When I plan parties, especially big family dinners, I have a method.
Step One: Focus
Keeping the party focused helps to make everything flow most naturally. A central theme or specific inspiration helps with honing the focus in.
For this year’s meal, I was inspired by the multi-course Thanksgiving menu in the White House cookbook of 1887. I wanted to make sure the kids get a sense of true American tradition because I want to continue to impress upon them the importance of knowing about their heritage.
Step Two: Format
Once I decide on my focus, I use that to choose what structure best suits the event.
Thanksgiving is all about abundance. I decided a multi course meal with a little bit of a lot of variety would showcase the inspiration the best. I then staged the multiple courses into three phases.
Step Three: Food
After I know the focus and the format, I can gather ideas and recipes that will make it a wonderful dinner mostly enjoyed by most of the guests. Any special consideration for dietary requirements would influence the choices made. I invited my aunt who is a vegetarian, so I made sure there were plenty of options for her to eat.
So, here it is.
Thanksgiving menu 2019
Entree
Egg course
Scalloped eggs
Rice course
Boiled rice
Bread
Sourdough cornucopia shaped loaf
Fish course
Fried halibut slices with tartar sauce
Vegetable course
Parsnip fritters
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Charcuterie
Cold meat course
Cold sliced sausage selection
Cheese course
Feta & Halloumi flambéed in metaxa (saganaki)
Fruit and nut course
Spiced currants & Salted almonds
Dessert
Sweet course
Thanksgiving Cheesecake
Beverage course
Vanilla Chai Rooibos Tea
White House Coffee
Next weekend, we’ll be having our Sinterklaas meal. Usually, we open presents on that day, but we are doing things differently this year, as we continue to anticipate the approval of the visa.
For this MakeItMonday, I will go live and show you how I develop a menu for events.
From mine to yours,
Mumma Alsum
