Exceptional Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
If you are open to exploring a non-traditional Thanksgiving menu, this post is for you! When our daughter said “I think turkey is over-rated.” It led my husband Howard to create this holiday menu that got high-fives all around. This would work well for Christmas dinner too.
I’m joining my friends, Cindy, Annie, Juliet, Kim and Elizabeth for their Thanksgiving faves too. Their links are at the end of the post.
1. Our Non-traditional But Exceptional Thanksgiving Menu
Some of this has become our family’s new tradition like Francesca’s mashed potatoes and peas.
- Start with Champagne and caviar before dinner, and it truly makes it a special occasion! Recently, we discovered Quince as a good, well-priced source for Royal Osetra caviar. It ships refrigerated overnight. Howard gets the blinis at Whole Foods.
- Autumn Arugula Salad with Apple and Crispy Prosciutto is a nice nod to the season.
- Howard roasts a great beef tenderloin from Costco with Creamed Horseradish sauce (that you can make up to three days in advance).
- Our son-in-law, Luca, makes his mom’s mashed potatoes with mozzarella and peas. It’s amazing!
- My sister, Teresa, finds the best desserts! She ordered ours (they are frozen until ready to bake) from Chesapeake Bay.
You may also like A Serene, Beautiful Family Thanksgiving.
Our Cooking Essentials
Once you have tried a Hestan cooking pan…you will be convinced of the quality and durability. We have given them to our kids and friends. They are pricey but there are good deals right now. We think they are the best.
Roaster and Rack • Sheet Pan Set with Rack
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Howard and I are actually going to be alone this Thanksgiving so we are taking a little road trip. But that just means that we will be making this menu when the whole family is here for Christmas!
Let’s check out what my friends are doing for Thanksgiving:
P.S. Adore your coastal Thanksgiving table setting too.
Mary Ann, I love this idea. Personally, turkey is a LOT and I always think maybe this is the year we rethink it all. Then one of the boys chimes in and says they want it, and off we go again. Honestly, I do it a lot for my dad who takes home most of the leftovers.
This looks so good and what a smart way to start with champagne and caviar- decadent and yet not too filling!
I adore the salad recipe! I am pinning that too.
Hope you and Howard have some fun! xo
Mary Ann! I love your idea for a non-traditional Thanksgiving! If only I could get my kids on board! Your table is gorgeous with all the white pumpkins!
MA! Turkey is overrated and I love your non-traditional Thanksgiving menu. And any meal that starts with champagne and caviar is going to be a hit. I’d love to sit down to beef tenderloin on Thanksgiving. And this entire spread … those mashed potatoes. OMG. Jim and I have spent a lot of Thanksgivings on our own and we love to take advantage of the opportunity to go out (so many people go out … who knew?!) or travel. Hope you and Howard have a great trip! xo
🙂 Great minds! We are having Cardiff Crack Tri-tips for Thanksgiving. You may have heard of it. So yummy and feeds our crowd of 20 this year.
Love your blog! Thankful to have found it. We are headed out for a little adventure also.
House is decorated for Christmas with the family when we return.
Good idea…I think I will start Christmas decorating too and take my time!
Mary Ann,
I love the idea of a traditional/non-traditional Thanksgiving! It is always fun to see and read about the way that other people host. Do they order out, cook all of the things themselves or parcel out the orders and have a delicious mix of dishes.
Thank you for hosting/co-hosting!
Happy almost Thanksgiving.
Hi Mary Ann,
We started mixing things up with the Thanksgiving menu when both of our sons developed a passion for cooking. I love trying new things and have never needed all that goes with the traditional Thanksgiving menu.
I loved some of the gift suggestions and still have a few gifts to buy.
I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
xo,
Karen
Cheers to making T-Day your own. It’s always been my favorite holiday and meal. We gave up turkey long ago. We prefer capon or chicken. But it’s always the sides I enjoy the most. Much happiness and joy to those at your table and enough booze for the youngsters so you can beat them in scrabble.
Ha! That’s a good tactic!
