Thanksgiving Menu + Giveaway

By Kate Riley November 4, 2011

Hi all, happy Friday to you!  I was on the phone with my sister yesterday planning our Thanksgiving feast and informed that for the first time in our family’s history of feasts, my brother-in-law has plans to deep fry our turkey this year. This is new to me having grown up on an oven roasted bird, but from what I’ve heard (thanks to plenty of tweets yesterday to reassure me) deep fried turkey is excellent. I’m intrigued and looking forward to it, but just might roast up another smaller bird for old times sake.

The big feast is less than three weeks away, and we’re busily assigning who’s cooking what. It’s just not Thanksgiving without turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry relish and pumpkin pie which requires my attire include my most stretchy pants on that day. (I can’t be alone in that.)

thanksgiving menu 1

menu template via must have menus

So let’s talk about food.  A gorgeous keepsake cookbook arrived in my mailbox last week celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Do you watch the Parade every year?  We always have it on while we prep the feast (yet another T day tradition).

Did you know that every single float travels from Hoboken to Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel the midnight before and must be able to fold up to between 6 x 12 feet to pass through it?  This I did not know.  The book tells all about the history and timeline of the parade and how 4,000 people work together to pull it off every year.

macys cookbook

It’s not only a keepsake and history of the famous Parade, but also a gorgeous cookbook filled with stunning images that are a collaboration of over 80 favorite holiday recipes from 13 famous chef’s that make up the Macy’s Culinary Council (including Emeril Lagasse, Cat Cora, Wolfgang Puck and many others).

macys culinary council

I’m bookmarking several of the recipes inside like Crab Cakes ‘Benedict’ and Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle.  There’s also a few day-after-T-day grilled sandwich recipes that look amazing, yum!

thanksgiving recipes

 

I’ve got two copies to giveaway this weekend, just in time to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving. Want to win one of these beautiful keepsake cookbooks?

Eligibility to win one of two keepsake Thanksgiving & Holiday Cookbooks:

1. Answer this question:  Other than turkey, what’s the one recipe or tradition your Thanksgiving is incomplete without?    Leave your answer in a comment!

Giveaway ends Sunday November 6, 2011 at 8 p.m. PST.  US only.  Two winners chosen at random.  $24.95 retail value.  Macy’s is not a sponsor of this giveaway or blog.  By entering to win, you agree to this blog’s giveaway policy and Official Rules of Entry.  If you’d like to purchase the keepsake cookbook, you can do so here. Complimentary cookbook provided to me for review.

Pssst… were you one of the winners of the Decorative Pillow Giveaway from last weekend?  Winners announced here.  (If you won, check your inbox, there’s an email from me.)

That’s all folks, wishing you a lovely fall weekend !

xo,

cg kate signature

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Winner #304 LaLa, email sent to the winner!

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556 comments

  1. The one dish that can’t be skipped for my Thanksgiving is my grandmother’s cornbread casserole recipe. It’s got cornbread mix, creamed corn, whole kernel corn, sour cream, and egg. It’s so soft and fluffy and gooey. I literally can’t go without it when Thanksgiving rolls around. Last year we went to visit my in-laws for Thanksgiving and I even had to make it there (although Missouri-ans don’t quite appreciate corn dishes the way we Iowans do!). Just thinking about it has me all kinds of excited for the Holidays! :)

  2. Hmmmm…there are quite a few traditional items on our Thanksgiving menu; however, I have to say that my mother’s dressing (stuffing) and my husband’s collards top my list. My pumpkin pie is good, but it just doesn’t rival the contributions of other family members. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

  3. We call it “Green Stuff”. It’s my mom’s recipe and it’s a jello salad made with real whipped cream, lime jello and walnuts. Thanks for the chance to win today!

  4. My mother always served sauerkraut with apple chunks. As a child it was horrendous smelling! As an adult, I love it. I’m still waiting for my “kids” to come over to the saur side!

  5. Looks like a fun book. Traditions? Have to watch the Macy’s parade. And food wise, pie is a MUST. Apple & pumpkin at a minimum.

  6. I love sweet potato casserole! I treat it more like a dessert and eat it on a separate plate! ( part of the food not touching obsession lol)

  7. Our family must have Pineapple Marshmellow Salad (husband’s Great Grandmother’s recipe).
    It is so delicious it can be eaten as a salad, dessert, or a snack-Yum!!!

  8. My grandmother, Carrie Daisy, was a wonderful southern woman, which means that she could cook something fierce. She gave me her recipe for chicken and dressing. Even though we always have turkey and all of the wonderful sides that goes with it, we have to have chicken and dressing. I always cook the chicken and cornbread the day before, love the smell of cornbread. I miss her so much! Happy Thanksgiving ya’ll!

  9. Aside from leftover turkey sandwiches, I love love love mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum!!

  10. My father makes a cabbage recipe each year. It’s almost like a coleslaw. He uses a hand grinder (you can’t use a food processor or a blender or anything electronic as it wrecks the texture – we tried that). It is so perfect with Turkey.

  11. sweet potato casserole….. and pumpkin pie (no one EVER eats the pumpkin pie, but everyone wants pumpkin pie for dessert :)))

  12. Homemade cranberry sauce is a must. Even though I make the simple recipe on the back of the package of Ocean Spray Cranberries, I love it. The perfect addition to my Thanksgiving Sandwich on Black Friday as well :)

  13. Wow, this is a great giveaway!!! We used to go to the parade every year when I was a little kid.

    We always have latkes at Thanksgiving. Since Hanukkah isn’t a major Jewish holiday, my family’s not always together for it … so we celebrate in November. :)

    I also would be sad without cornbread and sage stuffing.

  14. For my husband it can’t be without homemade stuffing!!! For me it’s apple pie!!!

    Have a great weekend!

  15. Thanksgiving family tradition: We are all huge fans of Friends (tv show). Every year we coordinate to make sure we have the dvds of various seasons present, and after the Thanksgiving feast and clean up, we gather in the living room and watch just the Thanksgiving episodes. The girls’ favorite is the Brad Pitt Thankgiving appearance (obviously!), the boys love Joey’s Thanksgiving pants!

  16. Sounds like we grew up in the same house Kate! Thanksgiving starts out with homemade cinnamon bundt cake and coffee:) Celery and onion and sage simmering in the background….Macy’s parade start to finish…I love it all. And it makes me all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it! I would LOVE this book!

  17. The stuffing that we make must be that of my grandmother’s recipe. My grandmother passed some years ago but we still must have her recipe for stuffing. Also we have to have pumpkin crisp for dessert and not pumpkin pie.

  18. My husband’s Mom always made her special recipe “Frozen Fruit Salad”. After she passed away in January 2008, we wanted to continue the tradition in honor of her. We have found recipes that approximate, but just don’t duplicate, the final dish. We don’t know what her secret ingredient was, but we are bound to figure this one out! My Mom makes strawberry pretzel salad, and we always insist she make TWO, since we fight over the leftovers the next day.

  19. I really look forward to Thanksgiving to cook up a storm and try new recipes. That being said, canned cranberry sauce is a must!

  20. My wonderful grandmother passed away 16 years ago, but every year we have a bowl of black olives on the table as a tribute to her. Her Thanksgiving table always included these and it’s just become tradition for us since she’s no longer with us. Visitors always love hearing the story behind the black olives!

  21. Our fresh cranberry relish. It is a must have at our table — has been since I was a little girl.

  22. My Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without hosting the big meal and obviously my family! The non necessary thanksgiving food changes every year but my family stays the same:o)

  23. Weird as it sounds, we always had Birdseye Japanese Style Vegetables! Don’t know why, but that particular side dish was an absolute must, that and mashed turnips. My mother immigrated from Ireland and she insisted on mashed turnips. I will be serving them this year at my house.

  24. My mother’s (to-die-for) stuffing, made with French bread, mushrooms, raisins, walnuts…..yum! Our true “family” tradition is that everyone contributes their special dish. Our menu doesn’t vary much, we look forward to our traditional dishes though. The youngest, now 27, has always made the cranberry sauce. It’s fun to sit down and share – we’re probably most thankful for the dessert person :-)

  25. You can forget the turkey, all I need on Thanksgiving to be happy is my dad’s stuffing. It’s hard not to steal bites of it all day long.

  26. Great grandmas garlic dip and chips. My mom now does a great job adding a little of this and that to make this one of a kind can’t do without yummy dip!

  27. I am vegetarian and so my thanksgiving meal is a little different, cranberry pickle and green beans are staples everything else is pretty much up to how much I feel like cooking :)

  28. Cornbread stuffing is a southern tradition that we have carried with us while living in the north. Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without it.

  29. Cornbread Dressing that my Mama makes every year! I’m not much of a Thanksgiving cook, but every year since I was a little girl I’ve helped my Mom make this dressing, and since I don’t eat turkey, Thanksgiving is not complete without it!

  30. My sister makes the best oyster stuffing, which she makes every year per my request. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Happy Thanksgiving!

