When Kelley Graham and her family get together, she’s in charge of the turkey.
She brines the bird, and it’s come out tasting as well as she hopes.
But even though turkey is the star of Thanksgiving each year, it’s the side dishes that tend to steal the show.
“Turkey’s just not that great,” said Graham, of Egg Harbor Township. “Unless it’s the dark meat, because it’s moist.”
From the classics to family recipes, Thanksgiving is that one time of year where some families pull out all the stops to present a gorgeous meal with a buffet-selection of side dishes.
Oftentimes, these are side dishes many people only eat once a year.
According to a Statista survey in 2023, the most popular Thanksgiving side dish is stuffing — or dressing, depending on where you are in the country. It’s a mixture of cubed bread, vegetables and seasonings. Some like to add turkey gizzards, others cranberries or raisins.
People are also reading…
Eric Vybihal has a lifetime of memories eating a Syrian stuffing called hashweh, which is often used to stuff poultry.
The following is a list of Christmas events happening in the region. If you know of other holiday events and would like us to add them to this list, let us know at newstips@pressofac.com. Use the subject line “holiday events.”
It’s a rice dish loaded with ground or minced beef or lamb, toasted nuts (his family uses pine nuts and walnuts), all spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Some versions call for the use of dried fruit like raisins, but the Vybihal recipe doesn’t include that.
The annual hashweh dish was a recipe from Vybihal’s maternal grandmother, Catherine Castello, who has since passed.
“She was really a home body, completely happy cooking for her family and going to church,” said Vybihal, 36, of Vernon Township, Sussex County. “We went to my grandparents’ house in the Poconos every Easter and Thanksgiving growing up, and the smell that the dish gives off reminds me of all of the holidays spent at their house with my brothers.”
Eric’s wife, Jacki, has continued the family tradition and makes this dish to bring to her side of the family for Thanksgiving every year.
“Let’s just say, I leave a bowl of (hashweh) near me by the table,” Vybihal said.
Next to the stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce, a casserole is part of many Thanksgiving menus. It can be an easy and delicious way to serve a side of vegetables if you opt for a green bean or corn casserole.
For Graham, it’s the green bean casserole all the way, a staple on her table every Thanksgiving.
“It goes well with turkey, and my sister-in-law makes it,” she said. “It’s the only time we make it, just to make it.”
Here’s a look at why celebrating is good for you — and just what Dr. Nina orders as we enter the 2024 holiday season.
“The French onion rings on top!” she said.
On the other hand, those who are vehemently against green bean casserole might serve macaroni and cheese instead, another popular dish on some Thanksgiving tables, including that of Port Republic resident Jon Riffle. Since casseroles are generally straightforward and make good leftovers, you can always serve multiple kinds at your meal.
Graham likes to make turkey bowls with her leftovers. Putting all of the dishes together in one big dish is a fun part of her Black Friday and beyond.
Riffle, on the other hand, can’t stand leftovers. Part of that is because he does a Friendsgiving celebration and the traditional family Thanksgiving in the same week, so by Black Friday he’s all stuffed with stuffing.
“Because I eat so much on Thanksgiving that I don’t even wanna see a turkey for like at least a week or two,” Riffle said. “I’m just not a big leftovers guy, in general.”
Leftovers may be a controversial topic, but dessert is not.
Pumpkin pie is the flag bearer for Thanksgiving desserts. Riffle can’t have Thanksgiving without a hot slice of pie with a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Cape Regional Auxiliary recently held a 50/50 raffle to support the Claire C. Brodesser Surgery Center at Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional, raising $13,750 for the Cape May Court House hospital’s capital campaign.
“The goal is to eat it before the ice cream melts,” Riffle said. “I’m all about texture with food, and I love the hot-cold, so that is my favorite thing for Thanksgiving.”
For 43-year-old Alex Konkel, his grandmother Ruth Konkel’s mystery tort is an annual favorite. When he was growing up, all of the family gatherings would feature this tort for dessert.
The base was made up of Holland rusks, which are light and airy crisp rounds that are lightly sweet and have a crumbly texture that melts in your mouth.
“You make a drizzle out of Milk Duds, and whipped cream goes on top,” said Konkel, of Egg Harbor Township. “That was an old childhood favorite.”
To recreate the dish, the Konkels have to order the Holland rusks, but they are hard to find and only come in cases of 20, so they made a lot of tort.
“I don’t know what else we’d use it for.”
Whether Thanksgiving tables are filled with family traditions or new and explorative flavors, it is the memories around those foods that stick with people the most.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact John Russo: 609-272-7184
jrusso@pressofac.com
Twitter: @ACPress_Russo
Satisfy your cravings
With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.