Monday, November 2, 2020

Around the Kitchen Table: What's Your "Must Have" Dish for the Holidays? + Book #Giveaway!

  


KRISTAHas anyone else noticed that everyone seems to have at least one "must have" dish for holidays? I know some people who won't eat turkey and insist on steak for their holiday meals. Many of the dishes people long for are tied to their youth and memories of how their families celebrated. For one of my friends, it's not the holidays unless she gets corn bread stuffing.  Last year I made my first ever standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding for a friend who wanted the dinner her grandmother always served. 

I grew up with a Christmas goose and German potato dumplings, so that's how I envision Christmas. But over the years we added cranberries, which are now my big "must have" no matter what kind of meat is being served. And I always make my Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving. It's sinfully delicious, but we only have it once a year so I don't feel too guilty about it.

What dishes do you loathe making, and which ones are "must haves" for you?


🍗

MADDIE: I am deeply depressed that I can't host Thanksgiving this year unless it turns out to be an unseasonably warm day and we can all sit outdoors. But it's better to be alive, right? I always make three kinds of pies: pumpkin, apple, and pecan. Pumpkin is the must-have, and I don't loathe making any of them, although I happily turn over gravy making to the more skilled in the party.

This Thanksgiving I'll make apple and pumpkin pies, family and guests or not. (Yes, that is a second pumpkin pie peeking out from the back, because you can never have too much of it.) But, since my hand is still recovering from surgery, I'll have to buy pie crusts. Using a rolling pin is not in my immediate future. 

🍁

LUCY BURDETTE: Mashed potatoes and gravy of course! So that means there will be a turkey. Though I've made some very good stuffing over the years (cornbread and sausage for example, from A DEADLY FEAST), I could actually skip that part. I will have to wait and see how hard John lobbies for it!

🦃

VICKI DELANY: Here in Canada we've already had our Thanksgiving this year, and I have to confess that I didn't serve my MUST HAVE. Which is turkey. I had a small number of people at my house, so I decided to do without the turkey and substituted a chicken.  The chicken was good and I did all the rest of the traditional stuff - mashed potatoes, gravy, brussels sprouts, green beans. We had soup to start and both pie and cake for dessert. The recipe for walnut pie, I'll be sharing with you in November.  The main thing we missed wasn't the turkey but the stuffing.  I make the same stuffing I always have, and that my mother made before me, and it is THE BEST. It was definitely missed this year. 

🍷


LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Mr. Right and I are non-traditionalists when it comes to holiday meals. We think that's hilarious because the sisters-in-law are extreme traditionalists---women who never vary the menu. One even puts her holiday dishes away with notes in them reminding herself and anyone who helps out what goes in what dish!

When the threat of a snowstorm threatened to keep us home for Christmas a couple of years ago, we didn't buy a turkey or ham. We bought a tenderloin and planned Beef Wellington---the weather cleared and we made it for New Year's Day instead. The drawback of not being home is that we don't always have leftovers, so sometime during the season, we'll do the full deal---turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberries. We chose pecan pie over pumpkin, but make up for that with the pumpkin-cranberry muffins we call Christmas muffins. And decades ago, I started making a tri-color tortellini salad with green onions, cherry tomatoes, and ribbons of salami during Christmas week. The colors give it a festive look and it's fun to pull out of the fridge for times when you want something special quickly. (The recipe is in Treble at the Jam Fest, because it's also perfectly lovely in summer, especially for a picnic.) Call it my own personal non-traditional tradition. 

🎂 

LESLIE KARST: I’m an avowed cream hound, so this one’s a no-brainer: Creamed onions. Just like my
grandmother used to make. Which ends up being a pain most years, because if you can locate them—a big “if”—fresh pearl onions are incredibly laborious and time-consuming to peel. And although the frozen kind work fine as well (and are so much easier to use), I can almost never find them in Hilo, Hawai‘i, where I now live during the holiday season. So I often make do with using regular white onions and then quartering them for the dish. Grammy would have tsked, but they still taste delicious!



