Alternative Thanksgiving Menu?

Cute idea. Hmmm, I'm thinking turkey "bruschetta", toased rounds of bread with a piece of turkey, some wholeberry cranberry sauce and maybe some brie. Individual pumpkin and pecan pie tarts. Raw green bean crudite with herb dip topped with roasted almond slivers.

Quiche, baked turkey legs, pumpkin flan, pumpkin soup. I will give you both recipes they are soooo delicious.

EASY-EASY Pumpkin Flan

For the caramel

2/4 Cup of white sugar

For the flan

5 eggs

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of water

1 regular size can of pumpkin

1 cup of water

1 can of condensed milk

Melt the sugar and water until caramel is medium brown (stir constantly) Pour caramel in a rounded pan, making sure to cover the sides too.

for the mix

Put everything in a blender until the mix is creamy, add mixture to caramelized pan.

Bake in a dutch oven for 30 minutes at 350. Otherwise just place a container with water in the oven below the pan with the mix .

When cold, turn the pan upside down to demold the flan.

Enjoy

Pumpkin Cream

2tblspns butter or olive oil

2-3 leeks, sliced into rounds

2 cans of pumpkin

1 bouquet garni (an herb bundle tied with string) including any or all of the following:

a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of sage, a sprig of parsley, a rosemary stem

Filtered water (or chicken stock)

1 cup yogurt, buttermilk, half-and-half, or whole milk (or 3/4 cup cream or crème fraiche)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Crème fraiche or yogurt

Finely minced rosemary, thyme, sage, or parsley leaves (or a combination of these herbs); or a grating of nutmeg, or a grind of black pepper

Procedure:

Heat the butter or oil in a medium-sized soup pot. Add the leeks and sauté until soft.

Add the pumpkin and water (or stock) to cover the vegetables by about 3/4 of an inch. Add the bouquet garni and bring the pot to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is soft.

Turn off the heat, remove the bouquet garni.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in a blender), adding the yogurt or other dairy, and a big pinch of salt and pepper as you blend. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings.

Serve in a shallow bowl with a dollop of crème fraiche (or yogurt) and a sprinkling of herbs, nutmeg, or pepper

fix or make some of your meals in crock pots. ham potatoes & greenbeans and a little onion works great for a meal and can be made in crock pots.

Do it with a picnic style menu. Ham, baked beans, some potato, etc

pumpkin tarts, cranberry tarts, sweet pot tarts. all can be dune days ahead, will hold well.

roasted turkey canapes, turkey sands ( sliced into hor de vours)

if you need more ideas drop a line I will link you more.

You could make "stuffin' muffins"... make stuffing (keep it fairly moist with chicken stock), and fill cupcake tins with heaping mounds of it. Pack it in fairly well so they will keep their shape. Bake them in batches so you can put them out warm.