Thxgiving & Christmas- same dishes each year?

I'm curious: do you have the same menu of dishes for each Thanksgiving and then Christmas? Of course each event dinner might have a different menu. But does that menu per dinner, change in your household?

I'm amazed from knowing some people personally, who have the SAME menu every year for every Thanksgiving or Christmas. In our family, part of the enjoyable fun is looking forward to some new dishes on the menu or at least dishes different from previous year. But for some folks it's..roast turkey, roast or mashed potatoes, same stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.

Last year I swore it was the last time I baked a turkey. No one likes turkey in our family. No matter how full of butter and sauce...my turkey was always too dry. This year we are going out to eat, and everyone orders what they want. whew.

But we do have our traditional Christmas dinner, and that for the last 25 yrs. or so. We have a fondue with different salads, garlic bread, and about 15 different sauces to dunk the filet pieces in. OMG, I just drooled over the key board.

Fondue is yummers! What do you have for dessert at Christmas? Something different each year?

As for turkey, I can count on 2 hands for the total number of times during my 50 yr. lifespan so far, of having turkey for either thxgiving or Christmas. I've had some good turkey but I don't cook it myself at home when it has been my turn to host/entertain at my home for everyone else.

Too many other good centrepiece entree recipes in this world if turkey doesn't work /isn't enjoyed much by family.

We had turkey every Christmas and Thanksgiving for my entire life, until I married hubby. Neither he or any of his family like turkey very much, so every year it was a major pain to have to fight to have my turkey dinner. Finally I gave up after Gary died and haven't had a good turkey dinner in about 3 years. Now we have fondue for Christmas dinner, which admittedly is much easier and requires a lot less time in the kitchen...which the grandchildren prefer. My granddaughter told me a few weeks ago that she doesn't like it when we have to be in the kitchen the whole time they're visiting...she prefers it when we can get down on the floor and play with them. So we try to do suppers that can be done mostly ahead of time, so that on Christmas Day itself, we can spend most of the time with the children.

But I do miss my turkey. It's no good doing one just for hubby and me, especially since he doesn't much like it. So we'll sometimes do a big roast chicken with all the trimmings, it's almost the same (and juicier).

I have my own pet memories of certain family dishes which I have not yet mastered. And perhaps some dishes will always remain memories. I do execute some dishes that are specifically my mother's invention. That has greater meaning to me than a turkey.

But also there are some new dishes that have become our home specialty since I began to know my partner. Such dishes are not aligned with any holiday celebration dinner. They are each our own inventions and hence, this becomes "special" for us. I might post some pics later on.

Glad you have found the fondue is something the grandchildren look forward to for Christmas.

Eagle you might try just buying and roasting one turkey breast, all white meat and enough left over for sandwiches or salad. This way you get your turkey and everyone else is happy too. Plus they sell turkey breast all year long so it can be eaten anytime... I do that for myself because I like having it around for sandwiches and can't abide that pressed crap sold in most deli's.

I posted a dessert for Chocolate Trifle right before this one if anyone is interested in a scrumptous and easy holiday dessert.

Oop's almost forgot the question asked. Orchid for Thanksgiving it's always a free range turkey, no preservatives or triptofan. Then for Christmas it's either a leg of lamb or prime rib roast with all the trimmings. Then on New Years Eve I make a huge spagetti and meat ball and italian sausage dinner, with italian salad and garlic bread. It's Spumoni ice cream over biscotti's for dessert. I think I just gained a pound writing this out...

That's a good idea, Chatty. I'm hoping that my stepdaughter will come sometime before Christmas...she loves a good Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, so we could have one when she comes and then split the leftovers with her.

Years ago when the whole family used to come for the week between Christmas and New Year's, we used to have two Christmas meals...the 25th was always turkey, the 26th (when my brother and his family were arriving but never knew exactly when) we'd have a big pot of spaghetti (which everyone loved) and then we'd have a big spiral ham dinner on the 27th as our second Christmas. Then when everyone left, usually on the 31st in the afternoon, we just had leftovers of everything for the next week so that we didn't have to cook!

