A citrus and greens (of late, arugula) salad. Or maybe a chopped salad pyramid mound. Trust me kale or mustard greens will show up in it.
Stuffin' muffins a la Rachel Ray. Or Julia and Jacques Deconstructed Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing.
Mashed cauliflower in a crockpot. Easy to make in advance. If you prefer mashed taters that work in a slow cooker as well.
String beans. Generally blanched, frozen and then sauteed with aromatics.
Sometimes Indian pudding; sometimes souffled corn pudding. Sometimes neither; the market rules.
Either sauteed with garlic and/or shallots Swiss chard or Brussels sprouts, fresh from older sis's garden; sometimes both. Many of us like either with bacon but in deference to the family's pescetarians, it's often left out.
Of late, sweet potatoes only show up in a pie.
Had a bumper crop of the ingredients for ratatouille? There it is again. Or just make succotash.
Roasted root veggies or a carrot or hard squash soup.
Homemade cranberry chutney or sauce. So easy peasy to make, I've no idea why the canned stuff is still around.
Relish tray in deference to my Nana's always served dish and gold edged leaf shaped made of glass serving pieces. The beets are no longer pickled canned though.
For several years Alton Brown's make ahead gravy has been on the table and kept warm in a mini crock pot.
For several years, I've hosted between 18-32 for Thanksgiving which made it a buffet, complete with Caspari paper plates and buffet napkins. Not quite as nice as the bone china my mother and Grandmother gave me but they still show ( the plates and my mother, LOL) up for more formal sit down meals. For the buffets, I tend to make three 9 pound birds, cooked in different ways: a cut up partially de-boned bird and 2 whole birds brined with different seasonings and a stuffed whole fish (generally Swiss chard) or side of a whole fish, for the fish only eaters.
Coffee table hors d'oeuvres are generally veggie based to satisfy the fish and vegetarian eaters on our end but occasionally a platter of Rockefeller or raw oysters or stuffed eggs show up. I've found that less carb eating early on makes the main course disappear over the years.
Desserts are very often store bought on this end. A tarte Tatin; a homemade lemon frozen dessert ( thank goodness I can do that and my grandmothers aren't hanging their heads in shame from beyond, LOL) and when I'm really going good, homemade Amish style apple dumplings. Gotta have a bowl of dried fruit, mixed nuts and one of fresh fruits or I'd be shamed for the rest of the year and beyond.
Everyone starts at the front door with spiced apple cider (your slow cooker is your friend for this) and continues drinking it until it's gone or they are sated.