  31. Pumpkin pie! This year i will be bake 2 pumpkin pies (my grandmother’s recipe) and a sweet potato pie (just to change things up).

  32. First, I just have one thing to say about your menu: Mmmmmmm!!!! And in answer to your question, I just can’t pick one thing….gotta have the turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and of course PUMPKIN PIE with homemade whipped
    cream!

  33. Sweet potatos…..Macy parade on my Life List!
    Thanks for sharing…you add to my blessings in life.
    dj

  34. Always, always cranberry sherbert using the recipe from my great great grandmother. Now my dad makes it and my kids love it because they get to eat dessert WITH dinner. What could be better. That book looks amazing!

  35. Every year without fail I am asked to make my green bean casserole, as well as my stuffed mushrooms. But I just don’t feel like it is Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. I would LOVE to win this book! I am a BIG fan of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I still remember the first year we moved back to America my grandma told us about it, my little sister and I watched it. :-) Ah, good memories. :-)

  36. ooooh, i always make macaroni and cheese with six different cheeses for thanksgiving. it’s so decadent that i only make it once a year!

  37. Great giveaway. Thank you for sharing. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without my Mom’s stuffing. It’s been hard to recreate. She was from the old school – handful of this, a pinch of that. I’ve come pretty close. My Dad simply loves it.

  38. Squash rolls. My grandmother’s recipe- SO much better than they sound. Soft yeast rolls with pureed squash in the dough.

  39. Brussels sprouts! We try a new recipe every year. This year (Canadian Thanks Giving was last month) it was Brussels sprouts and papaya : a delicious synergy.

  40. Before sitting down to dinner, my grandfather, the patriarch of my family, calls all the members of our family around the country who couldn’t join us. We pass the phone around and toast those missing people. Its almost ilke we all make it together…no matter what.

  41. My mother’s recipe for Apple Yam Delight! Yams, applesauce and a crumbly topping make it feel like you’re eating dessert with dinner!

  42. My Aunt makes the most unbelievable stuffing. I could bypass everything else on the table and just eat it till I was sick!

  43. My family largely lives on the east coast, which means access to fresh seafood for not terrible prices. As such our yearly Thanksgiving tradition has always involved oysters. Oyster dressing, to be more accurate. Oysters, bread, seasoning, celery all squished up together into a dense dressing that we may not like when we are young but have certainly acquired the tastebuds for by adulthood.

  44. It sounds very cheesy, but we go around the table and say what we have been thankful for that year. It is always a fun way to reflect, and the kids’ responses can be great. Recently my little cousin Natasha, after a string of people speaking about health, family, etc., said (dead seriously) “I am most thankful for mice.” It was very out of the blue and memorable.

    Kate, if you’re interested, here is a link to our Thanksgiving celebration (since I’m Canadian, it was in October).

    http://simcoestreet.blogspot.com/2011/10/canadian-thanksgiving-part-1.html

    Great giveaway!
    Jenny

  45. would love a cookbook. i feel like we have to have green bean casserole on the table…it was with us every year growing up. however, now that i have to eat gluten free–french’s fried onions are out. we still haven’t found the perfect substitute to make it seem like it used to.

  46. Green beans almondine – sauteed green beans and sauteed almonds. Mmm, buttery goodness!

  47. Sweet potato crunch. creamy Sweet potatoes with a pecan/brown sugar and butter topping. NO marshmellows on this baby! Thanks for the giveaway.

  48. Other than turkey, what’s the one recipe or tradition your Thanksgiving is incomplete without? It’s gotta be the Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing! I’m salivating just thinking about it. :)

  49. Thanksgiving (or any family holiday) would not be complete without my grandmother’s Orange Jello Mold. She would make this dish forevery holiday and when she passed away in 2007 I took on the tradition of bringing her Orange Jello Mold made in her vintage Tupperware mold. It would not be a holiday without it.

  50. Pie! My family does not really do cake or cookies, they are all about the pie! Pumpkin, cherry, peach, pecan and some kind of berry will be had this year. Pie dough made from scratch with lots of little nieces and nephews helping out!

  51. The menu is fantastic, and the books looks to be as well! The three things that make our Thanksgiving dinner worth waiting for every year are green bean casserole, homemade turkey gravy and a big pumpkin pie.

  52. Thanksgiving would not be complete without a food battle. Every year we make 2 versions of the same dish and then have a Top-Chef-Style review of what the hits and misses of the dish were, then we record the winning dishes in Yai-ya’s food file so we can reference it for next year. Ah, being in a family of foodies! What a life!

  53. For me it’s the green bean casserole, that makes Thanksgiving, and the memories of my Grandfathers tradition of weighing everyone after dinner and recording it in a little book. I don’t know why he did that but every year after dinner out came the scale. We gave up that tradition after Grandpa passed away, but still talk about it every year.

  54. Growing up we always had to have pillsbury crescent rolls and after 8 dinner mints at Thanksgiving.. These days we’re a little fancier though and my hubby and I always serve a delicious butternut squash and apple soup as the first course…

  55. Green bean casserole, yes the one with the cream of mushroom soup and onion straws. Lol

  56. It’s a tie for me: Mom’s stuffing and Dad’s pumpkin pie! The years that I’ve spent with my husband’s family have forced me to BEG them to save some for me! Luckily, Mom makes extra batches of the stuffing. Dad wanted to help Mom out one year and made pies for her. (They are his favorite, too.) Now, their house ALWAYS has a pie in the frig from mid-November until mid- January. And he has to make a few for Easter, too. (It’s a little weird eating chocolate bunnies and pumpkin pie for dessert on Easter, but I’m OK with it!). : )

  57. Mashed potatoes made with heavy cream, butter, and cream cheese! T-Day is a weeklong affair around here with family that comes in from all coasts, so as the host I am planning this year’s first annual “Minute-to-win-it” family competition – complete with travelling trophy!

  58. Our Thanksgiving tradition is to not only have family at the table but to invite some friends over as well…that way we have a fun “pot luck” meal where we usually wind up with several versions of cranberry sauce. The more, the merrier!

  59. Each of our family members has a “can’t be Thanksgiving dinner without…” item. For me, it’s the dressing and gravy; we always have three kinds, my brother in law’s has pecans and ground sausage in it, my mom’s which is a mix of white bread and corn bread, and my mother in laws which is a country style cornbread dressing. One of my sons craves the traditional green bean casserole, my husband needs the sweet potato casserole with pecan topping, my daughter needs the cranberry sauce, and my other son looks forward to his own cajun fried turkey, while his wife loves my squash and sausage casserole. Shrimp stuffed merlitons are my younger daughter’s favorite.

  60. There MUST be stuffing (although we really make dressing, I just can’t call it anything other than stuffing)! :D

  61. For both myself and my fiance, it’s our moms’ stuffing. Both different styles of stuffing. Both really gooooood. :)

  62. Thanksgiving would not be compete without my Dad’s AMAZING raw cranberrie relish. When I go to my In-Law’s for Thanksgiving I always have to bring it with me, I can’t eat the stuff straight out of the can like they do.

  63. Definitely cranberry relish! My crazy husband prefers the gelatinous stuff out of a can. But not I – I crave fresh cranberries with yummy oranges & apples.

  64. We always, always have clam dip with potato chips at Thanksgiving. Strange huh, but sooo good.

  65. STUFFING! My mom makes the best homemade stuffing. I only get it once a year so I look forward to it. Oh and sweet potato casserole. I might cry without it.

  66. We always have cornbread dressing/stuffing (my Momma’s recipe). And my Dad always cooks dumplings that are to die for! <-The dumplings require you wear stretchy pants, or you will be in utter pain the rest of the day (or the rest of the week, depends on how much you eat)!! haha!

  67. It would have to be the cranberry, whipped cream and cracker dessert that my Dad makes, as well as a tradition that my Husband and I have is doing either a 5k or an 8k every year on Thanksgiving, makes you feel like you have earned all of the yummy food!! : )

    Also, this book looks amazing, my favorite chef is Rick Bayless, and I am very curious to see what he came up with for it!!

  68. We always have an Italian dish at every holiday. My moms side of the family is Italian so we have to honor that!

  69. homemade mashed potatoes! my kids (all very grown up) hate homemade mashed potatoes. they all like the instant ones because they are “smooth”. nonsense i say! so once a year, on thanksgiving, i throw their desires to the wind and i indulge myself in homemade mashed potatoes! yum yum!!!

  70. Thanksgiving is incomplete without my sweet potato pie recipe! It’s like pumpkin pie but better :D

  71. Pumpkin pie! My mom always made (at my request) a tiny, thin pumpkin pie (about 6″ around) that makes my day. My mom is flying over in 2 weeks and bringing one of the 2 tiny pie pans she has so we can make one. We also have pumpkin bread! Yummy, yummy pumpkin bread. Indy loves to make it.

  72. Great giveaway. One dish, other than black olives, huh?
    Definitely the mashed potatoes. They have to be thick, made with skins on for extra flavor, a bit of sour cream for yum. And lots of butter mixed in. And don’t forget the black pepper. Amazing what that does for any potato.

