paul / November 22, 2005 11:56 AM

Stuffing!

Screw those wimps who are afraid of in-the-turkey stuffing. There's no substitute.

Andrew / November 22, 2005 11:58 AM

Cinnamon's mom's oyster stuffing is really good.

But for some strange reason, the thing I like best about Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce out of a can. I love how it retains its shape, like jello.

MikeH / November 22, 2005 12:06 PM

What's not to like? Maybe sweet potatoes--I still haven't warmed up to those...

But the turkey, the stuffing, the cranberry sauce in a can, the pumpkin pie, the mostaccioli with homemade red sauce...

I can't choose just one...

amyc / November 22, 2005 12:12 PM

Potatoes mashed with sour cream instead of milk -- mmmmmm, fluffy!

Carrie / November 22, 2005 12:20 PM

Yum mashed potatoes. Then again, those are my favorite throughout the year.

Yum to cranberry sauce. Helpful hint when making your own- cranberries pop. You'll be doing the dishes when suddenly behind you, you hear POP POP POP POP POP. That's what they're supposed to do, but the directions don't tell you that.

Yum to white trash casserole. What's that you ask? It's the mushroom soup, green bean, crunchy onion casserole.

robin.. / November 22, 2005 12:24 PM

my astoundingly delicious savoury spicy garlicy gingery cranberry chutney. beats the pants off of canned sauce, with all due respect to andrew and others.

Autumn's Child / November 22, 2005 12:25 PM

Macaroni and cheese from scratch. Stuffing second.

jen / November 22, 2005 12:29 PM

stuffing, hands down. agree with paul - in the bird is better, but i'll eat from the casserole dish, too.

sweet potatoes would be second. if you don't like them, you just haven't had them prepared properly - smothered in butter, brown sugar, and a lil' cinnamon. yum!

p / November 22, 2005 12:35 PM

The turkey leg. Or brussel sprouts. Or stuffing. Or pumpkin pie. Or andes mints. Or HotDamn gimmee...

Wendy / November 22, 2005 12:45 PM

That corn pudding stuff that you make with Jiffy cornbread mix. Dear God, it's even better cold the next day.

Paula / November 22, 2005 12:47 PM

My mom's stuffing is my absolute favorite - so much so that my requested birthday meal is a recreation of Thanksgiving. I make a mean pumpkin pie too - extra eggs makes it fluffier!

Brussel sprouts have always been a part of our Thanksgiving that I haven't really appreciated, but I checked out Cinnamon's side-dish recipe and might try her version as it sounds tastier than the steamed/buttered version we usually serve.

Erica / November 22, 2005 12:48 PM

White Castle stuffing. If you haven't tasted it or attempted to make it, this could be your year.

I HATE sweet potatoes, but my sis-in-law has a sweet potato casserole that is to die for. Butter and sugar and nutty topping makes anything good I guess.

Grandma's pistachio pudding rocks, too.

Staci / November 22, 2005 1:03 PM

Stuffing. Bread, covered in butter, herbs, celery and onions (which is what my mom makes). So delish. Sometimes I have to ask mom to make less than normal so I don't eat a ton. But then I'm very watchful of who is eating it and demand that my siblings don't eat a lot. Stuffing is the best.

susan / November 22, 2005 1:05 PM

Ravioli!

Wait, doesn't everyone have ravioli at Thanksgiving?

mike / November 22, 2005 1:07 PM

My easy 'Potatoes Gourmet' recipe which I make in a ddition to regular mashed. It doesn't matter if I double it ... there's never any left:

6 medium potatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 Tbsp. margarine (divide 4 and 2)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Boil the potatoes (only until halfway done) in their skins. Cool, peel skin off if you like. Shred potatoes with
a cheese grater. In a large skillet combine 4 Tbsp. margarine and cheese. Heat and stir
until cheese is almost melted. Remove from heat. Blend in sour cream, green onions, salt
and pepper. Spoon mixture into greased 2-qt. casserole dish. Dot with 2-Tbsp. margarine.
Cover and bake at 300F for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

You can use low-fat sour cream, but low-fat or fat-free cheddar is forbidden.

