What Does Thanksgiving Look Like For You?

In the past, some of my favorite blog posts to write on this blog have been the blog posts that recap our holidays and touch on traditions and memories that never fail to make me smile. While writing these blog posts brings me joy and allows me to think about memories in my past, they also make me think about what our future holidays will look like now that Chase is getting a little older and Ryan and I are beginning to feel the pull toward creating memories in our own home. We’re still planning to head to my parents’ house for Christmas this year but ever since Chase was born, we made the decision to stay put for Thanksgiving. Of course this could change anytime, but I’ve loved hosting Thanksgiving at our house the past two years and am really looking forward to spending the holiday in Charlotte with Ryan’s family again this year.

I thought a blog post about Thanksgiving and the way it looks in each of our houses might be an interesting topic. I’m proposing a few Thanksgiving-centered questions I’d love for you guys to answer and will answer them myself below. Hooray for the holiday season!

What Does Thanksgiving Look Like For You?

• When it comes to Thanksgiving food, do you stick to the same tried-and-true beloved recipes or experiment and try new things every year?

We are all about tradition in our house and love to stick to a handful of family favorite recipes every year. I say this in one breath but my ideal Thanksgiving feast menu has expanded quite a bit ever since I met and married Ryan and was introduced to some of his family’s favorite recipes that quickly became favorites of mine as well.

Growing up, my family’s Thanksgiving always included turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, peas, fresh rolls and my mother’s stuffing. I’m 99 percent sure my mom didn’t follow a single recipe when she made our Thanksgiving feast, though she was kind enough to write down the steps and measure the ingredients for her stuffing at my request since I wanted the ability to recreate it for years to come. When Ryan and I began dating and I experienced Thanksgiving with his family, I was introduced to his mom’s pineapple soufflé and his grandmother’s glazed carrots, two dishes that have since become a must-have on Thanksgiving for the Fagan family.

Ever since we started hosting Friendsgiving every year and now that we are hosting Thanksgiving as well, I almost always try a new recipe as well. This lead me to discover Cooking Light’s Sweet Potato Casserole several years ago which is, hands down, the best sweet potato casserole I’ve made to date and now another staple in our Thanksgiving feast. It’s sweet but the sugar doesn’t overpower the deliciously creamy sweet potato flavor and there are just enough nuts and marshmallows to make it feel like a holiday treat.

Though we have a bunch of favorite recipes I won’t stray from on Thanksgiving, there are still a few dishes out there I have yet to perfect and find a Thanksgiving-worthy recipe for, including mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. I typically make the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the Libby’s pumpkin can which is admittedly delicious but not knock-your-socks-off amazing. I’ve had bad luck with most mashed potato recipes out there (even ones with great reviews) and often find them much to bland. If you have any favorites, please let me know!

• Do you always serve turkey or do you also feature another kind of meat? Do you serve a vegetarian Thanksgiving?

Turkey is a staple for us but Ryan’s family also often has a Honey Baked Ham as part of the spread during their Thanksgiving feast which I love!

• Are there any typical Thanksgiving dishes you cannot stand?

I think green bean casserole is so, so gross. I never touch it if it’s served on Thanksgiving or another holiday. Bleh!

• What desserts do you make for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving dessert in our house always features pumpkin pie but typically includes other sweet treats as well. Desserts in past years have varied from apple pie (I love Jessica’s Cider Bourbon Apple Pie) and pecan pie to a rather complicated pumpkin mousse and a frozen pumpkin custard pie. My family will also often make the Famous Wafers Chocolate Refrigerator Roll which I absolutely adore since I can never get enough homemade whipped cream in my life.

• Is your family into special Thanksgiving drinks? Do you have a specific cocktail, punch, sangria or mulled wine recipe you love?

Mulled wine all the way over here!! Ina Garten’s mulled wine recipe is the best and the one I make every year.

• Do you have any other traditions surrounding Thanksgiving?

For a while there we were running in a Turkey Trot race every Thanksgiving morning in Sarasota when we were staying with Ryan’s family and it was my favorite way to kick off the day! I’m already scouting out local turkey trots in our area to possibly make our return to the race this year. As for other traditions, we don’t have a ton other than talking about what we’re all thankful for at the dinner table. (Christmas, on the other hand, is FULL of traditions for my family!) I’d love to start some new Thanksgiving traditions with our family as Chase gets older, so if you have any traditions you look forward to every year in your family, I’d love to hear them!

Questions of the Day

Now it’s your turn… Pick a few (or all) of the below questions and tell me a little bit about what Thanksgiving looks like for you!

• When it comes to Thanksgiving food, do you stick to the same tried-and-true beloved recipes or experiment and try new things every year?
• Do you always serve turkey or do you also feature another kind of meat? Do you serve a vegetarian Thanksgiving?
• Are there any typical Thanksgiving dishes you cannot stand?
• What desserts do you make for Thanksgiving?
• Is your family into special Thanksgiving drinks? Do you have a specific cocktail, punch, sangria or mulled wine recipe you love?
• Do you have any other traditions surrounding Thanksgiving?

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