Mary Ann! I am so jealous that you don’t have to cook a turkey! I would much prefer Howard’s Beed tenderloin with or without sauce! I adore your “Mary Ann at the Salon” series! Keep it up gorgeous! xxoo
I adore YOU, Annie, as you know 🙂
Oh Mary Ann, your menu truly sounds exceptional for I, too, find turkey a bit over-rated. I think I’d like to steal your menu for our Christmas dinner this year. And how I’d love to sit at your beautiful table! I’m so thankful for all the blessings in my life and for the joy and inspiration your blog has brought to me.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Happy Thanksgiving, Gail!!! Chief and I are blessed to have you in our lives!!!
Hello Mary Ann, as you would already know here in Australia we don’t do Thanksgiving but I do like the idea of it. As I have gotten older I enjoy Easter far more than Christmas. Why? There are no pressures or expectations, no gift purchasing (apart from a few chocolate goodies) and for us the weather is cooler. I think your menu is great and very ‘Australian’. Have the most wonderful day with your family.
I’m with you about turkey, I like it in a sandwich but I’m not crazy about it for dinner. In years past we would do unconventional food: ribs, pork roast with potato dumplings. THen I felt my in-laws were disappointed so I went back to a regular Thanksgiving menu. Oh well.
You always look so good when you go to the salons! Love the boots, I recently got a new pair myself. Now if only the weather would cooperate. It’s in the mid-70;s here today, not boot weather!
Great post Mary Ann,
Happy Thanksgiving!
X Heidi
I love a good turkey sandwich too, Heidi!!
JUlia Reed was always one person I wished I had been in a position to know. Write about her sometime and share your impressions.Howard’s menu sounds great. Our oldest granddaughter is having everyone for Thanksgiving. Her father is worried because he thinks she can;t cook,so everyone is binging something to endure it is a decent meal!The Mashed potatoes and peas looks yummy. Will try it next time! Happy turkey day!
I laughed out loud when I read the part about your granddaughter’s cooking…Howard asked me what was so funny!
Love that lug boot on you ! Pushing me to buy into that trend ❤️
They would be so cute on you, Liz!
Your Thanksgiving menu looks delicious. Enjoy!
Thanks, Dawn!!
I agree! Turkey is over rated. We changed up our menu years ago. It gets boring eating the same food every year. Some years we have salmon, some roast….
I’m going back to check out your salad recipe and potatoes.
Love the salmon idea, Joanna!!
Hi Mary Ann,
The menu looks amazing, you both have spent so much in the preparation. You even printed out a menu, you don’t miss a beat do you?
Enjoy all the comforts of home and your family.
We are leaving on Monday driving to LA (Beverly Hills) to be with family. My niece Jennifer (really more like my daughter) is an incredible cook. We will be eating a Kosher Turkey. They are the best, so tender. I agree you do not have to have Turkey for Thanksgiving. We usually eat Tofurky, because we eat mostly plant based.
Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the little joys that surrounds us daily.
I’m grateful for your blog.
Hey! I think I will print out the menu and put it on the refrigerator! I am grateful for YOU, Katherine!
Love your blog so much !, I also make a tenderloin for Thanksgiving – no one enjoys turkey in our small group. Will Howard tell us how he roasts it? Every year I go back and forth between the high temp / short time or lower temp/ longer cooking time… which way does Howard do it ?? Tx so much and have a wonderful Thanksgiving
Your Thanksgiving dinner menu would make a great dinner party any time! I also love Julia Reed — she is on Phil Rosenthal’s NOLA episode of Feeding Phil (I hope you watch that series — we just love it! Totally built around people wh love travel, food and friends!)
Happy Thanksgiving!
We need to start watching Somebody Feed Phil again! I think we missed that episode.
Great pre-Thanksgiving post.
We are traditionalists though I use the turkey as a means to get to all the sides! Luca’s potato recipe sounds heavenly and I will try it for our Christmas dinner.
Thanks for the reminder of Julia Reed. Loved that woman whose voice was deep with bourbon tones. Such a funny woman with a zest for life. She certainly entertained Anthony Bourdain on one of his shows. To think of it, I miss them both…
Wishing you and your family the happiest Thanksgiving!
I know…we miss them both too. Happy Thanksgiving, Holly.