I'm getting hungry reading this post and I just ate breakfast not too long ago.

Our Thanksgiving has turned into a Huge Family Cook-Off.

The count is now 26 people and all are aged 21 and over, except for one grand-niece who is four.

This is our third year with everyone bringing something. It has quickly become a competition with the 20 and 30-somethings finding recipes online, etc. There will be five prizes this year. Never done prizes before, but thought it would be fun to have everyone vote.

I make the traditional turkey and a few typical side dishes, but everything else is a free for all.

We have a big family email list with everyone signing up for, and commenting on everyone's else's dishes. Wwo's going to vote for whom, etc. It's a hoot.

One email was from my 23 year-old niece who doesn't cook. How can you be 23 and not cook? Anyway said, "You all know I don't cook:... so she's making pumpkin shooters dipped in graham cracker crumbs - her own recipe. Anything goes.

My oldest son, who loves to cook sent this email:

"I'll make either beef or pork tenderloin to offset the usually dry turkey."

I could have reached through the computer screen and smacked him, but it was all for my benefit because I always make the dry turkey that gets covered in gravy and cranberry sauce. Everyone thought it was hysterical and then there were comments about Aunt Dotsie's turkey not being dry. I heard they were called kiss-ups!

It's all been great fun.

One nephew is a big fisherman. Last year he made sauteed rock fish bites that were yummy. Never had them before. He's talking about making crab soup this year. Another one made Bang Bang Shrimp from BoneFish Grill restaurant. He got the recipe online.

I guess the best part of this is that we've broken tradition and it's turned out to be the best tradition breaker ever.

Hoping everyone has someone they love to spend the holiday with. If not, you can come here.

Dotsie, this sounds like out of a story book. I bet your film maker son will be taking some great videos. Hey! maybe he can post them in You-Tube!

Oh,...and it made me very happy to read that you have a dry turkey too! These turkey's need Di's cocunut cream!

EW, the sad part of the whole holiday is that my filmmaker son will not be able to make it. He's touring the country with a band until December 7th doing behind the scenes video for a documentary. The band, techs and he are all off, but not one of them is going home. Wah! He'll be between Minneapolis MN and Milwaukee, WI.

I have a feeling it will be a fun one for him too.
Can you imagine spending Thanksgiving dinner with three bands, their managers, techs, etc? The band he is with is touring with two other bands so I'm sure they'll do something memorable.

ATTENTION DRY TURKEY COOKERS

I will tell you how to have the juiciest turkey ever just as mine are every year.

First buy one of those clear cooking bags.

Seal your turkey inside, no need to baste, they are self-basting.

Always cook turkeys (and chickens) breast down so the juice settles in the breast meat which is always the dryest.

When done and nice and brown, remove from oven and allow to sit BEFORE slicing!!! If bird is under 20 pounds allow to sit/REST for 20 minutes then slice as usual.

If over 20 pounds it must sit/REST for 35 minutes.

This is how the "great chef's" do it, and me too, my turkeys are famous for their moistness.

Thanks, Chatty Lady! I'll give it a try! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Chatty where were you to tell me this 30 years ago? Now I HAVE to try again. You made me do it.
Dotsie, tobad your son won't be spending Xmas with you. Funny you can have crowds of family together, but when one child is missing, that's what stands out in a mother's heart.

Switched to original title, so that this whole thread is not always just about turkey. After all, a large part of the world, does not eat turkey for their annual 'Thanksgiving', even though most cultures traditionally do have an annual form of celebration for the harvest.

