Plan Your Thanksgiving Menu

Heather says

Today is pretty simple, it’s another pen and paper exercise. We’re going to create the soft menu plan for our Thanksgiving dinner. Why do I suggest this method instead of getting everything set in stone right away? This allows time to go over the menu a couple of times and really think about it.

Here is my Thanksgiving Menu Plan printable (don’t laugh it has the old site design, but it still works).  The menu plan printable has three columns, one for your ideal menu, another for your guests’ ideal, and finally we have the great compromise.

Why?

If it’s going to make too many people angry that there isn’t any green bean casserole, will it really hurt you to provide green bean casserole?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes holiday meals tend to feel like a potluck? This tends to happen when recipes are chosen at random. Meat? Check. Vegetable? Check. Starch? Check. The seasonings in one dish may not complement the flavors of another which leads to the potluck effect.

Back in 2012, when I last did the great Turkey Day photo shoot, I had an Italian theme:

• Antipasti
• turkey -brined in apple cider, parsley, lemon, peppercorns, and salt
• shallot rosemary gravy
• mushroom risotto
• sausage stuffed mushrooms
• tri-color roasted potatoes with rosemary and parmesan
• Brussels sprouts with prosciutto and parmesan
• butternut squash with rosemary (optional drizzle with balsamic vinegar)

In this example, the turkey has a fairly neutral seasoning, the shallot and rosemary gravy is where we start to get interesting. The rosemary in the gravy is also in the potatoes and butternut squash. The savory nature of the meal shows in the risotto, the stuffed mushrooms, and in the earthy flavor of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Typical Thanksgiving here

• deep fried turkey
• gravy
• company mashed potatoes
• shrimp and andouille sausage cornbread dressing
• traditional sage dressing
• butternut squash
• broccoli salad with dried cranberries
• Brussels sprouts with bacon

The usual Thanksgiving menu around here has a Lowcountry / Cajun theme with the Andouille sausage in the cornbread dressing showing up again in the collard greens. The cranberries in the cranberry sauce show up as dried cranberries in the broccoli salad and again in the apple and sage dressing.

This year, I’ll be adding a gluten-free hashbrown casserole.

Here is a post with some resources for vegetarians.

If you are only serving a few people, consider reducing the number of side you create. I recently posted a recipe for sweet potato risotto with bacon and blue cheese. If you substitute parmesan for the blue cheese, you’ve got a great dish that presents a lot of the flavors we typically associate with Thanksgiving dinner without the work of several side dishes.

If you are having guests bring sides, talk to them about the recipes. Not in a micro-manager I have to control everything way, but rather to discover what the main flavors will be. When you know what people are bringing you can adjust the recipes you choose to ensure there is a flow of flavor throughout the meal.

What will you be serving for Thanksgiving 2014?