  73. I have watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every Thanksgiving since I was a child!! It is one of my favorite parts of the holidays! If I win, I will read the book cover-to-cover : )
    My Thanksgiving dinner menu cannot be complete without my husband’s great-grandmother’s stuffing recipe and my grandmother’s pumpkin pie! Two things I look forward to every year!

  74. It’s not Thanksgiving without yummy gravy! I learned that the hard way a few years ago.

  75. My Mom’ stuffing is the best. Purely simple with just bread & spices. I buy an extra large turkey just so I know I’ll be able to make enough stuffing for have for days. This year I’m going to try and do it with just a turkey breast since my hubby and I can never finish a whole bird.

  76. It’s not Thanksgiving without my Mom’s stuffing with bacon and waterchestnuts. She says I make it better than her now! :D Joy…joy…joy! Can’t wait!

  77. Hmmm, this is a hard one, but I think my answer will be homemade yams with brown sugar.

  78. That looks lovely! We absolutely must have my grandmother’s Pilgrim Potatoes. LOVE THEM. She makes a little extra to come home to my house (we celebrate at Mom and Dad’s) because I am a spoiled granddaughter. :)

  79. The dressing, for sure, and a fresh cranberry and orange relish that we love. I even make sandwiches the day after with both recipes and a little turkey! We also cut out a paper turkey and everyone writes things they’re thankful for on paper tailfeathers, which we tape on before dinner. It’s a nice reminder of all our blessings.

  80. It’s not Thanksgiving for me without my mom’s fried oysters! My mom says they are an early birthday gift as well, since my birthday usually falls a few days later. :)

  81. Oh man… I think i’d have to say stuffing! nothing tastes better than turkey and stuffing. omg i cant talk about this, im getting excited just thinking about it lol

  82. This book looks amazing! We have had Thanksgiving in a different place for the past 5 years, with different menus each time. HOWEVER, last year I decided to start a yummy sausage stuffing recipe as a MUST serve! It has 3 sticks of butter in it, which I think is why it’s so great. Your menu looks very similar to mine, including the key lime pie :)

  83. Homemade cinnamon rolls! My grandmother always made these yeasty delights from scratch. Unfortunately they skipped a generation, but I have reprised them and learned to make them.

  84. My mom’s homemade stuffing is amaaaazing; I am getting hungry right now just thinking about it! It has sausage, apples, and a lot of butter and I will eat the leftovers for days just because she only makes it once or twice a year. That Macy’s cookbook looks awesome!!

  85. My grandparents make THE BEST stuffing ever! Thanksgiving isn’t the same without it. It’s my favorite side dish to load up my plate with.

    By the way, deep fried turkey is amazing! Enjoy :)

  86. There’s too many… cornbread dressing, pecan pie, yams baked with a touch of butter, brown sugar and a whole pecan on top, coconut cream pie…

    YUM! I’m excited!

  87. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. No gifts. Just food. The way I like it! I always host our extended family and try to come up with something new each year while keeping those yearly favorites. A few years ago I made an arugula/baby spinach/endive salad with stilton, cranberries, walnuts, fresh pears and a hot bacon dressing. Oh dear it was so incredibly good that it is now a traditional first course while the turkey is resting.

  88. Good southern cornbread dressing. We don’t stuff our birds down here, so we don’t call it stuffing. Re: the turkey, I think you’re going to love it. It isn’t like a piece of fried chicken. It won’t have breading crust on it and it won’t be greasy at all. So really, unless the fried turkey isn’t big enough to feed your crew, roasting a second turkey will be redundant and might hurt feelings. I am not saying this is you at all, but I’m going to relate an experience that I’ve had just for some perspective. I have a relative that can be really closed-minded about things and she will get it into her head that she just doesn’t like something. She will make the exact same thing I am making, but make it her way because my way couldn’t possibly be as good as hers. So the year my brother deep fried a turkey, she also wanted to roast one in the oven. Well, it turned into a comparison of the two turkeys and which one was better, and frankly, the deep fried one was moister and tasted better because it really does lock in the juices. Just throwing that out for thought…

  89. Even during some very bad years of my childhood, watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade was a highlight of T-giving that my mom and I shared. Our lives are much better now, but I still watch the parade with pure joy, and I feel like I owe it something for being what it was for us.

  90. Definitely rolls and green beans. My mouth is watering just thinking about thanksgiving dinner. :) Thanks for the giveaway!

  91. That is a toss up between an old tradition and a new. My Fathers loaded sweet potatoes with the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and yummy marshmallows wafting through the house or the irresistable
    italian chard stuffing , so delicious it can be a meal in itself.Made with french bread and fresh herbs rosemary,.sage and basil ! Ooh I can’t wait!

  92. To me, Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays. The food goes back to the very roots of the land in which we live and pre-dates colonial control and even our own, very young democracy. It’s ancient and primal. My Italian relatives are fascinated by it and when they came to visit us a few years ago, asked us to prepare a Thankgiving feast!

    We discovered our traditional Thanksgiving table side dish in 2004 when the Museum of the American Indian opened in Washington, DC. Its cafe, Mitsitam, is outstanding. They serve this wild rice and watercress salad that is simply heavenly. Better yet, they printed the recipe on the Internet! They no longer have it on their site, but it can be found here:

    http://recipefoodblog.com/2011/06/wild-rice-watercress-salad-national-museum-american-indian-restaurant-washington-dc/

    Watercress is hard to find in the fall. Italian flat leaf parsley is a good substitute. It’s an amazing side dish, high in fiber, packed with vitamins. Great with leftovers, easy to bring to a pot-luck and perfect to make ahead of time. You can even roast an acorn squash and place the salad in the middle for a hearty vegetarian entree. The dried cranberries make it festive for the entire holiday season.

  93. I’m not big on turkey so my Thanksgiving would NOT be complete without Honey Baked Ham. I starve if it’s not present!

  94. My staple Thanksgiving dish is a raspberry jello salad that my grandmother always used to make. She would never give us the recipe because she wanted it to be a special treat. One Thanksgiving she had my mother make the salad and that is how we finally got the recipe.

  95. For me I would say cranberry orange relish because that was always the thing I would help make with my mom after the Macy’s parade was over! My husband would probably say sweet potato casserole!

  96. The green bean casserole! complete with mushrooms, cheddar cheese and those awesome crunchy french-fried onions!

  97. From last year on, Thanksgiving would not be complete without meat-free stuffing, as our new daughter-in-law is vegetarian and a happy DIL means a happy life!!!!

  98. Backyard football with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins is a Thanksgiving tradition at our house. No one gets hurt, usually :)

  99. Potatoes au Gratin with sauteed leeks, thyme infused cream and loads of gruyere. Never any leftovers. Mmmmm!

  100. The one recipe that always makes our Thanksgiving meal is Mom Parsons’ cranberries. I’ve clipped the recipe from the Los Angeles Times years and years back and no other recipe has ever supplanted it.

  101. Dressing and sweet potato casserole with brown sugar, pecan mixture on top :)

  102. Traditions, some old and some not so old, this is what I love most about Thanksgiving. For the past 20 years we have been celebrating with 2 other families. Our dear friends arrived on America’s soil from England and lately have become host to dinner for upwards of 25 people….. how ironic for Brits to be celebrating one of our favorite holidays! Over the years our favorite recipe for all 3 families by far is ….. Fudge. Kids make it, it’s eaten all day long, and they don’t stop talking about it all year long!

  103. My dad always made this fabu fruit salad, which sounds simple, but it’s soooo good. It totally brings me back to my childhood and it’s not really Thanksgiving without it!

  104. For my family, it is all about the turkey, brined and then slow roasted. For DH’s family, they have a baked corn and onion dish that is a family tradition.

  105. It’s not Thanksgiving without my mom’s homemade stuffing and green bean casserole. I could eat those all day and skip the rest!

  106. My family ‘requires’ my homemade pumpkin cheesecake topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream and just a dash of nutmeg atop for visual glam.
    (You know it’s a ‘hit’ when you walk into the kitchen and, every single year, find people looking for spatulas to scrape out the last bits from spring form pan! LOL!)

  107. We couldn’t do without homemade guacamole on the table. It’s a shout-out to my grandma growing up as an expat in Mexico. People think we’re kind of weird when I tell them about it, but it’s really no different than getting avocado on your turkey sandwich (except it’s better) … but once they’ve joined us for Thanksgiving dinner, they usually end up incorporating it into their own Turkey Day meal.

  108. My grandmother’s mashed potatoes. She always made perfectly creamy potatoes with cream cheese in them. Everyone loved them so much she made us ration out our portions in the first pass so there would be enough for everyone (she refused to make more once she reached 30 lbs of potatoes). Now that I live on the other side of the country, I carry on the tradition in my Thanksgiving.

  109. Great giveaway! Our dinner always has to have my green bean casserole with toasted French fried onions and melted cheese on top.

