believe it was from a Southern Living Magazine sometime back in the 80's. The whole flavor of this dessert changes with the flavor of pudding you use.

This updated version uses Jello brand Pumpkin Spice pudding. (I'd never had this before - it is very good! It's also seasonal)

PUMPKIN LUST CAKE

Ingredients
1. 1 stick butter, melted
2. 1 cup flour
3. 1 cup chopped pecans
4. 2 tbs sugar
5. 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, soft
6. 1 cup powdered sugar
7. 2 (8 oz) containers cool whip (or one 16 ozz container)
8. 2 small packages (3.4oz) of Jello Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding
9. 3 cup cold milk
10. Nutmeg for sprinkling

For the crust
1. Combine butter, flour, chopped pecans and sugar and press into a 9 x 13 in baking dish. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the Cream Cheese Layer
1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 cups cool whip until smooth. Spread over crust.

For the Pumpkin Layer
1. Mix pudding mixes with cold milk, whisking for several minutes. Set it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to let it thicken. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining container of cool whip. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
2. Cut into squares and serve. Keep refrigerated.

 

[BadGirl]

Do people bring the turkeys/hams or is that something you do yourself? I l-o-v-e putting together big dinners like this. But, control freak that I am, I'd want to do most of it myself so that it would be the way *I* wanted it done. (i.e. Anyone bringing brown and serve rolls to my house would be shot) Though I'm all for people bring their "specialty". I'd love to hear how you orchestrate all of this.

I do the. If stuff.....the two large turkeys, the spiral sliced ham, stuffing and gravy......but other people bring the other items. Fortunately, my entire family LOVES excellent food and they are wonderful cooks, so you'd likely never see store bought prepared food at our Thanksgiving table.

I start out sending my family an e-mail with suggested menu items on my list, and encourage them to sign up for things that they want to bring. I ask that they respond back to me with their selection, so I can control who brings what so that I avoid three sweet potato casseroles and have no one bringing pumpkin pies, etc. I luckily have a large basement so I can set up tables and chairs for all 40 attendees. I also have a second fully-outfitted kitchen in the basement, which means I have a total of three full-size ovens to handle the backing/roasting pretty effortlessly. They KEY recommendation I can make is to clean out your refrigerator a few days before your Thanksgiving meal to accommodate all of the delicious goodies that will soon fill your tummy.

 

[BadGirl]

Fellow control freak here

I kind of feel like if I'm throwing the shindig, I get to choose the menu. And there are some folks I will trust to bring a tasty dish, and others who...yeah, pick up a bag of ice, will ya?

But I also like to cook, and am a single person, so parties are the only time I get to really indulge my Inner Ina and cook up a storm. This is terrible, but if other people want to show off their mad cooking skillz, THEY should throw a party.

Is that bad?

Thank you for allowing me to bring "my" cake to your last get-together.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Okay, so you are a hermit with no friends and my post merely reminded you of that.



I was surprised at the enthusiasm when I threw my first Orphan's Thanksgiving. There are an awful lot of singles and small families who don't want to do the whole turkey day thing for just them, but it kind of sucks sitting at home alone with a frozen meal on Thanksgiving.

My mother and aunt decided to do this one year. They knew several men who spent their Thanksgiving at a bar because they had no where else to go. My mother spoke with the man who managed the bar and suggested having a dinner there for those who had no place to go. He agreed and opened the kitchen up to us. That was a great Thanksgiving and everyone enjoyed the dinner.

 

[mamatutu]

My mother and aunt decided to do this one year. They knew several men who spent their Thanksgiving at a bar because they had no where else to go. My mother spoke with the man who managed the bar and suggested having a dinner there for those who had no place to go. He agreed and opened the kitchen up to us. That was a great Thanksgiving and everyone enjoyed the dinner.

I love your story. It is what Thanksgiving is all about!

 

[vraiblonde]

My mother and aunt decided to do this one year. They knew several men who spent their Thanksgiving at a bar because they had no where else to go. My mother spoke with the man who managed the bar and suggested having a dinner there for those who had no place to go. He agreed and opened the kitchen up to us. That was a great Thanksgiving and everyone enjoyed the dinner.

Love it!

 

[ArkRescue]

My mother and aunt decided to do this one year. They knew several men who spent their Thanksgiving at a bar because they had no where else to go. My mother spoke with the man who managed the bar and suggested having a dinner there for those who had no place to go. He agreed and opened the kitchen up to us. That was a great Thanksgiving and everyone enjoyed the dinner.

That is heartwarming <G>.

It's a waste of time/effort for me to make a big meal anymore. I eat about 6 or 7 spoonfuls and I'm full, so it has to be about doing it for others. Otherwise, I can eat a turkey sandwich and be full in 10 minutes.

 

[Railroad]

I've been invited to a dear friend's house for Thanksgiving, so my turkey will roost in the freezer until Christmas, when I reciprocate by providing the meal at my place for all of them. I should bring something with me on Thanksgiving, but the menu's already full. There's still time to negotiate, however, so we'll see.

 

[ArkRescue]

I've been invited to a dear friend's house for Thanksgiving, so my turkey will roost in the freezer until Christmas, when I reciprocate by providing the meal at my place for all of them. I should bring something with me on Thanksgiving, but the menu's already full. There's still time to negotiate, however, so we'll see.

That's nice! Be sure to share the turkey with Pie

I purchased 2 gourmet desserts (1 is a cake and the other a pie) from a friend's daughter's school fundraiser (she always supports our rescue fundraisers). They are in the freezer. One will be for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas.