What do you Americans eat for Thanksgiving??

13

Replies

  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    edited November 2015
    Turkey with all the fixings for thanksgiving. Honestly on X-mas we usually take it easy, as we have to work the next day so we just kind of relax maybe a ham in the oven, or maybe just order out. For Us (our family) thanksgiving is the biggest dinner of the year. Again xmas is more low keyed for my family anyways.


    I personally like a good cooked Ham much better than Turkey but I love the home made dressing that cooks inside the turkey.

    Apple Pie for us is our favorite. Along with the rolls, corn, sweet potatos. Usually a variety of pies.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited November 2015
    altygirl wrote: »
    Oh and my first taste of pumpkin pie was a big disappointment! I'm not sure what I expected .... I bake one if the family want one but they're just as likely to ask for an apple pie or apple crumble.

    I had never had a pumpkin pie made from a fresh pumpkin until I was an adult. I could not believe how different it tasted from a pie made with canned pumpkin, which I have never liked. I love a fresh pumpkin pie.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    Thanksgiving is usually turkey, dressing (not stuffing), potatoes 2 ways (white and sweet), green bean casserole, some sort of salad, yeast rolls, croissants, pumpkin pie, pecan (pronounced PEE-CAN :) ) pie, apple pie, and pumpkin cheesecake (recent addition within the last 5 years).

    Christmas is usually much the same, except we have ham. Christmas dinners vary in America as many people follow OLD family traditions. I know many Swedes, Germans, Scandinavians who would never dream of eating ham for Christmas dinner, let alone have their big meal on Christmas night. Super stereotypical, all of my Jewish friends eat Chinese food on Christmas :)
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Some years it's turkey and all the previously mentioned fixins. Other years we have North Carolina style bbq, coleslaw, baked beans, and cornbread.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    Turkey
    Stuffing
    Green bean casserole
    Candied carrots
    Sweet potato mash
    Mashed potatoes
    Gravy
    Hawaiian sweet rolls
    Salad

    Dessert: apple crisp with vanilla ice cream is usually our go to.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited November 2015
    When I was a kid Christmas dinner and Thanksgiving were basically the same. Now they are different--I've tried to create different traditions for Christmas (currently it's usually prime rib).

    Thanksgiving is:

    turkey
    mashed potatoes
    various sides including stuffing, roasted sweet potatoes, rolls, a vegetable involving cauliflower, broccoli, and cheese, roasted brussels sprouts, my fancy green beans (with dill and pine nuts), some sort of cranberry dish.

    Pies including pumpkin and apple.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    edited November 2015
    I'm cooking this year...there's 40 of us now in my extended family.

    Some of us get together the day before Thanksgiving and make home made cheese ravioli....yum! That's always our first course on thanksgiving.


    In addition to the ravioli, i'm making:

    Antipasto tray
    Crudites
    2-3 other apitizers

    2 turkeys (one fried, 1 roasted)
    turkey gravy
    Mashed potatoes
    2 types of Stuffing
    Baked sweet potatoes
    fresh green beans
    Steamed broccoli
    fresh dinner rolls
    Spinach salad
    Cranberry sauce

    Pumpkin pie
    apple pie
    Chocolate pie
    Brownies
    Chocolate mouse
    Fruit salad


    My sister will also bring a ham. I can't stand ham, so I refuse to cook one. But she loves it, so she brings it!

    We will have pretty much the same thing for Christmas, except we will swap out the ravioli with either lasagne or stuffed shells.

    Christmas eve is just my husband, our kids and his parents. I make prime rib, mashed potatoes, a veggie of some kind, bread rolls, and a couple desserts.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,954 Member
    Being Filipino, my family eats a lot of Filipino food that we don't eat a lot of on a regular basis.

    Dinaguan
    Lechon
    Sisig
    Palabok
    Kare kare
    Pinakbet

    And the assortment of desserts too. Since our family is big, we pot luck it and everyone is designated to bring a dish.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • KirstenSapp
    KirstenSapp Posts: 1 Member
    When you say rolls do you mean like bread buns?? Thats strange to me to have a bread bun with what we call "Sunday dinner". Also do you eat pumpkin pie or is that a stereotype??

    My family and I definitely eat pumpkin pie!
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    It's not fair, don't rub it in, we only get the excuse for slapup feasts and lots of goodies xmas and easter in the UK.

    Yes, it's not fair! It's difficult to get from October to January in this country with all the food feasts!

    Thank goodness for MFP. Knowing how much all these indulgence will cost you make it a lot easier to say no to the second slice of pie or whatever.

    My favorite item is Thanksgiving turkey and calorie-wise it's a pretty good deal so I've stopped dreading Thanksgiving. This year I figure if I fill up my plate (which I will steal from the kids table so it's not a huge one) with turkey and some green vegetables there will only be so much room for other stuff. Lol.



  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
    Our Christmas meal is a lot simpler then our Thanksgiving meal. But my week surrounding Christmas is crazy busy with 3 kids with birthdays (two on the 21st and one on the 27th,) I have to pace myself that week!

    Thanksgiving we have a turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, various roasted veggies and veggie dishes, homemade rolls with a couple of desserts. My husband prefers pumpkin bars (a bar cookie with cream cheese icing) so I make that instead of pie. All pumpkin delights are made with fresh pumpkin that I've processed, pureed and froze in October.

    Christmas we have a ham, and a couple of veggie base sides with rolls.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    dawnz75 wrote: »

    What do you do with your turkey leftovers?

    Hot browns. A piece of toast topped with leftover turkey and ham then cheese sauce (bechamel with shredded sharp cheddar) poured over the top and sprinkled with bacon. Totally calorific awesomeness!

    On the question of which is a bigger feast, Thanksgiving or Christmas, for my family the food is a much bigger deal at Thanksgiving. The feast is the celebration at Thanksgiving. At Christmas, there is food, but its not the focus.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    altygirl wrote: »
    Oh and my first taste of pumpkin pie was a big disappointment! I'm not sure what I expected .... I bake one if the family want one but they're just as likely to ask for an apple pie or apple crumble.

    I had never had a pumpkin pie made from a fresh pumpkin until I was an adult. I could not believe how different it tasted from a pie made with canned pumpkin, which I have never liked. I love a fresh pumpkin pie.

    i havent eaten any type of pumpkin yet, so intrigued how this pumpkin pie will taste. the other one intriguing me is peanut butter pie. I love peanut butter but not sure how that one will taste.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    this is all making me jealous! Sounds delicious!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Somewhere, someone asked about leftovers. My mom always made a variety of things she typically would make with chicken, but just used turkey instead: curry, tortilla soup, etc. And of course turkey and cranberry (or mashed potato) sandwiches.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    This is the first Thanksgiving that won't involve a big gathering with extended family and friends, and my wife has suggested going out to dinner. That would be kinda weird.
  • bluestarlight19
    bluestarlight19 Posts: 419 Member
    We have Italian on my dad's side that mixed with my mom's Irish so we get:

    (start just after noon or 1pm)

    First course:
    Salad
    Lasagna
    Meatballs
    Italian bread and butter

    Second course
    Turkey
    Rice stuffing
    Gravy
    Broccoli cheese bake
    Garlic mashed potatoes
    Cranberry sauce
    Black and spanish olives
    Any other foods someone wanted to bring or experiment with

    Dessert
    Tea and coffee
    Apple pie
    German chocolate pie
    Pumpkin pie
    Whipped cheese cake

    Christmas Dinner is more of a buffet style because its much bigger, a lot more people come.
    Its laid out and people grab a plate and then mingle more than a sit down dinner.

    Sweet kielbasa, ham with chutneys, pasta salad, mashed potatoes, salad, olives, bread rolls, crab cakes...um there is more I'm just forgetting it. Its usually way more about the people and seeing family that we don't normally get to see all year than the food at christmas dinner though.
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    edited November 2015
    I just hosted a friendsgiving dinner. Our menu was a mix of traditional and some new stuff thrown in.

    Turkey
    Turkey Gravy
    Ribs
    Stuffing
    Corn Bread
    King Hawaiian Rolls
    Macaroni and Cheese
    Rainbow Loaded Mashed Potatoes
    Green Bean Casserole
    Stuffed Pizza Bread
    Deviled Eggs
    Spinach Dip and Chips
    Pumpkin Cheese Cake
    Carrot Pound Cake
    Apple Cider
    Wine
    Beer

    Was a good time with friends before the big day :)
  • adbhmb
    adbhmb Posts: 37 Member
    The proper question is: "what don't Americans eat for Thanksgiving?"
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    Somewhere, someone asked about leftovers. My mom always made a variety of things she typically would make with chicken, but just used turkey instead: curry, tortilla soup, etc. And of course turkey and cranberry (or mashed potato) sandwiches.

    I buy some refrigerated pie crust (the kind you roll out) and throw all my leftovers in there to make thanksgiving pasties. Leftover sandwiches are tasty as well!
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    Depends on the family. For Thanksgiving it is usually much of the same:

    Turkey
    Mashed potatoes or/and Scalloped potatoes
    rolls of some kind
    homemade mac and cheese
    homemade chicken noodles or noodle dumplings
    A few different veggies
    A pumpkin roll or pie
    Apple pie and my in laws have rice krispy treats

    Christmas varies a lot and we have several spread out over a week or 2
    in laws are very much the same except last few yrs they have made a prime rib instead of turkey
    One of grandma's does a ham
    The other does either pasta dishes and Italian sausage or breakfast
    My mom usually does something small the day off.
    My dad does a different small dinner the weekend before.
  • nicolebaugh518
    nicolebaugh518 Posts: 20 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    When you say rolls do you mean like bread buns?? Thats strange to me to have a bread bun with what we call "Sunday dinner". Also do you eat pumpkin pie or is that a stereotype??

    Yeah. Most people eat pumpkin pie, but I don't find it appealing. I prefer sweet potato pie

    Can't stand either. This is why we always have 2 desserts: pumpkin pie and something else. The something else more often than not is apple or cranberry-apple pie. I'll probably make a cranberry cheesecake this year.

    Man, I want cheesecake this Thanksgiving.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,181 Member
    adbhmb wrote: »
    The proper question is: "what don't Americans eat for Thanksgiving?"

    I agree!! It is hard for me to understand the amount of food available during the holidays in some household. All that food shopping, prepping and washing make my head spin. My meals are and were always simple and with only 2 or "maybe" 3 sides dishes plus the cranberry and/or apple sauce. I never had appetizers with the exception of veggies and some dip, and desert was always a frozen yogurt and fruit pie, unless somebody brought something else. I got full just reading at some of the menus posted in this Forum.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    altygirl wrote: »
    Oh and my first taste of pumpkin pie was a big disappointment! I'm not sure what I expected .... I bake one if the family want one but they're just as likely to ask for an apple pie or apple crumble.

    I had never had a pumpkin pie made from a fresh pumpkin until I was an adult. I could not believe how different it tasted from a pie made with canned pumpkin, which I have never liked. I love a fresh pumpkin pie.

    i havent eaten any type of pumpkin yet, so intrigued how this pumpkin pie will taste. the other one intriguing me is peanut butter pie. I love peanut butter but not sure how that one will taste.

    Peanut Butter Pie, The hell you say I might have to do some research I like peanut butter.
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,964 Member
    I'm making a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and devilled eggs for Thanksgiving

    For Christmas, I'm making a ham, grilled red potatoes in butter with parsley, green beans with grape tomatoes and devilled eggs.
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    I love Filipino Thanksgiving dinners!!
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Being Filipino, my family eats a lot of Filipino food that we don't eat a lot of on a regular basis.

    Dinaguan
    Lechon
    Sisig
    Palabok
    Kare kare
    Pinakbet

    And the assortment of desserts too. Since our family is big, we pot luck it and everyone is designated to bring a dish.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,802 Member
    My family generally eats the same stuff for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners. Turkey, ham, green beans, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, and rolls. Thanksgiving we add sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. The only thing I get really excited for is cranberry sauce. I'm the only one who really likes it though. Turkey is just ok and I never eat the pumpkin pie because I have celiac disease and I don't think it's a tasty enough pie to go to the trouble of making a gluten free crust for. A lot of Americans do seem to feel you can't have Thanksgiving without turkey and pumpkin pie though.
  • healthy_hermione
    healthy_hermione Posts: 64 Member
    For thanksgiving we have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, mixed vegetables, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a scoop of ice cream. Sometimes yams and cranberry sauce for my dad since he's the only one that likes it.

    For Christmas I prefer having the same thing but sometimes we will have chicken or ham instead.

    Now I'm hungry lol
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    adbhmb wrote: »
    The proper question is: "what don't Americans eat for Thanksgiving?"

    hahahaa yes
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Well, here is my plan for this year:

    Thanksgiving:
    Extended family meal (Thanksgiving afternoon: Out at a restaurant because it's simply become too much work otherwise, especially with Christmas so close.
    Friends meal (Thanksgiving night): Not sure on all the plans, but turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, stuffing, dumplings, and whatever everyone else brings.
    My meal (the Monday after Thanksgiving): Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, rolls, gravy, and pumpkin pie.

    Christmas Eve:
    Lasagna, Alfredo, salad, bread sticks, some sort of dessert

    Christmas Day:
    No idea right now. Usually consists of 2 meats (beef roast and something else, sometimes lamb, other times ham) and a bunch of sides like mashed potatoes, corn casserole, rolls and the like. Always have a bunch of desserts.