Thanksgiving: The Menu

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I cooked dinner for my family this year and as usual, whenever I make a big meal, I plan a big menu and end up dropping a few things at the last minute. I always run out of time, no matter how well I prepare and also, we just don't really need that much food.

Here's the menu I planned and the words that are striked out are the items that didn't make it to the table.

APPETIZERS
Bread & crackers
Crudités: carrots, celery, red bell pepper, cucumber, walnuts, olives, cheese cubes, falafels
Dip 1: Hummus
Dip 2: Bagna cauda mixed with sour cream
Dip 3: Cottage cheese mixed with crumbled feta cheese and chopped greek oregano
Spread: Cream cheese with smoked salmon & chives
Persimmon slices with bacon & goat cheese
Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls made by my Mom)

MEAT/MAIN
Turkey, stuffing & gravy (my Father made it)
Stuffing 2: with wild rice, mushrooms, apple sausage and walnuts
Pork chops grilled w/ rosemary served with persimmon chutney on the side

SIDES
Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts
French green beans tossed in olive oil w/ fried onion
Organic greens salad with avocado, cucumber, feta, toasted almonds, O/V
Mashed potatoes
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots w/ garlic & garden herbs tossed in olive oil
Cranberry sauce
LaBrea multigrain bread

DESSERT
Persimmon crisp w/vanilla ice cream
Pumpkin cheesecake bars
Pumpkin bread w/ walnuts
Coconut tapioca pudding topped with persimmon fruit
Chocolate candies


I was inspired by my November 12th post where I found the photo of my persimmon-themed dinner from 2 years ago. And while our Thanksgiving dinner did not have that theme, I thought that using the persimmons to decorate the table would be nice. Everyone in my family likes the fruit (especially my parents), they're very pretty, and they add a nice splash of autumn color against my green tablecloth and white and black/gold rimmed china.