🍗

MAYA CORRIGAN: It's always turkey on Thanksgiving for us, and my husband is the turkey chef. It's his specialty. During the 30 years I made Christmas Eve dinners, I varied the main dish though I was never allowed to deviate from the traditional (mostly fish) appetizer platter or skip the tiered tray of homemade cookies, no matter how many other desserts I'd prepared. When I was growing up, we always had sweet cheese pierogi for dessert as well, made by my grandmother and later by my aunt. It's a dish I've never mastered, though my son and daughter have teamed up to make it with good results. 


The appetizers: shrimp with cocktail sauce (in the middle), marinated mushrooms, olives, smoked salmon wrapped around cream cheese, smoked oysters, smoked trout, and pickled herring in sour cream. On the side, we  have a cheese platter, smoked kielbasi, crackers and bagels.   


 

DARYL:  Maya, I'm coming over!!  What a great looking the appetizer plate.  I love a standing rib roast and I'll make it for myself if this Christmas is still a socially distanced event. With green beans drenched in melted butter and Yorkshire pudding. Of course, I can't eat the Yorkshire pudding as it's traditionally made because of the flour, but I make one for my guests and then make my own Yorkshire pudding using G-F flour. It doesn't rise unless I put it into a popover pan, which makes it quite light and fluffy. I add baking powder to my version to assist the "rise."  Wish I had a picture.  Hmmm.  Maybe I'll make this soon and share the recipe with you in December.

🌺

PEG: I have to have mashed potatoes with the turkey at Thanksgiving even though everyone else prefers the sweet potatoes.  The one thing I loathe making is the gravy.  Even though I'm "known" for my good gravy, every year I am afraid it won't come out!  For Christmas we've adopted my husband's family's menu of tenderloin and scalloped potatoes. There's always pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert but for Christmas I like to experiment. I also always make one of those breakfast casseroles that can be in the oven while we open Christmas presents.

🍬

DENISE: My must haves are from my Grandma Swanson. She always made fudge and sea foam candy. Sea foam is an airy concoction with a texture somewhere between marshmallow and meringue. While it's similar to divinity, to me it is much better.

🦃

MARY JANE MAFFINI: I love holidays and everyone's tasty talk of traditions.  So much fun and no many new ideas for celebrations!  And of course, there is no one right way. Around here, we are turkey people and turkey leftover people. We often have two medium turkeys so ensure lots of leftovers and soup. One year, a visitor asked for one of the carcasses as she wanted to make soup.  Meanwhile my MIL spirited away the second turkey.  No sandwiches. No soup.  No happy day after. So, I bought and cooked another turkey so I could live the holiday (like Vicki, it's Canadian Thanksgiving) to the fullest. 

Over the years, I've cooked turkeys in airbnbs and in a cottage on the ocean during a hurricane. I'm not sure what would stop me. This year, we also had two because we were splitting the dinners between two daughters on different days.  Whenever and wherever  there is turkey, there is also gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes and other veggies.  We do not allow Brussels sprouts although the have their advocates.  We cannot go without homemade cranberry sauce served in this turkey dish that belonged to my mother.  

Here's one recipe we shared on Mystery Lovers Kitchen a while back.  https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2014/11/brown-sugar-cranberry-sauce-with.html

For some reason, I feel ravenous now. I hope you will all drop in and tell us your traditions and stories.  

CLEO COYLE: Marc and I always look forward to turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, and there are plenty of other “must-have” foods on the menu. Stuffing (check!), cranberry sauce (check!). We diverge on the mashed potatoes, which is a "must have" for Marc. For me, sweet potatoes are more of a holiday treat. As for pie, Marc loves his pecan pie, and I'm a pumpkin person. I always enjoy making pumpkin pie the way my mom did, though Marc's mother made it differently. One year, I even did a bake-off of the two recipes (and blogged about it here at MLK). I called the post Pie v. Pie, and you are welcome to see the results (and both recipes) by clicking here or on the photo below...

See both Pie vs. Pie recipes
from Cleo by clicking here.



What are the "must have" foods 

for your holidays? 


🎄

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

We're giving away these 4 books to one commenter.  

Leave a comment and your email address
so we can contact you should you win.  


