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@ lakeloverHH:

check out Ina Garten's pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream.. I made it last year. I won't be making another pumpkin dessert other than this one ever again. IT was wonderful! The presentation is impressive and beautiful. The best part was it can be assembled the day before, frozen, and then thawed a bit for Tday. If you do make it, freeze the candied ginger for easier mincing. The recipe says it is "difficult" but it really isn't.

Yum to everyone, and I second the request for @dbcurrie to share some more info about the bubble salad. Sounds like a must-do!

My meal will serve 10 people on Thursday, and then we traditionally do Second Thanksgiving on Friday for all of our friends who are required to spend time with family on actual Thanksgiving Day, but for whom we want to give thanks. That's looking like a group of 14 this year. All food for Second Thanksgiving is leftover from the original meal.

Main Meal:

• Dinner rolls - Cook's Illustrated recipe, the triangle-shaped ones


• Beet salad with feta and cardamom dressing


• Turkey - AB's Good Eats version like some others, but spatchcocked or butterflied - that oven time is too precious!


• Mashed potatoes


• Sweet potatoes with orange juice and Calvados


• Thyme-roasted apples and onions - from Epicurious/Bon Appetit


• Green beans with ginger and soya


• Apple raisin stuffing


• Classic stuffing


• Corn Casserole - a bizarre mix of canned, fresh, and ground corn products that my best friend can't go without on t-giving


• Whole cranberry sauce


• Lots of extra turkey gravy - Cook's Illustrated recipe

Dessert:

• Pumpkin Pie


• French Silk Pie


• Cranberry-Walnut Cobbler

• Spiced cranberry punch - MAKE THIS! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cranberry-Vodka-Punch-200563 If you like mulled drinks and don't mind getting rather silly, make this sometime this season. It's very strong, but the spices mask the alcohol brilliantly. It's always a huge hit.


• Sparkling juices


• Beer & wine

We are traveling to TX for the holiday and there will be at least 15 people there. Besides the normal roast turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, there will be many sides, a few of which will be fruit type salads andlots of delicious vegetables, a few pies plus I will be taking pumpkin squares, cranberry nut bread and a pineapple zuchinni cake. One of our favorite recipes is Paula Deen's Tugboat turnips and another is our TX corn casserole. Someone will make the green bean casserole which I hate and won't eat. I much prefer fresh beans! I am thinking about taking a few new cookie recipes too! These are my grandchildren!

@lakeloverhh
"Something pumpkin-- not in the mood for pie. Don't want to make a cheesecake. I would love any suggestions from the SE crowd."

Well...
It's called pie, but is more custard in an unusual and lovely presentation...

Baked Whole Pumpkin Pie

4 to 6 lb (2 to 3 kg) pumpkin
6 eggs
2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) molasses
1/2 tsp (2 ml) freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 ml) allspice
1/4 tsp (1 ml) powdered ginger
2 TBS (30 ml) butter

Remove the top of the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and membranes as though you were making a jack-o'lantern. Mix the remaining ingredients together EXCEPT the butter and pour into the pumpkin. Top with the butter, put the lid of the pumpkin in place, and place in a large baking dish. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the mixture has set. Serve from the pumpkin at the table, scraping a little of the pumpkin flesh to accompany each serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Cooks' Illustrated Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spatchcocked Turkey smoked or roasted haven't decided which
Gravy
Apple and Sausage stuffing in a crockpot
PW's Sweet Potato Casserole
Yeast rolls
Indiana noodles (MIL)
Green Bean Casserole (MIL)
Scalloped Corn (MIL)
Cranberry Sauce
Also thinking about Roasted Asparagus
Apple Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Sugar Cream pie (MIL)

@Kenji -- Have you had a Rosenfeld's bagel? Certainly best in Boston, and I'd put it up against any "New York" variety.

For the way a split-top bun is meant to be eaten, get a hot dog at Simco's on Blue Hill Ave in Mattapan. They sear both sides of the bun on a griddle, so it's golden and crisp.

@betteirene - hope you get this. Sounds like you are busy and I won't rush you, but sometime next week after your Thanksgiving, will you please post your method of cooking sweet potatoes in gingerale with the fresh ginger and butter? Out of all the posts here, this one intrigues me the most. Up here in Canada, sweet potato pies with marshmallows and brown sugar, etc. are almost unheard of, and frankly, they do not sound appetizing. However, your recipe sounds like it would be worth a try. Thanks and have a great day - we have large family celebrations as well and I know how much fun you will have.

There seems to be a dearth of dessert ideas....a favorite that is also a family 'must' is Cranberry/Apple/Walnut pie. It is incredibly delicious and, moreover, easy to make. And don't forget German Noodles! Thick, homemade noodles boiled in a rich beef/onion stock and thickened with flour. Every invitation for Thanksgiving always includes the comment..."yes, I'm making the noodles" and that saves a lot of phone calls from guests. It's that good!

I'm doing kimchi stuffing this year. http://www.food52.com/recipes/1473_kimchi_stuffing.

I also want to rub down/baste my turkey with dakkalbi sauce, which is in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6plE7IpXEwg

this comment chain is amazing! loving all the great ideas.
This Sweet Potato Gratin is a go-to side for my thanksgiving -- it is pure savory-sweet bliss http://bit.ly/3DcEG0

As a non-meat eater, I usually serve Portobello Wellington as a main course for the holidays. This year, though I'm trying mini portobellos as an appetizer. The recipes that call for puff pastry sheets make this really easy. And even our carnivorous friends love it.

I usually brine my Turkey, but this year I am trying a recipe that I am told is the best, I will let you know how it turns out!! Here is the recipe for anyone else that is brave enough to try it! Old-Fashioned Roast Turkey with Gravy

You will need one 2-yard package of cheesecloth for this recipe. Because we layer the bird with salt pork, we prefer to use a natural turkey here; self-basting turkeys may become too salty. If using a self-basting turkey, use all water in the gravy rather than a combination of water and broth. Make sure to start the gravy (step 3) as soon as the turkey goes into the oven.

Serves 10 to 12.

Ingredients
Turkey
1 package cheesecloth (see note)
4 cups cold water
1 turkey , 12 to 14-pounds (see note), neck and giblets reserved
1 pound salt pork , cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Gravy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Reserved turkey neck and giblets
1 onion , chopped
5 cups water
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. For the turkey: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cheesecloth from package and fold into 18-inch square. Place cheesecloth in large bowl and cover with water. Tuck wings behind back and arrange turkey, breast-up, on V-rack set inside roasting pan. Following photos 1 to 4 above, prick skin of breast and legs of turkey all over with fork, cover breast and legs of turkey with salt pork, top with soaked cheesecloth (pouring any remaining water into roasting pan), and cover cheesecloth completely with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

2. Roast turkey until breast meat registers 140 degrees, 2½ to 3 hours. Remove foil, cheesecloth, and salt pork and discard. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Continue to roast until breast meat registers 165 degrees and thigh meat registers 175 degrees, 40 to 60 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest 30 minutes.

3. For the gravy: While turkey is roasting, heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook turkey neck and giblets until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in water, broth, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 hours. Strain stock into large measuring cup (you should have about 3½ cups), reserving giblets if desired.

4. Carefully strain contents of roasting pan into fat separator. Let liquid settle so that fat separates, then skim, reserving ¼ cup fat. Pour defatted pan juices into measuring cup with giblet stock to yield 4 cups stock.

5. Heat reserved fat in empty saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in flour and cook until honey colored and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in giblet stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Chop giblets and add to gravy, if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

Try this: slice Brussels sprouts with a mandoline if you have one or just thinly slice, saute with leeks, garlic and shallots in olive oil until tender, add white wine and simmer until soft, add butter, salt and pepper to taste. It's amazing. People who swear they'd never touch a BS love them!