My family ..in Toronto has had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for past 15 years, similar to Dotsie's potluck style, minus the turkey. (Although some of my sisters hosted and provided a turkey for 3-4 different Christmases or Thxgivings. Believe me, we just ate it without too much fanfare. It doesn't generate a super amount of excitement in my family...after going to lavish Chinese banquets in our childhood.) It's lots of fun. Less tiring and time-demanding on the host. As well, the host for a big family, is not stuck constantly in the kitchen, missing out on the party social chat.

A typical guest list size, for past few years with all spouses and their children plus children's partners, means 22 people of just family. And that's excluding myself and my partner who now live in British Columbia. I have over 60 relatives living in Greater Metro Toronto.

Now my mother does find it abit tiring to spend 5-6 hrs. in the kitchen. She now must sit down to even wash a big load of dishes. They don't have a dishwashing machine. For a party that size, it's alot of dishes. They will not spend money to buy paper plates. (They have a small pension) My father helps her as he always had since he retired.

I look forward to simply thoughtfully planned, delicious, diverse and creative menus to the Thanksgivings and Christmases ahead. I always relish in menu surprises.

Good food shared with good friends and family can't be beat no matter what they/you might be serving. I just love having everybody together for a really fun time. Sometimes a "pot luck" is the best way, that way there is such a variety there is something for everyones taste buds.

This is funny because I once cooked my turkey upside down. Ross basted it off and on, and it wasn't until he went to carve it that we relaized it was upside down. We thought it was the juiciest turkey we'd ever made, and now I know it must have been. I often thought about trying it again. It made sense to me that all the juice would go to the top. Now I know for sure. Thanks chatty.

My ex is making his own turkey all for and by himself. I told him to buy a clear plastic cooking bag for it. Now if he puts it breasts down into the bag and puts it into an aluminim tray in the oven he won't have to baste or even look at it plus those bags cut an hour off cooking time and the turkeys fall off the bones they are so moist.

I got a call last Thanksgiving from the Head of the Nursing Home I use to go and cook for and she said they hadn't had a good turkey since I left and could I tell her how my turkeys were always so moist. I told her what to have their new chef do and she called me a few days after Thanksgiving and thanked me. She said she cooked her own turkey for her family the way I said and they were shocked that her usually dry turkey was so moist and good. It's such an easy couple of things to do too!!!

How others celebrate the holidays with or without turkey and have an enjoyable dinner:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=35754

Turkey in North America, isn't as widespread as one might think in some social circles (where the people aren't affiliated with any religion or even as a Christian, they choose other foods).

It's not a dilution of turkey tradition, it's what a family defines most positively as a tradition for their foods.

We won't do a turkey for Christmas. While it's a tradition for many, we've decided it really isn't our favorite meal. I think we're having beef tenderloin, but I'm leaving that up to my oldest son and Ross. They're in charge of Christmas dinner this year.

What's everyone having for Christmas dinner?

Thats why we decided on doing the buffet route because we can have all kinds of foods, Oriental, Italian, American, Hispanic, even Mongolian, and whatever else the chefs prepare. It is a dining festival of fabulously fine foods. Everyone has his/her favorites, AND no dishes to do afterwards...

For the past five or six years (since our girls have grown and formed their own little tribes), we have mixed our meals up. This year we are having our steak dinner, steaks with baked potatoes, mixed greens, organic salad, pink ambrosia, and everyone is bringing the dessert of their choice. Others of our dinner mix are taco dinners and BBQ dinners. Hubby wanted to do a fish fry this year, but it is suppose to rain, and to fry enough fish for our fam, it'd need to be done outside.
This evolved because it was getting harder and harder to go through the 'turkey ordeal.' Even though there are shorter ways of 'doing,' it still takes so much time to create a 'turkey' dinner. Accept for the cooking together part of it, the rest is tiring. And, we found the heavy duty prep and cook usually ended up with one unit or one person in the family. With our mix, we all share the work and purchases more easily. It works for us.
I've been saying for years that we all need to meet at a cafeteria... but, as my girls tell me, that's not fair for the grands... they need to experience us gathering together at someone's home for the holidays. I agree, of course... which makes me sad for those who don't have families to gather with, or places to gather if they do have families. It is such an important component of the season. Give me my family with cheese and crackers and I'll be fine.

Excuse me but don't your girls know that no matter where you gather for a meal, in someones home, a restaurant, casino or cafeteria, you all sit down and eat together, so whats the big deal. I bet the littler kids couldn't care less so long as they eat... Maybe you need to announce that this year we are.....and you make the plans!

It's a compliment gims, that your daughters do want their children to experience holiday sharing and celebrating at a family member's.

Perhaps not for Christmas yet, but for other family special occasion dinners, is to suggest a buffet like restaurant with lots of choice.

It takes awhile for adult children to get used to the idea of switching from any good home-based holiday meal with extended family to a restaurant establishment. It might be better off to get people used to the idea by choosing a different type of event for a restaurant-based meal with large extended family. And trying this alternative could be done intermittedly, not for all special family dinners.

We are having Italian Beef, ham, potato casserole, glazed carrots, other side dishes.... and red cake for dessert.

gims, good for your kids to want to keep the tradition alive.

As far as eating out goes, I think the adults who don't like to cook so much enjoy it, but little kids don't like it because they can't run around, play with their toys, and have fun. It's hard to expect little ones to sit still on Christmas day.

We had out big Christmas party last night. Approximately 75 family and freinds came throughout the evening. We were up until 3:00. That's a first. Our last guests left around 1:00, then some of the young kids who were staying here were up until 3:00 so we stayed up and laughed at all their antics. All of us are in slow gear today, but since everything is finished, it doesn't matter.

This Christmas is different because it was our first party where neither of our dad's attended. Not one person for the Greatest Generation was at our party. Very weird, and a bit sad. There were also no little children running around either. Just lots of 20 somethings and their paretns enjoying the Christmas cheer and getting to see everyone who is in town for the holidays.

Christmas day will be different too. We're going to try to bring my FIL here for lunch, but we'll see if he's up for it. If not, the five of us will visit him together. My dad is not coming out on Christmas day so this is the first time we haven't had Christmas dinner with Dad in over 20 years. Lots of traditions going out the window as parents age.

Ross and my 24 year-old son are making dinner. Yahoo. I'll clean everything up and won't mind a bit. It's just fun to mix things up a bit. They're making beef tenderloin with Bernaisse sauce, pototoes, asparagus and salad. Yum. My mouth's watering just thinking about it.

What's everyone else doing, and having?

Even thougth I prefer to go to a Christmas buffet for Christmas dinner, I always have a ham, a beef roast, and a small turkey cooked and available in case someone shows up Christmas Eve, or Christmas day. I make potato salad and bake as well. This year my ex did all the baking and did a really good job with my step by step directions.

I have no small kids at home but when we were small growing up and went to our grandparents homes Christmas day we were allowed to open our gifts Christmas morning and could take one each when we went visiting. Then when we got home we had the rest of our toys to play with. I can remember though wanting to get home...

Our big meal is always on Christmas Eve. Now for this year it's (always different, which makes it fun):
smoked salmon, avocado sushi; veggie sushi
roasted fennel soup with dried cranberries and hazelnuts
mixed green salad
seared scallop with goat cheese over toasted bread rounds with green pea sauce (yes, I know. Different. But it works!)
panfried halibut with pine nuts and herbs
lobster pieced sauteed in butter
sauteed squash with ginger root, onion, garlic and mushrooms
carmelized onion and mushrooms in puff pastry shells with roasted pears (in cinnamon, star anise..this whole recipe is his invention)
pinoir wine & gertwitzimner white wine
purchased bakery cake: chocolate, coffee buche noel (roll)

We had ours last night, also. And the steaks couldn't have come out more perfect. The whole meal was awesome...! It was so filling, none of us dug into the sweets, as usually occurs, even though they looked so inviting.