Holiday Food Memories — what’s a must have?
November 20, 2021
As Thanksgiving week approaches, and our family is scattered about, I got to remembering Thanksgiving gatherings of previous years and the food that graced the table.
Thanksgiving is my mom’s favorite holiday and she loves to cook the meal. She’s very much a traditionalist: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, 2 kinds of cranberry salad and pumpkin pie. For years, I was tasked with making the green bean casserole my family loved because they claimed I made it best <shrugs> which is weird because I hate green beans and never taste it or eat it 😆
For a number of years, I strove to make an extra fancy dessert as my contribution–cue me roasting hazelnuts, then vigorously rubbing the hot skins off the tiny nuts to craft a cranberry hazelnut tart that was way more work than it was worth. I also tried to get pecan pie to be a holiday staple, but as I’m the ONLY person in my family who likes it, I’d end up eating the whole damn pie myself. One year I made a chocolate mousse pie out of tofu and no one was the wiser 🙂
The truth is…I’m not a fan of Thanksgiving food (have I mentioned this before?) And since both my mother and mother-in-law lived in town for many of our early married life and when our kids were little, I never had to make the whole traditional meal at our home. The year my mother in law Janie passed away, three weeks before Thanksgiving, we tried to have the family meal at her house. But my father-in-law had no idea what he was doing in the kitchen, and it took me and my sister-in-law both to convince him that no, Janie had NEVER made the mashed potatoes in the blender…
Also, I am a firm believer in that you like the type of stuffing YOU grew up with. My mom doctored up her stuffing from a boxed variety and it was soft, yet crunchy and savory because she never stuffed it into the bird. Whereas Mr. James mother made her stuffing from scratch and it was sticky because she stuffed it all in the bird. And I know my southern friends don’t think it should even be called stuffing if it doesn’t have cornbread in it. What kind do you prefer?
When our middle daughter went to college in Alabama, it was easier and something completely different, to fly the whole family down south to her and spend the holiday in Florida. We never had a traditional meal, in fact we usually had some version of surf and turf, which was fun. Three years ago during our Thanksgiving trip to Orlando with all the girls and their partners, we ended up having fried rice, wontons, and fried dumplings for our holiday meal. So I think our girls are probably less traditional than most people their age, in that we’ve had some pretty funky meals.
This year, we’ll be in Houston with D3 and her hubby and we already know we’re not going the traditional route. The cool thing about that is we’ll all make the meal together no matter what it ends up being.
So is there a “must have” on your Thanksgiving menu?
Happy Weekend!
L~
PS — LAST WEEK’S WINNER WAS LONDA — CONTACT ME — lorelei@loreleijames.com so we can get a prize figured out. THANK YOU to everyone who commented!!! You guys are the very best and I’m thankful you’re so willing to share your lives with me!!
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Leslie Couvillier said:
My husband doesn’t like turkey, and since most of our married life we haven’t lived close to family. We go super untraditional. We have buffalo wings. We do however have pie for dessert.
Jennifer Beyer said:
We must have seafood. It’s a long-standing family tradition.
Cathi Griego said:
A MUST is Dawn’s homemade dressing and pumpkin pies.
I could eat the dressing all year long
Kristi said:
I must have my mom’s stuffing and of course her fried white sweet potatoes . Yum!! But deep down just as long as I’m with my loved ones… it doesn’t matter what I eat!! Happy Thanksgiving 🍽
Mary C said:
We always have turkey, but the rest of the menu will include a beef dish and a seafood dish along with whatever side dishes the family chooses to make.
Pat Pierce said:
Finally!!! I was sure I was the only person who truly hated traditional Thanksgiving food. after many years of avoiding turkey ,green beans and oyster stuffing(gross) I am happily divorced and can eat what I want…in fact,one year I snuggled up alone and ate my all-time favorite comfort meal TOMATO SOUP AND A GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!
