What to bring to first Thanksgiving with my in-laws??

Our Thanksgiving is usually several hours away by plane so traveling with food is not an option for me. You never know how the hosts have planned to use their kitchen anyway. I’ll never forget when a (now ex) sister in law used the hosts’ entire oven to bake cookies on Thanksgiving day. The host was too polite to mention the lineup of uncooked dinner items waiting on the counter.

We usually mail order something indulgent for the hosts to prepare for themselves at a later date. We do have a nice high end spice store which packs lovely hosts gifts so that is a non perishable option and something people dont always buy themselves.

Have a lovely holiday.

Eturiano - first, congratulations on the engagement.
Second, don't strive to impress.
Rather, think about warmth, and bringing something of yourself or your family traditions to your fiancée family.
Maybe, bring a serving piece they can use for years. Or a food from your family celebration that will survive the 3 hours.
Or ship them for delivery before Thursday a case of wine to drink with the meal or over the weekend.

Hi ETuriano,

Thanks for reaching out! What about a cheese, charcuterie, and crudité board to kick off the feast? I bet vegetarian or vegan guests would love our Vegetarian Mushroom Thyme Gravy (https://food52.com/recipes/7483-vegetarian-mushroom-thyme-gravy), as they often get jipped from the experience of pouring gravy all over their side dishes. You can make this in advance and quickly reheat it. For a twist on classic stuffing side dish, these Creamy Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms (https://food52.com/recipes/3110-creamy-sausage-stuffed-mushrooms) could work as an appetizer or side!


When all else fails, a bottle or two of wine or sparkling water are always a safe bet! You can never have too much of them and they will travel safely.

Good luck and happy holidays!