What Does Thanksgiving Taste Like? MUST-HAVE foods for your table (Choose only 3)

Select up to 3 answers.

50 Comments

  • Cynthia Blain - 9 years ago

    our family has always made and served homemade pecan rolls and cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter and other family get togethers. Yummy soft rolls filled with a delicious mix of brown sugar , butter, cinnamon and pecans and lots of love with these yeast rolls!!!!!

  • missy Davis - 9 years ago

    My Mom had a secret stuffing receipe that was so good you could not stop eating it. Today it's a mainstay at my table but never the same as her receipe. It actually had very few Ingredients but the preparation blended the flavors.

  • Polly Muragin - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving at home in Hawaii is traditional in a different way...turkey is prepped and cooked in the ground called an "imu". There are the usual "sides" too which may include "poke (raw fish) and poi (our starch)". The "ohana (family) fellowship gathering is the highlight of the day!

  • Cindy L. Jagiolka - 9 years ago

    I appreciated the turkey gravy recipe. I'm not much of a cook, and have attempted to make turkey gravy in the past years, but with your recipe, I'm sure to make a winner turkey gravy.

    Also, thank you for the turkey leftover casserole. It's always helpful to know what to do with all that turkey leftover. Now, I have an idea, thanks to your recipe. It looks inviting.

    Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving,

    Cindy Jagiolka

  • Joanne Kocourek - 9 years ago

    For dessert at special (holiday) gatherings of family and friends it is traditional to serve Banket. My parents were born in the Netherlands and emigrated to the U.S. I was taught to make this, my favorite family recipe, at my Grandma and Mom's knees. The flaky, buttery crust combined with a delicious, almond filling makes this pastry a unique treat. I don't get the chance to make this very often, but when I do, it never lasts long around my family. The recipe makes quite a bit so we often share a "stick" or "letter" as a gift.

  • Mary Hubbell - 9 years ago

    Cranberry sauce is so easy to make and so much better than the canned. So that has to be on my list and then stuffing and turkey. Thanks for writing and doing fun things like the poll!

  • Dina taylor - 9 years ago

    turkey yeah baby

  • Ellice - 9 years ago

    Hi, on Thanksgiving I can eat anything and everything, just the joy of food! There are plates of food for each part of the day, parade, dog show and ball games. After maybe some good reading and a nice nap! Life is good!
    Thanks,
    Ellice

  • Laura Gail - 9 years ago

    We don't eat turkey, so I always stuff small sugar pumpkins. So pretty to serve and yummy too!

  • Cyndy - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving (and all family gatherings) always had to have my mom's cole slaw. The funny part about the cole slaw - my mom swore it was my grandmother's recipe, yet her siblings said their mother never used one of the ingredients. When my mom died, we showed the recipe card to our aunts and uncle and they verified it was her handwriting, so the mystery lives on.

  • Autumn - 9 years ago

    I voted for turkey and stuffing, and a special recipe: Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes.

  • Linda Wilmoth - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving is definitely about turkey with all the trimmings, but especially family and friends spending the day together no matter what the favorite food.

  • Kicha - 9 years ago

    I voted for stuffing .... but it truly wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my mom's homemade mac n cheese. I can eat that stuff cold. So much but also a certain type of rolls she buys. I think its called Mrs. Shubert. Yumlicious!

    FYI, I'm totally new to this site ... love what I'm seeing. Big fan of cozies!

  • Veronica Boudreau - 9 years ago

    I'm thankful for a happy and healthy family ,good friends and good food not only on Thanksgiving but all year through. And my church and my community lets not forget our police and fireman and service men& women who help to keep us safe, Im just thankful and feeling blessed everyday! thank you for allowing me to enter your contest!

  • Rosemarie - 9 years ago

    Gran's Special Dressing: Christmas really started for me after the present opening and eating a piece of cream filled coffee cake when Gran started the dressing. The smell of the frying onions, the organs cooking to make the broth, the potatoes boiling. Watching Gran chop the celery and then putting it all together.
    A quick mash of the potatoes adding just butter pouring the broth over the stale wonder bread bread crumbs to moisten, then mixing in the mashed potatoes, onions and celery. Out would come the Bell's seasoning and it would be added and mixed in. Then the small tasting by us all to see if more Bell's was needed. Some would get put inside the turkey so it could spill out as cooking and mingle with the juices and the rest in a pie plate to cook later. Mmmmmm Christmas is such a magic time of year.

  • Sherron - 9 years ago

    Turkey has always been the Thanksgiving bird-of-the-day in my family, and it's my Daddy's giblet gravy that always made it good. Daddy and Mama now go to my sister's for Thanksgiving (since she lives in Aiken, SC, and they live in Augusta, GA, while my husband and I live in Houston, TX, and only get home for Christmas), but I can still see Daddy at the stove, carefully stirring a large, almost-full-to-the-top skillet full of smooth-textured, smooth-tasting gravy. Sigh. Cranberry Sauce is my other must-have at Thanksgiving; before I married and moved to Houston, that was part of my Thanksgiving Department, so to speak, made special with orange juice (for half the water) and orange peel.

  • Lisa Cobb Sabatini - 9 years ago

    Turkey and sweet potatoes make Thanksgiving special, but coffee makes every day extra special.

  • Carol Summers-Kolber - 9 years ago

    My must haves for Thanksgiving are turkey, my own homemade stuffing and sweet potatoes baked in their skin with none of that marshmallow stuff. My kids who are now adults insist on black olives and a butter shaped like a turkey as must haves or it just isn't Thanksgiving. Love the coffeehouse mysteries and the yummy coffees. I can almost smell them while reading the books.

  • Joanne Pattison - 9 years ago

    I serve a roasted delicata squash side dish. This squash is very hard to find here in Florida, so it is a real treat to serve on Thanksgiving. I like it because it doesn't need to be peeled and the skin is so colorful! I slice it thin, toss it with sliced onion and/or mushrooms, a little salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil. I roast it at 375 for about 30 minutes (or until everything starts to brown) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and parchment paper.

  • Angela Scott - 9 years ago

    Our Thanksgiving always start with watching the Macy/s Day parade and eating coffee cake. Otherwise I must have turkey, stuffing and gravy. Yum!

  • Karen Brennan - 9 years ago

    My mother made Date Nut bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She passed away many years ago and I have carried on with the tradition. Fond memory of Mom.

  • Barbara - 9 years ago

    Don't forget a fire in the fireplace, eggnog and of course the dogs under foot!

  • Patty Shipley - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving is all of the choices above but more importantly is the family love and closeness that we feel when we set aside our "daily grind" and celebrate the passing of the year. We have lost a few of our beloved ones and we often recall their antics and actions during our short time together. We miss them all but we relive their love for us at each gathering.

  • Darlene - 9 years ago

    Only three choices, Cloe? I chose turkey, stuffing and gravy because those are three things we don't have very often but of course we have mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin dessert. We'll have lots of veggies this year too - green beans, broccoli, squash, carrots, cauliflower and some kind of salad. We're going to a buffet!! ;) No dishes to wash!! Of course no left overs either. Hmm, might have to make a turkey after all.

  • Pinky - 9 years ago

    This year I am adding vegetarian dishes to the usual family favorites. This includes roasted butternut squash and buttered roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon on the side.

  • Toni - 9 years ago

    I just love having the family together just to be together. No presents, no pressure. Family jokes - My sister-in-law's hockey puck rolls, my niece forgetting to turn the oven on so the guys had to run to the store and get cooked turkeys. Really you can't make some of this up. Definitely a great day.

  • Shelly hill - 9 years ago

    When the family lived closer almost all the foods on your list made it to the table as well as a variety of others. Now that we are scattered all across the country with our children having families of there own in diverse places our table is much smaller. At sometime my mother started making orange and cinnamon rolls at all holiday gatherings. Pumpkin bread and dinner rolls were not enough for her so she added cinnamon rolls and orange rolls. These became such a tradition that dinner did not seem complete without them. My family still loves the rolls year round but I will always think of holiday gatherings and wondering where we are going to put another family who will be joining us. My mother started inviting anyone who did not have family to our gatherings, "so they didn't have to be alone". There were times we only had a few guests but other years when I'm not sure if we had more guests than family. This is quite something when out family table usually had over 20 people at it. No meal was ever complete without a strong cup of coffee in the after dinner hours when you finally had room for pie.

  • Pat - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving meals taste like the perfect "comfort food", of family, friends, and memories to sustain us, and hold dear.

  • Laurylann - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving brings me back to my childhood. The fabulous smells. All the family together. New old and old traditions now that I have my own family. We always start out with homemade pasta with a red sauce. Then move onto dinner. My grandparents were from Italy and made Turkey for guests but they ate capon. I do enjoy turkey but prefer chicken with all the fixings. We always had some type of pie for dessert. And still do! Many types to please every taste! It is my favorite holiday. I was born the day before Thanksgiving. It was also my Uncle's birthday. Until the day he passed, he always said I was the best present he ever got! I am sure that is why it is my favorite holiday. It is all about food, family and good times!

