Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas: Green Beans/sweet Pot/mashed Pots Already Done.

I wanted to change it up a little this year, so I am making a broccoli casserole (not the one with rice, but a creamy one) and fried corn with bacon along with the traditional stuff. Anything with bacon can't be bad, right? If you are interested in the recipes let me know and I will PM you with a link to them.

My "other" MIL (read: we do not have ANY form of relationship with her for years and before that it was an insane roller coaster ride..my 17 year old calls her the Un-Grandma now), always made a Scalloped Corn that was so good. I bet you could google it. I have no idea what was in it but darn it was good.

I think a good home made Mac and Cheese would be a good side dish as well.

I also like the app's idea. Maybe a spinach and artichoke dip? When I think of this fall holiday I think of the fruits and veggies of the season. Squash, potatoes/sweet potatoes, apples, corn, pears, etc. I guess brussels sprouts are a fall veggie (i looked it up..pomegrantes too I guess!). Personally I can't stand them, but I will assume many people do like them! :-)

Good luck!

Go for mac n cheese for your kids. Why not?
Some other things as I am wrting from abroad:
hummous and pita
roasted veggies -- eggplant, tomato, zucchini, squash

Is fruit salad considered a "standard?" I don't know - we always have it, but that doesn't mean every one does, I suppose. Just cut up your fave fruits, add some shredded coconut and crushed nuts - we usually use pecans, but almonds are good, too, and there you go. It's different every time, based on which fruits you have a whim for (or which ones at the grocery store are pretty!). In a pinch, you can toss in those little canned oranges, too.

Also, I have a fantastic recipe for sauteed squash.
4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inches pieces (6 cups)
1/2 tsp chopped fresh or (1/8 tsp dried) thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups firmly packed baby spinach leaves

1. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until crisp. Stir in onion, cook about 2 minutes until crisp-tender
2. Stir in squash , thyme and pepper. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender. Stir in spinach just until wilted.
Makes 8 servings.

for 12 servings, use: 12 slices bacon, 2/3 cup onion, 9 cups squash, 3/4 tsp (or 1/4 dry) thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper, 4 1/2 cup spinach

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year someone brought 2 corn casseroles - one w/jalepeno and one w/o jalepeno. It was awesome. I still dream about it.

hth

Sounds like sides are covered too. If I were you, I'd make apps. Stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, a cheese and cracker platter. Whatever apps you like. This takes pressure off the hostess to get everything to the table and allows your dishes to stand out from the crowd.

But a good side dish people forget about is creamed cauliflower. It's very simple, very cheap, only a few ingrediants, and down right delicious.

I know you mentioned the green beans were already done, but most traditional recipes are heavily drenched in mushroom soup, butter and cream. An alternative would be Balsamic Green Beans from the Cooking Light website. So quick and delicious! And so different from the traditional dish. Bonus: the presentation looks like you spent hours on it! :D

I also like the simplicity of a medium sized fancy bowl overflowing with whole, in the peel, mandarin oranges. So simple and so popular! What a great appetizer!

How about a nice pineapple bread bake?
It's super easy and delicious.
It is sweet, but not *really* a dessert. We always eat it with the meal (not with the desserts afterward).
Good luck!

Yep, I'm kinda tired of the staple Thanksgiving side dishes. I'd look at allrecipes.com. TONS of ideas. I like Brussel Sprouts too and I am SHOCKED that I actually do. Tastes change. If it's a big crowd I'd probably make them. If not, they're great leftovers! I'm making corn casserole, love it and it goes with lots of different meats. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!

If you want to stick with a side, we LOVE spinach madeline! (LOVE). If you want the recipe, message me. Corn casserole, broccoli casserole, homemade breads/rolls, scalloped potatoes, fried squash (slice yellow squash lenghwise, and a potato, and an onion. Put them in a ziploc bag and shake with 1/2 cornmeal, 1/2 flour, salt/pepper, then fry it up.) The squash goes lovely with mashed potatoes and baked or green beans (not the casserole, but beans).

Or you could ask about appetizers: are they covered? There a a million ways to stuff mushrooms that are greatness. The spinach artichoke dip recipe on the back of the knorr veg package is delicious, served with warm baguettes. A platter with different cheeses, a relish tray for people to pick at. A nice bottle or two of wine?