Paula / November 22, 2005 1:12 PM

Erica - I have only heard tales of the famed White Castle Stuffing - do you have a good recipe?

Veronica / November 22, 2005 1:14 PM

I don't get turkey at Thanksgiving :(. My dad doesn't like it so my mom doesn't make it. But I do enjoy the green bean casserole (made with fresh green beans).

Stephen / November 22, 2005 1:15 PM

My favorite to make: Acorn squash with baked apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

This recipe is pretty similar to what I do.

I'm a big fan of the "Celebration Roast" too.

Pete the Ox / November 22, 2005 1:24 PM

sweet potato pie son

Naz / November 22, 2005 1:27 PM

All of it is good. All of it.

I've had Polish variations, straight American traditional style, vegetarian style, all of is good. Food is good.

This Thanksgiving will be the first in a while that I won't be doing it with a family (it's never been mind anyway) since we're skipping The Girl™'s parents place this year.

This year we're doing what I've been curious about for almost 8 years now: An Unturkey dinner at the Chicago Diner. Oh yeah.

kate / November 22, 2005 1:52 PM

Most of Thanksgiving dinner I could do without. I'm not the biggest fan of turkey, stuffing is ok, none of the broccoli/green bean casserole variations have ever bowled me over, and salad is salad.
That being said, the thrill of carrying a 10 lb. bowl of mashed potatoes to the table can not be beat. Diving into that sucker until full-on potato coma has hit... THAT is my Thanksgiving heaven.

Erica / November 22, 2005 1:55 PM

Paula -- this is the way we do it:
2 Crave Cases worth of WCs -- made w/out pickles.

When you get them home, cut them into eights and put into a big bowl
Mix in chicken stock (just enough stock so it's the consistency of stuffing -- not too wet or dry)
and add in one chopped onion and mix.

Refrigerate over night.
Stuff zee bird the next day before it goes into the oven as you would normal stuffing.
Put the rest in an oven-save pan to warm up and serve w/dinner.

We've been hosting a "Post-Thanksgiving" on the Sat. after Thanksgiving for five years and the stuffing is the first thing that we run out of.

This year, I think we're going to get three crave cases!
Erica

roderick / November 22, 2005 1:59 PM

Growing up, the only traditional food item we had at the table was turkey; otherwise, it was all Filipino food, and looked really strange to all of my Caucasian friends. To that end, the first time I ever had green bean casserole was a few years ago, and for some inexplicable reason I just can’t get enough of it. Funny to see it referred to as “white trash” casserole, though.

I would love to try that White Castle casserole.

daruma / November 22, 2005 1:59 PM

I do not like ANY of the traditional foods associated with Thanksgiving.
I'm having ham and rice.

Eamon / November 22, 2005 2:08 PM

Turkey, of course. The secret is orange juice.

printdude / November 22, 2005 2:14 PM

PIE!

And for seconds,

more PIE!

eep / November 22, 2005 2:16 PM

Cranberry relish, made with orange zest. Mmmmm. It sounds disgusting, but I love stuffing it into black olives, like when you get bleu cheese stuffed olives in a martini. But these are cranberry stuffed olives, and they're delicious, even if they gross the rest of my family out.

Sweet potatoes or mashed turban squash come in at a close second.

And pumpkin pie is the best dessert, hands down. It's pie you can eat for breakfast and not feel (too) guilty!

e_five / November 22, 2005 2:21 PM

Shut your pie-hole!

My favorite part of Thankgiving is the arguments.

j3s / November 22, 2005 2:36 PM

I think I'm the only person who dislikes potatoes, so I'm not saying mashed potatoes. Sweet potato cassarole makes me gag.

I went to a fantastic pre-Thanksgiving dinner Sunday where the cook had brined the turkey using the cryovac method. Best. Turkey. EVER.

