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Originally Posted by crosses
I will have relatives coming over for the first time in several years. Does anyone have recommendations on a delicious Thanksgiving dinner I can prepare without going broke for about 15 to 20 people?
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From a home ec teacher:
Having people bring stuff is best to offset the cost.
This week my foods classes are planning and making a thanksgiving dinner for $1.50 per person. They are brining the ads in on Monday and we will brain storm recipes based on the thanksgiving sales.
Last year Turkey was 18 cents a pound , sweet potatoes 19cents a pound and white potatoes were cheap. We put on a dinner for 20 students for about $25 dollars. The turkey was only $3.80 so we had room to spare for other food items. We made sweet potato casserole with marshmellows and sweet potatoes. We made pumpkin pie.
Some great resources are:
www.allrecipes.com
specific company websites
http://www.butterball.com/en/index.jsp (how to make turkey)
Making things yourself by scratch is less expensive.
I put old bread in the freezer and use for stuffing/dressing rather than boxed. However, stovetop is buy one get one free this week. To increase the yeild of the stovetop, add torn pieces of bread with the stovetop.
Gravy is cheap and potatoes are usually inexpensive.
biscuits are real cheap to make but should not be made ahead ( can be held up to 1 hr. before baking due to the use of baking powder).
An easy and cheap veg casserole is green beans (drained) with cream of mushroom. Get green beans on sale and use house brand soup.
Often you can get frozen pies for buy one get one free at the holidays.
If not, apple crisp is fast, easy, inexpensive and a good alternative to apple pie.
Drinks: iced tea and coffee- brew your own tea. cheap! Don't buy cans of soda unless a fantastic price. If you have soda, buy liters on sale and have people pour their own.
Avoid paper plates if saving $$ but the clean up is more work when using dishes. Clean up time can be a shared bonding time for family and friends "Many hands make light work". Dishes always look better. Simple decorations or candles add to your thoughtfulness of the meal. Use what you have.
Be creative and think through cost. Off brands are also cheapest and usually just as good.
Always remember to use the leftovers for lunches and cook up those wonderful bones for a hearty turkey soup. YUM!!!
FOOD SANITAION CAUTION!!!
Do not thaw your turkey on the counter. Plan ahead and thaw in the refrigerator. It takes about 5 days for a 20lb. bird. Go to the butterball website for specific directions.