cover your yams with marshmallows...you won't regret it...

Make your Thanksgiving sauerkraut with brown sugar and enjoy a few smoked oysters with the feast.

Creamed onions. Regular mashed potatos. Green bean casserole. Don't listen to Hugh, he so totally gives away his Maryland origins with that sauerkraut thing - only a bawltimoron would eat kraut at thanksgiving! ;-)

My family gets into huge Thanksgiving feasts but the best part, to me, are the pies after dinner. I'm trying two new ones this years, Brandied Date and Walnut pie and Pineapple Rhubarb.

mygothlaundry, careful now, I like the kraut too. And haven't been a Marylander for more than 25 years! We have our Thanksgiving in northern New England and my step-dad (from Ellicott City, MD) makes a big batch of some fine, fine sauerkraut!

cornbread--use a mix and reduce the water, but use creamed corn instead.

umm for my vegan thanksgiving spectacular i make :

-kale mashed potatoes
-mushroom gravy
-cornbread stuffing
-green beans with almonds
-cranberry orange sauce
-honey gingered roasted root vegetable tart-things (roast veggies in little filo dough shells)
-and some random vegetables

the root vegetable things are good as is, i just like to make them into little individual tart things.

if you desire any of these recipes i can find them for you.

ps. if you are in chicago, come by for a plate!

Simple gratin, but use lots of crazy heirlooms and yams sliced thin, layered with heavy cream and lots of good (real) parmesan cheese.

And of course, you haven't eaten turkey until you've fried one whole.

And of course, you haven't eaten turkey until you've fried one whole. My current favorite turkey recipe involves the oven, yes, but it also involves 1 lb of butter for every 10 lbs of turkey. It's like the most delicious coronary you've ever tasted.

Do you slip it under the skin? That's always delicious, for chicken as well.

My bro-in-law does the fried turkey. He's got his recipe down pretty well--an injection of spices and apple cider 24 hours before. This year the rumor is that we're going to do sweet potato fries after the bird is done. Yum.

I'm with ambeglow-

Corn Pudding

1 8.5-ounce box corn-muffin mix
1 16-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1 16-ounce can cream-style corn
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
a teeny pinch of sugar
a teeny pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned. A little red pepper adds some kick, but some people like it with some grated cheddar on top. Me, I like it straight.

Makes 8 servings. Recipe can (and should) be doubled. You'll know it's done when the sides just begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. Yum Yum.

Puddinghead, that sounds really good! Any other pudding recipes you can lay on us?

I like mashed celery root in my mashed potatoes, or in addition to.

Also, Guinea Fowl is very good.

Guinea Fowl= not mashed.

I meant amberglow, but you knew that. That's my only pudding recipe, but it's damn good and I make it all the time.

Corn pudding - yes, sweet potato gratin - great idea. I make curried squash soup and cranberry ice along with the traditional turkey dinner, which will be at my mom's so the stuffing will be right.

Mashed parsnips (made like mashed potatos, but with parsnipy deliciousness) are one of my favorite things. I need advice on how best to serve them though. On their own they look just like the potatos, and sticking them in zucchini boats with buttered crumbs on top (my last attempt) was just not right. Zucchini is just too closely associated with spring in my mind, and the juiciness of it didn't work well with the earthiness of the parsnip.

puddinghead, your recipe sounds delicious. I think I'll add it to this year's menu.

I love sweet potato pie with an unholy passion, but I've never found a truly great recipe. There's an older lady who sells her homemade pies at the Farmer's Market and they are sublime (she does an excellent pecan too). I don't know what the secret is -- yams instead of sweet potatoes is one I've heard, but yams are hard to come by here.

Anyway, my turkey tip: Sage is a wonderful, wonderful spice for turkey. Use it in your rub and try to find honking big fresh sprigs the place in the cavity and garnish around the bird. So aromatic and good.

Creamed spinach. Mmm.

Another vote for plain mashed potatoes, made with whole milk (or cream, even!) and whipped smooth, then drenched in beatiful, golden butter.

Roasted parsnips are always tasty, too.

I did this sweet potato pie last year and it was a major hit.

mrs. pants, I would LOVE to stop by. But we'll be staying in central IL.

Try real brandied cranberries. Yum. Lots of brandy!

Bless your heart, postmodernmillie.