Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Time for new beginnings, change, and mix it up!

There has been a swell of cooking the turkey in different ways over the last ten years: deep-frying, brining for days, sous vide, de-boning, all sorts of "new" methods. In the end, it is still turkey.

All this attempt at change raises the question, are we bored? Or?

After much thought, almost eight years of changing the turkey and the dishes that surround it on the table is not something I want to do. Of all the things in my (food) life, the actual Thursday Thanksgiving meal is the one constant. And I like that. I look forward to it, just like I look forward to the Taste of the Cakes.

Now, we know that not every table on Thanksgiving is the same. The side dishes are where the variations happen. Something old, something new, something added, and for me this year, something blueberry.

Yet, the turkey and the stuffing are the constants. I believe in mashed potatoes, though adding oven-roasted might be a nice touch. Green beans with almonds, Brussels sprouts, creamed spinach, carrots, yam puff, casseroles of all kinds like broccoli, cauliflower, or corn, baked squash. Buns, cornbread muffins, and rolls. Cranberry salad, cranberry-citrus relish, macaroni pie, collard greens with ham hocks, honey-glazed carrots. As I write this, I think about some delicious buns, hot out of the oven, soft and ready to be slathered in butter and gravy! And let's not forget jello something!

It is the sides that make the meal fun! And for us, we talk about how the sides turned out, while we lounge around rubbing our bellies filled with happiness.

And then we move on to the pies and the variants of crumble, crisp, and cobbler: pumpkin, pecan, blueberry ginger, peanut butter pretzel, shoofly, chess, peanut butter banana, sweet potato, Mississippi, Mexican hot chocolate, coconut cream pie, and blueberry ginger pie! And of course, apple pie. There is never enough of Mary Pat's apple pie!

On Thanksgiving, I like to believe that across the country, we are all eating the same meal with friends, family, and neighbors.

There is something wonderful and nice about that to me.

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This is a fun recipe...yes it uses miniature marshmallows, still it's a perfect once a year kind of dish!

See the Easy Cranberry Fluff Recipe here!

Not exactly fried, more like cooked in a skillet. It's like a pie without the pie crust and the apples are more front and center.

Click here to see the Fried Apples Recipe!

Mix your Apples and Sweet Potato together and even add pear and you have quite a wonderful dish.

See the Sweet Potato and Apple Crisp Recipe here!

Muscovado is a soft, moist, fine brown sugar. It's also known as Barbados sugar, where it was once made. But ours comes from the island of Mauritius off the African coast.

While most brown sugar these days is made by combining already-refined sugar with added molasses-like syrup, this is the real thing. This is a less refined product with a rich, complex flavor.

This sugar adds a deeper dimension to cakes, fudge, pecan pie, and other desserts with its rich butterscotch flavors. Use it as you would brown sugar—take your morning oatmeal to new heights with a spoonful of Dark Muscovado on top!

Shop now for India Tree Dark Muscovado 2.8 pounds of Sugar!


Shop now for India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar - 1 pound!

Speed is just one element that makes this recipe fun! Memories are another! Open some packages and make a fun jiggle!

See the Jello Molded Cranberry Salad Recipe here!

To me, making banana cream pie is all about quiet time. For the very best results I have found just patiently waiting as I whisk over the stove yields the best pie! Perfect for when the day is done and everyone is out of your space!

See the Banana Cream Pie Recipe here!

Also known as "caster sugar", this superfine cane sugar has granules that are very fine and dry. A superior quality sugar, it is the workhorse of professional Pastry Chefs because it dissolves so easily in batters and doughs, leaving them very smooth. Especially appreciated for genoise, other sponge cakes, and meringue. It also dissolves very quickly in liquids, so it's great for iced tea.

Shop now for India Tree Superfine Caster Cane Sugar - 3 pound tub here!

Fruit Pie filling is pretty easy, variations can be more sugar or less depending on the fruit itself. If the fruit has more moisture / juice you can add 2 teaspoons of quick-cooking tapioca to firm up the pie.

See the easy Basic Blueberry Pie Recipe here!

It's like making a fruit pie...maybe just a little easier. In the end you get chocolate in pie form!

See the Hot Chocolate Pie Recipe here!

Marc is not an eat-to-live or live-to-eat kind of human. What he is, is a fanatical eater who therefore loves to cook.

When I asked Marc for a recipe, he texted me back instantly. You have to know Marc and know his pride in his children is giant, and in the text I could hear him yelling...

"My daughter has a fantastic recipe for mashed potatoes. They are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. Is that good? Or, is there something else you would like from me?"

See the Marc's Daughter Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe here!

Mark and Clark describe why this baked lobster mac and cheese is so amazing: "It is the rich, buttery flavor of lobster, married with the perfect creamy pasta and cheese. It just sounds so perfect, doesn't it."

See the Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe here!

This versatile, seasonal salad is loaded with texture, from crunchy to crisp to chewy. The beets, currants, and new onions all have a natural affinity to the sweet and tangy Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Agrodolce Vinegar, while the aromatics and spices give the salad a comforting warmth. You can serve this as a side dish, or pair it with grilled or smoked chicken or salmon for a nice lunch or brunch main course.

See the Roasted Beet, New Onion & Rice Salad recipe!

Make your green beans sing!

See the Green Beans with Tarragon-Mustard Recipe here!

Lori has shared this recipe with me before and it is good! It is wicked easy, simple and tasty!

Lori is a cook like a lot of us (a lot more organized than I am when it comes to recipes) who loves to cook. And food is not just making a meal, it is about family, tradition, caring and sharing.

See the Nancy's Yam Casserole Recipe here!