ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Everyone has a favorite dish for the Thanksgiving holiday, and whether that dish is turkey, pumpkin pie, or perhaps something that steps outside of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, everyone has that one dish that is a must-have for Thanksgiving dinner. KTAB/KRBC ventured over to United on South 14th Street to discover what meal items Abilenians prefer to see at the Thanksgiving table.
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While many chose to keep with the traditional holiday food items such as stuffing, cranberry sauce, and the ever-popular turkey, some spoke to how they take the extra step in creating an authentic holiday meal. One of those was Stephen Pahnlick and his daughter Page, who prefer their ingredients straight from the source.
“Bread stuffing is a must with the meal. Good mashed potatoes are a must with the meal and a fresh apple pie. Then I do fresh pumpkin pie, too. So, you can see I’ve got fresh pumpkins in there and I do a homemade pumpkin pie. I’ll roast them, puree them myself. Most of my cooking when it comes to the holidays is pretty much all from scratch,” Pahnlick explained.
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Some opted for a more southern taste to their Thanksgiving experience. John Cismowski and his wife Terran say they are accustomed to having a large group for their family Thanksgiving holiday and offer cuisine from the smoker pit to help feed their large bunch.
“I smoked two racks of lamb, steak and brisket. I smoked that about two days ago,” Cismowski shared.
According to a survey by the National Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost for a basic family Thanksgiving meal this year is $58.08. That price is down by 5% from 2023 and from a record high of $64.05 that was set back in 2022. Though the prices are lower, this survey says that they are still 20% higher than when these prices started escalating in 2019 with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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