K. A Bylsma said:
Stuffing….mine but it was my mother’s and grandma’s recipe…also have to have turkey…my son and DIL cook now and they have a ham, too…I prefer turkey to chicken, actually…
Anita said:
Since my grandparents are gone I’m not so big on the traditional meal either. Turkey is always dry so not a fan. I muster the rest of the meal just to get it done. It’s become more stressful than joyful anymore. I’d rather stay home hang out drinking coffee and watching the Macy’s Day parade. This year we’re truly thankful with the blessing of a baby girl which is hard to believe she’ll be 5 months! She’s the only reason dragging me over to Thanksgiving.
Mary Ellyn said:
I also do not like traditional Thanksgiving foods whereas my husband and children are staunch turkey fans – white meat only! As the kids grew and expanded their culinary tastes we began swapping out side dishes. One that has stuck around came from a co-worker: fried rice with whiskey soaked cranberries. My son-in-law, a non cranberry fan, takes second helpings!
Ginna P said:
I, like you grew up with Stove Top Stuffing from a box & it’s still my favorite part of any meal. I don’t really care for turkey but love everything else.
Kayla said:
We have stuffing ,sweet potatoes and mash potatoes. I have to bake chocolate cake with vanilla icing. If we have pie it’s apple no one likes pumpkin.
Suzette Walker said:
The only thing we have that is different than the usual Thanksgiving food is bacon wrapped water chestnuts tha has a bbq sauce. Then for dessert besides pumpkin pie, is date pudding that my Great Aunt Nellie made. It is baked and hers was hard as a hockey puck. I have since made it with her recipe with less bake time. It is date lemony goodness with real whip cream. Went to an Amish restaurant in Indiana and they had it on the menu. That is the only other time I have seen it.
Michelle Holden said:
I hate turkey! There I said it! 😀 This year I am making a ham, I alternate between ham or roast beef. I do love mashed potatoes and I make awesome mashed potatoes. When my husband was alive he loved the traditional Thanksgiving, he would deep fry a turkey when that whole phase came in and we’d have all the trimmings. For the first few years of our marriage when he got out of the Air Force we moved back to his home State of New York but would drive up to Maine for Thanksgiving and spend the long weekend with his sister and her family–I miss that, but after 10 years in NY we moved back to NV.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
Donna said:
Southerner here but I’ve never heard that it’s not stuffing without cornbread. My grandmother was a great cook but she always used Pepperidge Farm stuffing then added other ingredients to make dressing. Dressing = cooked outside of the bird Stuffing = cooked in the bird
Whether it’s inside or outside, it has to be moist.
Debra Wolsleben said:
If you like pumpkin try to find a recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake. It’s so yummy. It’s a newer thing with us. I really like turkey – but only for about 3 days, I like mashed potatoes and gravy but 1 meal with them is enough, stuffing I like but only certain kinds, I like green beans but NOT green bean casserole. I would like a piece of your Pecan Pie though.
Ruth said:
I am from the South and we make cornbread dressing, but I use lots of chicken broth so it won’t be dry.
My Son always loved our Heavenly Hash. Tiny marshmallows mixed with fruit cocktail (drained), extra Maracino Cherries
(drained) and lots of Cool Whip. Truly Heavenly!
My Grandmother made the Best Yeast Rolls, Pies, Cakes, and Green Bean Casserole. I still make her and Moms Strawberry Cake, Coconut Cake, and Chocolate Pie with Meringue. Yummy.
My Grandmother, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and our Son are All in Heaven now, so we celebrate with our Son’s two Daughters.
Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!
Cheryl L. said:
My sister hosts us each year, which is very nice. I’m asked to prepare baked corn custard, and that is one of my favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving menu. Yum!
B.J. Dworkin said:
For me turkey & gravy is a must have. My Mom always made pecan pie from scratch which was to die for 😋 & now I search out the best pecan pie to buy, LOL. Having both my daughters at various stages of post-op I am beyond exhausted. So I sought out a pre-made individual Thanksgiving meal to go. Everyone orders their favorite sides AND dessert, including 1 vegan meal. So we’re all happy and grateful for this option this year.
Cathi Griego said:
Must Have is my daughter Dawn’s homemade dressing and pumpkin pies.
She cooks all of our Thanksgiving dinner, includes green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and marshmallows. She makes extra pumpkin pies for both of her brothers.
If I could I would her dressing everyday all year long.
Erin Dixon said:
I live in South Georgia so a traditional Thanksgiving meal it is. Ours consists of a turkey and some times a ham also with cornbread dressing and gravy. Sweet potatoes soufflé, squash casserole, greens if some kind, creamed corn, green beans or peas, broccoli casserole and yeast rolls. Pumpkin pie lemon meringue pie and pecan pie. Usually red velvet cakes start showing up around this time also. Then there are leftovers for days.
Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍽
Pamela gomes said:
I love many of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Last year when we decided to stay home and just have family, my requirements were turkey, my grandmother’s dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie.
I agree about the stuffing/dressing – you typically prefer what you grew up eating. Our usual Thanksgiving dinner is at my guy’s cousin’s house. I can’t eat the stuffing because it’s so different.
Travel safely and enjoy whatever your meal ens up being!
Amy said:
My most memorable Thanksgiving was when I was about 12 or so. My mom took me and my sisters for a picnic on the beach in South Florida and we ate a KFC meal surf side! That said, I’m also a big fan of pecan pie and it’s what my daughter and I made for Friendsgiving last year. I have an oatmeal pecan pie recipe that’s to die for! I hope you and your family have a very happy Thanksgiving no matter what is served for dinner!
Laura Larocca said:
Candied sweet potatoes,my daughter says she misses that the most when we can’t be with us for the holiday.It’s my favorite side for Thanksgiving.
Nan said:
The only must-have for me is turkey. I like turkey at Thanksgiving and ham at Christmas. I miss Dad & Mom’s cooking, (Yes, Dad cooked just as much & just as good as Mom.), but their stuffing was made from scratch, mine will be from a box. Ditto for the pumpkin pie. I don’t expect any company, but I really wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner. But I’ll have lots of leftovers for the freezer.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Jenny B. said:
I love mashed potatoes and gravy. That and pumpkin pie with mounds of whipped cream. Give me those and I’m happy.
I volunteer to do the sweet potatoes each year because I learned how to do it the way my mother-in-law and sister-in-law do it, and it’s a hit. It also doesn’t have the marshmallow stuff on top, it’s all mashed together. We try to do dinner with friends since, well, military. It’s hard to go home for holidays. It’s more of Friendsgiving, and when we have several families together we all bring something. One year we hosted at our house, and friends of friends were invited. The friends organized the whole thing (we simply provided the venue), and they were doing a host/sponsor thing to two Japanese families. They brought dishes as well. What was the best part was that we realized that, for the most part, many of the traditional foods were based on what would have been available to the Pilgrims. We realized that when we were explaining Thanksgiving to the Japanese families. It was a unique experience.
Ellen Bartel said:
My whole life my family has rented a house up in the white mountains for Thanksgiving. My mom and older sister would cook all the sides and stuff the turkey. We always had more pies than sides. I love pie! We celebrate on Friday so everyone can join their in-laws on Thursday.
For the past 15 years I’ve been hosting and cooking for my in-laws. They’re not much for cooking and they don’t seem to care for pie. So if I do make a pie we might go through 3 or 4 slices and I end up eating the rest.
I do sometimes make pumpkin whoopie pies and those are a huge it with both families!
Justine said:
Must have turkey, dressing,& gravy. I consider that one dish. Need to have all three together. Honorable mentions: sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, ham, mac & cheese. Yum.
Gloria Nelson said:
I do not like turkey either, and I’m very particular about the dressing.
No sage please, I do like Stove Top Stuffing! My sister-in-law and I take turns hosting Thanksgiving. When they host it all the children come. I host it the next year when the kids all go to their in-laws. Works out great (my house is smaller).
Robbi Elaine MInden said:
Only pumpkin pie is a must have for Thanksgiving, we never have any of the other “traditional” things. This year it’s standing rib roast, spinach casserole, and parsleyed new potatoes. Hubby and I hate turkey of any kind.
Caroline said:
We do Thanksgiving with the in-laws on Thursday, and my family on Saturday! Yeah…2 dinners! Both are pretty traditional, but my side is a little more adventurous with the veggies. We break tradition with Easter. One year my sister decided she didn’t really like ham, so we’ve had Chinese Easter, Southern Easter, and the last few years, Easter Brunch, which included crepes, quiches, bacon, fruit and coffee cake.
Elisa A said:
I grew up in a traditionally Asian home, so we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the same manner as the rest of Canada. That said, my mother-in-law is 100% traditional. The works! Roast turkey with stuffing (in the turkey), cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turnip, broccoli salad, orange/pineapple/carrot jelly salad, and pumpkin pie. Everything made from scratch, including leaving bread out overnight to make it go stale for the stuffing, cooking cranberries from raw, to steaming the pumpkin to make the filling.
Also a tradition in their family is that you have to try something at least 7 times, before you can say you hate it.
I’ve eaten turkey every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas for the last 26 yrs. I don’t have the heart to tell her that I hate turkey. However, I put my foot down on the pumpkin pie. Eeew! I spoke up the very first year. But I tried to be nice about it and had a forkful for 20 yrs and finally apologized and told her I just couldn’t do it any more. Thankfully, she was not insulted.
In the recent years, I’ve slowly been taking on more and more of the tasks of cooking dinner every time we visit (she turns 91 soon!). This year, I made 90% of the Thanksgiving dinner (in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October), including the pumpkin pie. And she was impressed that it was a very good pie, despite me hating it. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving Lorelei, and to all the US friends on this blog!
J said:
For 2019 Thanksgiving, our older son and his wife and two preteen kids decided to go camping at Stone Mountain State Park (in NC, not the one in GA). We decided it would be fun to get together outdoors since we all like camping and his kids are in Scouts. Adam stuffed a hen with rosemary from his own bush plus oranges and roasted it in a Dutch oven. We also cooked cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, and dinner rolls in three other Dutch ovens using charcoal. On the Coleman stove, we did mashed potatoes and giblet gravy. Opened cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. With Dutch oven apple pie for dessert. Mighty fine eating.
Last year, with Covid on our minds, we did the camping thing again, thinking we would be safer outdoors. For 2020 we went to Douthat State Park in VA. What a nice campground! We added fresh churned vanilla ice cream to the previous year’s menu. My younger son and his family, and my daughter joined us. It was great to have the entire family. We avoided the Covid in November but got it from my 97-year-old mother in December. (We all survived, thankfully.)
This year the in-laws get the crew and so the two of us are heading south to have Thanksgiving with my sister and her husband who is a great cook. No idea what he’s fixing, but it will be good.
Linda H said:
I grew up with traditional, when I was younger we went to my dad’s mother’s house. Something grandma always made was chocolate chip cookies, we always had them. Then it got moved to one of my dad’s sisters house. We were older by then but nothing changes except we played cards (31). Eventually I started making those cookies she always made. And to this day I still make them. My cousin told me once that they tasted just like grandma’s.
Haven’t made them since July of 2020.
Kim B said:
My Mom makes noodles from scratch and they are amazing and rest of traditional meal. My Mom doesn’t make stuffing, hers is dressing as that’s what my Great Grandma said it was and it was her family recipe from Germany. We’ve always had big holiday meals when I was younger we would gather at my dad’s Mom and we totaled over 50 people and just her children/spouses and grandkids – which I miss as we no longer have these gatherings as we’ve scattered since becoming adults.