Does Your Family Make the Same Dishes Every Thanksgiving?

November 10, 2009

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19 Comments

I try to add variety to our feast... I love southern cooking, but being from northern canada, some of the tastes are not too familiar to my family. Every year, I try add a couple of dishes, that soon become family favourites.

cupcake_ 3 years 28 weeks

Yes we do the same thing each year and I love it. My family's turkey dinner is my favourite :D

insanitypepper 3 years 28 weeks

In my mom's family we always have the same dishes, always made by the same people, and it's always great! My dad's family and my in-laws don't have any holiday meal traditions, and since they aren't wild about cooking I get to make mostly whatever I want when we eat with them.

RoaringSilence 3 years 28 weeks

I change things sometimes, but when I found something that's perfect, it stays (like home made cranberry sauce, om nom nom.)

Spectra 3 years 28 weeks

Yep, we have the exact same food EVERY year. The only changeup is when we invite other people over to bring side dishes that are different. This year, I'm making a new version of green bean casserole and I always make some sort of pie to bring. This year I think I'll make shoo fly pie because it's my husband and my dad's favorite.

Deidre 3 years 28 weeks

I love changing it up! The only constant in my family is the cornbread dressing recipe from Southern Living (it's only "stuffing" if it goes in the bird!). We've done all sorts of things over the years, anything from super traditional layout (turkey, cranberries, pies, etc) to a huge New England-inpired crab boil. As long as we're giving thanks and spending the day together, it doesn't matter to me what we try.

mswender 3 years 28 weeks

DeviousMuse, that brussel sprouts recipe sounds amazing! Now that my family goes to Pittsburgh to see my grandfather for Thanksgiving, we go out and don't cook, but a few times a year I find an excuse to make Thanksgiving dinner. I have the standards but always try to throw in new recipes. It is my favorite meal to make!

DeviousMuse 3 years 28 weeks

I love Thanksgiving meals (especially since it's also my birthday-time!), and the traditional ones that I remember as a child are my favorite - my grandmother always made yummy brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, and a beautiful turkey. My grandfather would make lumpy mashed potatoes that were so creamy and rich, you didn't even need the (delicious) turkey gravy. Even when my family moved to the South, Mom always got the recipes from her mom and made them for us. Now that it's my turn to host and make Thanksgiving dinner for my parents and sister, I can't wait to bring out the recipes I grew up with. I am adding a new variation on pumpkin pie, and Mom is making her "famous" cranberry jello salad (sounds crazy, but is AMAZING on turkey and with a little whipped cream for a refreshing dessert), but the memories that come with the tradition are my favorite.

bluebellknoll 3 years 28 weeks

It's the same turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the other side dishes vary.

chiefdishwasher 3 years 28 weeks

We had the same for years......turkey, mashed pots w/gravy, stuffing w/Italians, a veggie and pumpkin pie....................then my daughter became a food fanatic........and the whole fam has been pleasantly surprised by all the different things we have been trying for Thanksgiving!!!!!!....I would suggest you all try either a variation or new item each year!

mek123 3 years 28 weeks

For many years it was the same every year but a few years ago I tried to change a few side dishes. Needless to say, they didn't go over too well so back to the same old, same old.

hippiecowgirl 3 years 28 weeks

It's the same things every year and I actually like it that way.

hex913 3 years 28 weeks

My dad hates turkey, so usually my mom makes anything from pot roast to ham to chicken. The side dishes usually vary depending on how much effort anyone decides to put in them on any given year.

AlexisSF 3 years 28 weeks

for the most part, yes, but we're mixing it up a little this year. three new dishes!

elocin85 3 years 28 weeks

We have the same stuff every year. I actually think Thanksgiving food is on the boring side. Besides the green bean casserole and apple pie, I could take it or leave it.

3 years 28 weeks

I am vegetarian, and I like to change things up and get variety in my meals, so we have some new dishes every year.

MsTwirlySkirts 3 years 28 weeks

Everything stays the same, and if we suggest new dishes, my mom ends up making those ON TOP OF the normal dishes... we learned not to add new things haha

tarabara1229 3 years 28 weeks

I spend Thanksgiving with my bf's family, and they have a pretty strict tradition. Then last year my bf's brother decided to buy an extra turkey and deep fry it, and I can't even begin to describe the controversy that ensued!

MandeeLei 3 years 28 weeks

I actually hated Thanksgiving growing up because it was always the same food and I really didn't care for many dishes to begin with. Now that I am living with my husband we cook a little differently. There are some things that I will be in the mood for some years and other years not so much. This year all I really want that is traditional would be sweet potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. I will look through online recipes and talk to friends/fam to get other ideas. Also since I am a vegetarian there is never any turkey. Every year I make a different "meat". Not sure what I will be doing this year...considering my grandma's pecan roast.

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