Gingerbread Man, by Maya Corrigan

The Solace of Bay Leaves, by Leslie Budewitz

Murder at the Taffy Shop, by Maddie Day

A Sprinkling of Murder, by Daryl Wood Gerber 



📖



Click to see more of our
upcoming releases.


👓 


86 comments:

  1. I loved reading everyone's must-haves. I'm flexible with the menu but I will admit that if there's mashed potatoes, gravy, and homemade dressing casserole made from scratch, I usually serve myself ample amounts. LOL I only have gravy and dressing once a year. I love having leftovers. I like making a sandwich with turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce. Last year, we had the combination of the American/New England and Native Indian menu with turkey, succotash, Indian pudding, baked sugar pumpkin, mulled apple cider, and I forget what else. My daughter-in-law wanted to do this. I don't know what we'll do this year. We aren't having a big gathering. I may just roast a chicken and make mashed potatoes. I'll probably buy a pumpkin pie and whip some cream. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the thing, isn't it? It's one time a year. Splurge!

      Delete
    2. The must have food for me is chicken and pastry with stuffing and giblet gravy. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. mb6755383@gmail.com

      Delete
    3. I love mashed potatoes and chess pie . they are a must

      Delete
  2. The must have food for me is a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. This year we’re getting it from a bakery where the baker is a New Yorker and knows how to make the best cheesecake anywhere.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yum. I must make one. I haven't had that in a long time.

      Delete
    2. Yum, indeed. I love pumpkin cheesecake too! It would be very handy to be able to buy a good quality one.

      Delete
  3. My must have I still stuffing. I don’t care if we do turkey or Cornish hens for Thanksgiving as long as there’s stuffing
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I miss really good stuffing (being gluten-free), though I have to admit there are some good packaged GF stuffings coming out. Maybe I'll make that this year. :)

      Delete
    2. We are split on stuffing in our family, but I am on the pro side. I make it the way my mother did. A good gluten free version would be great as we now have a family member who has Celiac.

      Delete
  4. We have grilled salmon, smashed potatoes, corn pudding, oyster casserole, and thevl must-have green bean casserole. Pies at Thanksgiving, and cakes for Christmas.
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. We have a turkey event though we all only eat the white meat. A kale and spinach salad, roasted potatoes, broccoli and riced cauliflower. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream. All for the little ones who love the traditions. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hubby and I are well matched--he likes the white meat and I like the dark!

      Delete
  6. Thank you everyone for sharing your "Must Haves" When my mom was alive we asked for her homemade bread and her jello fruit salad. My sisters must haves are pumpkin pie and custard pie and moms jello fruit salad. I am to bring sweet potato casserole and my gluten free chocolate chip cookies quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great that you have lots of help and everyone has their specialties!

      Delete
  7. I love turkey but don't like cooking it. Pumpkin pie is something I don't care for, but everyone else loves it, so it's a must. My grandma's broccoli and corn casserole is a tradition, so good and easy to make. And at Christmas, anything peppermint is good. 😍

    ReplyDelete
  8. Must haves for Thanksgiving are turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, carrots, homemade rolls, pumpkin custard, pecan pie and chocolate cream pie. Must haves for Christmas are roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, homemade rolls, pecan pie and chocolate cream pie. Now that my son is a chef, he’s added some other favorites or recipes he’s trying out. I love that he does most of the holiday cooking. Although he doesn’t skimp on the butter or heavy cream in anything he makes so I try to eat smaller portions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, that's why chef-prepared food always tastes SO good--it's all that butter and heavy cream, lol!

      Delete
    2. That all sounds quite fantastic! Wish we had a chef around, but there are plenty of recreational cooks among us.

      Delete
  9. My sisters sweet potatoes and my sister in laws pumpkin soup. Those are my favorites. suefoster109 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Our must have is sweet potatoe casserole. We also have to have turkey and pumpkin pie.

    Thanks for the chance!!

    jarjm1980@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Turkey is a must since it is a yearly tradition, as well as a mixed green salad with grape tomatoes, orzo with diced peppers, stuffing, and apple cake and pumpkin pie. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have to see turkey, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese for sure, and some rolls. thanks for the chance. jlb12563@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  13. Our must have is lasagna artichokes, tossed salad turkey breast with cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole , pumpkin jacks. Thank you for the opportunity kim.vizzini@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lasagna artichokes sounds divine! As do cheesy potatoes, for that matter...

      Delete
  14. Along with the regular turkey dinner, my specialty is cranberry orange relish. It's great that day and as long as the turkey lasts, on sandwiches!

    ReplyDelete
  15. My one big "must have" has to be my mom's dressing. I have tried several times to make it and no matter how close I get, it never tastes the same as when she makes it. This year I was hoping we could go up and see her and my sister, they live 250 miles away from me, but we are going to play it safe and do a video chat instead. I will make "my version" of it and I can't wait until we can have it together hopefully next year.
    lilyanngill56(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have to make smoked gouda mashed potatoes. It's a simple recipe from Emeril, nd my husband loves it. I joke that he would divorce me if I didn't make it! Thanks so much for the giveaway! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Smoked gouda mashed potatoes? Be still my heart!

      Delete
    2. I too have made a note. Race you to the recipe, Leslie! LOL.

      Delete
    3. I'm right behind you, Mary Jane! :)

      Delete
  17. I'm a traditionalist but with the kids living out of state and the pandemic, it's going to be Thanksgiving for one! Maybe I'll just do a couple turkey legs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jerrilynn - We love turkey legs, good idea for one (or for roasting up extra turkey juice to be added for gravy). We do that all the time. As for you situation, you are staying safe and that's a very good thing. Lots of isolated people this holiday, which will make next year's celebration all the sweeter. Be well and treat yourself well with some good food this Thanksgiving.

      ~ Cleo

      Delete
  18. Since my in-laws are elderly but still insist on hosting Thanksgiving, we've made it a bit easier on everyone. We don't do a traditional turkey. Sometimes we have a pan of lasagna or stuffed shells. A few vegetables and definitely a dessert or two or three! It's more about being together than the food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Being together, you're so right about that. The lasagna and stuffed shells comment made me smile. My mother and aunt always made traditional Italian foods to go with the turkey and American traditional sides and desserts. It was truly a feast!

      Delete
  19. Our must haves are cranberries, mashed potatoes, stuffing , and green bean casserole.
    bmedrano34@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pumpkin Pie and Rolls.

    khirdning@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mashed potatoes are the must have for pretty much any holiday.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  22. We are not big fans of turkey, so we alwayhave pork schnitzel with dressing and homemade cranberry relish and fruit salad. It makes a great Thanksgiving dinner.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Must haves are stuffing and pumpkin pies. I'm not a good gravy maker so I tend to buy mixes. Everyone's dishes sound yummy.
    cipendergraft@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love reading everyone’s must haves. For me, it’s dressing and cranberry sauce. We have always had turkey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas — very traditional. Usually my nephew and I got to my cousin’s house. This year, he and I will stay home. We are still trying to figure out our menu. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris - It's a quieter Thanksgiving for many this year. Marc and I will miss the parade in NYC. Let's hope the world will be back to normal soon, healed and stronger, ready to appreciate with a renewed spirit what we've taken for granted. Have a delicious and safe Thanksgiving, and that goes for everyone!

      ~ Cleo

      Delete
  25. I have to have cranberry sauce or cranberry salad. Turkey (or other poultry-this year we're having goose), mashed potatoes, and green beans with bacon and eggs are also important. I'm not a huge fan of stuffing but the rest of the family likes it so I'll eat a little.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  26. As a Canadian I have already had a safe, socially-distanced Thanksgiving keeping within my bubble. Sounds rather bleak, eh? In a "normal" year Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing/dressing and gravy to start with. Then there's mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, Aunt Yvonne's buns with real butter and lots of warm-from-the-oven pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream. I've put on 5 pounds just writing this! mgshepherd2003@yahoo.ca

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have to have turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and cranberry sauce. It's not Thanksgiving if you don't mix your corn into your mashed potatoes and top it with a hunk of turkey and cranberry sauce 😋🦃🥔🌽

