Thanksgiving Buffet - Serve the Family Meal The Easy Way!

Have a lot of people coming for the Holidays?
Consider serving the Holiday Meals Buffet Style!

Fun, food and family go hand in hand. However, the larger the family, the harder it is to please everyone. Simplify meals by serving a southern style holiday buffet. Provide traditional foods and non-traditional family favorites.

Holiday Buffet

Uncle Joe doesn't like turkey. Aunt Martha wants ham and little Sally won't eat anything but chicken legs and macaroni and cheese. Give them all what they want with a simple Thanksgiving buffet. There are even a few diabetic options thrown in.

• Meat Options: Roasted a turkey. Bake a ham and fry a few chicken legs. To make things even easier, buy a pound each of sliced turkey and ham from the deli at the local market. Most grocery stores also offer fried chicken in the deli.
• Side Dishes: Provide the traditional stuffing or dressing. Serve both mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Offer macaroni and cheese for the children and green beans with almonds for the grown ups. Consider adding a low fat, diabetic option like mashed cauliflower, and don't forget the mandarin orange slices and cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving Desserts

The lunch dishes have been washed. The men are watching the game. The children have been out playing and the women are ready to start a round of cards or dominos. Time for dessert.

• Pies: Thanksgiving just wouldn't be complete without pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Guests may also enjoy lemon meringue or key lime pie. This would be a good day for chocolate pie too.
• Cake: Most children like chocolate cake. The older generation considers red velvet cake to be a holiday treat. During the holidays, Italian cream cake is a good choice, and of course some adults may enjoy a good rum cake.
• Diabetic Options: For the family member with dietary restrictions, dessert time can be a frustrating temptations. Ease their stress levels by providing a few sugar free options of traditional fare. Provide a sugar free pumpkin pie with Splenda whipped topping. Bake a sugar free vanilla pineapple angel food cake. Also, consider adding a fruit platter to the buffet.

Family Favorites

If feeding the whole clan year after year, consider a recipe swap. Have family members bring copies of their favorite holiday recipes. Next year, some of these may be added to the holiday buffet. This really simplifies things for the hostess if a family member has allergies or dietary restrictions. Next year's buffet might include a special gluton free dressing or carob chocolate cake.