  110. each year starts with a t’givng brunch with my in-laws. food coma 1 at 11 and then food coma 2 at 4 with my family (always featuring an amazing spicy corn dish & fried turkey). it’s a great way to see both sides of our in-town family

  111. Definitely can’t have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes and green bean casserole!

  112. For us, it’s the sage stuffing. We always make an extra pan and it still never lasts long. :)

  113. Sweet Potatoes with marshmellos of course!
    Last year I had to make more for the day after thanksgiving/ for my brother to take home as leftovers!

  114. Pumpkin and pecan pies are must-haves…and after serving with PW’s maple whiskey cream sauce last year that will be a must-have as well! And I’m sure I can’t talk you out of your “safety” roasted bird, I assure you you will be shocked and delighted with the fried version!

  115. Our meal is incomplete without sweet potato crunch– yams with brown sugar, pecans, and butter topping.

  116. We have our turkey ‘dinner’ in late afternoon and my husband and dad always have a turkey sandwich around 8pm as we play a board game like Monopoly. We love THanksgiving!

  117. Sweet potatoes (or yams, whatev) layered with butter & brown sugar, and toasted marshmallows on top. No Thanksgiving is complete without it!

  118. Apparently, my garlicky green beans, because my mom requests I make them every year. Thank you!

  119. Our friends request my homemade sausage stuffing every year, but no Thanksgiving would be complete without my mom’s (storebought) key lime pie!

  120. My mom’s stuffing with crumbled sausage and mushrooms. She always makes it from scratch and it isn’t Thanksgiving without it!

  121. Oh my gosh, I would love to have one of those cookbooks! We would be lost without my home made cranberry sauce and sweet pototoe cassrole!

  122. My mom always makes everyone’s favorite pie, so we often had more pies than people because the pumpkin pie was always automatically included. I miss that!

  123. I CANNOT have thanksgiving anymore without my M-I-L’s wine infused gravy at her house and pumpkin pie (oh, and the homemade butermilk rolls) at my Nana’s house – can you tell I’m dieting and looking soooo forward to Thanksgiving??? Thanks for the chance to win! Hapve a great holiday!

  124. Does the stuffing count as “turkey?” Because it MUST be cooked in the bird or it’s just not thanksgiving. Other than that, there isn’t one thing that makes it Thanksgiving for me, it’s all about the combination of things on the plate. I mean, really, when else do you eat mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing all in one sitting?!

  125. Mom’s MAC n CHEESE!! This is a staple at Thanskgiving, gotta have it!! And I will, unwittingly attempt my hand at making it at our FIRST Thanksgiving dinner at our house (newlyweds & new house, yay!). Mom’s allowing me to make it.. hope my husband likes mine as much as he likes hers!! (The rest of the fam will eat anything!!). Yay MAC n CHEESE! :-)

  126. Hi
    I love Thanksgiving and all the traditional yummy foods. My one thing I have to make every year is fresh homemade cranberry relish. Love it. Its so so yummy and goes great with the turkey.
    We fried our turkey last year too for the first time and it was fantastic. You will really enjoy it. Nice and moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside
    Love that book!
    deezie
    [email protected]

  127. I can’t have Turkey Day without my grandmother’s stuffing recipe. Wonder bread, eggs, and butte butter butter, plus a few other things- it’s AMAZING and nothing says Thanksgiving the same way to me.

  128. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without homemade yeast rolls (50 year old recipe from my mother) and also homemade strawberry and raspberry jelly. Butter of course comes with it. I think I need to do a trial run today :).

  129. Oh how I love Thanksgiving! Our Thanksgiving is not complete without Paula Deen’s Gingerbread Trifle. Sooo good

  130. I always love Thanksgiving and has been hosted the holiday for the last 13 years. I only make pecan pie once a year during Thanksgiving and it’s the “IT” dessert for me.

  131. We always have my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top. We’re pretty traditional, just like everyone else! :)

  132. My father-in-law’s stuffing. Cornbread, andouille sausage, pecans, dried sour cherries – – – it is so good. Sweet, salty, crunchy, tangy – – yowza!!

  133. Our family has the tradition of before eating, we go around the table and each state what we are grateful for. Thanksgiving is a big gathering in our family…We have some wonderful family friends who have spent Thanksgiving with us every year for 42 years!

  134. My grammy makes a dish that is carrots and turnips… I only get it at Thanksgiving and it’s my favorite dish. We always watch the parade and then of course some football and sometimes the dog shows that are on too.

  135. One of our family’s traditions on Thanksgiving is to draw names for the extended family christmas gift giving. We also look through all the stores ads in the paper that day and plan our shopping adventure for friday!!

  136. Thanksgiving AND Christmas are never complete without my Grandma’s Sicilian marinated mushrooms. It’s not a holiday without them.

    (love you grandma!)

  137. It is not even Thanksgiving if I don’t get to eat my Granma’s dressing (not the same as stuffing). It is by far one of my favorite foods. Last year I was really sick for Thanksgiving and was unable to eat anything. It did not even feel like it happened for me last year so I’m looking forward to chowing down this year!

  138. I can’t do Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes and gravy! We don’t have any family recipes or anything, just any variety will do :)

  139. I am from Nigeria (Africa) so we always have a rice dish – jollof rice, fried rice, or rice and stew. Our Thanksgiving feast….and it is a feast……would be incomplete without it.

  140. i am a sucker for a cookbook that has beautiful photography….that one is gorgeous. my traditional every single year dish is a sort of an ambrosia…pineapple, mandrin orange, fresh raspberries, canned tart and bing cherries folded into sweetened whipped whipping cream and frozen. my mom used to make it when we growing up and i continued the tradition. i still use the cut glass compote dish my mom used…. ah memories!!!

  141. my thanksgiving dinner will not be complete without my stuffing/ dressing. i don’t like it in the bird per say but i love it so much that i put it on my sandwich the next day just by itself. yum!

  142. I need a good cheesecake for dessert for my Thanksgiving to complete for me…….a nice creamy decadent cheesecake…..

    thank you so much for the giveaway – we love cookbooks at our house!

    Mindy

  143. My Thanksgiving isn’t complete without making my Grandmother’s Cranberry Orange Relish. I remember standing on a chair in her kitchen (circa 1974) using her ol’ meat grinder (“pre” food processor) to make the relish. The smell of cranberries and oranges bring back lovely memories of my Grandma and many holidays!

  144. We have two dishes make our Thanksgiving meal. Green bean casserole and Yams with marshmallows!

  145. For my family, it’s just not Thanksgiving without a walk (following the same route for the last 30+ years) and hymn-sing following the feast.

  146. The one appetizer that we can not live without for the Thanksgiving holiday is, Dick Cavett’s Bread Bowl Dip! It is so delicious and always reminds me of family!

  147. The one thing we can’t do without is my mother’s famous chile con queso christmas recipe made with green chillies! It’s amazing!

  148. Growing up in an all vegetarian family (seriously, my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all vegetarian) my thanksgiving isn’t complete without oven baked breaded FriChik!

  149. Hands down, feast would be incomplete with home made pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream. YUM. Thanks for the give away!

  150. Here in GA my family eats southern style dressing (some people call it stuffing), its made with cornbread, among many other ingredients, and it is SO much better than any stuffing I’ve ever had—it’s a must. we also have sweet potato pie, collard greens, broccoli casserole, turkey, cranberry sauce, etc.

    thanks for the chance to win!

  151. I have been buying local the last couple of years so, for me, lobster, garlic butter and a good bottle of wine has been a great alternative to turkey!

  152. Besides turkey, our family requires stuffing. We have to stuff as much as possible into the turkey (and then fight over who gets that stuffing) – we also bake another full pan and it’s usually gone by the end of dinner, so we’ve had to bake extra for leftovers.

  153. Tradition for us is to invite neighbors who don’t have family to dinner,
    and being from the south, our traditional food is pecan pie!!!

  154. Well… maybe is not very traditional… =) but, it can’t be really Thanksgiving without Nachos!!!! And cheesecake for dessert!!!!

  155. Just one??? There’s the sweet potato casserole w/ brown sugar…and then there’s the green bean casserole…and then grandma’s cranberry bread. I could never pick a favorite. I just couldn’t. :)

  156. For us, Thanksgiving would not be complete without my Mother’s incredible stuffing and my Grandmother’s corn casserole. Just thinking about it makes my hungry!

  157. Instead of sweet potatoes we do roasted butternut squash mashed and cooked in a saucepan with lots of butter and brown sugar – way more delicious in my book!

  158. Ever since we got married almost 7 years ago, I have made a Thanksgiving dinner for my family and friends. Each person who comes regularly has their favorite: Mom loves butternut squash, the children love cranberry sauce, my friend loves roasted beets, my hub insists on turkey and bread and I love stuffing with gravy. These are just a few of the dishes on our table every year

  159. My Grandmother’s sweet potato souffle’ is our favorite family recipe. It has a crunchy topping that is so delicious. Even people who don’t care for sweet potatoes love this dish.

