What family friendly dishes do you put on your Thanksgiving table?

Moments of Motherhood: What family friendly dishes do you put on your Thanksgiving table?
Thanksgiving is a time for family, entertaining and great food! Tell us what you prepare for your kids and do they help you in the kitchen?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Leslie
My whole family goes to my parents house for Thanksgiving and we each bring a dish or two. I am always in charge of macaroni and cheese, which my sons help me make, and pecan pie.

Answer by ♥ Isabelle’s Momma ♥
In our house we don’t cook turkey.. We do Ham. With sweet potato casserole, green beans casserole, corn bread.
And apple cider for the drink.

My daughter doesn’t help yet because she is only 1. But I do help my mom cook when we go over her house. She usually cooks Mexican food, tons of it.

Answer by Mama G
Lots of pumpkin pie!

Answer by kbk823
What kid doesn’t like mashed potatoes? I make regular mashed for the kiddos and picky eaters, and a chipotle mashed for for the more adventurous.

The kids sometimes help, and sometimes don’t. Usually they are transfixed by the Macy’s Parade while I’m starting dinner preparations.

Answer by Beau in Disguise♥
Ya’ll need to get more original with your questions.

Answer by Aaron’s Mom
My son’s too little to help me, but I am making:
Turkey
Turkey Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Corn
Stuffing
Hawaiian Rolls
Pumpkin Cheesecake

Answer by Rossiyu Mommie ♥
We usually prepare a huge roast. My daughter and niece usually help with the gravy and putting the bacon on the turkey. They do just small dishes. We make the same for the kids as the adults and they enjoy it imensly.

Answer by Chelsea
We have turkey (of course) and they help my husband make the stuffing.
We have mashed potatoes and yams and they help open cans and mash the potatoes.
We also have lots of desserts to choose from ( we invite everyone from my side and his side of the family)

So that’s what we have and how the kids help

Answer by NYMAMA_2010
We usually travel to my mother in laws or sister in laws home for Thanksgiving. Everyone brings a dish along. My favorites to prepare are Sweet potato pie and Cranberry-pineapple jello. My son and hubby stay out of the way while I am cooking and during dinner but things even out because the guys end up with the dishes and cleanup at the end of the night. Still they do this during commercial breaks from football so it takes them forever but it is worth it cause the ladies get to rest.

Answer by mrs.hansen
homemade mac and cheese is the big fav at home. they love to toss handsfuls of cheese in the bowl and stir it, its so amazing to them

Answer by John R
Mashed potatos. Not only are they delicious and easy to make, but they make the traditional family food fight much more enjoyable.

Answer by rainwriterm
Family friendly dishes? That suggests that it’s routine and normal for Thanksgiving dishes to be non-family friendly. Now I’m curious about what kinds of traditional dishes aren’t okay for kids. Part of the fun for kids in our family is the fact that they get to be included in such a big dinner and are served the same things as the adults. It helps them not feel left out or inferior, and it adds to the specialness of the holiday.

Yes, my 3 year old helps me in the kitchen, especially when we’re making something out of the ordinary.

Answer by ?
Sweet potato casserole is a must every year. I cannot imagine the disappointment if I decided not to make that! lol

My son loves to mash potatoes with an old fashioned masher. =)

Answer by MasterCalf
stuffing, turkey, mash potato, gravy, stuff chicken wing, and other stuff everyone brings

it was always the adults that did everything while the kids play

for the kids that want to help, we told them to roll spring rolls( im asian) something simple

Answer by ryan55
I go to my son’s house and we always have a large feast… Staring with you guess it Turkey and a special Chestnut Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes w/Sour Cream and then homemade cranberry relish… Oh forgot the French Bean Casserole with the Crush onion bits…
Dessert is Marie Calenders Pies Pumpkin,Mince pie w/rum sauce and Chocolate Satin…
And a bottle of wine and some good old fashion football… GO LOINS start winning you turkeys…

Answer by Stephanie
Homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake with caramel glaze and the classic buttery mashed potatoes 🙂

Answer by fcm703
Since my wife died, I will probably have a turkey TV dinner.

Answer by jomolow
In addition to the usual holiday favorites, I usually make a big pot of homemade mac and cheese (not the box kind). Kids and adults like it.

Answer by Doodles
We do everyone their own special individual dressing according to what ingredients they like: plain, veggies only, sausage, oyster.
Other faves are sweet potato casserole with pecan brown sugar topping, classic green bean casserole, pineapple cheese casserole, mexican corn casserole, butterbeans, and cranberry jello salad.
Everyone helps, we watch the parade and drink coffee during preparation, we skype with those who can’t be there, Before our meal we everyone tells something they are thankful for, after lunch we play games, watch movies and football.

Answer by It’s just me
My kids eat what is prepared… turkey, ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, vegetable casserole, butter beans, salad, and soup. It doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday or not. They eat what is there or don’t eat at all. This isn’t a short order kitchen and I’m not making chicken nuggets on a holiday where there is no less than 10 different options for food. This is really a ridiculous question I must say….
Do they help? They peel potatoes otherwise everyone must stay out of my way or get yelled at.

Answer by sewveryblessed
We make the Paula Deen “Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps”.
The kids (all 8 of them) love to help make this.
We form an assembly line down the counter and one older child chops the chicken and bacon and the next child wraps a bacon slice around a piece of chicken.
Next one skewers it with a toothpick and another child dredges it in the chili powder mix.
The younger ones help organize the skewered bits in straight lines on a lined cookie sheet.

Answer by IDWaN
Questions like this have already been asked. According to Yahoo, before submitting a question, you should check the side where it shows similar questions and you can get your answer there. Besides, wouldn’t this question count as chatting?

Answer by amor unos
Questions like this have already been asked. According to Yahoo, before submitting a question, you should check the side where it shows similar questions and you can get your answer there. Besides, wouldn’t this question count as chatting

Answer by アニマルAnimal Seeking Kindness
hi

Answer by Jessa ~Noah’s Momma
Vodka.

That’s all…just….vodka. It doesn’t usually make it to the table though…….

Answer by Zach B
turkey is an obvious,stuffing is also good as well as mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie i am not sure what else toreccommend putting on the table

Answer by Rrubicon
Hot crab dip in a bread bowl. Yum.

Answer by msfriend
Homemade sweet potato casserole with either marshmallows on top or cinnamon pecans crumbles delicious! Indulge…and Nog of course.

Answer by WinterOpal
Along with turkey/dressing, green beans/corn, mashed/sweet potatoes, we have the traditional Thanksgiving lasagna. But the rest of the meal is lo-cal, limited fat. So many of the dishes handed down from my mother have gone by the wayside in this more health conscious age. For example, Fruit salad was made with Miniature marshmallows, fruit cocktail, bananas, Mandarin oranges and canned pineapple in whipped cream when I was young and when I was raising my kinds. Now I make it with fresh fruit, little or no sauce. Potato and tuna macaroni salad have been replaced by a vegetable tray. My pumpkin pie is made with Splenda. Sigh. But the chocolate cake stays the same. Nobody messes with chocolate cake.

Answer by Wilbert
I’m a mommas boy and Proud! I love to cook i help her every year but my favorite is pumpkin pie 🙂 looking forward to that theres no cooking like a mothers because no one can use as much love as you do!

Answer by Nancy B
My family is all now deceased but oh those days of yesteryear! When I was a child we didn’t have any type of family gatherings because of not living in the USA and not being near family. But, we always had a turkey and traditional dinner where ever we were. However, when my Dad was transferred to Korea for 2 years (without us), my Mother put her foot down and said that she was moving to California because that’s where her relatives all lived. By that time 3 out of the 4 of us were in our teen years. Holidays were split. The day started out by watching the Macy’s Parade. I don’t watch it now because I do not like all the extra things they’ve added over the years. I do not care to see people lip syncing to their records or doing a dance fo their broadway show. Just give me the big balloons, the Salvation Army Band and Santa Claus!!!

For years Thanksgiving was at my Great-Aunt’s home which was a mobile home with limited space. She did all the cooking and I did all the set up and cleaning. Why? Because there was absolutely NO room in her tiny, tiny kitchen for more than 1 person at a time. While Aunt Dorothy was finishing up the dinner items, I was setting the tables. We had to set up at least 2 card tables. The adults (which included my Mother, Grandmother, Cousin and her husband) sat in her also tiny living room with a glass of wine waiting for dinner. The kids (3 from my side; 4 from my cousin’s side) were left to either sit on the floor or go outdoors but sitting with the adults was the best because everybody could enter into the conversation. But, once we were called to the table and after grace was said, everybody passed their plate to be served and it was a special time. Of course after dinner it was the TV and football!!!

Dinner was obviously a very large turkey; mashed potatoes (real not from a box) and gravy (I do not know what my Aunt did to her gravy, it tasted good but it was a yellow color),oyster dressing (especially for my Mom and Aunt) and “regular” dressing for the rest of us. Yams, green beans and bread and butter and cranberry sauce both relish and the jellied. Desert was always pecan, pumpkin and apple pies with vanilla ice cream. After dinner was over, I’d gather all the pots and pans, plates, serving platters and utensils and start to do dishes. She didn’t have a dishwasher so it was all done by hand–me! Throughout the day there was always a 5# box of See’s candy in the living room to snack on as well as bowls of nuts and candy. Then, we’d sit around and talk some more and friends would drop in just to say hi, have a glass of wine and watch a little TV as well–it got very crowded in her home but it was fun! What always surprised me was how many people could actually get into her tiny place.

