Thanksgiving menu for fussy eaters?

[ride4fun]

Well you can skip the crust and do just pumpkin custard to cut one bit of starch -- mom does this the last few years --never have to worry about soggy crust on the pumkin pie anymore. Lets see we like baked buttcup squash --or yam/(orange sweet potato) BAKED, not with any icky 'candied' topping of brown sugar or marshmallow cream eck, gag at the thought. Mom and I like butter on our squash or 2nd choice yam. Anyone who wants it sweet can add gunk at the table and heat in the microwave. mom likes to do a tray with raw and pickled veggies. She makes yummy pickled beets and carrots, and we like cuke pickles too. I don't think we do much of a green veggie for this meal, although we eat plenty of greens otherwise.

btw newfygirl you've no idea what you're missing with lefse (yay! more for tanb and I ) a yummy, little bit thicker lefse with butter, sugar and cinnamon, omg I'm practically drooling just at the thought. Some people make it almost paper thin but its much better with a bit more thickness.

[KarenN]

r4f - I make my lefse on the thick side, that's the way I like it, too! warm with butter and sugar - now I'm thinking I NEED to make some.....

Oh, and I'm going to do the persimmon pudding again for T-Day - soemthing different for those that like it.

[Newfygirl]

I thought lefse was fish? Obviously not!

[TandB]

No Lefse is basically a flat potatoe pancake. You rice the potatoes and add a couple other things, roll it out and put it on a big flat griddle (typically round) and flipp it with yard sticks or some other sort of flat stick.

Lutefisk is the fish. It smells something like lye when you cook it. You have be very carefull cooking it as well since it is really easy to over cook. Most Norweigns eat the Lutefisk with the Lefse. They will put butter on the fish or lefse and wrap the lutefisk in the lefse. Gives the fish a little flavor.

We typically don't eat lutefisk any more. Grandma Peterson loved lutefisk and she would cook it for meals, but not many of us would touch it since it hard to get past the smell.

[Deleted]

Mmm, there is a yummy recipe where you put the pumpkin on the bottom, then sprinkle with cake mix cut with some margarine, nuts if you like, then sprinkled on top. It forms a great sort of top 'crust', but much tastier. I love that one!

[Trailpal]

Sounds like you will have plenty of stuff the fussy eaters -will- like. Nothing says you can't serve a salad or creamed spinach as well. Those that don't like it won't eat it!

Having said that, I like Waldorf Salad with my holiday meal, it might be an option for the picky kids
Other ideas -
"Ants on a log" - lengths of celery, stuffed with peanut butter and a few raisin "ants" perched on the "log".
I love celery stuffed with a cream-cheese/walnut mix, they might too.
Will they eat radishes? tinyurl.com/ylhudm

I grew up with veggies, it's hard to imagine not liking them, but I hear a lot of kids don't like them.

[Mary Ann]

I know you guys are really trying for me here, but nope; no radishes, no raisins (one will, the other won't, but wouldn't eat the celery), no nuts for one, nor peas, creamed or otherwise, or green beans. They've conceded they'd eat corn, but that's another starch to go with the starch, starch, and starch. Green salad? Nope. Creamed spinach? Ha! Not even the sweet potatoes with marshmallows on them. I made that year before last, and I had it all to myself. For days.

I think the trick of it is I need to invite more people. Then I can make more things and people can pick what they want.

You wanna come?

[TandB]

Chris and I would love too. I'll bring the lefse! ;D

Are you actually having it on T-day??

We are going to be in the Peoria area on Friday to have dinner with my family.

[Mary Ann]

Are you kidding??? You're coming to Illinois??!

When are you going to be here? I'm about an hour and a half away from Peoria! I can't have any more people for T-day itself (Thursday) because I'd need to go buy some more chairs first, and I don't have time! Tomorrow I have my grandkids all day, Monday is the farrier, Tuesday is Dr Dan, and Wednesday is the only day I have to pick up the dirty socks hanging from the lampshades and get the chickens out of the kitchen! But maybe we can get together over the weekend?

[TandB]

No MA, I am not kidding, we really are going to IL this weekend.

I would love to meet up with you, even for a quick cup of coffee.

I will send you a PM tomorrow, since Chris and I are getting new cell phones tomorrow.

[Mary Ann]

Woohoo!!! ;D

[snaffle]

I know this is waaaay too late!!! sorry...
but here is an idea.... if the guests are old enough have an input.. why not ask them what they would like to see on the menu?

When I ask guests, of course the first question out of their mouth is "What can I bring?" my response is: What is one dish that you must have at thanksgiving (or Christmas or Easter or 4th of July etc) A dish that makes Thanksgiving.. not Thansgiving with out it... THAT is what I want you to bring.

If a guy (like Cherokees husband) wont eat green vegetables... there is always a corn casserole.. yep.. more starch...
now that he is part of the family, I will be asking him what veg he would like to see at Christmas.. (I know he will say corn)

Sounds like you tend to do all or most of the cooking like I do Mary Ann!!! This year we are going to my sisters.. usually it is here. Last year I baked NONE pies... every family that comes takes home their own pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Whew.. makes me tired but happy! This year I baked 4 pumpkin pies. Two for the dinner, one for us later!!!! ;D and one for Cherokee and hubby!(she doesnt know it yet )