Best Thanksgiving side dishes

[Anonymous]

Suggestions for something beyond the usual, or really great stuffing recipes that do not include mushrooms or organ meats (sorry, very picky family members!)?

[Anonymous]

Not sure this is beyond the "usual", but we will have:

MIL's stuffing
corn spoon bread
pureed butternut squash
roasted brussels sprouts
cranberry chutney
seafood salad

[Anonymous]

I really like corn pudding. It's not the usual, but not so unusual either.

[Anonymous]

I always like to include something on the table that is a little bit refreshing - to cut the richness of many of the typical thanksgiving foods. Something like an orange and fennel salad, or steamed green beans tossed with a lemony vinaigrette.

[Anonymous]

We do a nice dish that has sweet potatoes, apricots, orange juice and cinnamon. This recipe seems very close to the one I make, although I use fresh sweet potatoes and roast them in the oven: http://southernfood.about.com/od/sweetpotatocasseroles/r/bl40628v.htm

We also like corn casserole. Here is a recipe: http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,gg53,00.html

We do basic stuffing with bread, celery, onion, and lots of spices.

I am always at a loss for a nice green vegetable. I am so tired of green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. Anyone have a good broccoli recipe?

[Anonymous]

We do a rosemary butternut squash gratin that is always a hit - and not too difficult to make:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-Gratin-with-Rosemary-Breadcrumbs-104303

[Anonymous]

Love the idea of the green beans in vinaigrette! I've made a salad in the past, for the same reason of cutting all the richness a little, but it doesn't get touched. This should do the trick.

I don't have any special out-of-the-ordinary dishes, but I do make a kick-ass fresh cranberry-orange relish. It takes 5 minutes and is worlds better than anything commercial.

[Anonymous]

PP--I LOVE that fresh cranberry relish, too. It's the best.

One vegetable that folks often overlook is fresh parsnips, maybe with a little butter or glaze. Anything that you can do with a carrot, you can do with a parnsip. The flavor is much more delicate than white turnips or rutabagas.

[Anonymous]

i just made this delicious brussels sprouts recipe from mark bittman the other day. figs and bacon and balsamic vinegar... really really good.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/dining/281mrex.html

[Anonymous]

I am definitely trying that squash gratin - sounds delicious. The orange & fennel salad sounds like a great addition to the table too.

I always make green beans almondine. Not quite as light as using a viniagrette, but it is something green and fresh and not so heavy as the typical sides.

We also always have mashed yellow turnips (in addition to mashed potatoes). It's the only time of year I make them and they are so yummy - already I can't wait to have them on Thanksgiving!

Last year I found a really interesting recipe for a beet and pear puree. It's on allrecipes.com. I had never used fresh beets before, but I had to try it after reading all the reviews. IF you love beets, it is out of this world. It's very rich and a little goes a long way, so it's not something to heap on your plate like a serving of mashed potatoes. My DH and kids don't like beets, so I ended up having the whole thing to myself. I thought it was fabulous and am adding it to the list of Thanksgiving sides. If you're looking for something a little different, it's a nice recipe to try.

[Anonymous]

My mom always cooks pearl onions in a light-milky sauce, which I love!

As for stuffing, I did a cornbread/sausage/apple stuffing which was a big hit one year.

[Anonymous]

I usually make a steamed green beans side dish. I steam the green beans the day before, then heat them up quickly in a wok with some garlic and oil. It is a vegetable that kids reliably eat, and mine at least don't like a lot of sauce on their veggies.

[Anonymous]

Green beans with roasted almond slivers

home made cranberry hazelnut sauce

bourbon sweet potatoes

quinoa with cranberries, bacon and balsalmic vinegar

corn pudding

[Anonymous]

I made an artichoke casserol last year that was so good, it was basically frozen artichokes on the botton covered with a mixture of bread crumbs, parm cheese, lemon juice and a little olive oil. It was not too heavy and very refreshing with the lemon juice. People who didn't like artichokes ate it and liked it, so I bet a lot of people would like it.

[Anonymous]

Can someone post their recipe for corn pudding? Thanks!