Twenty-two. That's how many days we have before the Thanksgiving holiday arrives. While we should display gratitude on a daily basis and I do post my weekly Thankful Thursday posts here on the blog, Thanksgiving Day for me and my family is day to reflect back over our year and the things that we're MOST thankful for. Let's face it, there are bigger moments that stick out more than others.
Another reason, I look forward to Thanksgiving every year is the food! It's no secret that I enjoy being the kitchen (and eating) and whipping up tasty meals. Usually I keep things simple, lite with a hint of Southern flavors. However, the holidays give me an excuse to go a bit over the top. So, today I'm sharing my unofficial (because there may or may not be more dish additions later) Thanksgiving dinner menu.
This year I wanted to try something different and actually serve our Thanksgiving meal in courses. Our past tradition has been to pretty much stack everything one plate, plop down in front of the television and watch all the different parades. Then, once the parades end and the Hallmark movies start, we refill our plates with seconds. I've heard that change is good and want to switch it up a bit by trying a traditional sit-down-at-the-dinner-table style meal minus the television this year. Now let's talk about the eats!
Appetizers
I chose the garden salad as our appetizer because it's one dish that we can all eat. Not to mention, Moo and I LOVE salad like nobody's business. A few years ago we actually took a 30-day salad challenge where we substituted one meal a day for a salad. Plus, I'll feel better about us pigging out on an appetizer that is actually healthy. I'll be having cheddar cheese on my salad. Moo will more likely have a veggie Parmesan cheese on hers.
JJ has sensory issues with certain foods (lefty greens being one of them), but I'll let him try some salad and see how it goes. He's made good progress with other foods, I'm hoping we'll have good luck with the salad on Thanksgiving. I'm also toying with the idea of making my own Italian dressing this year. Originally, I wanted to be out of the box and go with onion rings for an appetizer, but I couldn't think of anything else that met all the kids' food allergies restrictions to pair with them.
Entrée
What would a traditional Thanksgiving dinner be without a nice juicy turkey?! I haven't completely worked out the ingredients for my turkey seasoning, but I know I'll be combining herbs and lemon juice. Moo and the Mr can't have Thanksgiving dinner without their mashed potatoes, collard greens, or stuffing. Those are items they HAVE to have every year. The cheddar mac is for the Mr and I. I might make a mini batch of gluten-free soy mac for Moo if we can find a good soy cheddar that she likes.
There's a brand that my mom gets from the Walmart back in my hometown that Moo likes, but they don't carry it on a regular basis there or here. We've experimented with a few others and they were just okay. I don't really want to her settling for okay cheddar mac because macaroni is one of those dishes you really have to do right or not do it at all. So, I'll be hitting up Publix this week and checking out their soy cheese selections.
Cornbread muffins (gluten-free) are a must for the kids. The Mr and I will be having crescent rolls or biscuits in addition to the muffins. I still haven't decided. Either way there will be no shortage of breads come Thanksgiving. You may have noticed that there's no cranberry sauce on the menu. It's not a mistake. I just can't get down with canned cranberry sauce and I'm not a pro at making it from scratch. So we don't bother with it.
Cooking has by far been one of the best ways to get Moo to let her guard down and let the conversation flow freely. We'll be getting fancy this year serving it with our favorite vanilla flavored soy ice cream.
Well that's it for our Thanksgiving menu for now. Stay tuned to the YUMMommy Facebook page to see what the final menu will be on Thanksgiving Day. I'm sure I'll be posting tons of pictures as we cook Thanksgiving Eve.
There's a brand that my mom gets from the Walmart back in my hometown that Moo likes, but they don't carry it on a regular basis there or here. We've experimented with a few others and they were just okay. I don't really want to her settling for okay cheddar mac because macaroni is one of those dishes you really have to do right or not do it at all. So, I'll be hitting up Publix this week and checking out their soy cheese selections.
Cornbread muffins (gluten-free) are a must for the kids. The Mr and I will be having crescent rolls or biscuits in addition to the muffins. I still haven't decided. Either way there will be no shortage of breads come Thanksgiving. You may have noticed that there's no cranberry sauce on the menu. It's not a mistake. I just can't get down with canned cranberry sauce and I'm not a pro at making it from scratch. So we don't bother with it.
Dessert
Making sweet potato pie from scratch together with Moo is another Thanksgiving tradition we'll be continuing. I treasure my moments in the kitchen with her. She's learning a valuable skill that she will one day pass down to her children along with all of my secret ingredients. And I get to bond with her. You'd be amazed at the things you can learn from your children once they get to chatting.Cooking has by far been one of the best ways to get Moo to let her guard down and let the conversation flow freely. We'll be getting fancy this year serving it with our favorite vanilla flavored soy ice cream.
Well that's it for our Thanksgiving menu for now. Stay tuned to the YUMMommy Facebook page to see what the final menu will be on Thanksgiving Day. I'm sure I'll be posting tons of pictures as we cook Thanksgiving Eve.
What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
I love how simple your menu is and I definitely love the idea of serving it by course. My mom does that as she is very formal but the rest of us just plop it all down.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find a great soy cheddar and that your son enjoys the salad.