Must Have Thanksgiving Dishes?

candied carrots
Stuffing

Oh yea, and I have to have cranberry sauce, homemade and the kind that is solid like jello in the can

Most of the above and a good Riesling. I can hardly wait!

To me it's not thanksgiving without green beans, mashed potatoes, the cranberry jello stuff and stuffing. But it sounds like you've got it all!

Our plan is turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, roasted asparagus, pumpkin pie and a jello dessert. There are only 3 of us and everyone said what they wanted and that was the list.

Okay, this first one is really scary because it uses Velveeta cheese, but its also really good.

Cheesy Carrots:

2 lbs carrots, thinly sliced
2 T butter, melted
1 lb Velveeta, melted
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

In a large pot of water, boil carrots until soft. Drain well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish. Smash crackers and mix with brown sugar in small bowl. Place drained, cooked carrots in casserole dish and pour cheese and butter over them. Gently stir well. Top with cracker mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes until lightly browned.

The second one is something I heard on NPR about 10 years ago and had to try. Its now a favorite like the above, great served on turkey, or on the leftover turkey sandwich, and even on a pork roast or duck, etc.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish Recipe

• 2 cups raw cranberries
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2T Red Horseradish
Grind the cranberries & onion together. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Put in a plastic container and freeze. Thanksgiving morning (or even the night before), move the container from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment to thaw (it should still have some little icy slivers left). The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink (OK, Pepto Bismol pink). Makes 1 1/2 pints!

These were my must-have homemade dishes:

• Roasted Turkey
• Cornbread Stuffing (makes me sad that there are generations of people out there who think "Stove Top" is Thanksgiving-worthy!)
• Mashed Potatoes (sometimes I'd make twice-baked potatoes, but it was usually mashed potatoes)
• Turkey Gravy (boil the turkey neck and giblets for the broth, and also use pan drippings from the turkey)
• Holiday Yams
• Green Been Casserole
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Carrots
• Cranberry Sauce (usually not homemade, I go with Ocean Spray's canned sauce)
• Rolls
• Fruit Pie (usually pumpkin and/or apple)
• Cream Pie (usually chocolate cream or coconut cream)

It's been a while since I made a big Thanksgiving Dinner. For the last few years it's just been my Dad and I and we prefer to just got out to a nice restaurant as neither of us need all the leftovers a homecooked TG meal produces!

my family does holiday cookies to kick off the winter season, but that's just us it's also nice to have crackers and cheese or a fruit tray to have before things cook. And maybe have others contribute a dish/dessert. As well...don't forget alcohol, soda, etc.

For me, my two favorite things at Thanksgiving are Sweet Potato Casserole with a brown sugar/pecan topping, and Pecan Pie. Hmmm...

I never miss the baked mac n cheese

green bean casserole!

reginastiffler wrote: »

What are your must have Thanksgiving Dinner dishes?

Mix 7-8 parts Riesling (or your favorite dry white wine) with 1 part Creme de Cassis (sweet cordial made from black currants).

I mix up batches of it. It's a very subtle-tasting but surprisingly potent drink, and has become my go-to thanksgiving drink.

Southern style cornbread dressing! That's a staple in my family. Also a broccoli rice casserole that's a good alternative to mac n cheese. Although, mac n cheese is completely acceptable too.

Kruggeri wrote: »

jolt28 wrote: »

Cornbread DRESSING - if it's made with cornbread, it is dressing -- not stuffing!

I thought the difference between dressing and stuffing was whether it was cooked in a separate baking dish vs "stuffed" inside the turkey?

Me too. I've "stuffed" many a batch of cornbread stuffing, and baked it separately too.

jolt28 wrote: »

Kruggeri wrote: »

jolt28 wrote: »

Cornbread DRESSING - if it's made with cornbread, it is dressing -- not stuffing!

I thought the difference between dressing and stuffing was whether it was cooked in a separate baking dish vs "stuffed" inside the turkey?

Not from my part of the country lol - I'm in the south and it's cornbread dressing no matter where you put it lol.

Well apparently this is why...
Generally southern states in America call a mixture "dressing" while northern states usually call it "stuffing." The theory is that southern states find the word "stuffing" not genteel enough for their liking.

LOL we always called it dressing but we also cook it in a baking dish, not inside the bird.