Our Family 2019 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu consisted of all the things we love: family, food and fun memories. We had the honor of hosting Thanksgiving this year and we wanted to make sure we had a menu that reflects our African and Caribbean heritage. In addition to the traditional Turkey, we crafted a menu that was versatile and would appeal to everyone.
Turkey: Hubby was in charge of the turkey and he was assisted by his cute assistant chef in the kitchen. We got a 15 pounds turkey for about 8-10 people and we are still enjoying it today. I think that is one of the perks of hosting Thanksgiving at home. There is nothing like not having to cook 4 days in the row and I remind my girls the importance of giving thanks, even if you feel like you have been eating the same thing for days.
Fry Fish: This is a staple in Ivorian menu and I took pride on displaying my Maman’s recipe of fry fish. My Maman introduced to the Pompano fish and that’s the one I get to fry. According to Seafood Source, foodies describe the Atlantic pompano as “the world’s most edible fish.” The flat-bodied, pan-sized pompano is easy to eat whole, a form that shows off the beautiful, silvery skin. The attractive, silvery skin is edible and does not require scaling.Pompano meat is firm but finely flaked, with a sweet, mild flavor. The flesh is pearly white, with a moderate fat content, and cooks up white.
Morrocan Lamb Stew: We prefer lamb to beef at our house because we are not huge red meat eaters. According to Wikipedia, the meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old and is generally is more tender than that from older sheep and appears more often on tables in some Western countries. Back home we make a Moroccan Lamb Stew recipe with lots of veggies like squash and ginger along with lentils and chickpeas. I opted for a simpler version with plenty of seasonings like cloves, cumin and turmeric with some rainbow peppers and onions.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Hubby make the best mashed sweet potatoes and we can’t get enough of them. He adds some drizzle of maple syrup and butter and they come out perfect and fluffy.
Ground Food: You will always find in an African or Caribbean table some type of ground food. We opted for Ivorian yam and plantains. We boiled them for about 15 minutes and they are served warm with some spicy tomato sauce and fry fish.
Rice and Peas: I discovered brown basmati rice at Trader Joe’s and that’s our favorite to make the Barbadian rice and peas. I added some veggie medley for some color.
Macaroni Pie: In Barbados, we know macaroni and cheese as macaroni pie. Thankful to have our cousins helping out make this delicious pie to enjoy. I have yet to nail the recipe because it’s nice to delegate the cooking to someone else.
Green Beans and Mushrooms: This is another recipe my Maman passed on to me and I love making it around the holidays.
Our Family 2019 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu was everything and more with plenty of salad, greens and dessert options to last us for days. What stood out this Thanksgiving was the gift of family around the dining table eating, laughing and sharing stories. Our tummies were full and are still full but our hearts are definitely fuller from WELLthy MOMents created this past Thanksgiving. I live for those family moments and hope you had a meaningful Thanksgiving like we did.