  160. My grandmother’s stuffing recipe is my all-time Thanksgiving tradition, but I’ve adopted another of her traditions that dates back to the Depression. Especially since moving 3000 miles from any family, I’ve opened my house to friends and acquaintances who are also holiday “orphans” for one reason or another. A high school friend of my daughter’s still stops in for a second dinner, or at least desert, 5 years after graduation. This year we will host our neighbor and her daughter whose husband is serving in Afghanistan, as well as other friends who bless our lives. I love a full house and a full table!

  161. My husband and I make a hybrid of both our mothers’ dressing recipes. They’re fairly similar, so we basically combined the two and now it’s our must-have tradition.

  162. Because I have a major sweet tooth, it’s not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie! Yum!

  163. That’s a tricky question…I love food in general, and Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for that.. Stuffing is veeery important but desserts are my favorite dish, I could just eat desserts..so I would say pumpkin pie!!
    Thanks!

  164. I haven’t had turkey in years (semi-vegetarian), but can’t let the holiday escape without the traditional green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry jelly (the whole bean) and a salad. Of course, the perfect ending is pumpkin pie (luv the leftovers for breakfast!).

  165. I’m going to have to go with the leftover turkey sandwich. I like mine with white meat, lettuce, a tad of mayo, lettuce, salt and pepper on a nice hearty wheat bread. Ahh, yum. :-)

  166. We HAVE to have my moms pecan pie with a huge scoop of ice cream. It puts me over the edge, so yes I wear my stretchy pants too!

  167. Gosh that is a really hard question… I’m going to have to go with traditional mashed potatoes paired with my Grandma’s homemade gravy… yum!

  168. The one item that we always have at Thanksgiving would be my grandmother’s cornbread dressing. It is amazing and I would rather eat just a plateful of it than anything else at Thanksgiving!!

  169. Since I was a teenager, I have made two pecan pies for every Thanksgiving. That’s a lot of pies because needless to say, I am so not a teenager anymore. I made a pecan pie and brought it to my first Thanksgiving Dinner with my then boyfriend (now husband of 23 years, yikes!) and they loved it. It hadn’t been part of their Thanksgiving dinner staple, but it is now. It is a tradition that cannot be deviated one bit. Sometimes I think they are happier to see the pie than they are of me!

  170. The Dressing, of course! We make Grandmother Gretna’s Dressing every year at Thanksgiving.

  171. Thanksgiving isn’t the same without my mother’s deep dish mincemeat pie. Forget pumpkin, pecan, cherry and apple. After watching Macy’s parade and seeing my turkey float on TV, I’m waiting for her pie to come out of the oven. It’s a family tradition with French vanilla ice cream. She makes the most perfect homemade crust (made early in the morning because she says you can’t cook in a warm kitchen in the afternoon) which is buttery smooth. She adds extra apples, raisins, and I am sure something else. It’s one of those recipes that makes you clean the plate, curl up under a blanket and smile.

  172. My family makes peas with onions and lemon salad is a must! So enjoy Thanksgiving and ALL the food!

  173. Down to just one???? Stuffing. No it’s got to be sweet taters. But then there’s the cranberry sauce that I can’t get enough of… oh and fresh corn frozen from the summer. It’s too hard to narrow down to one!

  174. My Aunt Pam’s corn casserole… Despite the corn, I think it’s one of the most unhealthy options on the table, but it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it!

  175. We try a new stuffing recipe every year. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without it!

  176. For my sweetie, I make his mother’s recipe for cranberry relish and for me, my lattice top cherry pie. We spend Thanksgiving with different sides of the family each year and these two dishes go wherever we go!

  177. Sweet potato casserole with the crunchy pecan topping. More like dessert than vegetable, my family would probably revolt if we had Thanksgiving without it :) While we were in Africa one year, and our son remained in the U.S. for college, he was invited to a friend’s home for Thanksgiving and took this as his passing dish. Now that our kids are grown and have started their own Thanksgiving traditions, this recipe is a constant, no matter how the turkey is fixed. Always a hit!

  178. Each Thanksgiving we have turkey and corn casserole (which is wonderful) but we ALWAYS have this brown rice and mushroom dish that my grandmother’s family has made for generations which is to die for.

  179. Being a NY-er, the Macy’s parade is a MUST while we cook.

    T-day is not T-day without a few other things, though: my mom’s sausage stuffing and her rice pudding…she’s been gone for thirteen years now :( but I still make her recipes every year.

    This year BOTH my kids will be home to celebrate, so we will be making LOTS of extras-and of course our traditional things as well.

  180. One of our traditions that we can’t do without at Thanksgiving is Martha Stewart’s cranberry relish with jalapenos. Yum! I would love to win one of these cook books so I can maybe start some new traditions.

  181. The fried turkey’s are yummy. We make a couple of birds injected with different things like garlic butter or spicy chipotle. We’ve been doing that for a couple years now to free up the oven. It’s tough to pick one recipe/tradition but I think I have to go with Pumpkin Pie.

  182. In the 50’s, my Grandma always made apple salad. My cousins and I gathered around watching as she pared the apples in a single, beautiful spiral. She always left extra apple on them for us to munch on. I’m always reminded of Grandma when I prepare the apple salad for our Thanksgiving meal. But I’m afraid my paring skills will never compare to her.

  183. My mom makes the best mashed potatoes, her secret ingredient is lots of cream cheese – they are everyone’s favorite. My sister makes the best home made rolls in her bread machine that are awesome too! I bring the pumpkin crumble pie! I’m hungry now.

  184. Oh definitely cornbread stuffing. We’re purists – don’t add anything weird to our stuffing. Just the usual cornbread, butter, onion, celery, garlic, sage and lots of turkey broth and gravy!

  185. My husband started frying our Thanksgiving turkey a few years ago, and it’s our new tradition! You’ll love it. Other than that, we have to have my late grandmother’s dressing (same as stuffing, but we call it dressing in the south!).

  186. I’m crazy for sweet potatoes with marshmallows baked on top. Thanksgiving = the one time of year I get to have them!

  187. Our Thanksgiving would require sweet potatoes with cinnamon & butter! I’ve lost 20 pounds with lower carb and this would be my little treat!! Thanks for your blog — I love it!

  188. We have a lot of Thanksgiving faves on the dinner table! One thing my brothers and I always loved growing up were the hot rolls to sop up the gravy with!
    Thanks for the chance for this book, Kate. Love your menu above!

  189. There are two things we need in our family to “complete” the festivities: frog eye salad (my kids can put away a double recipe in 24 hours) and apple-sausage dressing (I’ve tried several others, and I get nothing but complaints. The kids and my hubster just know what they want.) Fortunately both items can be made 2 days before and the dressing just “popped in” for a warm up.

  190. My grandma makes the best stuffing and sweet corn (frozen from the summer). There are no recipes and they can’t be replicated by any of the relatives. We have definitely tried!

  191. I created my own recipe years ago for a chocolate mouse with brownie crust that I make in a spring pan. It’s topped with whipped cream and chocolate or peppermint shavings. My family requests it every year and said it isn’t the holidays without it.

  192. I love mashed potatoes!! Thanksgiving would not be the same without them. One year my Mom made scalloped potatoes instead and we were all horrified…from then on, we never had a Thanksging without them.

  193. Our family’s favorite Thanksgiving food tradition is Gulliver’s Creamed Corn. It’s definitely a once a year treat—made with cream, sugar, corn & a little kick of cayenne.

  194. I am in love with your menu! I hope your family has a terrific holiday feast. Our family’s Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without Maple Pecan pie. Thanks for the opportunity to win the keepsake cookbook. I am a fanatic when it comes to anything recipe related!

  195. At TG dinner there is candy corn and we go around the table and take a candy corn and say what we are thankful for.

    My BDay sometimes is on TG. Usually mom asks me what kind of pie I want for a “cake”. The most embarrassing year was the time they put the candle in the warm turkey and it melted from both ends.
    Ahhh the memories,
    Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
    Hal

  196. We have to have my Mom’s cornbread dressing! I make it too when I can’t get home, but it never tastes as good as hers! Thanks for the giveaway.

  197. It wouldnt be Thanksgiving without my family gathering around the tv to watch the parade!

  198. We always have summer savory stuffing but my favorite Thanksgiving tradition has to be the turkey soup the day after. Delicious!

  199. We ALWAYS have the relish tray. Deviled eggs, olives, veg and dip, pickles and crackers with cheese. It is required or it isn’t Thanksgiving. The eggs have to be made by my mom, she is the only one who can do it right.

  200. It would not be Thanksgiving without my homemade stuffing. So GOOD!! Can’t wait for the big day.

  201. The day after we make Thanksgiving pies out of the leftovers–pie crust then layer in turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes on top, cover with more pie crust. Bake and serve with gravy. Delish!

  202. You won’t regret trying a fried turkey. It is delightful!
    Our table isn’t complete w/o my yummy rolls. Again, delightful.

  203. We are very traditional, like you. A few years ago my daughter came across a cooking light recipe for sweet potto casserole. It is yummy! You can find the recipe on AllRecipes.com. Last year I added Mandarin Pomegranate salad from The Farm Chicks. It was a big hit!

