Our Traditional Thanksgiving Day & Dinner Menu

Thanksgiving at the Sanchez Home

 Thanksgiving is the most important family gathering meal of the year for Gene and I.  All other holidays seems to have distractions like Christmas being for the kids and their new toys or Easter with the egg hunt and Easter Bunny.  

Thanksgiving is the time to reflect on how lucky we are.  Some years it has been just the 2 of us, other years a houseful and the remaining years just a few family and friends.  No matter how many there are at the table there is always enough food to feed alot more people  LOL.


I try to get a head start on alot of the meal on Wed. so there is not too much too do and I can enjoy the day too. The cornucopia is done the day before if I don't have any help.  Otherwise one of our kids do it Thanksgiving morning with at least 10 different fruits and nuts. . 


We start the day with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and eating fried bread dough - a reminder of my grandmother who set bread to rise the night before and made the loaves in the morning.  She always had leftover dough to fry and serve just dripping with melted butter.  

Next is getting the turkey in the oven.  I make 2 stuffings (just bread, celery and onions, s&p with alittle broth) - in the cavity is the sage and thyme and in the neck, our family favorite, with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  It perfumes the bird and makes the house smell awesome.  


The turkey is covered with sliced salt pork.  No other seasoning on the bird.  Again a throw back to Grandma. The salt pork makes a great basting liquid and it is basted every 30 - 45 minutes. 


I remove the salt pork when the salt pork starts looking done and baste really good after is is removed and alittle more often to give the turkey a great color and crispness.  

Notice rubber ducks on the dinner plates that I used as place card holders.  hee hee! 

 

OUR MENU

Turkey;
2 Stuffings;
Gravy - using drippings and browned flour;
Mashed Potatoes;
Sweet Potatoes;
Cranberry Relish - also home made cooked with oranges;        
Yellow Turnip (Rutabagas) - chopped coarsely with some salt pork;
Creamed onions - little boiling ones;
Green Beans - sometimes pain sometimes the casserole;
"Crunchies" - Celery, radishes (cut fancy), carrots, scallions;
Bread or rolls - always homemade.


Wine
Apple Cider
Coffee
Tea


Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie - made from fresh pumpkin
Fruit
Nuts
After Dinner Mints


After dinner brandy or?