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While your Thanksgiving for 4 people may be an old tradition or a new one, there’s no reason it can’t be just as festive as a huge dinner! With these easy tips and some our favorite recipes, we”ll take some stress out of the day so you can focus on the good stuff.
Also check out our tips for a Thanksgiving for 2 and free downloadable Thanksgiving Guide!
Tips For A Thanksgiving For Four
Leave Behind Old Traditions (If You Want)
Unless you really, really love turkey, you don’t have to have it! (I know it feels like a Thanksgiving Law, but, I assure you, it’s not.) Switch out the turkey for chicken, prime rib, steak, or even a pasta dish. Or make it even easier by combining sides and the main course in one, like with our hibachi chicken with veggies and fried rice. Go totally off course and have an egg roll in a bowl! If you absolutely love the traditions, there’s no reason to stop doing them, but if you don’t, try something new! Unless Grandma is one of the four people at your dinner, no one can complain about the “good old days” while you make new traditions.
Friendsgiving Is Where It’s At
For many of us, holidays can feel lonely or remind us our singleton status, lack of kids, or that our cousin just made their second million at age twenty. If you’re social distancing this year or just need a break from the usual celebrations, a small Friendsgiving can be just the thing to break out of that cycle. Invite over a few friends and celebrate the family you make.
Make It A Mini Potluck
If some of your guests are from other households, have everyone bring one of their favorite dishes. This is perfect if everyone has different dietary needs or preferences (such as being on keto, eating gluten-free, or vegan or vegetarian). You may even want to switch things up making new dishes. For instance, if you’re vegan, but your guest is paleo, you could make paleo pumpkin pie, and they could make vegan alfredo.
Kids Just Make It More Fun
If your Thanksgiving for 4 people includes little ones, this is really your time to make it extra fun. Dress up for dinner (fairy wings and Spider-Man costumes are highly encouraged), and have the kids get involved in decorations and meal ideas. You may decide to trash the whole traditional food and instead have breakfast for dinner or have each family member pick one dish. Sure, you may not serve spaghetti with a side of waffles most years, but in 2020, anything goes!
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.
How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.
The general rule is to plan for 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per guest. If you're buying boneless meat, assume about 8 ounces per guest. To buy the right size turkey for your party, simply tally up the turkey-eating guests. Add a few pounds on for bones and you've got your turkey weight.
mashed potatoes! Rising from second place in 2022, mashed potatoes take the crown for America's favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Creamy, rich, and comforting, they're the perfect accompaniment to turkey and gravy, so it makes sense that mashed potatoes came out on top.
The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie. But the way these dishes are made or added to is everchanging because of food trends and different dietary requirements.
For the third year in a row, cranberry sauce takes the cake as the least favorite Thanksgiving food. It is disliked by more than 31 percent of respondents, according to a survey conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer, a travel and vacation content site.
In general, pie reigns supreme as a Thanksgiving dessert. While some families have their nice selections of pie servings, tradition says apple, pumpkin pie, and a southern pecan pie are the go-tos, typically made with a buttery pastry pie crust.
A great alternative is to cook a turkey breast tenderloin instead, which generally feeds 3-4. It doesn't have to be boring, either! Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast with Wild Rice Stuffing features turkey breast stuffed with creamy wild rice stuffing then wrapped in bacon before roasting. You might never go back!
A traditional Thanksgiving dinner has Turkey, stuffing (also called bread dressing), gravy, potatoes (mashed or scalloped), rolls with butter, green beans or some other cooked green like cabbage or collards, one orange thing (cooked carrots, sweet potato casserole, or squash), something cranberry flavored, and pie ( ...
If one dish calls for a roasting temp of 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and another calls for 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), you can meet in the middle and cook both at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Most ovens are usually off by about 25 degrees, so both should be fine.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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