  204. Mashed turnips! Like or not they are served and I have my first fall crop of turnips growing right now in my garden. Can’t wait!

  205. My mom makes the best sweet potato casserole in the world… with a nut topping, not marshmallow. Seriously. She makes an entire extra 9×13 pan of it for all seven of us kids to take home as leftovers. I don’t think it would feel like Thanksgiving without mom’s sweet potatoes.

  206. Well ever since I was a little girl we’ve had this really weird tradition. My mom would name the turkey and put the name tucked in behind all the innards . Then the youngest child would pull out the name from the turkey before we cooked him or her.(Sounds actually kinda sick??!!) However all of us kids now have that same tradition in our families. I’m a nurse so I try to keep track of all the turkey potential names that come thru our department. For example, I love names like, Ida Mae or Mae Bell. The kids love it and look forward to it each year. The cousins will actually call each other to find out the name of their turkey:)

  207. My Thanksgiving ingredient is our annual Turkey Trot. I live in Elmhurst, Il which is where this race is held and has been for over 20+ years. About 8,000 people participate in good and bad weather. Proceeds go to food shelters near our home. It’s a short race – just a 5K walk/run. Love to see families of all sorts – adults, babies and grown-ups starting this beautiful day together. Best are the running Pilgrims, Santas, dogs wearing turkey trot t-shirts and babies in strollers. Along the way we are provided with water, coffee and better yet, little tiny shots of Bloody Mary’s. Every time the race starts with Louie Armstrong’s “Beautiful World” playing in the background I cry and truly give thanks for all the many beautiful things in my life.

  208. My husband always smokes the turkey outside (no matter how low the temperature drops that day) and I fill the oven with the same side dishes each year: corn pudding, broccoli casserole, sweet potato bake, and cornbread dressing. The family would probably disown me if I changed things up. And after dinner, there is always homemade pumpkin pie and fudge.

  209. Our family loves Strawberry Pretzel Salad. It became a staple many many years ago. Thanks for the opportunity to win the cookbook. Especially at this time of year, I’m hunting for something new and delicious.

  210. My recipe our family cannot live without is grandma’s homemade mashed potatoes. I am not sure what she does to them but they are heavenly and I have always waited anxiously for Thanksgiving because of those

  211. Well, one “tradition” in my family is eating yourself silly. It’s not so bad if you consider it a tradition, right?!? Otherwise, it’s cream cheese stuffed celery topped with walnuts. It was a tradition for my Dad growing up and we always have it.

  212. I cannot thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving without my mom’s stuffing. It’s nothing fancy, but it is SOOOO good! It involves using stock made from the turkey neck, lots of celery and onions, sausage, and packages of those little dried bread cubes specifically sold for stuffing.

    This year we will not be cooking because we are traveling ON Thanksgiving day, so I will be making a mini meal when we get home. Gotta have leftovers!!!

  213. I have to have my mom’s stuffing. It’s nothing more than doctored up Stove Top but it’s not Thanksgiving without it.

  214. Homemade spaghetti! My husband is half Italian and spaghetti is served with all holiday meals.

  215. Our Thanksgiving Day always includes Beaten Biscuits, a family tradition for generations.

  216. My Gram’s fry bread(a native American bread) is the one thing I can not go without! I’ve been blessed to get it each year…

  217. We couldn’t do without my moms sweet potato pie during Thanksgiving. She makes about 6 pies every Thanksgiving and I like loads of fresh whipped cream piled (very) high on my slice. :)

  218. I love making fresh cranberry relish for the turkey. It definitely makes the turkey even better.

  219. We must always have sweet potato souffle and the days paper to check for all the sales on Black Friday:)

  220. The one thing I can’t do without on Thanksgiving is the macaroni & cheese! Fleshynt matter if its homemade or of the blue box variety, you will always find a big helping on my plate. As for the thing I make every year without fail – deviled eggs. Everyone munches on those while they wait for the rest of the feast to begin.

  221. Pumpkin pie made by my awesome aunt and lots of it. Thanksgiving & the day after are the only two days I will eat pumpkin pie. I will actually eat a slice for & instead of breakfast :)

  222. Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without my mom’s pound cake. She has been dead for 18 years, but having that cake on the table reminds me of all the wonderful Thanksgivings we had at home.

  223. Absolutely dressing (not stuffing) like my Nanny made. I’ve been doing Thanksgiving for only 6 years now and I’m still trying to get mine to come out like hers. I really regret not getting her recipe before she passed away, but back then I hadn’t yet realized how much I love to cook. Thankfully my mom sort of knows the recipe and together we’ve been working on perfecting it.

  224. We are pretty traditional. turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy and sweet potatoes are always on the menu. We have done fried turkeys and smoked turkeys but I always do a roasted one on the side just to be sure. The fried will always go first, it is so good. We like to change things up and do different sides, but the one thing someone will always complain about is if we try to leave out that darn green bean casserole.

  225. Our Thanksgiving menu is so very similar to yours…we have done the deep fried turkey in the past. Truly delicious and moist! Can’t wait to hear your reviews! We always have peas with sautéd mushrooms. Very colorful and something that is not creamy…so, you feel that is one of the healthy things to serve. We always have Pumpkin Pie and my favorite Cranberry Apple crumb pie that has some orange zest. Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy this special day when we can count our blessings and gather as family.

  226. Jellied cranberry sauce cut out in the shape of a turkey. Even though the kids are older, they still insist that we have this!

  227. We have two things..one from each side of our families……homemade stuffing (from cheap white bread all individually toasted in the oven) and sweet potatoe casserole with marshmallows on top. YUM!

  228. My must have is my Aunt’s recipe for Southern Cornbread and Sausage Dressing. A close second would be molded fresh cranberry, orange and pecan salad. And, BTW, roast a small turkey so you will have drippings for gravy. Enjoy!

  229. My family can’t live without my grandmothers stuffing recipe. It is a cornbread base and so moist! My mouth is watering just thinking about it

  230. My dear Aunt Kitty’s cranberry relish – she went to heaven last month, so my mom will use her recipe. But it will never be the same without her.

  231. My mother-in-laws fruit compote is what makes my husband happy at Thanksgiving but for me it is pumpkin pie

  232. No Thanksgiving is complete without my Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole & my Corn Bread Casserole. I cannot show up without these at holiday parties.

  233. Pumpkin pie, gotta have it or the meal just doesn’t feel complete. I think I am the only one who eats it so unfortunately, I think I eat the whole thing…not in one day of course! :)

  234. Pecan pie for dessert!! I thought everyone had pecan pie right next to the pumpkin pie!!

  235. It just is not Thanksgiving without my mom’s giblet stuffing made with Frito’s…..this stuffing blows cornbread stuffing out of the water!!!! Thanks mom!

  236. My husband’s cornbread stuffing is the best! He makes it from a recipe from Bon Appetit from years ago, and it is what everyone requests at Thanksgiving.

  237. Pecan Pie is a must. Also, we have a tradition where once we are at the table, we all go around and say one thing we are thankful for from the year that has passed. Happy Thanksgiving!

  238. I have served Waldorf Salad for the past 45 years. It’s a must on my menu for the day.

  239. Dry stuffing! I grew up with wonderful stuffing that cooked inside the turkey of course, but now we also have dry stuffing that has become a favorite. It will not be Thanksgiving without it now!

  240. My grandmother’s (who passed many, many years ago) sweet coleslaw with fresh bay shrimp folded in. I know it doesn’t sound very appetizing, but believe me it is delicious. My family would pitch a fit if we didn’t have it on the table. One year I slipped in the kitchen after dinner while holding the bowl of slaw which promptly went everywhere. Needless to say the cries of “Oh no, not the slaw” could be heard all through the neighborhood…..

  241. We always have a broccoli/cauliflower salad. And also that cranberry/orange relish you have on your menu. It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving or Christmas without those on the table.

    Loved the info about the floats having to travel from Hoboken to Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel, and would love to learn more information like that. Cool giveaway!

  242. My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is that no matter where we live (Atlanta, San Francisco, Little Rock or where ever), my sister flies in to shop with me on Black Friday! It has nothing to do with the shopping (many years I have come home empty-handed), but everything to do with knowing that is our one “sisters only” day together each year!

  243. Besides our standard “real” mashed potatoes, green bean casserole is a must!

  244. Stuffing of any kind. This year I am thinking about trying cornbread stuffing – even testing a recipe today. Yumm!

  245. My mom made her own special version of Waldorf Salad! In her memory, using her recipe,
    we enjoy her salad every Thanksgiving…
    Thanks very much and Happy November!
    Cindi

  246. Two kinds of home-made cranberry sauce. One with nuts and pineapple…it’s delicious! And one traditional, for the kids. Also, our home made turkey gravy is always outstanding!

  247. My stepmother makes this cranberry jello mold that is right out of the 1960s, but it’s delicious! It has minced celery and orange pieces and it seriously so, so good.

