The Third Annual What-Is-Your-Gotta-Have-It-For-Thanksgiving Food Thread

If a mod could place the word “Food” after “Thanksgiving” I would be indebted.

I’ve asked this the last two years so I guess this makes it a pattern.

What is the one thing that you just have to have for Thanksgiving dinner?

For me, it’s the fried corn and a big-ass slab of ham. Yummy!

Turkey? Yeah, OK. Stuffing? Mashed potatoes? Cornbread? Sure, gimme some. BUT THERE HAD BETTER BE FRIED CORN AND HAM.

And you?

Oyster Dressing with Dad’s vegetarian white gravy!

Sausage stuffing with giblet gravy, collard greens, sweet potato casserole, baked mac and cheese.

Green bean casserole!

Oh yeah, and turkey, mashed potatos and pumpkin pie.

Stuffing, gravy and pie. Not all at once.

Paul’s Pea Salad.

Turkey or ham, no big deal. Dressing comes and goes. Pie or no pie, not a worry. But there had better be Pea Salad or I’m gonna be pissed!

Homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce. I’m going to my aunt’s house this year, and she insists I don’t need to make it because my cousin is making her cranberry-orange chutney. If the chutney is too far off what I’m used to, I will be very sad.

I will also miss my mom’s wild rice/mushroom/almond stuffing, but I’m more willing to compromise on that. And I will miss my own Derby pie - my aunt says I can’t make it, because my cousin’s toddler is deathly allergic to nuts, but as long as there is some other yummy dessert, I will survive.

Polish sausage and pieroghis.
Sausage from Kramarczuk’s, my homemade pieroghi’s stuffed with potatoes and cheese (and if Mom asks, maybe a few sauerkraut ones for her)

That’s alongside the “usual” turkey, stuffing, wild rice, taters, pie…

wipes drool from chin

The two things that I need for it to feel like Thanksgiving:

My family’s Cranberry-Wallnut Relish
and
Sweet Potato Pie

Without those it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving. Everything else is interchangable.

I bet someone here can help me this. Mom always made a sidedish of little onions in a cream sauce. It was one of my favorite dishes and whenever I ask anyone, I get “a WTF are you talking about” look.

FTR, Mom was Canadian, if that makes any difference.

Google “creamed pearl onions.” My mom used to make these and sometimes throw in some sweet peas.

For me it’s deviled eggs. Oh, baby.

I’m sorry but please tell me what fried corn is.
I can’t get my head around that one.

Ham. I don’t like turkey so my mom always makes a ham too.

Whole berry cranberry sauce to go with the turkey, mashed potatoes (lumpy, not whipped) and gravy. Oh and a pickle assortment, pickles and olives.

  • Sausage Fennel Stuffing
  • Gravy
  • A big batch of homemade stock

I started making stock last week for next week’s meal. I will have 3-4 large pickle jars full of a very dark colored home-made chicken stock. That will be come the base of the turkey stock. The turkey stock will sit on the stove top and have ladles of pure liquid gold come out to moisten the stuffing, baste the bird, sit on the bottom of the roasting pan to gently steam and keep drippings from burning, and to make gravy.

Everything else is just, well, gravy.

Chocolate-bourbon-pecan pie

I only make it twice a year Thanksgiving and Christmas. It just wouldn’t be the holidays without it and when my Dad decided that he didn’t want to I started, about 16. It’s the one thing that I bring along no matter what if I’m going to someone else house for the holidays.

Hot damn that sounds good.

Don’t suppose you’d want to share a recipie would you?

Well, we’re having more company this year than we normally do, so I’ve altered my plans a little. Here is my menu, along with notations of whether the dish is “traditional”, in the sense I always serve it on Thanksgiving:
Appetizers/hors d’ouvres (sp?)
I’ve never done these before, but we’re having so many people, I want something to keep them occupied while I’m in the kitchen putting on the finishing touches!:
Crackers
Several types of cheese
Raw veggies and dip
Raw sliced seasonal fruits
Wine: I’m thinking Moscato or Lexia

Dinner:
Turkey (traditional)
Stuffing/dressing (some will be cooked in the bird, some out; it will be a chestnut/sausage dressing) (traditional)
Mashed potatoes (traditional)
Sweet potato casserole (traditional)
Creamed spinach
Golden corn with plenty of butter
Crescent rolls (traditional)
Baby peas, again with plenty of butter (traditional)
Hot spiced apple cider
Wines: I’m thinking Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay

Desserts:
Ginger/Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie (traditional)
Apple dumplings (traditional-my FIL doesn’t like pumpkin pie, so we always have something “apple” for him!)
Monkey bread
Ice cream (traditional)
Whipped cream (not Cool Whip!) (traditional)
Coffee (traditional)
Wine: Ice Wine in apperetif/liquer glasses

Can you tell I’ve become something of a novice wine enthusiast in the past year? Last year, I thought, well, I’ll maybe have something white 'cuz it’s turkey. . .
This year, I’m planning wines for the various courses! :cool:
Of course, I will also be serving the hot spiced cider, cold cider, assorted soft drinks and filtered water!

For me, it’s very simple.

Brown-n-serve rolls, turkey, and gravy. That’s the only thing that must be part of every Thanksgiving meal, as far as I’m concerned. Many of my solitary Thanksgivings, that was all I had.

Some kind of stuffing/dressing is imperative. Non-negotiable for me.

My menu (I’m going pretty non-traditional this year, there are several turkey-haters in our group):

Appetizers:
Maytag Blue Cheese Dip with thick cut chips and carrot sticks
Chilled Shrimp/celery sticks with Olive Parsley Pesto- you haven’t lived unless you’ve had this stuff and traditional cocktail sauce, too
(maybe an assortment of cheeses/crackers too)
Sangria (family tradition)

Main Course:
Grilled aged beef tenderloins (filet mignon)
Wild Mushroom and Spinach Stuffing
Roasted garlic mashed redskins
Whipped Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Sauteed fresh spinach with garlic
Some kind of cold salad, too
Red Wine (maybe one of our special Georges de Latour cabs)

Dessert:
Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake

Can you tell I read lots of cooking magazines?:cool: