Thanksgiving in the United States is on November 27. Over the years our family has developed a menu that we have pretty much stuck to for the last 10 or more years. But this year I wanted to add a few new dishes. But first, the current menu:

• Turkey – We only do turkey on Thanksgiving, we don’t have a ton of turkey the rest of the year, so it’s a treat.
• Stuffing – I do not stuff the bird, I like a dryer stuffing. We have a baked recipe that we love.
• Mashed Potatoes – Mashed potatoes are a must have, and probably one of the first leftovers to completely disappear. My kids love potatoes.
• Sweet Potatoes – Or Yams, I don’t know which is which. I like the orange ones. This is one of my personal favorites, but not as popular as the white potatoes. It is a must though.
• Turkey Gravy – Arguably the best gravy in the world but we only have it once a year.
• Fruit Salad – This can be a large number of different salads, but it’s fruit, some sort of creamy dressing, and it’s delicious.
• Veggies – This is also quite varied. Sometimes it’s a veggie tray, sometimes it’s a green salad, but some sort of veggie.
• Rolls – Homemade rolls are again, a must and one of the favorites. These don’t always get eaten at dinner, but somehow, they disappear within a couple of days.
• Dessert – This is also a must. We usually have pumpkin, apple, and some other kind of berry type pie. I also found a favorite pecan bar, I am not a fan of pecan pie, but I do love these pecan bars.

I made dilly beans this fall, which I had never tried before, and they were delicious. I have one jar for Thanksgiving. I will probably also add pickled beets which have become a new family staple at many Sunday dinners already.

I have a few thoughts on adding a couple of dishes though. I have plain canned beets which I would like to use in some way. If you have any recipes for dressing up canned beets I would love to hear them! I have golden beets and traditional red beets if that makes a difference in the recipe. I also would love to try some sort of corn recipe. I have heard of corn casserole but haven’t ever tried anything like that, so if any of you have a great recipe for something like that I’d love it if you’d share your favorite with me!

I’d also love to hear about any other recipes that have become tradition in your family. What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?