Thanksgiving side dishes

[Seven Bends]

Contrary to what has been said there is nothing wrong with MSG.

MSG may not bother you, and maybe it doesn't bother most people, but it definitely bothers me. It triggers terrible migraines for me, makes my tongue and the inside of my mouth tingle, and makes my legs swell up like a water balloon. The migraine and swelling can last up to three days, so it's a big deal for me. I've basically had to stop going to restaurants because MSG is in nearly everything these days, particularly broths, gravies, sauces, and soups, plus nearly all fast food, and it's not disclosed on menus. I read labels like a crazy person in the grocery store, looking for all the secret names food producers use for it. MSG is the scourge of my food existence.

[pondgardener]

@Seven Bends I agree with you. My daughter has diagnosed celiac disease and is sensitive to MSG as well and has to check ingredients in food carefully, as well as being limited in patronizing certain restaurants.

[Tormahto]

I try to mix it up and have done the following (some may have been at Christmas too, I forget):

smashed potatoes (boiled potatoes with skin on (water has some malt vinegar in it), smash them flat, roast them with garlic/sometimes curry until crispy)
scalloped potatoes
Hasselback potatoes
Note: I think mashed potatoes work better than all other potato recipes, unless you do both. Must have that potatoes and gravy!

roasted root vegetables (parsnip, carrots, yams, squash, turnip etc.)
roasted brussel sprouts with bacon

Caesar salad with homemade dressing and croutons
Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Broccoli Salad

Squash and Leek Soup, Potato and Leek Soup, Pumpkin Soup
Creamy Fried Confetti Corn
Cranberry Apple Sauce
Cornbread/Sourdough bread/Biscuits
Irish Brown Bread with Guinness Reduction [first had this at Raglan Road Restaurant at Disney World] (https://ohmy.disney.com/insider/2013/03 ... reduction/)

Sweet Potato Pie
Trifle with homemade Madeira pound cake

I am in Canada, but have also tried several of the more local USA dishes like Hawaiian Salad, Frog Eye Salad, Sweeet Potato Casserole and Green Bean Casserole. None ever made a return...

Recent years I keep it pretty basic.

Some nice sides that I'll have to research.

But, I thought the reduction of Guinness comes before getting even the recipe book out.

[Shule]

We generally have stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pie, black olives, and random other stuff.

Edit: I forgot uncandied yams (rather, sweet potatoes that are soft when baked)--and homemade bread rolls. The only things I mix together on my plate, personally, are the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. The rest is all its own dish. We tend to have whipped cream on the pies (the pies tend to be pumpkin, cherry, and apple, usually, but sometimes other things). We don't cook the stuffing in the turkey. We used to have apple juice every Thanksgiving. Brussels sprouts are common.

[worth1]

Somebody told me today you don't have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.
Really????

[karstopography]

My parents never mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. I had to get married to understand that people ate mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.

Growing up, we had Turkey and cornbread dressing. I think there were those freaking horribly sweet yams with marshmallows on them, too. Green beans might have also been involved. No mashed potatoes.

[worth1]

It's unconceivable how a person could pair candied sweet potatoes with something like turkey.
Sweet potatoes go with salty food like ham to offset the salt.
Now a baked sweet potato might be OK but I like mashed potatoes for the gravy.
And the gravy in my opinion is horrible on sweet potatoes.
Sort of odd because I'm from the south to not eat sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving.

But my mom was raised on a ranch in Montana.
And her ancestry is French and French Canadian.
Like 100% French and one devil of a good hunter fisherwoman and cook.

[Julianna]

I grew up and never once ate mashed potatoes at home. For thanksgiving we had turkey, green beans and butter, corn, rolls, baked potatoes, and some kind of sparkling juice. Then therr was a cake. That was it.

[Cole_Robbie]

Maybe not a side dish, but i usually bake a sliced ham in a mixture of honey and heinz 57. This year, I am going to make my own Heinz 57, it is ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a drop of hot sauce.

[PlainJane]

My tried and true favorites are:

Cornbread, sausage and pecan stuffing

Brussels sprouts with bacon, shallots and chestnuts

Fresh cranberries in ruby port with orange zest

Mashed garlic potatoes (using my ricer which keeps them light and fluffy)

Pan gravy

Buttermilk brined turkey (thank you Samin Nosrat!)

I’m not much of a baker so I cheat and buy a pie, but we have real whipped cream on it.

Edna Lewis can’t be beat for Thanksgiving recipes, imho.

[PlainJane]

Somebody told me today you don't have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.
Really????

We ALWAYS had mashed potatoes. No yams. No sweet potatoes. No exceptions.

[brownrexx]

I love Thanksgiving dinner but it is the biggest amount of carbs that I eat at one time all year!

I don't even want to know the calorie and fat grams numbers but it must be HUGE.

[worth1]

I have the big 13 1/2 inch cast iron skillet heating up in the oven with oil in it to make cornbread for cornbread dressing.
Using safflower oil due to extremely high smoke point.
I want that batter to fry when it hits the pan.
Did something a little different this time.
I added 4 heaping tablespoons of Knorr chicken bullion to the dry ingredients.
No additional salt.
The dry ingredients are 3 cups flour and 3 cups yellow cornmeal.
Fresh ground black pepper and baking powder.
I'll just add water until it looks right.

[MissS]

My family never served mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. The traditional family sides were creamed onions, green bean casserole, Hubbard squash, mushrooms, parsnips, two types of cranberry sauce, two gravies one with giblets and one without, cornbread stuffing and a green salad and a citrus salad.

[Tormahto]

It's unconceivable how a person could pair candied sweet potatoes with something like turkey.
Sweet potatoes go with salty food like ham to offset the salt.
Now a baked sweet potato might be OK but I like mashed potatoes for the gravy.
And the gravy in my opinion is horrible on sweet potatoes.
Sort of odd because I'm from the south to not eat sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving.

But my mom was raised on a ranch in Montana.
And her ancestry is French and French Canadian.
Like 100% French and one devil of a good hunter fisherwoman and cook.

On the radio this morning, top three Thanksgiving sides; candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce.

I can see the face of Steve Harvey on Family Feud, fast money round...

Steve Harvey - "You need 50 points for the win. Name a popular Thanksgiving side dish."

Contestant - "Pickled okra."

Steve Harvey - "Pick-led Ok-ra? You do understand it's named Thanksgiving because people are thankful for what they're about to eat? They didn't name it Nothanksgiving. Let's see how the audience voted. Pickled okra!

DING! (1 point)

Worth was in the audience.

[brownrexx]

Hubby and I reeally do not like those candied sweet potatoes or the traditional green bean casserole. The potatoes are sickeningly sweet to us and we do not like using canned soups. Now making your own cream of mushroom sauce like @GoDawgs sounds pretty good and I did try it once but my family was not impressed and they were looking for the corn. Oh well corn is easier anyway so that's what we are having.

[worth1]

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[Tormahto]

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Your jar of pickled okra has a big red arrow on it. I wouldn't buy food that's been tampered with.

[brownrexx]

I have never even SEEN pickled okra.

[worth1]

Tastes like chicken

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