Traditional Southern Thanksgiving Sides and Desserts

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is this week!  We’re super excited and are planning to have about 30 people (family and friends) at our house.  We love having a house-full!  

Thanksgiving was the first holiday my husband and I ever spent together.  We’d been married about three months and went to visit his family for the weekend.  As you know, we’re from the south and southerners love a good holiday, especially if there’s food involved….and there’s ALWAYS food involved.  

I expected the traditional turkey dinner, which we had.  What I didn’t expect was the variety of vegetables!  Seriously, his mom made practically every vegetable known to man.  I remember being in the kitchen with her, thinking we were just about ready to eat when she suddenly announced, “Oh, I was going to fry some okra!”  The next thing I knew, there was okra in the skillet.  She works pretty quickly, so it didn’t take long and we really were all set for dinner.  It was wonderful!  

Now, Thanksgiving is hosted at our house.  When we moved far from family we spent one Thanksgiving “alone”, meaning just the five of us.  The table seemed quiet and the house so empty.  From that Thanksgiving on, we made the decision to always find folks to invite.  Now we ask friends who, like us, live far from family and can’t get “home” for the day.  This year we will have my parents will us (they just moved here this summer).  We will also be having a friend (and her family) who’s the best pie maker I know!  SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT!!!!

Most of our friends are originally from other parts of the country, where they have different Thanksgiving food traditions.  We invite everyone to bring whatever dish (or dishes) Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without.  I always make Traditional Southern Thanksgiving Sides and Desserts but we enjoy having pretty much every vegetable known to man…although, not usually okra.  

This Year’s Thanksgiving Menu:

• Turkey and Gravy
• Spiral Sliced Ham
• Cornbread Dressing
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
• Lima Beans
• Green Bean Casserole
• 7 Layer Salad
• Jello Salad
• Ambrosia
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Spoon Rolls
• Cranberry Sauce (whole and jellied)

For Dessert:  

• Pecan Pie
• Apple Pie
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Banana Pudding
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• One more dessert, yet to be determined

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