What is the traditional holiday menu item from your childhood that you have eliminated and don't miss it, not one little bit?

My dad always wanted mashed turnips (the yellow kind) for Thanksgiving dinner, so we always had that, plus squash and mashed potatoes. I think it's a New England thing. After my dad passed away, no one in our family has ever again had turnips for a holiday dinner. We once had Thanksgiving at the home of an aunt and uncle who grew up in the midwest and I had candied yams, marshmallows on top, for first time. I prayed never again!

Pumpkin Pie. I just don’t like it. I ate it every year to be polite.
Midnight Mass - can’t stay awake that long anymore.

I agree with Isthisreallyreal on the yams. The canned yams are not at all like fresh baked yams or sweet potatoes. Those are like dessert to me! Yum!

No canned cranberry sauce for me. I do like real cranberry sauce made with whole fruit.

I never could bring myself to taste the canned sauce. It just looks weird.

Riverdale: I have a 3 1/2 year old step niece that gobbled down the cranberries, ate a little turkey and had to be forced to eat mashed potatoes today. If she didn't eat her entire very small serving of mashed potatoes, she would not get any chocolate cake (She LOVES chocolate cake). She wanted chocolate cake so she ate the mashed potatoes. She wasn't thrilled about the MP, but loved the chocolate cake.

Sorry to hear about your dad's mishap with the plum pudding.

Mmmmm! Starbucks Eggnog Lattes always signal Holiday Time for me. Made with real eggnog I’m sure there are a zillion calories in each grande’ red cup. But I have no will power when it comes to these.

These and Haagen Daz Holiday
Peppermint ice cream - the one they only do this time of year. Heaven.

Our holiday drink was always egg nog. Pretty sure the adults may spiked their egg nog. As a kid.....that first glass around thanksgiving signaled the start of the holidays. And now I can’t stand the stuff! I bought some when my daughter was a baby for old times sake but no one drank it. It too is a thing of the past! And I don’t miss it at all. I don’t think anyone in my husband’s side drinks it either because they’ve never served it in the 20 years I’ve been part of the family.

The last 2 years my holiday drink was a shot or 2 of Smirnoff peppermint twist mixed mixed with a mug of hot chocolate. This Smirnoff stuff is pretty weak, low alcohol content which is good if you are a lightweight like me, I rarely drink. But I just had to try this peppermint vodka 2 years ago and got hooked. We even got fancy and threw in some frangelico & Godiva White chocolate liquor last year & all the adults had “adult hot chocolate” in Christmas Eve. Unfortunately (or may not) I made my first “adult” hot chocolate of the season last week and found it way too sweet.....and I have no desire to make another cup so these 2 bottles of Smirnoff peppermint twist I’ve been hoarding all year might just go to waste.

We had roasted brussel sprouts today. I don't eat turkey so I put the cranberry sauce from Whole Foods on them. My 20 month old grandson refused almost everything but a little turkey. Wouldn't even go for the pumpkin pie with whipped cream. How I wish I had his appetite.

Boiled Brussels Sprouts. Little grey brains that taste terrible.

Roasted ones are yummy, but upset my digestion, so I just leave them for the rest of the family.

Send - I love deviled eggs! Made them for my little holiday today. 😃

Monica - Cold Duck!! Woooo - that took me back to my childhood! Yes, the celebratory beverage of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yucky, indeed.

Now I am having a memory of the distinctive glassware we used for the Cold Duck. Haven’t seen anything like it since. Maybe I’ll scrounge around on eBay tonite.....

Thank you for the flashback!

Riverdale 42: Yes.
Luckily my father's arm did not go up in flames

Isn't plum pudding the one that gets ignite? One Xmas my father's arm went up in flames.

My parents always served the wine (?) Cold Duck at holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas....everybody got a glass of Cold Duck at the table. Even as kids we were allowed to have a very small amount. Ick! Do they even sell that anymore??

When it comes to xmas foods, I am rather picky here: I like shortbread cookies but they can't be way too thick and it's got to be like sugar cookies; thin with lots of frosting. The thick shortbread tastes like all flour to me. I am glad that mom doesn't make plum pudding with the hard sauce anymore. (She used to do it during the few years of courting my father and the first couple of years when she was married to him) It just doesn't taste that good to me. I am still in surprise whenever I see Bob Cratchit and his family get excited over it in "A Christmas Carol." If I was there, I would bring frosted sugar cookies to them.

Cwillie: My mother and my sister make fantastic fruitcake, it tastes like you said.

Captain: I used to be that way with fruitcake, then I had my sisters and my mothers---What a difference. It is that good when it's prepared right.

And call me a weirdo, I love canned cranberry sauce that slides out of the can, not the sauce that is all broken up in small fruit, etc.

But I do agree with some of the others regarding mincemeat: Been there, tried it and will never do it again.

OK I'll admit it, I LIKE fruitcake. But not the awful stuff that gets sold in 99% of the grocery stores, it has to be soft and boozy and nutty and fruity, preferably with a nice marzipan icing on top.

fruitcake ,

what the hell is wrong with people ? it seems every bite blows worse than the last .

Here, have some more!
That is Chili powder, not paprika.

Hubs is not hungry. I am really hungry.

Yum, I love devilled eggs!

Reinstating deviled eggs in my Thanksgiving menu...Martha Stewart I am not!

Here, have some!

It's always fun googling the stuff you guys mention :)
The forcemeat stuffing recipes I've found all sounded like something you would have to grow up with to love - the addition of livers, red wine, odd seasonings would not be appealing to me!
Risengrot recipes sound like the rice pudding my mom used to make regularly, sometimes in a double boiler but most often in a casserole in the oven. Being a picky child I wouldn't eat it if mom put in raisins, but I liked the cinnamon sugar topping.

Happy Turkey Day everyone🦃🍗

Anyone ever have Forcemeat? No
kidding - that’s what it’s called.

I think might be a UK thing. Mainly, because it was my dads idea that my mom start making it - he presented his mothers recipe, she was London born and his dad was from The Shetland Islands.

Forcemeat is a kind of stuffing. But it’s not loose or fluffy - almost more the consistency of a really, really thick paste. It’s packed inside the bird and I guess the magic of it is that when you slice the turkey the forcemeat stays together and slices right along.

Unfortunatly - there was no magic to be had in the several years my mother attempted forcemeat. Whether by accident or - l suspect sabotage on my mother’s behalf- the forcemeat would fall apart and crumble away. My father would practically have an aneurism trying to slice the perfect held together slice. Eventually, he’d start swearing... yeah, always a good time - holidays at our house.

BUT. Making matters worse - the stuff was heinous. Really awful. Personally, I don’t even like regular stuffing - but God forbid, if my dad did manage to slice you up the perfect held together slice of turkey and forcemeat - then you better damn well eat it.

The pressure and punishment of forcemeat was more than my kid psyche could take! So, no - no forcemeat - or wire hangers - EVER!!!

Thanks glad~I wondered what that white thin sauce was that Mother put in it and it was either milk or half and Half.Mom always made it,so I didn't know,but the way you make it ,sounds like how we had it too ,but with raisins.Finding the almond was always fun until my Nephew started cheating and looked for it,then pretended he got it and that took out all the fun.Mom always just called it the rice dish,so I never knew the name of it.
And Send~I Love rice pudding and Tapioca.It's SO smooth,comforting to me.

Risengrot traditionally served with a bit of half and half, a pat of butter and cinnamon and sugar. No raisins necessary or even allowed.

Takes about an hour and a half in a double boiler to prevent milk from scorching.

I have my Greek grandfather's rice pudding recipe. It takes ages to do it properly as uncooked rice is used. It is incredibly delicious.

I have been buying small prepared rice puddings since being diagnosed with a broken jaw. Along with all the other bad advice I was told to eat anything I felt like prior to the diagnosis. I didn't but can't believe I was told this by both the endodontist and first oral surgeon. Anyway the rice pudding has been very soothing but eventually I need to stop and work on a diet. It just is hard when one has been through such an ordeal and a life changing one. Digressing again.

I understand Thanksgiving is meant to represent a plentiful feast but I don't get dishes such as macaroni and cheese,different potatoes and other high carb dishes along with everything else. Tomorrow it will be my husband and I,my son,my 89 year old mother and my 20 month old grandson. The dishes will be modest which I am grateful for.



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We had rice pudding growing up. More like a dessert, the raisins made it not so plain.
My Mom would make it whenever there was leftover white rice.
I would rather make Tapioca Pudding in large amounts, but not anymore. It was by other's requests.

I like knowing the Swedish name, risengrot.

The real turkey sandwich...I live for the sandwich.
Going to buy our turkey on sale, after thanksgiving.

We are having tamales, new to me for a holiday meal.

LU, risengrot, very Scandinavian. Grew up with it and love it. The almond is more Swedish and part of Santa Lucia traditions, which I don't know much about, being Norwegian. No raisins though.

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1993-12-15-0000000006-story.html

Funny thing about risengrot, is that any that married into the family really did not care for it initially, but it grew on all of them. I wouldn't have Christmas eve without it.

Funny story, when we were kids, one summer we were craving risengrot and finally talked mom into making some. Just did not taste at all the same. Tradition has something to do with taste, flavor and preferences.

Barb, we do a cranberry relish, very similar to what you have. Our is a bag of fresh cranberries, and a whole orange, peel and all, bit of sugar. Whip up in processor would not have thanksgiving without it! One of my faves, even leftover with a turkey Sammy, even on the Sammy.

The candied yams are delicious with walnuts and/or pecans. Sprinkle some fresh grated nutmeg or a bit of cinnamon, oh yeah!

My favorite leftover served for breakfast.

However, they have to be fresh yams, not the canned things that my mom served growing up. Yuck-O!

Wow! You all don’t like the yams with marshmallows? Not sure what they are called. Candied yams maybe? I never had yams or sweet potatoes when I was a kid.......the first time I had yams with marshmallows was as an adult at my MILs on thanksgiving one year. She made them every year. I like them! My SIL is supposed to bring them tomorrow but I’m not sure if she will since it sounds like they don’t plan on staying for dinner......

I parted ways with candied yams. My mom made them faithfully @ Thanksgiving. TOO sweet for me.

And a big fat No Thank You to any yam concoction topped w/marshmallows - which is something I’ve only experienced at other people’s holiday dinners.

I made it to my mid- or late-20s thinking I hated yams and sweet potatoes. Turns out I’d simply never had one just plain old baked or roasted. Hello! LOVE that. With butter. 😃

So GOOD cranberry stuff?

Fresh cranberries, orange juice and sugar whizzed up in a food processor is amazing!