No Dear Reader, I'm not talking about the best way to make some extra money on the side, I'm talking about the best sides for Thanksgiving.
While the turkey is the star of the show, it wouldn't shine quite so brightly without its supporting cast.
Everyone has their favorite accompaniments to the turkey and every family has their own traditional sides that can be counted on to be presented at the yearly thanksgiving dinner.
Our families holiday table can be counted on to have everything from corn, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, sweet potatoes casserole, green bean casserole and stuffing to fruit salad, yeast buns and homemade cranberries.
So, what are my favorites you ask? I may be odd, but I absolutely love the sweet potato casserole, homemade cranberries and stuffing!
Each family has their own recipes that make the meal unique and gives people around the table a sense of family and tradition. That is what makes holiday meals so special and unique.
I learned how to make the base of this recipe from my mom and dad.
I remember waking up on Thanksgiving morning and finding my parents already busy in the kitchen making all the wonderful food that we would later eat.
My dad would be cooking up the sausage, chopping the water chestnuts and onion. My mom would be cracking the eggs and mixing all the ingredients together before putting it in the oven and letting the scent of this tasty side fill the air.
As I got older and started hosting my own Thanksgiving dinner, I started experimenting in the kitchen a little more, I took my parents recipe and made a few little tweaks and additions.
There is, of course, the normal and requisite bread cubes, eggs, chicken stock, onions and celery that you will find in almost all dressing/stuffing recipes.
My family recipe incorporates a bit more. There is Italian sausage, water chestnuts and raisins. I went a step further and added carrots, apples and craisins.
My take on their recipe would be considered a sausage and cranberry stuffing, but I lovingly call it my "Kitchen Sink Stuffing".
As you can probably guess by my nick name for this recipe there are more than a few ingredients, but let me assure you Dear Reader, they all pair perfectly together making for a rich and flavorful side.
My recipe feeds about ten people, so as you can imagine Dear Reader, you will need an extra-large bowl to mix everything in as well as one or two large oven safe baking dishes with covers. to make this delicious side dish.
NOTE: Cook times will very! Make sure it is cooked all the way through to an internal temperature of 180 degrees!
This Thanksgiving, I hope that you and your family make some fun memories in the kitchen, and I hope you enjoy this recipe Dear Reader. Let me know what you think in the comments!
What is your favorite side?
Dressing
Cranberries
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
You did good with this. We had this last year at Lisa and Mike's. It was a big hit.