    ReplyDelete
  28. Required are turkey, dressing, gravy, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, and yes, dare I say, jellied cranberry sauce from the can. Just the 2 of us this year; no travel to other family, nor them to us. But I'm planning to stock up on those cans for next year! ssnhmptn@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Always enjoy good mysteries. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  30. Fantastic article, so interesting how different the traditions are. My must have is green bean casserole and broccoli salad. I'm not a huge turkey fan so I get a pre-smoked turkey breast. I also like the regular Stove Top Savory Herb dressing. I love both pecan and pumpkin pie! I wish I could find the recipe from years ago where it had pumpkin with a pecan pie-esque topping. I think I had found it in the Parade Sunday newspaper addition. Thanks everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  31. All of the dishes look so good. Thanks for sharing. Have a happy holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I am really tired of the traditional turkey feast. But the boys want it so I tell my husband to buy a turkey and smoke it. Gets me off the hook! My must-have is cornbread dressing. If I have to have turkey we’re having that with it! So glad we don’t have a food tradition for Christmas.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. One of our must have holiday dishes is called Cherry Coke Salad. It has evolved over the years to make it a bit more healthy. I make sugar free cherry gelatin using Diet Pepsi and the drained juice from a can of dark sweet cherries as the liquids. I dice cream cheese and the dark sweet cherries and add them to the mixture. Then I add chopped pecans. Pour the mixture into a serving dish and chill in the refrigerator.If you want to get fancy, add pecan halves on top after the mixture has slightly set. This dish is somewhere between a sweet side dish and a dessert! We love it and have it on every holiday occasion and birthdays.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  34. We usually have turkey for Thanksgiving. I'm not a big fan so my favorite part of the meal is the sticky rice (chinese household) with gravy.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. All I need is a bucket full of gravy!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Looking forward to dressing with gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey with gravy. Just gravy and gravy.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I have to have turkey and stuffing and for dessert, egg custard pie is a must. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Posted for a reader who can't get the blog to play today!
    My go to dish is green bean casserole 🙂 Email
    Rebekah_trammell06@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. I like turkey and stuffing (my mother's was 1/2 Pepperidge Farm bread mix and 1/2 freshly made corn bread with added onions, celery, and water chestnuts for crunch, plus tons of butter, broth, and seasonings). Sweet potatoes were the norm (oranges squeezed for juice-juice added to canned cooked sweet potatoes, stuffed in the orange shells and topped with marshmallows and pecan halves, then baked). I prefer mashed potatoes, but loved these as a kid.
    My mother liked apple pie so she could have a slice for breakfast with sharp cheddar cheese.
    As luck would have it, neither of my kids like turkey!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  40. We decided! This year, we're skewing tradition slightly by making Ina Garten's Turkey Roulade -- a breast flattened and stuffed with onions, herbs, and prosciutto! Plus Mr. Right's excellent mashed potatoes, no doubt gravy for him, and who knows what else. Pecan pie? Cranberry apple? Okay, so we haven't *completely* decided! But I'm getting lots of ideas from all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Gotta have homemade stuffing, green beans with mushrooms and onions, and the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole with pecans, cranberries, gravy, rolls, and for dessert a homemade apple pie or sometimes a pumpkin roll. mountainsr4me@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. Our must haves are turkey, rolls, corn, and my hubby’s homemade stuffing. And of course... pie!

    Mel K.
    Meljprincess AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  43. You have to all the typicals ~ dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, and rolls, but there is my Aunt Lee's sweet potatoes with bourbon and pumpkin apple sauce pie! I will remember like my dad always did to cut in an X in the chestnuts (so they won't explode in the oven and on the cooktop like this weekend)! sharonrizzo@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. Stuffing!

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Wow! From goose to onions! I love that turkey glass server😊.
    I fix oysters. My husband loves them. Happy meal planning.
    Joliver284@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hard one for me..I bake serval different cookies to share, most popular Pecan Balls. I love cranberry sauce & I have a great recipe from a dear saint for it.
    Linda.ehle@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to make pecan balls too. So easy and delicious.

