Best Thanksgiving side dish.....

UK_Dallas

Active member
Sep 17, 2015
14,266
3,844
76
Not your favorite so please don't mention Mac 'n Cheese or mashed potatoes....unless they have an interesting twist.

For me, a well executed sweet potato casserole is hard to beat. The candied top and not marshmallows.

 
Last edited:

Tinker Dan

Well-known member
Jan 31, 2006
3,540
540
113
my ex made the best cranberries. she could never shape it or get the lines in it though :(
 

WildcatfaninOhio

New member
May 22, 2002
18,247
1,004
0
Sage dressing made from dried bread. Baked in a casserole dish, not inside the bird. I wont eat turkey *** bread!
 

Kaizer Sosay

New member
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
10,993
0
Pretzel salad. Some might call it a desert. But it's got "salad" in the name…so ima call it a side dish. And no Thanksgiving feast would be complete without it.

 
  • Like
Reactions: mashburned

UK_Dallas

Active member
Sep 17, 2015
14,266
3,844
76
Pretzel salad. Some might call it a desert. But it's got "salad" in the name…so ima call it a side dish. And no Thanksgiving feast would be complete without it.

Great call. That and sweet potato casserole could probably both go in the dessert category.
 

jedwar

Well-known member
Dec 30, 2002
17,837
12,961
113
Man , you've got to stop eating that wet bread crumb garbage and try some dressing. My neighbor used to insist on Stovetop until he tried some real dressing.
I may not have had great dressing IDK, but my mom's, Ex MIL and wife I no like. Had some at school today. No like. Stove Top all day every day.
 

UK_Dallas

Active member
Sep 17, 2015
14,266
3,844
76
If you are cooking out of a box on Thanksgiving then you are doing it wrong. Cake being the only exception.
 

UKGrad93

New member
Jun 20, 2007
17,437
12,538
0
Here is my mom's recipe that my wife has been using. There are 3 basic parts: 1) Make cornbread, 2) make chicken stock, 3) mix together & bake.

Start by making a pan of white cornbread in a cast iron skillet:
2-1/2 cup white cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup shortening (melt this in the skillet)
1-1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
Bake this in the oven at 450 for 30 minutes. There are probably directions on the bag of cornmeal. You want a cracked brown top on the cornbread.

Chicken:
We use a large pack chicken leg hind quarters, but you can use a whole chicken.
Cut up the chicken, leave the skin & fat in tact.
Boil the chicken until it is done (falls off the bone)
Pull chicken from the bones & set aside to cool
Keep the broth

Add the chicken back to the broth & add:
1/2 stalk of celery chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
salt & pepper
sage (until broth is green)
Simmer until celery & onion are cooked

Break the cornbread into a large mixing bowl
Put the solids from the broth into the bowl
Add broth until the mixture is slightly runny & mix well
Add 2-3 diced boiled eggs
Blend everything together

Place this mixture into a 9 X 13 baking pan
Bake at 400 for 20-25 min, until top is brown
 

wildcatadam6

Active member
Mar 28, 2005
26,502
613
83
Not your favorite so please don't mention Mac 'n Cheese or mashed potatoes....unless they have an interesting twist.

For me, a well executed sweet potato casserole is hard to beat. The candied top and not marshmallows.

Agree on sweet potato casserole. My mother in law's is really good.

For nostalgia's sake, my great grandma's German potato salad is probably my favorite. My mom tries to make it and it is close, but not as good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UK_Dallas

cricket3

Well-known member
May 29, 2001
18,974
1,862
113
Stove top is an abomination. If you going the premade route at least buy the Pepperdine Farm stuff.
 

Nubb16

Active member
Jun 30, 2005
128,714
2,513
67
My mamaws mustard greens were the best thing ever. Thanksgiving sucks now that she's gone.
 

KopiKat

New member
Nov 2, 2006
14,018
1,791
0
Break the cornbread into a large mixing bowl
Put the solids from the broth into the bowl
Add broth until the mixture is slightly runny & mix well
Add 2-3 diced boiled eggs
Blend everything together

Place this mixture into a 9 X 13 baking pan
Bake at 400 for 20-25 min, until top is brown

butt-hurt liberal kin-folk = good side dish

kidding . . . posted to compliment UKgrad's stuffing recipe - really good overall technique and this is similar to how my wife and I have done it for a long time (job has become mine tell the truth). What I do a bit different is the part about adding the boiled eggs. I'd say between 2 and 3 is about right, but I would remove about 1/3 - 1/2 the yolks, as that can really give the stuffing a bold flavor that some folks notice. I also add a little lemon pepper seasoning at this point. Prob no more than a third table spoon or so. Great recipe UKgrad. Nice of you to post that for folks to have and learn with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UKGrad93

UKGrad93

New member
Jun 20, 2007
17,437
12,538
0
butt-hurt liberal kin-folk = good side dish

kidding . . . posted to compliment UKgrad's stuffing recipe - really good overall technique and this is similar to how my wife and I have done it for a long time (job has become mine tell the truth). What I do a bit different is the part about adding the boiled eggs. I'd say between 2 and 3 is about right, but I would remove about 1/3 - 1/2 the yolks, as that can really give the stuffing a bold flavor that some folks notice. I also add a little lemon pepper seasoning at this point. Prob no more than a third table spoon or so. Great recipe UKgrad. Nice of you to post that for folks to have and learn with.
Thanks, but I prefer to call it dressing, stuffing is wet bread crumbs (j/k). Now that you mention it about the eggs, it may just be the white part that goes in. My wife handles the cooking. I sort of copied the recipe that mom wrote out for her long ago. Mom is more of what I call a country cook. Never measures, etc... just cooks by feel. I have a brother that can make this pretty well too.

My wife once made it with yellow cornmeal, it was still good, but it's better using White cornmeal.

My grandmother used to make it with whole pieces of chicken in it, like entire chicken legs. That made it kinda fun.

Dressing is without a doubt my favorite thing about Thanksgiving. I'd be content if it was the only dish served.
 
May 2, 2004
167,872
1,742
0
French onion casserole

You take sauteed onions and mushrooms and put it in a dish

Swiss cheese on that

Sliced french bread on that

And thrn make a topping of milk, worcestershire and cream of chicken. Pour that over top. Refrigerate overnight and then bake.
 

Free_Salato_Blue

New member
Aug 31, 2014
4,475
922
0
Cornbread Dressing

Prepare cornbread a day ahead, I like using creamed corn as a binder and baked in a cast iron skillet till golden brown.


Preheat oven to 375

Crumble cornbread into mixing bowl.
Melt 1/3 cup butter in a skillet on medium.
Add 1/2 cup of chopped celery and 1/2 cup chopped onion and saute till tender.
(or crumble up and cook a roll of sage pork sausage, drain leaving some drippings to saute with)
Pour mixture into bowl.
Add 2 beaten eggs
Add teaspoon ground dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper - to taste
Handful or to taste of Ocean Spray Crasians or dried cranberries
Pour packaged chicken broth in and mix by hand till moist like a cooked oatmeal

Grease a 9x13 pan and pour mixture in
Bake 30 min or till brown on top
 

Catfan in Tn.

Well-known member
Mar 10, 2005
22,781
2,369
97
My Mother would fix a frozen fruit salad. Unfortunately she's gone and I can't seem to copy what she did. Going to try again this year.
 

dgtatu01

New member
Sep 21, 2005
8,673
506
0
Not your favorite so please don't mention Mac 'n Cheese or mashed potatoes....unless they have an interesting twist.

For me, a well executed sweet potato casserole is hard to beat. The candied top and not marshmallows.


I make a bourbon sweet potato casserole. I make a pecan strudel topping and mix the sweet potatoes with a little milk, a little butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bourbon. It's amazing and always a hit at any holiday gathering I bring it to.

Mom's dressing is amazing too. Homemade biscuits and corn bread left out for 3 days to get stale with a ton of sage sprinkled on them. Saute onions and celery in a ton of butter. Take the turkey grease, biscuits and cornbread crumbles, and sauteed onions and celery, eggs, and mix in a bowl with more sage and start adding black pepper. Get desired spice taste and moisture level and then put in a casserole dish to bake. This comes out quite dense and very moist if you get it right on the front end.

We also make this veg-all casserole. The mixture is Vegall, chopped onions, chopped celery, mayonnaise, sharp cheddar cheese. Also need a bunch of Ritz crackers. Melt a stick of butter pour half in a casserole dish and spread along the bottom. Coat the bottom with a layer of crushed Ritz crackers. Add Vegall mixture. Put another layer of cheddar cheese, another layer of Ritz crackers, and then sprinkle the remaining butter over the top. Add black pepper and bake.

These 3 are all amazing!!!!
 
Last edited: