In our home, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter, we all eat the same thing. I am often asked what our holiday meal consists of, so I thought I would post what we normally eat and as I post recipes on the list I will link them. The only thing that changes might be whether we eat a turkey or ham, and we might try a new dish or two, but our main meals are always the same.
As our farm grows and feeds us more, our menu might reflect what is in season or what we have harvested specifically for the holidays. Ideally our entire menu will be home grown, not only holiday feasts but most of our daily meals as well. But this takes time. Each year we are just a little bit closer!
As the kids grow, they delight in taking over more of the holiday meal. My husband always handles the turkey (this might be the only thing he cooks in our kitchen all year!), my oldest son usually does the pumpkin pie, my oldest daughter takes over a pie and whatever else she can get her hands on. All the kids peel potatoes, my second oldest daughter makes the cheesecake (making the graham cracker crust and all) and my middle son enjoys making the rolls.
This is the holiday menu we have come to expect each year:
- Turkey, ham, and ducks or geese
- Mashed potatoes and gravy made from turkey drippings (or drippings from whatever we roast)
- Cranberry Sauce
- Buttered corn
- Cheesy Potatoes
- Corn and Green Bean Casserole
- Rolls
- Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Pumpkin Pie
- Cheesecake
- Apple Pie
After the holidays are done, we normally make an open faced turkey sandwich the next day and possibly soup or a casserole from everything else that is left later on. Considering the size of our family, leftovers don’t usually last too long. Once the meat is off the turkey or ham carcass, I make stock. If there is enough to can, I can it, otherwise I will freeze it.
We purchased an electric roaster the first year we started doing our own Thanksgiving. It has been one heck of a wonderful kitchen tool – not only for the turkey so I can use the oven for the many other things we prepare, but when I want to make big batches of stock, golabki, soups and chilis, and more. If you are on the fence about a roaster, it can be used many times throughout the year if you cook in bulk on a regular basis (or feed a large family like me).