Pretzel salad is the most commonly requested side dish that I make. You can find a bunch of different recipes, but almost all of them call for strawberry jell-o &/or sliced strawberries which I don't particularly care for so I opt for raspberries. It's different from a jell-o mold, it's not quite a dessert, it's very pretty & easily adjusted to your own tastes.

Hi J.,
I agree that its important to have something that your kids will like and maybe they could help you make "ants on a log" (celery with peanut butter in the crevices and raisins; or celery with cream cheese in the creviches topped by raisins); macaroni dish that you know that they will eat. Another idea and you will want to check in with your hostess on this - we have always welcomed kid created holiday decorations...this could be picture of turkey and what the kids is thankful for...to be refrigerator decoration or door decoration...or other table decoration that you make with construction paper, toothpicks etc (you can probably google to find simple craft project idea). Also you could simply bring sparkling grape juice or cider as a kid friendly holiday beverage (and cups that are appropriate for children - not breakable if you have small children)...
Enjoy your holiday!
I am "doing ahead" some butternut squash soup. If you want this recipe, you can email me back at ____@____.com but it is time consuming so might be idea for a future holiday.
Also I am "doing ahead" the cranberry sauce - 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 3 cups cranberry boiled for ten minutes and then chilled until tomorrow...can add orange zest as a modification.

When kids are involved......mac & cheese goes with EVERYTHING!

I think something green always needs a presence at Thanksgiving...green beans, brussels, asparagus, broccoli.
Relish tray with pickles, olives, celery. Cabbage slaw. Doesn't matter that EVERYONE likes everything, there is always plenty to go around of other stuff. Go for it!

I love the corn casserole that uses Jiffy corn bread mix, creamed corn and regular canned corn. Also, I make a butternut squash dish where I mash it, mix in a little apple sauce, salt & pepper, everyone loves it.

For some of us, Mac and cheese is considered a "standard" side. Go with that - you know that for sure the kids will eat it!

There is a great recipe for Brussel Sprouts (Bobby Flay, I think) that invlolves pomogranate seeds. I think there people are about 50%-50% on liking them (or really thinking they won't like them, but probably haven't ever had one). I love adding a green veggie to the table, since there are so many carbs and sweets.

I also see no reason to do another stuffing. There are a variety of style - oyster, sausage, veggie, chesnut - and they all taste different.

Alternatively, do a fresh fruit salad. Light and the kids love it.

Broccoli Rice and Cheese This is my kids favorite!
3 cups cooked rice
Velveeta
1 can cream/chicken
Milk
Frozen chopped broccoli
Add a about 1/2 of a velveeta to cream/chicken, pour the milk into the empty can and stir to get the rest of the goodness out of the can, then add to pan and stir until blended on low, you don't want to burn the cheese.
When the rice is done, open the package of broccoli and dump onto top of rice and replace the lid. Let it steam until ready to combine it all together.
In a large bowl pour the rice and broccoli then add the cheese mixture on top. Stir to combine. Then put into a large casserole.
Bake at 350 25 min or until bubbly.
Enjoy

I do a slightly different Green Beans recipe (check out a previous question from me for the recipe)...doesn't contain the cream of mushroom soup or the french onions. Mac & Cheese does sound good. Another vegetable that we do it Asparagus w/ Hollandaise Sauce (not sure I spelled that right).

Not everyone likes brussel sprouts but you could take a small dish along with mac & cheese. I have done this when my boys were young knowing they would eat that and probably nothing else on the table. I did alter it a bit by using cheese ravioli with Velveeta over it. Many adults loved it too.

Mac-n-cheese is perfectly acceptable for T-giving dinner! Also, I just made Butternut squash risotto — yum! And my cousin makes a killer cornbread pudding. I think there are plenty of recipes online. Mine was from the Food Network, called Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash.

Happy Turkey Day!

We do a baked mac n cheese every year. It goes GREAT with Thanksgiving. Go for it.

I also make a creamy corn casserole. It's a big hit and the kids love it.

I always make broccoli casserole: 2 16 oz pkgs chopped broccoli, 1 tsp salt, 1 can of any "cream of" soup, 8 oz grated cheddar cheese, 1 cup Mayo, 4 eggs, and 1/3 cup minced onion. I cook the broccoli for about 5 minutes or so in the microwave, add all the rest of the stuff and mix it into the broccoli, (beat the eggs first, though) put it in a big casserole dish, top with bread crumbs or Panko crumbs and bake for an hour or so, until the bread crumbs are brown and the casserole is "bubbly"