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marinelife's avatar

Do you have special dishes that you make only for Thanksgiving?

Asked by marinelife (62485points) November 18th, 2010

At my Mom’s house, it was creamed onions. For me, it is dressing.

What special things do you eat (and make) only on Thanksgiving?

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13 Answers

SuperMouse's avatar

I do not have a special dish, but I am thinking of starting the tradition this year with Mama Stambergs Cranberry Relish.

JilltheTooth's avatar

I only do myThree Rice Stuffing at Thanksgiving which is silly, because it’s fairly easy and really yummy, but I kinda feel it’s more special because it’s only once a year.
@SuperMouse : That looks interesting.

mrlaconic's avatar

I make kind of like a mashed sweet potatoes with soy sauce and honey and topped with marshmallow.

marinelife's avatar

@SuperMouse I have made that several times, and it is really good.

@mrlaconic I love salty and sweet together. That sounds good. Recipe?

AstroChuck's avatar

Not me, but Parrothead makes a peanut butter soup that’ll knock your socks off.

WestRiverrat's avatar

turducken And then not every year. I also usually substitute a pheasant for the chicken.

mrlaconic's avatar

@marinelife I don’t have any official recipe I just mash the sweet potato’s mixing in honey and soy until I find the taste that I like then I put the marshmallow creme on top and bake until golden(ish)

marinelife's avatar

@AstroChuck Will she part with the recipe?

Cruiser's avatar

Sweet potato pie!! Super yum! Or would that be yam?! XD

AmWiser's avatar

Yep! My Yam Bake with the secret topping.

wundayatta's avatar

Creamed Onions
We do creamed onions, too. We buy a lot of ping-pong sized white boiling onions, and then we have to peel them according to my father’s way. This means taking off enough of the outside layers that there is no possibility of any untoward items crossing the palate and ruining the savory delectation blah blah blah.

He’s tough. My father. Hypercritical. Probably the reason why I am the way I am and relatives are afraid of that dreaded sneer that appears when I don’t like something. I don’t even know I’m doing it.

You cover the onions in water and simmer them for a half hour to forty-five minutes. They’l be nice and soft when you push a fork in them, but you don’t them so soft they disintegrate upon contact.

You then drain the water, and, quickly, while the heat is still there, throw in enough butter that it kind of melts all over. Grate some black pepper and apply the salt and finally, the coup de grace: heavy cream. None of that light stuff, people. This is Thanksgiving, after all.

Gently swirl the cream around so all the onions are covered but they don’t fall apart.

At my house, in the tradition of my mother and my grandmother, the onions are served in their own shallow dish—three or four per dish, according to each person’s desire. They are unbelievably delicious, and if there weren’t so much turkey and other foods, and if there were about five pies for dessert, plus an assortment of nuts, fruits, and candies, the onions would be gone in a flash.

Fruit cup

This is another tradition, and many guests are recruited before the meal to help prepare the dish. Did I mention my family is particular? Each orange and each grapefruit must have each half piece of fruit cut out so there will be no membranes to mar the experience. Apples, pears, kiwis, pineapple, mango—all must be liberated from their skins and cut into little pieces the size of a dime. All are thrown into a bowl, together with juices.

No bananas! My father and I are quite discomfited by bananas. In fact, it’s more than a discomfitment, but let’s not get graphic, ok? It is thanksgiving, after all.

Finally, a few moments before serving, the half-thawed frozen berries and peaches prepared last summer are thrown in. This gives a sharp coldness to the entire mixture. Again, special dishes used only for fruit cup and used only once a year are taken carefully from the crystal shelves, and the fruit is ladled in, placed in the center of each guests’ plate, and the hordes are called to dinner. Or supper. Whatever.

There are various statements of thanks, but everyone is really scooting their behinds over their chairs, as they stare at the fruit cup. Finally, all thanks and prayers completed, the woman of the house (my mother, usually) lifts her spoon…..

Whoa. Where is she? As usual she’s disappeared into the kitchen for some item of imagined importance, and the throngs call for her. She reappears, taking off her apron, and looking innocently as if she has no idea what the fuss is all about.

Convinced to sit down, she arranges herself, and looking around the table, picks up her spoon. Simultaneously, twenty other spoons slip inside the crystal cup, and withdraw, lifting that first bite of thanksgiving to twenty other mouths.

The crisp, cold sweetness of mingled fruit lights up the taste buds of every single person, preparing everyone for the feast to come. For some, more is offered upon the devination of the crystal depths. Others have different chores—bringing in the other food, and carving the turkey.

Don’t get me started about that.

prolificus's avatar

Yam Casserole (Absolute favorite, and only make once a year! Recipe yanked from watching my mom in action.)

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

Ingredients:

* 3–4 Large Yams (no canned stuff!!)
* ¼ C. Dark Brown Sugar
* ½ C. Orange Juice
* 1 tsp. Cinnamon
* ½ tsp. Allspice
* 1 tsp. Nutmeg
* 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
* 1 bag of mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Mash fully-cooked, peeled yams.
2. Mix all ingredients, except mini marshmallows.
3. Increase any of the ingredients to taste.
4. Increase orange juice if mixture is too thick. Consistency should be like whipped potatoes.
5. Layer a baking dish of mashed yam mixture with the mini marshmallow. Start with yam mixture on bottom, alternate layers. Marshmallow layers should only be one layer deep.
6. Top with marshmallow layer.
7. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
8. Bake until marshmallows are beginning to melt, then remove aluminum foil to lightly brown the top layer.
9. Let cool slightly before serving.

Also, last year I made cornbread stuffing from scratch. Yum. Plan to do so again this year! Need to dry out the fresh cornbread cubes several days in advance, though. Any recipe found online will do. Except, this year, I’m making gluten-free cornbread. Can hardly wait!

Thanksgiving Day is a feast to end all feasts at my home. Literally. Nothing Martha Stewart fancy, to say the least, though. Usually around 10AM I set out a spread of appetizers and snack food. For some odd reason, I love to have cheese curls as one of the snacks. (I guess I have fond memories of eating cheese curls on Thanksgiving Day when I was a kid. Normally I don’t eat them otherwise.) Also, mixed nuts in the shell. I love cracking nuts on Turkey Day! (Another childhood memory I carry onto today.)

CRANBERRY SAUCE!! Ocean Spray jellied in the can, straight from the refrigerator. Yum!

<drooling in anticipation of my most favorite holiday>

AstroChuck's avatar

@marinelife- here you go:

PARROTHEAD’S PEANUT BUTTER – VEGETABLE SOUP

3 stalks celery, sliced (1½ cups)
2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups water
1 medium potato, diced (1 cup)
1 medium zucchini, sliced (1 cup)
4 teaspoons instant vegetableĀ bouillon granules
4 teaspoons pepper
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
½ cup peanut butter

Throw (or gently toss) the carrots, onion, celery, & garlic in a large saucepan (or Dutch oven if that’s your pleasure). Put the butter in first and cook those in that. Then stir in the water, potato, zukes, bouillon granules, & pepper. Bring all that to a nice boil. Cover & simmer for 600 seconds (10 min.). Now stir in the undrained tomatoes and parsley.
Now, in a small bowl, stir about a cup of broth (from what you just cooked) into the peanut butter until it’s smooth. Return that goop to the saucepan (or Dutch oven) and cook & stir until it’s all heated through.
This makes about 4 servings so you might want to double up the recipe for Thanksgiving.

Next year, Parrothead’s Amaretto Sweet Potato Casserole recipe.

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