My favorite traditional dish would probably be broccoli and cheese cassarole, because I love broccoli. But the mushroom seitan dish Matt made for Christmas last year was amazing.

Also, non-family holday dinners are so much less stressful. Yay for great friends and good food and lots of wine!

Hal / November 22, 2005 3:15 PM

My current fave is Cornbread, Sausage and Fennel Stuffing.

But the rest of the side items on the current menu in our house (until something gets knocked off) are very close seconds:
* Spinach/Cheddar Casserole
* Spicy Cheddar Cheese Grits (comes out like a nice polenta, if done right)
* Green Onion Buttermilk Biscuits
* Roasted Garlic and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.
* Ginger Lime Cheesecake (w/ Ginger Snap crust)
* Apple Raspberry Pie
Mmmmmm

Andy / November 22, 2005 3:26 PM

Fresh apple pie with ice cream and whip cream on top! Mmmmmm...

Bittersweet / November 22, 2005 3:39 PM

It's a tie: pumpkin pie with whip cream and sweet potatoes.

If I thought about it, I'm not a huge fan of turkey either, but smothered in gravy, it's pretty damn tasty.

anne / November 22, 2005 3:44 PM

Honestly, the gravy is the best.

Cause you just don't get real turkey gravy all that often during the year. (and that stuff in the jar doesn't count)

Baltimore / November 22, 2005 4:12 PM

I've thought about it too and honeslty? A forty-O of Mickey's Fine Fine Fine Malt Liqour aka The Green Hornet! Aka The Green Mouse! Bring it on baby! Bring it on!
Wooooooooooo baby baby baby!

Robert / November 22, 2005 4:14 PM

A slice of turkey, with some stuffing and twice-baked potato on top, after it's been soaking up some cranberry juice on the side. Insert Homer Simpson drooling sound effect here.

Pumpkin pie always a staple, and first of the season egg nog. Then, football.

Sweet Mother of the Expanding Waistline, I can't wait!

bam / November 22, 2005 4:32 PM

Whisky is always an important step towards preparing the taste buds and the gut for what follows.

The turkey's always fine, but hard to get too excited about. Brussel sprouts are nice and all, it's the stuffing (cooked in the cavity) that rules the main course.

But the pumpkin and chocolate pecan pies will really make the day! And since my wife is fiddling with her crust recipe, I get to sample from today's test batch anytime now!!! Yippee!

jennifer / November 22, 2005 4:34 PM

canned cranberry sauce gets my vote. second? stuffing. i could eat stuffing all day long. YUM.

Libby / November 22, 2005 5:31 PM

I can't believe that Stephen failed to mention his girlfriend's delicious apple pie.

My favorite is stuffing. Veganized and not baked in proximity to anything that once was alive. Can't beat the onion/celery/sage flavor combination.

Leelah / November 22, 2005 8:47 PM

Sweet potatoes with marshmallow fluff topping (since I don't eat marshmallows because of the gelatin)...

or Quorn roast with mushroom gravy

and mostly, my mom's cream puffs... the best dessert in the world which I will NOT be having since the whole family is going to NJ.

Moon / November 22, 2005 10:19 PM

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the feats of strength.

waleeta / November 22, 2005 11:06 PM

The Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce all in once perfect bite........MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

emyduck / November 23, 2005 9:42 AM

this year being the first time i have ever hosted thanksgiving, my favorite thing is everything i am making!

that said, i am most excited about the sage cornbread stuffing and the orange ginger cranberry sauce. and the gravy. and the gigantic turkey. and the sweet potatoes with caramelized pears. and the apple cranberry pie. and the butternut squash soup. and the ginger carrots. and the garlic mashed potatoes. yeah...pretty much everything.

C-Note / November 23, 2005 11:05 AM

Y'all white folks don't know shit about Thanksgiving. Talkin' bout mashed potatoes and shit. Eatin' peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread. Apple pie and stuffing. Fuck all that. You don't know what you're missing. What you should do, is call up that black friend you're always telling people you have, and ask them if you can come over for Thanksgiving - maybe you'll find out what's really happening.

