Thanksgiving dinner for 7??? Me cooking??!!?

Question

Please, does anybody know of any traditional and interesting starters or side dishes I could serve with the lovely turkey for Thanksgiving dinner?

Answer 1

cool. there are 7 people in my family too; and we ALL pitch in to help with cooking. my mom prepare the turkey, me & 4 sis make the corn, garlic bread, mash potatoe, salad (turkey salad yum!), we normally buy a pumpkin pie & beverages. =) i love thanksgiving!!

Answer 2

Feta Cheese Foldovers

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 egg, beaten
1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a small bowl, blend feta cheese, green onions, and egg. Cut pastry into 12 (3 inch) squares. Place a mounded tablespoon of feta mixture in the center of each square. Moisten edges with water, and fold pastry over filling to form a triangle. Press edges together firmly with a fork to seal. Lightly brush pastries with the egg yolk mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

****

You might also do spinich artichoke dip, or roasted pumpkin seeds, or a nice bread with special butter (apple, honey, etc.).

Seven people isn't a lot... so you'll have the opportunity to try things out.

Answer 3

We make turkey, dressing, mashed potato's, green bean casserole, corn, turkey gravy, cranberry salad or cranberry jelly and dinner rolls.Desert is pumpkin pie, and pecan pie.
Except for the turkey and rolls you can prepare all these items the day before and just toss in oven or microwave.Saves you a lot of hassle on thanksgiving day.

Answer 4

If you are preparing all of the food, who says that it has to be home made? I love to cook, but you can save major time and sanity if you buy dishes that are prepackaged. Sweet potatoes are easy, buy the canned, pour in baking dish with cinnamon, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Or bake sweet potatoes, and let the guest garnish as pleased. Broccoli and cheese casserole is another option, and easy to make. Also, buy frozen roles that you let rise, then bake for 10 minutes.

Answer 5

Roasted Turkey
sidings: mashed potatoes w/ gravy ^_^

Answer 6

I can't imagine needing starters, but Rachel Ray recommends a crudite tray. (fresh veggies with dip). Last year I started with a bellini for everyone.

We always have corn bread dressing, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, green beans, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, tossed salad and pumpkin pie.

Answer 7

I wish we had Thanksgiving in England. Do Chestnut stuffing and Sweet Potato mash. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Answer 8

only 7? omg, you are so lucky, we have to cook for 10 aunts and uncles, 23 cousins, 5 grandparents, and my family of 4, sooo . , but we have a rather large family. Try martha stewarts website, she has a lot of cool pretty looking dish ideas.

Answer 9

we have always had a cheese and cracker platter,,celery sticks with cream cheese, or peanut butter,
side dishes
green bean casserole
mashed potato's
butter nut squash
stuffing
cranberry sauce

Answer 10

A wonderfully easy Three Fish Paté, followed by succulent Watercroft Chicken and tantalising Hot Passion Soufflés, this is a dinner party menu worth shouting about

Three Fish Paté
A recipe that looks almost too unassuming and easy but it’s worth its weight in gold, this paté is one of those store cupboard recipes that can be put together in no time. Served spooned up in a swirl, in individual ramekins it looks as though you’ve really tried, and tastes like it too, especially if served with hot bread. Any left over makes rather superior picnic sandwiches for an outdoor event.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
1 120g tin sardines in oil
1 50g tin anchovies in oil
1 185g tin tuna in oil
Juice of 1 lemon
6 oz (175g) soft butter
Small handful of fresh parsley sprigs
12 sprigs of fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Empty the contents of the tins of sardines and anchovies, including the oil, into a processor. Discard the oil from the tin of tuna then add the fish to the processor, followed by the lemon juice, butter, parsley, half the dill and some pepper.

Process until smooth, then taste and add a little salt if needed.

Spoon the mixture into a serving dish or individual dishes, cover and put in the fridge until about 2 hours before serving. Remove the paté and leave it at room temperature to soften to a spreading consistency.

Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill before serving.

The pat̩ can be made for up to 3 days ahead Рand kept in the fridge. It can be frozen in one large serving dish or individual ones. Cover it tightly with foil and seal inside a plastic bag, label and freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge.


Watercroft Chicken

Definitely a family favourite and also good enough for a dinner party – we think this is a special recipe.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
For the Mushroom Farci
5oz (150g) button mushrooms, finely chopped
½ oz (10g) butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1oz (25g) breadcrumbs
1 small egg, beaten (you may not need all of it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lime marmalade
1oz (25g) butter
6 chicken breasts, boneless and skin on

For the sauce
Juice of 1 lime
200ml carton full fat crème fraiche
A lot of freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Chop the mushrooms by hand, meanwhile melt the butter, add the shallot, cook for about a minute, cover and transfer to the simmering oven for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, toss them quickly in the butter and shallot mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat, add the breadcrumbs and egg and season well (do not add all the egg if it seems too wet). Leave it all to cool.

Put the marmalade into a small saucepan on simmering plate, as it begins to dissolve add the butter and stir well until it’s all combined.

To stuff the chicken breasts, carefully lift the skin down one side and, using a teaspoon, push the stuffing underneath then fold the skin back. Place the 6 chicken breasts comfortably in a small roasting tin and spoon the butter and marmalade mixture over the top.

Slide the tin onto the top set of runners in the roasting oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a warmed serving dish using a slotted spoon and keep it warm while making the sauce.

Scrape all the bits from the side of the roasting tin, add the crème fraiche and lime juice and stir well, transfer it to the floor of the roasting oven for about 5 minutes until bubbling. Add the parsley, season to taste and serve it with the chicken.

To cook in a conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6 and cook the chicken for about 20-25 minutes until it’s tender. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and keep them warm, add the crème fraiche and lime juice to the tin and boil it on the hob, stirring continuously. Season to taste.


Hot Passion Soufflés

Very impressive and not nearly as difficult as you may think. Don’t over cook them – they want to be soft in the centre. Use orange juice from the carton – the sort you’d keep in the fridge for breakfast. They can be made and left in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You’ll need to cook them for 2 minutes longer – but don’t expect such an impressive rise.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
8 large passion fruits
About 1/4 pint (150 ml) orange juice
4oz (100g) caster sugar
3 eggs separated
1 rounded teaspoon (5ml) cornflour

Method
Generously butter the inside of 6 size 1 (1/4 pint) ramekins.

Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out the pulp, then sieve it into a measuring jug. Make it up to 7½ fl oz (225ml) with orange juice.

Slake the cornflour with a small amount of orange juice. Heat the fruit juice, add the cornflour and, stirring continually, bring it to the boil allow it to thicken.

Whisk the egg whites on full speed with an electric whisk, until they’re like cloud. Gradually add the sugar a teaspoon at a time, still whisking on maximum speed, to make it stiff and glossy. Beat the egg yolks into the thickened fruit juice. Mix in one spoonful of meringue and finally fold in the remaining meringue.

Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins and fill them to the top. Level the surface and run the point of a teaspoon around the edge, pushing the mixture slightly inwards – this will allow it to rise evenly.

Gently transfer the ramekins to a small roasting tin, pour in boiling water till it fills half way up the ramekin dishes. Bake on a grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for 8 minutes. Dust them with icing sugar and serve at once. The centre should still be slightly soft.

To cook in a conventional oven
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7 in the centre of the oven for about 8 minutes until they’re risen and slightly soft in the centre.