Thanksgiving-themed posts and recipes get lots of traffic here in Glover Gardens when this Gratitude and Food holiday rolls around, so I thought I’d make it easy and round a few of them up for you. This post has been around for a while, and I just keep updating it as new recipes get documented and shared.
Best Supporting Actors
It’s really all about the sides at the Thanksgiving table, right? I mean, when else do you get the harvest bounty of all those gorgeous fall vegetables all dressed up in their holiday best?
Our family’s approach to corn is here: Best Creamed Corn Ever – Handed-Down and Upgraded Scratch Recipe from My Dad and Grandmother. This creamed corn is a rich, creamy dish that makes you nostalgic for the old days when life was simpler, people were kinder and you could borrow an egg from your neighbor, even if you never experienced any “old days” in that way.
Another favorite with corn takes a spicy, southwestern turn: Food Magazine Treasures: Serrano Ham and Corn Pudding.
The Grill-Meister is a reluctant vegetable-eater, but even he will dig into these Brussels sprouts (it’s the Bacon Effect): Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries, Bacon and Bacon-Jalapeño Jam. Almost blackened, these sprouts are spicy-sweet-tart-crunchy-soft yumminess and perfect for the holiday table.
Another big win in the Bacon Effect category is this delicious broccoli salad, as noted in Score! Creamy, Crunchy, Spicy, Sweet Bacon-Broccoli Salad Snares a Broccoli-Hater. It is a make-ahead winner that fits beautifully on the Thanksgiving table, one of those sides you wouldn’t have every day because it is sooooo rich, but that makes you feel properly “feasty” on Thanksgiving.
A new way to serve sweet potatoes is Sweet Potato Stacks in Browned Butter with Sage .
We can’t forget the dressing! Savory, flavorful and redolent with tradition, this dressing is always at the top of the family request list. Even so, it took almost 30 years to accurately document the recipe for the North-South Best Dressing Ever (with Sausage and Two Breads).
Gotta Have Yeast Rolls
My grandmother “Mema” fed us in classic grandmotherly style: something was always just out of the oven, just for you. Her legendary yeast roll recipe was a star at every Thanksgiving, and is captured in We Call Them “Mema Rolls,” She Called Them “Refrigerator Rolls” – Call My Grandmother’s Delicious Yeast Rolls Anything You Want, but Don’t Call Me Late for Dinner if You’re Serving Them.
Let’s Talk Turkey
We like the spatchcock method for turkey these days. Spatchcocked turkey is everything you want in a turkey: moist on the inside, with crispy, savory, mahogany skin on the outside. Check out our experiences with it here: Spatchcocked Turkey. Say What?
We also recommend Alton Brown’s Deep Fried Turkey, if you are ready for a turkey adventure.
A Complementary Condiment
Slightly sweet with just a hint of heat, this tart cranberry relish is the perfect complement to rich holiday food: Spicy-Tart Cranberry-Orange-Pineapple Relish (The Best!)
The Sweet Ending
This pie is a wonderful mix of textures – the crunch of the toasted pecans with their caramel glaze and sea salt garnish balances perfectly with the soft, fudge-like filling. Find it here at Food Magazine Treasures: Salted-Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie.
And for something different, but wonderful, there’s this gorgeous apple cake that one of my colleagues brought to a Thanksgiving potluck at work. It is divine. She said of the star of the post, Found Recipe: Swedish Apple Cake, or Äppelkaka: “It’s super easy to make, with a sort of a sugar cookie base with apples on top. I use Granny Smiths because of their sourness to contrast with the sweet cake.”
But First, Start Thanksgiving Day Right
We have a family tradition of starting our Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings with a humble little breakfast: Sweet Potato Biscuits: Family History, Love on a Plate.
A Co-Created Centerpiece
A co-created centerpiece brings the family together in a meaningful discussion of what we’re thankful for; see how easy and fun it is at Thankful for…Bay Leaves and Family .
Fun Conversation Prompts Add to the Tablescape
From last year’s celebration: At the Thanksgiving Table.
That’s All for Now
There’s more to share from our Thanksgiving repertoire as we continue to document our recipes. This year, we are in Mississippi and are doing a Cajun-themed celebration with just three of us because of coronavirus caution, and we’ll be sure to share what we discover and create.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and please, stay safe. I’m thankful for you.
© 2020 Glover Gardens