Cinnamon / November 23, 2005 11:11 AM

Carrie, that "white trash casserole" used to be the pinnacle of classy cooking. But the recipe is always printed on the back of French's fried onions. It's so awful and so good at the same time.

Paula, if you make the shredded brussel sprouts, let me know how it goes over.

Robin, I would so love the recipe for your cranberry chutney. It sounds absolutely delightful.

My favorite dish is oyster dressing. If it's cooked outside the bird it's dressing, if it's cooked inside it's stuffing. Otherwise anything that my mother's gravy can go over top of is absolutely fabulous. My gravy ain't bad, but I don't know what secret ingredient my mother puts in hers. I'll find out one day and I'll tell y'all what it is.

Deb / November 23, 2005 1:48 PM

Mom's homemade Chex Mix. Not exactly a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but still the best thing all day.

mike-ts / November 23, 2005 2:07 PM

My mother's dressing. From in the turkey the day of was good, and from the Pyrex dish the next day (the crispy top - yum) was no slouch, either - same ingredients, but the dressing tasted totally differently depending where it was cooked, and neither way was better than the other. I've eaten nearly everyone's dressing in the years since, and sorry, it's still the standard that no one has yet been able to equal.

I got the recipe, but though I've thought of making it in the thirteen years since she's passed, I freeze up at the thought of actually doing it and just get a lump in my chest. Stupid me. Something about that being something that was "hers", and feeling like an interloper at the thought of trying my hand at it. Who knows, maybe now I'll make it for Christmas and share it with my cousins and aunties when I see them, instead of bringing the usual store-bought pie when I come over.

Shylo / November 23, 2005 2:24 PM

It's the cranberry sauce. I make two, a citrus and a ginger. You can do anything with it later, from crepes to paninis.

And I'm making a flan and somethign called a "cranberry duff."

Rebecca / November 23, 2005 4:40 PM

vegan pumpkin pie

Erica / November 23, 2005 4:43 PM

Oops -- here's my official White Castle stuffing recipe. I think I'm going to do a triple batch this year!

10 White Castle hamburgers, no pickles (chopped into eights)
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/4 tsp ground thyme
1.12 tsp ground sage
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth.

Mac / November 23, 2005 10:18 PM

Beer.
Or pumpkin pie (only if it has Piles and Piles of Whipped Cream!)

Vanessa / November 25, 2005 2:05 AM

Stuffing made with Ritz crackers. Mmmmmm.... my brothers and I fight over it every year, we even dole out each other's portions to ensure the fact that there will still be leftovers. Now that I've moved out, I had to arm wrestle one brother and tickle the other before they let me leave with my stuffing in hand. Bastards.

Eric / November 25, 2005 12:58 PM

Tourtiere - It's a pork meat pie, and it's delicious. It's a French Canadian tradition and it confounds the senses. It is NOT like mince meat pie, as I am repulsed by few dishes, but that is one of them. This has a lot of spices and is complex, but very good for meat lovers.

Moon / November 26, 2005 9:22 AM

My new favorite thing about Thanksgiving is a dishwasher.

Wow. What a difference that makes.

Brian / November 26, 2005 12:22 PM

Southern-style cornbread stuffing (called dressing in the south, for whatever reason).

sousboy / November 26, 2005 6:20 PM

how about all the appetizers that come before the bird. cheese platters, shrimp, crab meat, veggie crudite, smokehouse almonds, spinach dips, seared lambchops,we'll eat these things for hours on end and yet no mention of these holiday treats. you cant tell me that there are not people who don't enjoy that spread.

cory / November 26, 2005 6:30 PM

"Y'all white folks don't know shit about Thanksgiving."

Well, I'll stack up my Mom's Jello with CoolWip Surprise against anything....

jim downs / November 27, 2005 3:23 AM

Cold pizza. I was adopted. No one knows me