Thanksgiving is two weeks away from today. Usually every year, I wait for the November issue of Martha Stewart magazine to hit my mailbox and it’s like the Sears Catalog arrives in 1987 with all of the Christmas toys. I would rip at it like Steelers fans to a keilbasa dog and well, find a new dish to compliment the traditional items my family brings to the table.
In the past I’ve made parsnip bread pudding, brought a southern cornbread casserole, my corn pudding still gets raves and requests for the insanely easy recipe. These coupled with my Mom’s amazingly perfect turkey, her crustless pumpkin pie, and my sister’s mac and cheese. Well, this is what I know of Thanksgiving.
That said, this year, is the year of the eMagazine. I have torn through Saveur, Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Real Simple, Taste of Home and even Martha Stewart …and cannot find my unique dish. There are green bean casseroles, cranberries of all types, salads (blech!? green!? on Thanksgiving? no cheese? what ? ) There is just a lack of something new and different.
So, what can I do America? Suggest me a new dish! I need something that’s not broccoli, corn, pasta, potatoes, Mom hates rice, Dad’s not a huge fan of cornbread, green bean casserole is done, pumpkin pie, fruit pie, rolls, turkey, stuffing, gravy…what’s a new vegetable or starch? Something not so out there it’s alien, something comfort food-y? (Not that I’m asking for….you know…that much.)
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More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is a day built on culinary ritual. Turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pies might be non-negotiable—but a little variation never hurts, so we’ve come up with a dozen different menus, from a classic southern spread to a completely vegetarian feast and an impressively elegant menu that’s a cinch to pull together. Cook all the recipes from one menu, or mix and match!
Living Aloud Allowed 
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