"thanksgiving 2009" news and stories

Finish this sentence: "It's not Thanksgiving at my house without ..."

For most, the answer will be the bird of the hour -- Tom Turkey. For others, it may be the baked ham in its glazed glory.

Some like to carbo-load on gravy-laden mashed potatoes, while others prefer to bow before bowls of macaroni-n-cheese. And then there are the casserole crazies.

Many find themselves nostalgic for the green bean casserole of yore, complete with cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions. Then there's the sweet potato casserole -- which in itself sparks controversy as whether to top with brown sugar or marshmallows. And whether or not it is indeed referred to as sweet potato casserole or candied yams.

On a related note, is it called stuffing or dressing? And do you bake it in the bird or separately? Cranberry sauce -- is it canned or homemade?

For the rest, the answer is easy as pie -- saving the best for last with a slice of pecan, pumpkin, apple or sweet potato goodness.

One thing we can all agree on is Thanksgiving is a time to eat, eat and, oh yeah, eat some more. The nap afterward is a well-deserved reward.

Have a field day in the comments. "It's not Thanksgiving without ..."

What food has to be on your Thanksgiving table?

turkey	11 (22.4%)
baked ham	2 (4.1%)
green bean casserole	2 (4.1%)
mashed potatoes	4 (8.2%)
cranberry sauce	3 (6.1%)
stuffing/dressing	6 (12.2%)
macaroni and cheese	1 (2.0%)
sweet potato casserole/candied yams	5 (10.2%)
pumpkin pie	4 (8.2%)
pecan pie	2 (4.1%)
apple pie	2 (4.1%)
sweet potato pie	2 (4.1%)
Other	5 (10.2%)

Until Thanksgiving day, we're bringing you preparation tips to ensure your Thanksgiving is as smooth as your gravy (should be).

By this point, you should have a head count and have already placed an order for an appropriately sized turkey. You may have made an outline of your menu. Now it's time for the heavy lifting.

1. Finalize your menu.
You should have a rough idea of what you're going to serve for the holiday meal. Now it's time to decide how many pounds of Brussels sprouts you'll need and how you're going to prepare them. Are you going to brine your turkey? What kind of rolls are you serving? Salted or unsalted butter? Are you making pies or asking someone else to bring them? Now is the time to make all of those decisions, and then make a shopping list based on the recipes for each dish.

Think it's too early to start planning Thanksgiving dinner? Think again! Nov. 26 may seem like a long way off, but for the holiday host, it's right around the corner. That's why each Tuesday until Turkey Day, we'll bring you preparation tips to ensure your Thanksgiving is as smooth as your gravy (should be).

1. Get a head count.
Now's the time to start inviting people to Thanksgiving dinner. If you're thinking about it, chances are good your friends and family are, too. So if your cousin is bringing her new boyfriend, and both sets of grandparents are coming to town, as well as your parents and siblings, you're going to need to figure out how to seat everyone at your small table with three mismatched chairs.

Getting a head count this early ensures you'll have enough time to borrow tables, chairs and whatever other furniture items you need to so that everyone can eat comfortably, and then have a place to lounge when the tryptophan-wine combo sets in. And don't forget to find out who's a vegetarian, who's allergic to nuts, and any other dietary restrictions you'll be dealing with. The last thing you want to hear as you put your orange-scented green beans with toasted almonds on the table is that your cousin's new boyfriend has a severe nut allergy.