I'm looking for something different to add to our traditional Thanksgiving dinner, any ideas?!?

Answer 1

I put a seafood spin on our last Thanksgiving (We're on the Pacific Ocean) and went with some crabmeat stuffed mushroom appetizers and an oyster stuffing for the turkey.

It's kind of like a wedding: you can't deviate too far from tradition or the old folks get cranky, just add a few of your own touches to make it more personal, like making your own cranberry sauce from scratch..

Answer 2

Paula Deen's Corn Casserole
We've added this dish to our thanksgiving dinner and now it has become a tradition. It's easy to make and incorporates indigenous corn making it a perfect addition to an Thanksgiving Dinner.

One 15 1/4 Ounce whole kernel corn, drained
One 14 3/4 Ounce Can Cream Style Corn
One 8- Ounce Package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Stick Melted Butter

In a large bowl combine ingredients, Pour into greased casserole. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden.

Answer 3

A south American friend showed me how to make
Peruvian Drunken Turkey. It's an overnight brine soak-
Get one of those very large plastic food containers that restaurants buy bulk pickles in Actually, if you do it soon, you could call a local restaurant and ask if they will save you one so you can marinade a turkey in it.

Take your thawed turkey and put into the cleaned out plastic tub.

Now take several bottles of cheap wine- mix it up-red, white whatever. Pour it over the turkey in the bucket until it covers it completely. ( of course you will have to figure out what size tyurkey fits in what size bucket!)

Add turkey seasonings and salt to the water and you can even add some flavored vinegar- like pear-maybe one or two cups. This is a brine type marinade. Cover the plastic bin with stretch wrap liek stretch and seal and leave it over night. The next day- VERY CAREFULLY- life the turkey out of the brine and place it in your raosting pan and cook it. You won't need stuffing, but I always put an apple and an onion inside anyway. This is the MOST tender and flavorful turkey I have ever had!

Why I say be careful removing itfrom the brine... My very own Thanksgiving horror story:

After doing the Drunken Peruvian Turkey soak overnight, I went to remove the turkey and didn't have a good grip on it. This 14 pound bird fell back down into the brine and like and Olympic diver, made a splash straight up and cover my ceiling with wine, spices and vinegar. You can imagine my "joy" as I stood there with this brine dripping down onto my hair and clothing and 16 people arrving at my house for a meal in just a few hours. We did a quick clean up for that day but we had to repaint our ceiling as the wine stained it bad enough to be permanent.
Idea- take the bucket and your roasting pan outside for removal and/or have someone help you out. The amazing falvor is totally worth the adventure.

Answer 4

If you don't want to use turkey, try a 4lb roasting chicken or more if your family is big. Chop 8-10 cloves of garlic,add salt & use a fork to mash into a paste, add a generous amount of thyme to the mix. Then using 1 finger,loosen the skin slightly, breast & back, work the mixture through (even the legs) & some on the inside cavity. Roast about 1hr 15 mins or so at 350, cool & cut as desired. Use pan drippings to make gravy, thicken with cornstarch if preferred.

Answer 5

I found that I really like aspargus and phyillo (fillo) dough (the dough for baklava). The dough can be found in the frozen fridge pastry section. You take a sheet of the dough and brush with melted butter and sprinkly with parmesan cheese. Cut the bottom off the aspagus and then roll one or two in the dough. Repeat until all aparagus is used. Then you pour the remaining butter on top and sprinkly with more cheese. Bake until golden brown. Yum.

Answer 6

Try roasted beets with red roasted peppers and green peppers too in a acorn squash bowl. I love this and all you need is a little olive oil and butter mixture, salt and pepper, with a dash of brown sugar to roast them in. Roast the beets and peppers separately and then steam the acorn squash until the inside is tender, but the outside is still somewhat raw. Scoop out and slightly mash some of the inside and mix in the beets and peppers. Serve in the acorn bowls. It helps to cut a flat at the bottom of the acorn squash so they don't tilt or roll. Top with walnuts.

Answer 7

Hi i am not sure what your traditional dinner fixings are ? but, if it is turkey, mashed potatoes gravy dressing and cranberrys sauce, and rolls, we somtimes add a green salad or veggie we also have with ours some yams sweet though. we also add a ham too if we really want to be different.. wish i could help more ..

Answer 8

I know families that like to have Macaroni and Cheese with their Thanksgiving dinner. Its got to be home made though.

Answer 9

Try something from the first Thanksgiving meal

components of the first thanksgiving were wheat, Indian corn, barley, peas, waterfowl (probably ducks, but possibly swans), deer, and fish.

sweet potatoes, cranberries, marshmallows - none of these things were around then.

Answer 10

Eat the food that was eaten most after you first moved out of your parents' house to commemorate your own personal pilgrimage to the New World.

I'll probably be having Jeno's pizzas along with my Thanksgiving turkey drumstick this year. *lol*