    I’m also totally into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! I think I’s my favorite part of the whole day. :)

  248. My Thanksgiving is not complete without my cornbread stuffing and green bean casserole….I know, I know, super generic but it is just a classic!

  249. The one thing that we can’t go with out at Thanksgiving in my family is sweet potatoes. Smothered with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. This is probably my kids favorite part of the dinner besides homemade pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

  250. My parents use to have Christmas at our house but their stuffing recipe is one I use for both Christmas and Thanksgiving. It would not be Thanksgiving without it.

  251. My mother-in-law makes the best rolls incomplete without home-made honey butter and strawberry butter. Mmmmm!

  252. Pumpkin pie, good wine and my mom’s piping hot mashed potatoes…we fight over the crunchy, browned edges.

  253. My homemade Martini Cranberry Sauce…one year made with gin…the following year made with vodka….and I make enough and put up as gifts for all the guests!!

  254. I can’t live without cranberry sauce because it’s the only way I can eat turkey. I also can’t live without a green salad at the table. Call me crazy, but it’ makes me feel better eating all that starch.

  255. We have two dishes that if they don’t make our holiday table, the meal just isn’t complete: my paternal grandmother’s version of a cranberry salad (always served in a crystal bowl with a silver serving spoon), and my mom’s “scalloped asparagus” dish. MMMmm… I am getting hungry already!

  256. Without a doubt its the whipped sweet potatoes filled oranges! We take the sweet potatoes and add fresh orange juice to them along with all the other yummy things like brown sugar and butter!! Then we refill the orange halves with the sweet potatoes, top them with marshmallows, then brown them in the oven! Perfection!!

  257. I love sausage stuffing and creamy cheese mashed potatoes and cranberry and….oh I can go on
    and on! I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year!!

  258. Stuffing, stuffing, and more stuffing. Or dressing. Whatever you calll it and however you cook it….I LOVE IT! Happy Thanksgiving to all.

  259. The one thing that everyone always expects me to make and is differant than the usual- festive tossed salad. It has baby greens, fruits, nuts, cheese, and homemade red wine vinegar dressing.

  260. To our family, Thanksgiving is all about the stuffing (since we no longer actually stuff the bird, I guess we should call it dressing these days). I make an incredible sausage, pecan, apple, cornbread stuffing that could practically be a meal in itself. But for the past four years, I also make a companion stuffing which is the traditional sage stuffing my mom always made. She’s been gone four years now and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without making some of the old standards I grew up with. I like to think she’d love my recipe, too.

  261. Corn Bread stuffing, I usually start craving it in about september and we make it for both thanksgiving and Christmas, so yummy!

  262. Every Thanksgiving it’s been the same meal for over 20 years. But my favorite dish is mashed sweet potatoes smothered in marshmellows. But then homemade turkey soup a day or two after Thanksgiving ranks right up there.

  263. Being from the South, we have to have a baked ham too. We never just have turkey! And we have to have my Mama’s baked macaroni and cheese.

  264. We make our family’s traditional Cream Cheese Chewies which EVERYONE loves! I have yet to meet anyone who’s tried them tell me they do not like them. :) I took it upon myself to look the recipe up & leave it to those of you who may want to try it.

    1 Box Duncan Hines Deluxe cake mix (or make your own cake mix!)
    1 Stick butter
    3 Eggs
    1 Box powdered sugar
    1 (8oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese
    1 Cup chopped nuts
    1 tsp. Vanilla

    Combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Press in a greased and floured pan, 9×13-inch. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla. Pour over cake mixture, then sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

    SIMPLE! and absolutely DELISH!

  265. Our family switches back and forth between turkey and ham, but we always have to have our green bean casserole. My husband makes it from the recipe on the can. It sounds boring, but it is the one item every single person in our family likes, and it is nearly impossible to make a bad green bean casserole! :)

  266. Wathching the parade while prepping my turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving morning…and football of course!

  267. Our Thanksgiving Feast is not complete without green bean casserole. Not very healthy, but so yummy!

  268. Coming from a military family we’ve moved around a lot and been in a lot of different situations for the holidays – but the one thing that finishes a meal like no other is a good homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream topping. I am willing to experiment with different versions of the Thanksgiving meal, sampling specialties from wherever I am living, but I always always have a slice of pumpkin pie.

  269. That book looks gorgeous! My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is not food at all. Every year my family has the traditional “no-rules Thanksgiving football game.” It’s what I look forward to every year.

  270. I have a big family and the bigger it gets the harder it is to get everyone together. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only holidays we can get all together. Mom likes to cook different meals every year, but the turkey is always a must!!! And we really don’t care what Mom cooks we know everything she makes is delicious!

  271. We always have really good pumpkin pie! My job to make now. I garnish with white chocolate leaves and nuts dipped in the chocolate. Very festive and pretty.

  272. My family has always referreded to it as pumpkin dessert. Butter cookie like crust, pumpkin pie like center and a strusel on top with nuts and brown sugar, serve with fresh cream. We make several jelly roll pans of these for thanksgiving.

  273. Besides all the regular fixings, we have to have my mom’s pumpkin cake and my deviled eggs (my kids and husband’s favorite for every holiday!).

  274. Along with all the Thanksgiving Day fixings our day wouldn’t be complete without some Korean bbq.

  275. Our ‘must have’ recipe, besides roasted turkey, is Texas Corn Bread stuffing. A recipe that I found in the L.A. Times years ago.
    Karen

  276. Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Gooey Cake – there would be no peace for me if I didn’t whip one up for my hubby on Thanksgiving :)!!

  277. Definitely my grandmother’s cranberry relish. Mom makes it with Grandma’s old meat grinder to get all the goodies nice and fine. Yum!

  278. Homemade cranberry/orange relish, canned jellied cranberries, pumpkin and pecan pies. No marshmellos on yams, no green bean, mushroom soup, french fried casserole. Somehow my family outgrew these, but they are a must have in my sisters family. Also we love crunchy on top, dressing.

  279. I would have to say homemade biskets and crossaints…. So good and the one time of the year that someone else cooks for me… :)

  280. Since I’m Korean, at any Thanksgiving that’s hosted by my family there is also kimchee and rice, in addition to the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc.

  281. Our Thanksgiving meal is not complete without my sister’s delicious Whipped Sweet Potatoes. She makes them every year! We have mashed potatoes with gravy AND her Whipped Sweet Potatoes. This is a Southern tradition in our family. Yum Yum! I can’t wait!

  282. Neither Thanksgiving or Christmas is complete without my Grammy’s chocolate pecan pie. With a little bit of whipped cream on top, melt in your mouth yumminess!

  283. Seems like everyone in our family wants the same things year after year! But cornbread dressing is a must, and some years we also have oyster dressing. We always have turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans (not casserole!) corn casserole, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, garden salad, pea salad, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, pecan pie bars & fudge. There are between 18-25 people usually.

    And now I’m starving!

  284. The Yoder Family Sugar Cookie. These are cake like cookies that have a thin coating of icing. I researched this family recipe and traced it to its Amish roots in PA. They are tricky to make well but as the oldest grand daughter, I have taken on the job of making them ever since our grandmother passed away. I’ll pass on the recipe if you’d like but I’m not promising that they’ll taste like G’ma Katie’s. Her cookies were amazing!

  285. Our Thanksgiving is not complete without a BIG laundry basket full of candy!! My husband’s cousin considers that his “contribution” to our feast, since he doesn’t cook! The kids ALL look forward to it…while the parents just smile! :)

  286. Thanksgiving isn’t complete without our “funeral potatoes”. That’s what my grandma always called them, but it is actually a cheesy potatoe casserole.

  287. Our own kid-friendly version of “cranberry sauce” – it’s cranberry jello with whipped cream!

  288. Tradition is what our Thanksgiving is all about too! It has always been my dream to go to NY for Thanksgiving weekend and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. If I don’t win, I might have to purchase this book as a way of living my dream for now.

    Plain old white bread stuffing is my favorite and that really makes it taste like Thanksgiving!

  289. Pumpkin Pie, for sure! As far as traditions…the last 5 years, my sister-in-laws and I have participated in a Thanksgiving Day 5k. It’s a nice little “girl’s morning out” and makes us feel even better about going back for seconds during the Thanksgiving Day dinner :)

  290. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with my children while I cook. The recipe that is a tradition in our house is my roasted brussel sprouts with bacon. Even long-time brussel sprouts haters fall in love with that dish.

  291. It wouldn’t be a holiday meal without ravioli in linguisa sauce at our house. Early on in our thirty years of marriage, we learned to combine two cultural family favorites which delighted my Siclian MIL and Azorean grandmother.

  292. I would feel Thanksgiving dinner was incomplete without stuffing! It’s not a special recipe, just a tradition that needs to be kept. (And pumpkin pie, REAL cranberry relish with fresh cranberries, orange peel, & pecans), mashed potatoes and gravy…yeah… that’s the ticket.

    I’m so hungry for Thanksgiving!

  293. I can’t live without my aunt’s sweet potato crisp (we have halved the butter and sugar from the original recipe and it’s still decadent).

  294. I must have green bean casserole on Thanksgiving! I used to hate it b/c of the onions but now I want extra onions! YUM!

  295. Pretty much the same menu as yours (only no fried turkey – I cook mine in a convection oven – perfect every time, in only 1 1/4 hr!!) – only pumpkin and mincemeat pies – and dressing must be cornbread! Our favorite meal – my daughter and I don’t mind the cooking on this feast!

  296. I know it’s simple, but tradition does not discriminate. Green bean casserole! mmmm…

  297. My family is Italian so we always have ravioli with out turkey. Our celebration planning always starts out with “Let’s do is simple this year…” It never works and we end up with way more food than we can eat. Yea for leftovers!

  298. We’ve strayed slightly from what most people consider “tradition” but the best part is that we’re creating new “traditions” with our still very young family! We love to do cornish hens and filet mignon, and we usually have more side dishes than you can count! We also add champagne for the grown-ups! Thanks for the giveaway!

  299. Needing to have fresh tomatoes and plenty of bacon on hand to make the requisite Turkey Club Sandwiches later that night!

  300. Candied Sweet Potatoes (Mashed or not), and Mashed Turnips & Mashed Potatoes mixed together. They are both recipes my mom has made every year and became traditions. It is not Thanksgiving without both on the table.
    sweetpeonies07 at gmail

  301. I can’t live without mashed potatoes and GRAVY! Yum! I also have a strong affinity for cranberry sauce from a can. Why don’t people eat this more during the year? I’m going to have to start buying some.

  302. Turnips! I know they’re not super popular, but somehow Thanksgiving is not complete without them on the table (and I love them)!

  303. tradition.. our youngest make a thankful tree many years ago. each thanksgiving each person that arrives writes what they’re thankful for that year and hangs the paper leaf on the tree branch. it’s growing bigger and more beautiful each year.

  304. I can’t wait for the stuffing! The rest of my immediate family doesn’t like it so I never make it except for Thanksgiving. Yummmmmm!

  305. Our not-to-be-missed traditions are the breaking out of the first eggnog of the holiday season on Thanksgiving Eve as soon as soon as the last of my grown children arrive, and our annual after-diner football game. Traditions are great!

  306. Along with our turkey, we have noodles. Not just you regular noodles. It’s a fantastic, delicate noodle recipe that my great-grandma made for Thanksgiving and then my grandma made them, my Mother makes them and I have learned to make, but we always have Thanksgiving out of town, so I’ve not been called upon to do them yet. They are painstakingly made, handled like a most delicate pastry and cut evenly in perfect 1/4 in. strips. Because our family is large, my Mother starts making them in September. She will usually end up with about 15 – 20 batches in the freezer by Thanksgiving. These noodles are so heavenly, we ALL would give up any mashed potato, sweet potato or any other “gotta have” holiday food just to have our family noodles.

  307. Our “Damn Yams’ have become legendary in our household. It’s a twist on candied yams but is more of a sweet potato casserole with a buttery cornflake (smashed up) topping. Mmmm, nothing like it!

  308. Definitely a good Eggnog ( now its Silk Nog!) and Sweet Potatoe Pie with loads of home made whipe cream!
    Cathy B*****y pbprojecthope at yahoo dotcom

  309. We have so many special dishes; my mom makes rolls and her great stuffing and I do the desserts. But the most special dessert, and the one I only make once a year at Thanksgiving, is cheesecake. It’s not solid and heavy but light and tall. Everyone loves it and it never makes it past Friday!

  310. I have always made the family pumpkin pies, my mom even waited for me to come home for the holiday to make the pies. This past year though it seems that my daughter has taken on the responsibilty for making the pumpkin pie! We like ours a little sweeter and with a little extra spice thrown in!

  311. Every year we make cranberry braids… a yeast bread flavored with orange peel, filled with cranberry sauce and braided… yum.. would not be thanksgiving without it!!!

  312. The classic green bean casserole is a must with our roasted turkey! Got.to.have.it! :D

  313. Scalloped corn (hot and bubbly with a crunchy crust) and spinach salad with my Mother’s homemade dressing. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday and I will always miss her presence in the kitchen that day.

  314. Scalloped corn (hot and bubbly with a crunchy crust) and spinach salad with my Mother’s homemade dressing. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday and I will always miss her presence in the kitchen that day.

  315. There is no question….begin the baking. Sweet Potato Casserole! yummmm! the topping qualifies for dessert with pecans, butter, sugar. you can enjoy along side the bird or even breakfast..hot or cold whipped cream aside or straight out of the pan. Heaven!

  316. Stuffing! My dad’s recipe is amazing. He stuffs the turkey and it is a must have. Apples, celery, water chestnuts give it a little crunch. Also, homemade cranberry sauce is a nice complement.

  317. My Thanksgiving would not be complete without a trip to the beach with the family!

  318. Cheesy potato bake is a must. The recipe was handed down from my mother in law and now I make two pans for every family gathering. This would make a great gift for her!

  319. My Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without my mom’s cranberry salad. This is one from probably the 60’s or 70’s and when you hear the list of ingredients, it doesn’t even sound too appealing (red jello, mayo, apples, walnuts, cranberries, etc.) but it is delicious!!!

  320. Our family is Korean American and so we combine western and eastern traditions. We couldn’t do without our rice and Korean BBQ in addition to our turkey and all the stuffings.

  321. My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is making sweet potato pudding with my mom on Thanksgiving Eve. We are a family of procrastinators, so it always ends up happening around 11pm in our pajamas. The recipe is wonderful, but the special part is the late night conversations that we have. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything else in the world!

  322. Thanksgiving would not be complete without my uncle’s stuffing. It is a tradition that we make it together every year at our annual stuffing party.

  323. Your menu is an awesome touch! My family can’t go without buttered peas in a nest of warm cabbage in a whipping cream reduction. Yum!

  324. We HAVE to have the cranberry sauce that comes out looking like the shape of the can! It sits in a pretty green dish sideways so all can appreciate the can shape!

  325. Well my husband is partial to my corn casserole, it’s always his first request. I love cranberry relish, it really makes for a traditional thanksgiving!

  326. The one recipe or tradition my Thanksgiving is incomplete without is YAMS!! I gotta have yams, with pineapple and brown sugar.. last year my daughter added a feta cheese recipe yam dish to our menu and I have to say it was scrumptious! So yep Yams are the must have food for Thanksgiving. Thank You, Michelle

  327. My Thanksgiving would not be complete without family. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do if my in-laws didn’t rent a beach house and have us all come for a week of fun, food, kids and walks on the beach! Thanksgiving is easily my favorite holiday of the year because of this tradition!

  328. It would have to be Spinach dip made from Knorr vegetable mix. Some members of the family have attempted to spruce it up (adding artichokes or sun dried tomatoes), or even (horrors!) make it from scratch. The riot police were called, and in the interest of a peaceful holiday, all suggestions of change were quickly dropped.

  329. Great grandmother’s mashed potato recipe, cranberry/jalapeno salsa, and smoked turkey!! YUM!

  330. We always start the day with delicious cinnamon-sugar coated muffins and know that dinner isn’t far away when we all wave and cheer for Santa at the end of the Macy’s Parade!

  331. My Thanksgiving isn’t complete without family! Both my parents and my husband’s parents are divorced and remarried, so it means we have even more family to visit with every holiday. It also means we are STUFFED by the end of the day on Thanksgiving (four T Days in one day!).

  332. Baked macaroni and cheese – this was always one of my mother’s dishes to make every year. So rich and comforting.

  333. Here in South Carolina, families always have two types of dressing on the table for Thanksgiving, the first of course is the Cornbread / Sage dressin. The second (and my favorite) is the Oyster dressing! YUM…you can taste the history of the sea with every bite! Can’t wait!!!
    Love ya!
    Tilara

  334. My whole family always gathers around the radio at noon to listen to Alice’s Restaurant play. Somehow after all these years we still laugh the whole time

  335. One tradition we did every year at my grandmother’s was in addition to turkey, two types of stuffing, a huge tureen of mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, salad, and fresh bread we also had a huge batch of baked ravioli. My grandpa was Italian and insisted on pasta with every family get-together……..including Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m thinking of continuing that tradition this year!

  336. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while planning our shopping trip for the next day is a big tradition for all of the women in my family.

  337. the candied yams and fresh cranberry sauce

    debbie jackson
    djackson1958 at hotmail dot com

  338. My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is that my husband and I host my family for dinner. It’s the only holiday that we don’t have to travel and it’s so special to welcome my family into my home for a day filled with cooking, football, and family fun.

  339. It does not truly feel like Thanksgiving until we make our Thanksgiving tree. It is the centerpiece to our table and something we all do as a family.

  340. Before we eat we go around the table and share what we are grateful for. This is a daunting task for my large family but worthwhile. Then we eat—–my brother-in-law always makes Shrimp & Merliton casserole. This year I wil add a “new tradition” to the menu—Roasted corn grits. Yum!!

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