Menu Planning, Recipes

Ideas For A Turkey Dinner Menu

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You probably do some advance planning as I do. You look for ideas in treasured cookbooks, in magazines, and from what you have made in the past that everyone at your table liked. There are many possibilities, from casseroles, salads, and vegetables to an endless variety of delicious desserts!

If you are like me, you probably start planning it out in your head long beforehand. You have to consider what you have time to make, what ingredients, and so on that, you have to work with. How many guests will you have, and how many gluten-free guests?

Have a look… these articles will save you time.

  1. How To Cook A Turkey Dinner – includes Turkey Roasting Tips and Recipe for Sausage Stuffing.
    2. Ideas For a Turkey Dinner Menu – includes salad recipes: Cold Beets, Spinach Souffle Salad, and Cabbage Salad with Yellow Peppers and Peas.
    3. More Recipes For A Turkey Dinner Main Course – Includes recipes for Maple Baked Sweet PotatoesWhipped Red Skinned Potatoes, and Tart Cranberry Sauce with Orange.
    4. How to Make the Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie and Carrot Cake These recipes are in the Bonus Section of Gluten-Free, You Can Do It -by Trina Astor-Stewart. Contains charts for Trina’s Flour and Bread Mixes. Three Series Of Mixes: Original, Corn, Nightshade, Tapioca, and Rice Free Mixes. Over 300 Recipes.

How do you decide what to serve with your Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey Dinner?

Sometimes a family is so large that having one or two people cook the whole thing is almost impossible. In that case, the host family often roasts the turkey and does the drinks, like juice, punch, coffee, and tea. The balance of the meal is then either potluck or organized by dish. Heaven forbid the absence of mashed potatoes as a base for all that lovely tasty turkey gravy! For some reason, potlucks work well for a large crowd, but for a middle-sized group, it is safer to manage who is bringing what, or you might have all desserts and no MASHED POTATOES.

In many instances, when I have hosted a family turkey dinner, I have not had a lot of time to take pictures of everything. The last time was not that different, but I determined that everyone must wait to eat until at least a picture of the turkey on the table was taken. You see, now that I am blogging, I must share with you, right?

If you want to see how I roasted the turkey, the recipe for the Sausage Stuffing, and other tips, you can go to my blog entitled, How To Cook A Turkey Dinner.

Roast Turkey with Stuffing
Turkey with Stuffing ready to be carved at the table

I photographed the rest of the dinner two days later from leftovers after everyone left, as some came from a distance and stayed over. It is all about having a good time and doing as much as possible ahead of time so that you are organized. There are always last-minute happenings and things you have to roll with. Be calm -just do it. Everyone’s feelings and the harmonious atmosphere is the main thing! It could even be you who forgot to put that dish on the table that you are so proud of having prepared. This happened to me when halfway through the dinner, I realized I had forgotten the cabbage salad, which was all pretty as a picture waiting in the fridge…

It is the get-together with the family that is the most important!

I remember a Thanksgiving Dinner at home when I was growing up. Although a great cook, my mother was beside herself over some unfortunate occurrence or some squabble. Emotions ran high, and the next thing we all witnessed was the raw turkey being slammed on the floor! For the life of me, I cannot remember what caused such a ruckus, but it has stayed with me to this day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is worth that! But on the other hand, you never know what behind-the-scenes pain someone can be going through. “Forgive first, forget later” was my mother-in-law’s wise approach. She had a lot of experience with a big family in her day!
My mother-in-law, at each visit, would share some of her experiences with me, and one time she whispered, “You know, sometimes it is just best to turn a blind eye. It all boils over eventually anyway.” Mothers-in-law have many little secrets stored away that can shed light on things since no two families’ coping strategies are alike.

Pardon me. I have digressed. You are here for ideas and recipes about what foods to serve with a turkey dinner, so here is what was on the menu at my last Turkey Dinner. Of course, it was all gluten-free!

Plate of Turkey Dinner
A plate of food showing all of the main course Turkey Dinner items
  • Roast Turkey with Sausage Mushroom Stuffing and Turkey Gravy was the meal’s centerpiece. See my blog about How To Cook A Turkey Dinner at this link for these recipes.
  • Below are the recipes for the following:
  • Chilled vegetables were Cold Beet Slices, a Spinach Souffle Salad, and Cabbage Salad with sweet yellow peppers and peas.
  • Hot vegetable dishes were; Maple Baked Sweet Potatoes, Whipped Red Skinned Potatoes, and of course, Turkey Gravy.
  • Also served was a Tart Cranberry Sauce with Orange, Homemade Gluten-Free Bread, and butter, as well as a sparkling juice combination of White Grape Juice with mineral water. Since most of the family drove a distance, we did not serve wine. I had frozen some sweet red grapes to be used in the juice instead of ice cubes, but as happenstance would have it, I forgot those altogether. (I mention this to let you know to go easy on yourself, too. It is ok not to sweat the small stuff. 🙂
  • Dessert was Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. These were served with coffee or tea.

Now let’s go into the recipes for the salads…

Cold Beet Slices:

Cold Beet Slices

Some people say that baked beets are the best, and although I have tried them, they don’t go with everything.

My family likes just plain beets, boiled, skinned, and sliced. Beets take a while to cook, so why not cook up a big pot of them? They keep well in the fridge and are a great quick addition to any meal.

How to Cook and Peel Beets

  • Wash beetroots, and remove the tops if they come with them, as they often do at Farmers’ Markets.
    As an aside… beet tops are both delicious and good for you; wash well, then stir fry with onions.
  • Place in a large stockpot and cover with cold water.
  • Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
  • Simmer beets until they are semi-soft when stuck with a sharp knife.
  • Remove from heat, drain, and shock by covering once with cold tap water.
  • Set beets aside to cool.
  • Peel the skins off the beets by first cutting off the top and bottom ends, and the peels almost slide off.
  • Place in a covered glass container to store in the refrigerator. Slice beets just before serving.

Spinach Souffle Salad

Spinach Souffle Salad

Recipe by Trina Astor-StewartCourse: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking timeminutes
Calories

100

kcal

An easy-to-make molded jellied salad that looks impressive on a holiday table and is a tasty, healthy salad. Even people who don’t like spinach love this jellied salad. Just be sure it has the right amount of sweetness for your taste buds. See below.

Ingredients

  • 4 Tablespoon Unflavored Gelatin, ‘Bloomed’ in 1 cup cold water.
    Or 1 medium-sized package of Lime Jello.

  • 2 cups of either Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese. (I used Greek Yogurt for the one shown, as one of the guests does not eat cottage cheese, both are good)

  • 1 small package of cleaned and washed baby spinach (reserve some leaves for garnish)

  • 4 or 5 radishes, chopped (save some for garnish)

  • 3 stalks of green onions, chopped

  • Juice and zest 1 lime

  • 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

  • 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh parsley

  • Salt and Pepper to season

  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise (check your brand to make sure it is gluten-free)

  • 1 or 2 tablespoons of Sugar- Optional.

Directions

  • Prepare your preferred gelatin. If using Green Jello, only add the recommended boiling water and set aside; the rest of the ingredients are wet enough. Since Jello contains so much sugar, I used the unflavored in this recipe.
    If using natural unflavored gelatin, there is a two-step process. First, you must ‘Bloom’ it in cold water. This means you add the gelatin to cold water, stir, and let it sit for about 10 minutes while it thickens. Step 2. You must heat the bloomed gelatin mixture by heating it to almost a boil on the stove or for 30 to 1 minute in a microwave.
  • Place the nine other ingredients into a food processor. Add the spinach last. Pulse briefly to reach the desired smooth consistency.
  • Taste the jelly mixture to see if you prefer it with a little more sweetness. It can be pretty tart-tasting without any sweetener. You can use your favorite sugar substitute.
  • Pour into a lightly oiled jelly mold and place in the fridge overnight.
  • Unmold the Spinach Souffle Salad onto a dish and garnish with spinach leaves and slices of radishes. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Notes

  • Please note: Xylitol sugar substitute is not recommended for animals. Do not, under any circumstances, let your dog lick the plate!
  • Spinach Souffle Salad will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Great to add to leftovers.
Fresh Green Cabbages and Green, Yellow, and Red Peppers
at the City Market Square Farmers Market Niagara Falls, NY.

Cabbage Salad with sweet yellow peppers.

  • In a Food Processor, pulse 1/2 Medium Green Cabbage until the desired level of fineness is achieved, and place it in a separate bowl.
  • 2 Sweet Yellow Peppers chopped
  • 2 or 3 sprigs of Fresh Parsley finely chopped
  • Dressing Ingredients:
    1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise (always check for gluten-free)
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
    1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
    1 teaspoon horseradish
    1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid (vitamin C crystals) This helps maintain freshness so that the cabbage salad can be made the day before and will last in the fridge for up to 3 days to go with leftovers.

  • 1 cup frozen peas (do not thaw peas unless serving immediately. The peas will thaw in the fridge and help maintain the cabbage salad’s freshness before serving.
  • Blend all ingredients together and store covered in the refrigerator until serving.
  • Hot vegetable dishes were; Maple Baked Sweet Potatoes, Whipped Red Skinned Potatoes.
  • Also served was a Tart Cranberry Sauce with Orange.
  • Dessert was Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The pumpkin Pie recipe with Trina’s Favorite Pie Crust Recipe is in my new book. Gluten-Free You Can Do It. ‘Bonus Section

Gluten-Free, You Can Do It -by Trina Astor-Stewart. The cookbook contains charts for Trina’s Flour and Bread Mixes. Three Series Of Mixes: Original, Corn, Nightshade, Tapioca, and Rice Free Mixes. Over 300 Recipes.

Please note
Please note: The author of this post has received no financial remuneration
for mentions of products, people, places, or businesses mentioned in this post. Image ©Trina, Eggs+Mix+Water=Bread

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