What unusual thing must always be on your Thanksgiving table?

[Anonymous]

French fries. Since we fry the turkey and have hot oil, we have fries sometimes do fried fish, onion rings, fried oysters, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are French, and didn't have a Thanksgiving tradition until we came here. We discovered that cranberries are delicious, so usually have it as a sauce with whatever duck or goose or capon (turkey is too dry). Except today: I made cranberry curd tart. Miam!

This is great, and it's unusual to you! So glad you have embraced cranberries. They are so versatile. I made a cranberry orange tea roll before thanksgiving and used the leftover sweetened cranberries in my smoothies. Don't want to waste a superfood.

Just for you, click on this story at your leisure and have a good laugh with your amis and famille!
https://cheezburger.com/11961349/tumblr-thread-wolf-spiders-run-the-cranberry-bogs

This was 👍

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my family, we all hate cranberry sauce but along the way we just all absorbed that it’s “supposed” to be there for thanksgiving, so it evolved into a tradition where we find the fanciest possible crystal dish, preferably on some kind of pedestal and plop an unopened can of cranberry sauce on top.

I love this tradition. Just imagining the dishes of varying heights vying for the fancy title.

It’s fun and we’ve had some interesting discussions about the exact definition of fancy.

I see that! There's traditional, and then there's oooh, I'm serving cranberry sauce in a skull or by a family of deer or in a glass shoe....

The deer are adorable! And I’m not into twee at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s unusual but for a few years now I’ve wanted to add some kind of pickled item and have never gotten to it. I’m not sure what the pickled item would be, but it would be nice to add some acidic brightness to the rich meal. The cranberry sauce does that, but it is sweet.

I pickle a bushel of corn every summer and we have that. It’s fermented in a salt brine and has a wonderful and unusual flavor. It does work well with Thanksgiving, and it’s a open and dump in a bowl addition so super easy.

would love that recipe!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom always did a large relish tray. Gherkins, olives, celery, artichoke hearts and gardinera? Marinated vegetable.

Also dinner ended with a fruit bowl and a big bowl of nuts plus nutcrackers.

My husband always wants creamed celery.

I like cream pearl onions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s unusual but for a few years now I’ve wanted to add some kind of pickled item and have never gotten to it. I’m not sure what the pickled item would be, but it would be nice to add some acidic brightness to the rich meal. The cranberry sauce does that, but it is sweet.

I pickle a bushel of corn every summer and we have that. It’s fermented in a salt brine and has a wonderful and unusual flavor. It does work well with Thanksgiving, and it’s a open and dump in a bowl addition so super easy.

would love that recipe!

Is this an appetizer? Is it a side dish?

[Anonymous]

Southern, and we always have baked Mac and cheese and a side called veg-all casserole which sounds gross but is good once a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if it’s unusual but for a few years now I’ve wanted to add some kind of pickled item and have never gotten to it. I’m not sure what the pickled item would be, but it would be nice to add some acidic brightness to the rich meal. The cranberry sauce does that, but it is sweet.

I pickle a bushel of corn every summer and we have that. It’s fermented in a salt brine and has a wonderful and unusual flavor. It does work well with Thanksgiving, and it’s a open and dump in a bowl addition so super easy.

would love that recipe!

https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/making-pickled-corn/

You can do whole cobs or cut the corn off the cob once it is blanched.

You don’t really need to process the corn once the jars are sealed as long as you can store it in a relatively dry place. I personally just have a big crock in the basement ans use crock weights to keep it under the top of the brine, take cobs out as I want to use them over the course of the year. My family has been doing it this way for 100 years and nobody has gotten sick yet.

[Anonymous]

Not dry! Cool! Need more coffee!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I like cream pearl onions.

We traditionally have (frozen )pearl onions, but just with butter, not creamed. Some years I can't find the pearl onions in any of my regular grocery stores and my adult son is so disappointed. We've never eaten them for any other occasion except with Thanksgiving turkey, but one day a year they're a must.