Favorite/Family traditional Thanksgiving dish?

PAPYRUS3
PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm not American, but what is that 'one' family traditional dish you love and only consume on Thanksgiving?

I've heard/seen so many curious things...anywhere from Mac and Cheese to lasagna or sweet potato pie w/marshmallows on top.

Replies

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,624 Member
    My family always celebrated my birthday on Thanksgiving day, so when I was little, we had birthday cake with candles for dinner. When I got just a little older, I asked my mom if I could have my very own pumpkin pie that I didn't have to share with anyone, instead of cake. As long as my mom hosted Thanksgiving dinner, I got my very own full sized pumpkin pie, complete with a to-go box when I grew up and moved out.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    Corina1143 wrote: »
    My family always celebrated my birthday on Thanksgiving day, so when I was little, we had birthday cake with candles for dinner. When I got just a little older, I asked my mom if I could have my very own pumpkin pie that I didn't have to share with anyone, instead of cake. As long as my mom hosted Thanksgiving dinner, I got my very own full sized pumpkin pie, complete with a to-go box when I grew up and moved out.

    What a great memory! I hope you still get that 'whole' pumpkin pie on your birthday!. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving:)
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,261 Member
    Green bean casserole
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,261 Member
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    Good substitution! I would not enjoy one made with mayo (really do not like the stuff!). Even using Greek yogurt would work for me too:)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    @AdahOats2023 this sounds really good! Tell me more about the cream cheese - do you used the whipped kind? Soften it?

    I don't eat a lot of salads in the winter, but I may make an exception for this. :smiley:
    PAPYRUS3 wrote: »
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    Good substitution! I would not enjoy one made with mayo (really do not like the stuff!). Even using Greek yogurt would work for me too:)

    I do like mayo, but not the calories, so I've been using 2:1 plain Greek yogurt to mayo.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    Green bean casserole

    Yep, I love green bean casserole and only make it once per year.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited November 2023
    PAPYRUS3 wrote: »
    I'm not American, but what is that 'one' family traditional dish you love and only consume on Thanksgiving?

    I've heard/seen so many curious things...anywhere from Mac and Cheese to lasagna or sweet potato pie w/marshmallows on top.

    Sweet potato pie w/marshmallows on top might be a regional thing, or you might be thinking of the sweet potato casserole, which is practically sweet as pie. This wasn't a tradition in my family, but it is in my partner's (minus the cranberries in this recipe) and I really like it. In fact, if I have yams lying around I might make it.

    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/216246/stacys-half-cup-sweet-potato-casserole/
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    My grandmother's stuffing/dressing recipe. I have taken over the task of making this every year, and it's the one thing on the Thanksgiving table that cannot be messed up and cannot be messed with.

    Cubed bread (sorry gluten-free husband), onions, celery, pork sausage, poultry seasoning, thyme, rosemary.

    We never have this except for Thanksgiving.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,772 Member
    When I was a kid growing up it was grandma's mac and cheese and stuffing. I also loved candied sweet potatoes.
    Now that I am vegan, I've had other things. I still love sweet potato but not candied. String beans were a kovebyesterday with a vegan queso type cheese. Vegan Oatmeal cookies are my dessert.
    What I'd love is vegan cornbread and vegan gingerbread 😋
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 563 Member
    Candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cornbread dressing are sides that I have adopted as my Thanksgiving traditions. When I was a kid, my mom made sweet potatoes with marshmallows (I ate because of the marshmallows, but didn't particularly like), green bean casserole wasn't a "thing", and my dad made stuffing with cubed white bread, apples, raisins, and anything else he could think of to put in (didn't particularly like that either, hence the cornbread dressing when I had my own home/family). I only cook a turkey once a year, for Thanksgiving, and enjoy making stock from the carcass the next day.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    VegjoyP wrote: »
    When I was a kid growing up it was grandma's mac and cheese and stuffing. I also loved candied sweet potatoes.
    Now that I am vegan, I've had other things. I still love sweet potato but not candied. String beans were a kovebyesterday with a vegan queso type cheese. Vegan Oatmeal cookies are my dessert.
    What I'd love is vegan cornbread and vegan gingerbread 😋

    Yes...those candied sweet potatoes (especially the marshmallow ones) sound too sweet for my liking, but absolutely love sweet potatoes/yams, etc., The cornbread (as long as it's not a sweet one) would be yummy...along with those cookies! Both so good!
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    singer201 wrote: »
    Candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cornbread dressing are sides that I have adopted as my Thanksgiving traditions. When I was a kid, my mom made sweet potatoes with marshmallows (I ate because of the marshmallows, but didn't particularly like), green bean casserole wasn't a "thing", and my dad made stuffing with cubed white bread, apples, raisins, and anything else he could think of to put in (didn't particularly like that either, hence the cornbread dressing when I had my own home/family). I only cook a turkey once a year, for Thanksgiving, and enjoy making stock from the carcass the next day.

    Stuffing/dressing is done so so many various ways! I can see how families would 'miss' the one that is something they grew up with.
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,261 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    @AdahOats2023 this sounds really good! Tell me more about the cream cheese - do you used the whipped kind? Soften it?

    I don't eat a lot of salads in the winter, but I may make an exception for this. :smiley:
    PAPYRUS3 wrote: »
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    Good substitution! I would not enjoy one made with mayo (really do not like the stuff!). Even using Greek yogurt would work for me too:)

    I do like mayo, but not the calories, so I've been using 2:1 plain Greek yogurt to mayo.

    *I use the grape salad recipe on allrecipes.com, but add celery, apples, and pecans. It is 5* :)
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,261 Member
    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24378/green-grape-salad/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    @AdahOats2023 this sounds really good! Tell me more about the cream cheese - do you used the whipped kind? Soften it?

    I don't eat a lot of salads in the winter, but I may make an exception for this. :smiley:
    PAPYRUS3 wrote: »
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    And a Waldorf salad that my grandmother would make with mayo, but instead I use cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar.

    Good substitution! I would not enjoy one made with mayo (really do not like the stuff!). Even using Greek yogurt would work for me too:)

    I do like mayo, but not the calories, so I've been using 2:1 plain Greek yogurt to mayo.

    *I use the grape salad recipe on allrecipes.com, but add celery, apples, and pecans. It is 5* :)
    AdahOats2023 wrote: »
    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24378/green-grape-salad/

    Thanks! I will definitely give that a try :smiley:
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,616 Member
    edited November 2023
    One word: Turkey. Everything we serve with it (yams, brown sugar carrots, etc) we have at least a couple times per month the rest of the year, but baking a whole turkey is done only twice per year in our house: Thanksgiving and Christmas. If a member of the family wants the taste of turkey the rest of the year, they are welcome to make a sandwich using cold cuts.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole are only made for Thanksgiving in my home.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    It’s not Thanksgiving without ambrosia for my husband

    It’s a simple regional treat of peeled oranges, maraschino cherries, coconut, and pineapple. Some people mix it with a sweet creamy dressing and/or mini marshmallows, but he just likes the straight up fruit.

    He also has to have sweet gherkins on the table

    For me, it’s homemade mac and cheese, but with just the two of us at home, both counting calories, it can take a year for us to go through a batch, so it’s just not worth the freezer space. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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