Thanksgiving in the United States is usually rich with family, gatherings, and food. This year, many U.S. states are grappling with stay-at-home orders and have either scaled back on their celebrations or made arrangements for a Zoom gathering (which is unlimited all day) with loved ones. While sacrificing the day together is tough, we wanted to bring our Marketing team’s favorite dishes for you to enjoy at your own celebrations or just because – 2020 is the year of improvisation.
Macaroni and Cheese – Laura Kennedy, Senior Marketing Coordinator: When it comes to holiday meals, my plate always seems to be filled with multiple side dishes like this one rather than the main course of turkey or ham. I love contributing to the “spread” and thought this cheesy, baked dish would be a great addition the past few years. It goes quickly, so I always make extra for leftovers … because aren’t they one of the best parts of the holiday season?
Cornbread – Jessica Lohman, Marketing/Proposal Coordinator: I spent many years trying to perfect the best cornbread recipe. Finally, in 2019, my family decided this was the cornbread they just had to have going forward. It will now be a family tradition every thanksgiving.
Apple Crumble – Sheila McKell, Director, Marketing: This recipe is one of my favorites because it’s super easy and makes the whole house smell like the holidays. Also, I strongly recommend serving vanilla bean ice cream with it.
Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole – Kirk Gipson, Manager, Proposals: The classic diced sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top has never done anything for me, and it isn’t that popular in the American South where I grew up. Instead, my mom always made this dish, which is a little like sweet potato pie if you put it in a casserole dish and topped it with a crust of pecans and brown sugar. It’s the perfect complement to traditional savory Thanksgiving dishes.
Wild Rice and Chestnut Dressing – Lauren McKenna, Proposal Writer: The first Thanksgiving my partner and I spent together, we were tasked with bringing this dish to one of our two Thanksgiving celebrations that year. I was skeptical at first, but this has quickly become a unique spin on standard “stuffing” recipes. It’s become a tradition for us (even this year with our tiny celebration) and, as a bonus, it’s even better the next day.
We have provided full details of these recipes here. Let us know if any of these show up at your tables over the upcoming cozy months. Enjoy!