Then, after the games and conversation and after some of the adults napped in their chairs someone would invariably say they were hungry and out would come the turkey and condiments so people could make a sandwich. This time, we used paper plates.

So the next Holiday was Christmas Eve and that was at my Mother’s home. But that’s another story!
You’ve brought back some really good memories for me.

These days, my husband and I go to a B&B in nothern California the day before the holiday where we meet up with a delightful couple that we met 6 years ago at the B&B. Our new tradition is to spend the holiday weekend with them. Everybody goes their own separate ways during the day until it is time to meet for dinner. We then go back to our room and have a drink and conversation and catch up on what we’ve done over the past year and have a nice fire in the fireplace.

Answer by mafiosu
Gotta have Waldorf Salad!!

Answer by Laphatrada_Patt
Entertaining and great food…and every people sit together…

Answer by to0fly4u
Well I don’t have kids but I used to help my mom prepare green bean casserole, homemade mac and cheese, roasted or mashed potatoes, pecan pie, just to name a few 😉

Answer by 777
My contribution is the pasta salad.The kids in the family LOVE it and I think it’s a good dish to include for them because it’s a good way for us to get them to eat their vegetables.

Answer by Gary D
OK, you’re just begging me to ask….What exactly is a “family UNFRIENDLY” dish?

Answer by Boomshakalaka
Generally, candied yams with marshmallows melted on top in the Oven.
Turkey
Glazed Ham with Pineapple
Green bean Casserole
Butternut Squash
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Baked Beans

I let my son use cookie cutters to cut Jello and cookies and help me mix things for the green bean Casserole. I’ll let him stir the gravy if it isn’t too hot. He’s 2. He also gets to hand me the sliced pineapples and watch me fry them. He’s very curious.

Answer by Carol T
I’m Native American, and our dish is wild rice. This is one delicious dish and everyone loves it. It’s very popular in this region!

Answer by Sunny May
turkey!

Answer by Jim T
Who puts “non-family-freindly” dishes on the Thanksgiving table?

Answer by Pat Curious
Turkey, vegetables, fruits and much love.

Answer by mkb80
I am sooooo glad I am going on vacation over Thanksgiving!!! Yay.. lol

Usually, we have Turkey, dressing, mashed pototoes (real potatoes), gravy, corn, salad, pies and more. I spend hours cleaning before, hours preparing and then hours cleaning up.

Answer by bookish
My kids always loved the regular Thanksgiving meal, especially my mother’s stuffing. She would make creamed spinach for them, not really a traditional Thanksgiving dish, because they both loved it so. They’re grown now, but she still makes spinach for them on Thanksgiving!
Honestly, I think turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy, etc. are pretty family friendly already.

Answer by pandamgy
we make all of the traditional dishes, my two year old helps with it all by doing simple things like measuring and adding ingredients, and stirring and mixing as necessary. He has a great time and he is happy he was able to cook with mom

Answer by Sally
My parents don’t cook. They never have.

Now that I’m old enough to, and have the experience to put together a holiday meal, I do most of the cooking- and this year will be the second year that I’m doing it!

I’m planning on turkey and roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad (which can be made the day before), deviled eggs (which also can be made the day before), and pumpkin pie. All the delicious dishes my family loves!

Answer by TaiebaK
well im not a parent, im a kid. but for Thanksgiving my mom cooks turkey, Mash Potatos (i help mash them), Gravy, Pumpkin Pie, and this really good soup not sure what its called but its DELICIOUS!

Answer by neuromancer
my daughter absolutely loves beets with feta. i know it’s an odd combo but it’s really quite good. she also prefers vegetables uncooked, so we make a veggie platter with dip for her.
my daughter is 7 so she likes to get in there and help out. Her favorite thing to do is making chocolate chip cookies (none of us can agree on one pie so we make different things for dessert.) she makes better cookies than I do and I went to school for this stuff! this year our desserts will be Emily’s amazing chocolate chip cookies and my lemon squares 🙂

Answer by Veronica
Traditional, which I would like to change, but my family is stuck in a rut!!! LOL

Menu:

Turkey or Ham
Green beans
Sweet potato casserole
Cranberry sauce
Cornbread dressing…not stuffing
Macaroni and Cheese
Rolls
Apple pie, Pecan pie

(One year I made an awesome seven layer salad with green peas) Not receieved well! LOL

This year I hope to change the tradition and go to a really nice restaurant so we can relax and enjoy the day!!!!

Answer by Layla
my family cooks a lot of different dishes. they make pumpkin pie, turkey AND ham incase some of the family or friends they invite over doesnt like one of those, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, salad, etc. we also play this game at the table where we have to name at least 2 things we are thankful for. you should try it.

Answer by Polly
We always have turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy is made from the juices of the turkey. And we usually have homemade pumpkin pie. And the rest of the stuff varies from year to year.