Thanksgiving Day is round the corner and it’s ideally a time for family and friends to share a traditional meal. Thanksgiving Day, November 24, has remained the same since President Abraham Lincoln first made it a national holiday in 1863, but the menu has changed many times since then. To help you get a better idea of just how much Thanksgiving meals have evolved, here’s a comparison of a Thanksgiving menu in 1966 and a typical menu for this year:
Green Bean Casserole: It is a staple for most Thanksgiving meals, but this dish was still a novelty in the 1960s, having only been invented in 1955 by a Campbell Soup employee named Dorcas Reilly. The dish is made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup and French’s fried onions.
Mashed Potatoes: They’re as much a part of Thanksgiving dinner as pecan pie and Uncle Festus. But mashed potatoes are labour-intensive, and on ThanksgivingDay, that’s not necessarily an asset. The wonderful thing about these mashed potatoes is, they can be made ahead of time, then warmed in the oven when you’re ready. This has made a world of difference in my Thanksgiving Day sanity, peace, blood pressure readings, and hormone levels.
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread: It's a perfect holiday side; a pudding-esque interpretation of grits; a softer version of corn bread; perfection alongside a roast of any kind.
Baked Parsnip Fries: Potatoes have always been a regular option on the occasion of Thanksgiving but baking some of these parsnip fries are an underrated fall vegetable, and baked with a salt and corn starch, giving similar to regular French fries.
Cauliflower Mash: Time changes and so the taste. If you're missing out something new on the occasion of Thanksgiving then try cauliflower mash. When grated this fine, cauliflower is unrecognizable, and mixed with butter and cheese, it almost seems like real mashed potatoes. This recipe from Simply Delicious doesn't use cheese, but you can add a little if you want.
