On Thanksgiving, do you like the food to be traditional recipes that you have year after year, or do you like to change it up?

Some of each. Mostly traditional, but there’s room for a new dish here and there, depending on who brings what, of course.

I like traditional year after year. I do appreciate something different on the side, as long as it compliments the traditional stuff.

I did introduce a new dish to the table 2 years ago and it has been a request every since. I think its going to be must have every Thanksgiving.:)

I like a mix of tradition with some new dishes.

We like to do both. My Mom and I keep a file of new recipes that we find in magazines or the food section of the paper. So we usually add one or two new recipes each Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

It also depends upon who’s coming over, or who’s house we’re going to. My brother’s inlaws are very “conservative” in their Thanksgiving eating habits. When they came to our house a couple of years ago, my brother hinted that we should not attempt to make garlic mashed potatoes or to fancy up the green beans, nor to even consider making anything with parsnips, nor to add anything like cardamom to the cranberry sauce. That year we played it totally straight.

On the other hand if we go to my aunt and uncle’s house of if they come to our house, they’re both food enthusiasts like me, so they love trying out new things. This is the aunt who makes Argentinian empanadas as one of her appetizers and everyone raves over them.

And this year, we’re going over to the home of some of my cousins, with who’m we often join at potluck birthdays and other family gatherings. I’m sure they’ll do a little bit of traditional mixed with some nifty Italian-inspired delectables from the patriarch of this part of the family. His cooking puts me to shame. But since it will mostly be a meat-fest, I am going to make 2 vegetarian quiches (one with shiitake mushrooms and the other one with green chilies and pepper jack cheese) plus a raw sweet potato slaw with pineapple.

For Christmas this year, I’m still trying to find or create a recipe that is similar to green bean casserole, only using artichoke hearts instead of green beans. And I don’t want to use cream of mushroom soup, I want to make some kind of cheesy, mushroomy roux and then put bead crumbs on top. Sort of a gratin.

I hate making choices, so I fix the same things every time. I do vary the ingredients in the stuffing or toppings, but mostly the same.

I like the traditional things as far as sides go and can get pretty panicky and snarly if someone’s tried to fancify mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie.