While Thanksgiving isn’t my most favorite of the holidays, it IS a great time to indulge in some culinary favorites! For some reason, there are some foods we exclusively serve on that last Thursday of November (probably to keep them feeling special), and I confess that I look forward to them all year round. Spoiler alert: you can keep your turkey. I’m in it for the sides.
Stuffing
As a carb girl, I am DOWN for a good stuffing. For me, it’s stuffing, not dressing, and it belongs in a casserole dish, not the cavity of the turkey. Simple is better: small chunks of bread with butter, chicken broth, onions, and celery, with seasonings, baked until the top is a little crispy. I don’t mind apples in it, but no protein, please. My toxic trait is that I make plenty extra, and live on it through the weekend, with leftover gravy and cranberry sauce.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
While I do not mind the canned jellied cranberries with the ridges, there is really nothing like the homemade cranberry sauce we make for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s super easy: just boiling fresh cranberries with sugar and water, but so delicious. I will absolutely drown my one piece of turkey with this condiment, without apology.
Apple Pie
Pumpkin may be traditional, but apple pie is the superior crust dessert, in my opinion. Once again, I love a simple, homemade version, with an oil pastry crust, and a mix of tart and sweet apples, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. We serve with fresh whipped cream and it’s perfect for breakfast the next morning or two.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Appetizers are always so dangerous on Thanksgiving. I love them more than the meal. We make our stuffed mushrooms with a blend of chopped mushrooms, breadcrumbs, minced onion, garlic, butter and a splash of white wine. When I was younger, I would just eat the filling out, but now I am in for the whole things. They are delicious and too much of a pain to make on the regular.
Spinach Patties
Hear me out. This is a dish that was served at every holiday gathering for as far back as I can remember. It’s a mixture of chopped spinach, onions, garlic, egg, cheese and breadcrumbs, pressed into patties and lightly fried over olive oil. It’s simply the most perfect thing. They are good warm, and cold, three meals a day.
Traditional Things We Don’t Usually Serve
- Mashed potatoes: I love mashed potatoes with the fire of a thousand suns, but we never make them for Thanksgiving. It’s the one beige thing I can let go – we have so many other carby things to eat, so that’s the one that gets cut.
- Sweet potatoes: Honestly, no one eats them. I have one delicious recipe but it makes a metric ton, and the leftovers don’t go quickly. My mom will bring a small portion of mashed turnips for herself but that’s as orange as we get.
- Green bean casserole: I’m not a casserole kind of girl, so this one doesn’t make it to our table. I do love those crispy onions on top, but that’s about it. But don’t fear: we make sautéed green beans with almonds, or roasted brussels sprouts, or a fresh green salad to get our veggie fix!
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Your meal looks delish – also not a fan of some of the traditional dishes you mention!
The first 3 are on my list. But the others look very good too.
I do like sweet potatoes and that green bean casserole.
I’m all about the sides too – but I garlic mashed potatoes are a must for me. On the other hand I’ll never understand that appeal of green bean casserole.
I do have a friend who makes the casserole from scratch with fresh green beans, homemade cream of mushroom soup, and all that sort of thing, but it’s still not my favorite.