I love to make brussel sprouts in the oven. Simply trim, halve, add evoo, s&p spread out on rimmed baking sheets put into a 400 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes tossing once halfway through and you get an amazingly sweet carmelized veggie. I've also served these at room temperature with a dipping sauce and toothpicks as an appetizer and friends can't get enough of them.

Southern green beans don't need last minute cooking. This spicy creole green bean recipe combines whole green beans with tomato, peppers, celery, and onion--a good contrast to all that brown mushy food on the Thanksgiving table. I think I'll add New Mexico green chiles to the recipe this year, too.

http://www.cheaterchef.com/wordpress/?p=3082

I'll be cooking for a similar sized crowd and I hope to snag some tiny brussels sprouts at the farmers market today. They don't require much prep compared to the big, honking ones that sell in supermarkets. Trim the stem ends, and plunge into boiling water. Drain and scoop into bowls of ice cold water to set the color. Sieve them, halve them (if you have the time), saute in butter or bake in a hot oven.

I'm roasting green beans in the oven - given all the other rich side dishes, I'll do them very simply with a few cloves of garlic, olive oil, s&p. They're delicious that way and can be done ahead, then popped back in for a quick reheat. (Much easier than steaming or doing a saute last minute.) Another richer, do-ahead green side would be creamed spinach, piled in a gratin dish, topped with some buttered crumbs (with a bit of Parmesan) and browned in oven - again reheats quickly, just before serving.

This is what I'm doing. Tried it Saturday night and will adjust seasoning slightly -
http://www.lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/vegetable-croquettes-with-fonduta
Also making this Roasted Cauliflower recipe -
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7015_roasted_cauliflower_with_gremolata_bread_crumbs