      Delete
  47. My must haves are green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  48. My must have is dressing and cranberry sauce. I must have those two.
    3labsmom@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Karen B
    Fresh baked rolls, jellied cranberry sauce, and mincemeat pie. I would be in heaven with just those items, plus butter for the rolls!
    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  50. I must have mashed potatoes and stuffing! I would LOVE to win these books!! Thanks so much for the chance! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  51. I made a green bean casserole one year because I saw the recipe on a soup can and I wasn't the best cook. For years after that, my family would ask for my "delicious green bean casserole." I brought it because they asked for it, even though it wasn't my favorite. Years later, I found out they asked for it so I wouldn't feel bad. We all had a good laugh over it and now my asked for dish is garlic, cheese, rosemary mashed potatoes, which everyone loves (I think). macsterdaly(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  52. Must haves for our family? My mom wants her green beans and potatoes (she can switch between mashed and sweet). For me it's macaroni and cheese. We both agree on the turkey (I like to dip it in the macaroni and cheese). If we're getting together with the rest of the family at some point? Everyone wants Mama's Rice Krispies Treats and chocolate no-bake cookies. Everybody but me likes some type of pie, but when it comes time to plan the menu, those are what everyone asks for (and no one does them as well as my Mama). Thanks for the chance to win. robbfan141729(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  53. Must haves for our family? My mom wants her green beans and potatoes (she can switch between mashed and sweet). For me it's macaroni and cheese. We both agree on the turkey (I like to dip it in the macaroni and cheese). If we're getting together with the rest of the family at some point? Everyone wants Mama's Rice Krispies Treats and chocolate no-bake cookies. Everybody but me likes some type of pie, but when it comes time to plan the menu, those are what everyone asks for (and no one does them as well as my Mama). Thanks for the chance to win. robbfan141729(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  54. must have sweet potato pie! thanks for the chance to win! amandasmother(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  55. How cool! Must haves here: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, hash brown/sour cream/cheddar casserole, the best easy cream cheese corn ever, a green veggie (I’m doing green bean casserole and a cold broccoli salad this year), cranberry relish, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and usually one more dessert. I’m one of those who keeps all of my holiday recipes, the make-aheads, the timing, etc. all together to use each year. Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. There are so many to choose from: Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli salad, and pumpkin or apple pie! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  57. My must haves are mashed potatoes, gravy and pecan pie! I enjoyed reading everyone’s favorites. cecilialyoung at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  58. Our must have on the table is an olive array along with the turkey and dressing and cristmas cookies and a pie peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  59. I love baking and cooking for Thanksgiving. I just don't like how long it takes everything to be prepared. The one holiday dish I absolutely hate is that nasty Fluffy Salad with the pineapple, marshmallows, and cottage cheese, and jello. Who the bloody heck came up with that? Bleh. But I do love Pumpkin Pie. Best of the holidays are the desserts! Great giveaway! Books look awesome! paleowoman2002@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  60. We usually have turkey for thanksgiving. I'm not a fan of turkey but I like sticky rice with gravy.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  61. I've got to have my dad's homemade dressing. He has been making it since I was a preteen. It has different types of bread in it like dark wheat bread and whole grain breads. It also has carrots, celery, onions, nuts and lots of herbs and spices.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I am not a big fan of turkey, so 2 days a year is plenty for me. But my dad - he wanted his turkey. One year, I got him to agree to do a leg of lamb for Christmas dinner. A d that was the one year he called a family meeting to discuss the shopping list for the meal. He hauls out his pen & pad of paper, says ‘First of all, one leg of lamb...”, and he raises his eyes to look at me. What could I say? “Okay, Dad. You win. We can have turkey.” And, he happily started his shopping list. The man only had his turkey & all the trimmings dinner twice a year - and did a lot of the cooking himself.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Growing up, many dishes felt like must-haves, but I married a guy from a different background and everything changed. The only must-have that remains is Thanksgiving turkey. This year, however, because of the pandemic, it will only be my husband and me, so I don't think there will even be turkey.

    ReplyDelete