Classic Thanksgiving Menu
You think Thanksgiving is about tradition, and we respect your dedication to the classics. But last year, your mashed potatoes may have been a bit gummy, or your green bean casserole a bit tired, and your guests didn't ooh and ahh over your turkey, your piece de resistance, quite like they used to—like they should. You have a library of classics, but maybe you need to do some re-reading! After all, the best deserve to be revisited. Perfect your mashed potatoes with these Perfect Mashed Potatoes. Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon add flavor to the vegetable most remember as a childhood terror. A taste of the south adds character to that side of stuffing in Corn Bread Dressing with Pecans and Bacon. Spiced Pumpkin Pudding Pie spices up dessert. And as the center piece, James Beard's own Favorite Roast Turkey. There's a reason some classics never go out of print, and with a little reinvention, you may just get a bestseller.
Classic Thanksgiving Menu
James Beard's Favorite Roast Turkey
Corn Bread Dressing with Pecans and Bacon
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Spiced Pumpkin Pudding Pie
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14 Comments:
How about the all-bacon Thanksgiving menu? Bacon gravy, Bacon-larded turkey, Bacony mashed potatoes, Bacon and Green Beans, Maple-Bacon-Pecan Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream. Bacon, the new holiday staple? :) I bet the salty stuff would even marry up to cranberries and apples ...
ExpatChef at 4:38PM on 11/06/08
I'm not sure if this is where we are supposed to post which menu sounds the yummiest to win the free turkey, but I definitely choose this one. I love the brussels Sprouts with Bacon recipe, and have always been partial to the cornbread stuffings, so I think those two things pushed it over the edge for me.
juliebugsmama at 3:37PM on 11/14/08
this is definitely the best looking menu as a meat-eating thanksgiving purist (that tries to avoid casseroles and loves brussels sprouts to boot). Excellent contest idea!
crisco at 3:58PM on 11/14/08
I love this one as well, although as a Southerner, I'd have to add sweet potatoes to make it complete!
suthungirl at 12:04PM on 11/15/08
This is definitely my favorite, love James Beard cookbooks and have several. I'd have to add some cranberry sauce, though. other than that, perfect.
sarash at 3:53PM on 11/15/08
This is my favorite!!!!!
cubbybear79 at 4:11PM on 11/15/08
I am a fan of the classic menu: i have already been told many things I must have to make it an authentic day.
ali_s at 6:25PM on 11/15/08
You can't go wrong with a classic!
kanezo at 11:55AM on 11/17/08
Oh my It looks as though I posted in the wrong place...But this will serve as the baseline of my Thanksgiving menu this year of course I will modify as I go but this indeed appears to be the yummiest of all.
Here is the copy of what I had posted in the wrong location:
As I will be preparing my Thanksgiving Feast this year..I will be thinking of my upcoming abdominal surgery on Dec. 9th and my ulcers which are trying to heal.
So my quest to find recipes that will be easy yet full of flavor for all to claim is the YUMMIEST EVER!!
So far I think my menu will be incorporating a variety of recipes I have found on this site that should fill my preset criteria in part!
As we have a large, uncarved pumpkin leftover from Halloween...I will use this In Season Pumpkin to make the Spiced Pumpkin Pudding Pie.
And for the Turkey: Ah the Salted Roast Turkey with Herbs.
As for the Stuffing I will go with the middle of the road Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Whole Wheat and White Stuffing Mix allowing me the opportunity to add in celery..more onion and poultry and sage seasonings...without the fear of over doing it!
Potatoes will be Twice Baked...well hey they can be baked as the turkey bakes and I can then modify and add chives, chedder cheese and it could be topped with bacon bits or broccoli as this appears to be very flexible.
Oh and yet another yummy sounding add on I almost missed-Cooks Best Illustrated Drop Biscuits as most can be semi prepared (keeping the dry ingredients separate from the wet until ready to mix) in advance minimizing the last minute to-do's.
I will continue on my quest for more to add to my menu but this does indeed appear to be the beginning for the makings of the Yummiest Thanksgiving menu I have ever done to date.
CuriousVirg at 2:51PM on 11/17/08
This menu is by far my favorite though, of course, I'd have to tweak it a bit and add some family favorites.
Annek at 9:54AM on 11/18/08
Definately the best of the three. The basic menu sounds depressing and who wants healthy on a holiday!
lexa99 at 10:00PM on 11/19/08
The brussels sprouts sent me over the top. There's a reason some menus are classics and some are fads. My belly is proof enough.
garek at 6:12PM on 11/12/09
The Classic Menu is a yummy walk down memory lane of over 60 plus years but at this point in time the Easy Menu is holding out a beckoning hand. Fortunately there are a few days in which to come to the momentous decision and either way a D'Artagnan turkey would be a most decided plus.
Monelle at 10:42AM on 11/13/09
Definitely the classic, good for anyone even the most pickiest of eaters.
Elsie at 5:42PM on 11/20/09