  • Anne Arcara - 9 years ago

    The best word for a Thanksgiving taste is spicey or spice words like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and ginger! Just think of those and it will bring Thanksgiving to mind,

  • Margaret Carol - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving tastes like love. I have always had a simple meal, compared to many others.

    I prefer homemade to eating out.

  • Ellen - 9 years ago

    My family has the turkey and all the other traditional American dishes. However, we also always have a pastrami from Katz's. My parents went there many times when they were dating and it was always their favorite deli. They married in 1958 and moved to Northern Virginia. Growing up we would constantly hear (every time they tried a new place to eat out) "it's okay, but it's not Katz's!" That became the stick every food and restaurant was judged by to them. About five years ago my brother decided to order a pastrami from Katz's for thanksgiving. Now he gets one every year and we all enjoy it as we remember stories about our parents.

  • edithe knighton - 9 years ago

    I love thanksgiving because its about family, not presents.

  • Susan S. - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I have fond memories of the family gathering together but also inviting others who may be on their own to join us. For me Thanksgiving tastes like homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, and greenbean casserole that my sister and I love! P.S. I enjoy your books very much!

  • Sandy Todd - 9 years ago

    To me, Thanksgiving tastes like comfort, warmth and substance. That's why I chose mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie. These dishes are warm comfort foods. With just enough substance to fill you up. I relate those attributes to family and close friends too. They provide each other with warm conversations, comfort one another when the need arises and have plenty of moral substance about them to make you feel that you are lucky to have them in your life.

  • Renee Wilson - 9 years ago

    Turkey, homemade cranberry sauce,& mom's oyster stuffing. I like having a combination of all 3 in 1 bite, yum!

  • Mary M - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving tastes like turkey, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. Savory, tart and sweet just work together so well.

  • Tricia - 9 years ago

    Of course, a turkey is required. If nothing else, Mr. Tom will do the job. But back when my mom cooked everything (days ahead) we would start drooling over the smells of her home-made rolls and dressing. Nothing has ever tasted the same since.

  • Jo Schick - 9 years ago

    My sister makes the pies, and she usually does a Chip Chocolate Pie, from my grandmother's recipe. That brings back lots of memories! Thanks for the good books.

  • Deb - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving and Christmas would not be holidays without homemade stuffing with creamed corn "on." There was always a dish of kernel corn for unadventurous visitors, but the creamy corn sinking into the slightly crunchy stuffing was the best. It also makes a wonderful day-after breakfast!

  • Lynn in Texas - 9 years ago

    We always have chicken-sausage gumbo first. My husband and 1 of my brothers don't care for turkey (weird, I know) so when it's just hubby & me we have a small ham or Cornish game hens. When I cook for the whole family (like last year and this one) we have both a turkey & a big ham with lots of side dishes and ALWAYS cranberry sauce. Besides an apple and usually a pecan pie, for years I've been making a Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, that's terrific!

  • Jenn Mitchell - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same with out sweet potatoes both sweet and savory.

  • Charlene Cirillo - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving taste like family and friends and long ago childhood memories. With turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and nana's roasted Portuguese style red potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving
    to Clair Corsi and the coffeehouse gang.

  • Susan B - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving at my house is filled with the smells of a roasting turkey and stuffing cooked with sage, celery and onions as well as the delicious aroma of pumpkin pies baked from scratch, no frozen store-bought crusts just this one time a year.

  • Gigi lange - 9 years ago

    Peanut butter pie was just supose to be a one time thing but now if it's not on the menu some one writes it in. Home made vanilla pudding with peanut butter and powder sugar crumbles on the bottom of the shell topped with real whipped cream and more crumbles on that soooo good!

  • Lisa - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving tastes like the love my friends and family put into their dishes for me to enjoy, both now and in my memories of the past. Green Bean Casserole is such a old standard and not very exciting, amid other gourmet vegetable offerings - but I still love it!

  • Kristin Trent - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving as become my cooking holiday. My special recipes include a Brined Turkey, Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue. Love it!

  • Ana - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving tastes like turkey, stuffing, and a mixed green salad. Best of all when surrounded by friends and family.

  • Margaret Utsey - 9 years ago

    turket,stuffing(though we call it dressing) and pecan pie as it reminds me of my mama! I love your books!

  • Nora-adrienne - 9 years ago

    Thanksgiving always tastes like my adopted son Uri's Key Lime Pie. I love it and he bakes it every year. He's a Graduate Baker from the C.I.A. in Upstate NY.

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