Favorite Holiday Meals

Discussion in 'Holidays & Traditions' started by Ken Anderson, Nov 18, 2019.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Most holidays don't have a particular food associated with it, for me. However, for Thanksgiving, I like having turkey. Not only is it traditional but I like turkey and we don't often have an excuse for cooking one, so that seems to be the thing to have for Thanksgiving. My preference for Christmas is ham. Christmas is too close to Thanksgiving to have turkey again, so I prefer ham. Cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes are appropriate for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    Growing up, we would have turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas, but we would also have potato sausage for both meals since dad would begin stuffing potato sausage just before Thanksgiving and would make enough to last through Christmas. Potato sausage included potatoes, of course, but it also included venison and pork. Potato sausage was a Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday staple among Swedish-Americans in the UP, but I have never learned to make it.

    Offhand, I can't think of any other holidays associated with any particular food. The 4th of July included picnics, with barbecue, but that could be hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, or whatever, and usually a combination of two or three of these.
     
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  2. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    In my earlier days I would go along with Ken's suggestions for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now my favorite holiday meal is one that I buy from a local store that makes them so that I don't have to put out anything except $.
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Our local grocery store used to offer Thanksgiving (and, I think, Christmas) dinners, fully prepared and ready to eat, needing perhaps only to be heated up. They were actually pretty darned good, and we did that for two years in a row, giving my wife a break from the holiday meal preparations. They no longer offer that, however. They weren't as good as she can make, but they were good and well worth it, for the lack of fuss.
     
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  4. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    We've done both, made Thanksgiving Dinner and ate at a local restaurant. If we cook at home, we buy me a couple of turkey legs and my wife get a turkey loin. Then, I make mashed potatoes and a can of sweet potatoes, box of stuffing mix, can of cranberry sauce, jar of turkey gravy and a pumpkin pie. Went to Mimi's a couple of times, but the second time, I got pretty sick later Thanksgiving night.

    This year, we are planning on going to Boston Market for our Thanksgiving Dinner. There was no Boston Market anywhere in the Jacksonville, FL area.

    As far as Christmas Dinner, generally a ham steak, mashed potatoes and green beans.
     
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  5. Bess Barber

    Bess Barber Veteran Member
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    We decided today that we were going to the Chinese Buffet for Thanksgiving. My parents don't feel like fooling with it, the boys are going to in laws or girlfriend's family, so my daughter and I decided to take the easy way out. Neither of us like turkey anyway.
     
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  6. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I'm not sure, but I think there's a law against having Chinese food for Thanksgiving. If not, it was an oversight.
     
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  7. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Thanksgiving is probably my all-time favorite holiday meal, with the Fourth of July Picnic running a close second. I absolutely LOVE roasted turkey with stuffing and all of he other goodies that come with a real Thanksgiving meal.
    I love mince pie, but you hardly ever can find that any more, and sometimes we just don’t even bother with the pie , since it is just Bobby and i anyway, unless Robin is in town and then she often comes over to turkey dinner with us.
    My best thanksgiving dinner ever was with Robin, many years ago. We went to one of the big country buffet restaurants, and sampled a bit of everything that they had on the Thanksgiving buffet.
    Since we both like leftover turkey, and you do not get that when eating out, I cooked a turkey and stuffing at home, so she and I had lots of turkey leftovers.
     
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  8. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Usually, I won't east leftovers but turkey and ham are among the few foods that are good as leftovers.
     
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  9. Bess Barber

    Bess Barber Veteran Member
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    We love Chinese. PLUS, they are one of the few restaurants which are open on major food holidays.
     
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  10. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    In this area, there are many restaurants open on Thanksgiving. I just got off the phone with my sister; she and BIL are on a road trip in their RV and plan on stopping at a Cracker Barrel for their turkey and dressing.

    Years ago when my husband and I were first married, we were moving on TG weekend and just ran to the local Luby's cafeteria for turkey and dressing. That was one of my favorite TG's ever.

    We have a family tradition of seafood on Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day is another turkey and baked ham at MIL's house.
     
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  11. Lois Winters

    Lois Winters Veteran Member
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    I love leftovers. Especially if they are in a good sauce or gravy as they have had time to marinate well and the flavors are enhanced.
     
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  12. Lois Winters

    Lois Winters Veteran Member
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    We've done both as well, but since I don't eat turkey, I usually have steak, ham or fish.
     
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  13. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    This is our third year doing this. And we have leftovers because it's a meal for 6.
     
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  14. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    We always had Chicken and dressing with other things. At my hubbies parents was turkey dressing and ham. We don't care to eat all the leftovers for a week...and we don't need any of that.
     
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  15. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Being raised on a beef cattle ranch, we only had prime rib for any and all holidays. My mother made an awesome traditional "stuffing" served it separate with gravy over it and mashed potatoes. Jellied cranberry sauce was served. Usually a fruit cobbler and candied sweet potatoes for desert. Now, I have prawns with sweet potatoes fries, cranberry jelly, and for desert, Montmorency cherry pie. No sweet cherries for me! Never turkey, not even wild turkey, neither the bird or the drink! If invited somewhere where turkey is the only meat, I chose the dark only with lots of gravy on it. Never liked ham!
     
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