Every family has its own Thanksgiving traditions, whether it be your Aunt Pam’s pecan pie or your mom’s signature mac ‘n cheese. Believe it or not, we have statewide traditions here in Texas, too. If you go up north, the dinner table looks quite different from ours (and not in a good way.) But lucky for us, we don’t live there – we live in the South, and we’ll all get to enjoy these 11 delicious dishes in just a week’s time. Who’s ready?
- Cornbread dressin'.
Flickr/sea-turtle Not dressing, certainly not stuffing like those stuffy Northerners call it, but good old fashioned dressin’. And it has to be made with cornbread - I heard up north, they used cubed slices of bread instead. What a disgrace! Oh, and it has to be made with A LOT of eggs. My mom grew up on a farm, and her mom used to use eight eggs from their chickens in the dressin'.
- Pecan pie
Flickr/jow There might be other pies on the table, but this is surely every Texan’s favorite. Flaky, rich, syrupy (Karo, of course), and delicious.
- Mac ’n Cheese
Flickr/vancouver-bites Did y’all know the South is the only place where mac ’n cheese is a Thanksgiving tradition? I’m even more grateful for where I live now because this is by far my favorite dish. Especially when it’s sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked in the oven. Mmmm.
- Homemade cranberry sauce
Flickr/vegan-baking We ain’t havin’ none of that canned nonsense here in Texas. We buy fresh cranberries and simmer them with (lots of) sugar until we hear that satisfying pop that’s music to our ears. My mom even adds some orange zest to ours to give a refreshing citrus taste.
- Multiple meats
Flickr/bbqjunkie
Flickr/usdagov It’s no secret that we’re serious about our meat here in Texas, and Thanksgiving is no exception. My grandma used to make a turkey, ham, and hen every year, and all that was left at the end of the night were the bones. Some years she even combined meats and made a turducken. Whoever thought one meat on Thanksgiving was enough must’ve never met a Texan.
- Yams with marshmallows
Flickr/maryandjc Up north, they just eat roasted sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving. Come on, this is NOT the day to be healthy. Y’all can keep your plain, boring spuds, but I’ll stick to my Sugary Sam, gooey, marshmallow-topped, unhealthy as can be yams, thank you very much.
- Giblet gravy
Flickr/lolololori It might take a little longer, but we make our gravy from scratch. I’m not even sure what the Northerners do, but I don’t think I even want to know.
- Sweet potato pie
Flickr/uits It’s almost as good as pecan. Luckily, we don’t have to choose.
- Butter. Lots and lots of butter.
Flickr/Joanna Bourne We’re country, okay? We like butter.
- Green bean casserole
Flickr/lotheringtons Can you believe some states don’t do this dish? They’re sure missing out on some creamy, crispy goodness. Oh well, more for us!
- Fruit cobblers/crisps
Flickr/tofuttibreak There’s always at least one cobbler at my family’s Thanksgiving. In exchange for our lack of winter here in Texas, we’ve been blessed with longer fruit seasons and thus the ability to make delicious desserts like this so late in the year. There’s always a bright side, y’all.
Is your mouth watering yet? Which one of these Thanksgiving foods is your favorite? Does your family have any unique holiday food traditions?
Flickr/sea-turtle
Not dressing, certainly not stuffing like those stuffy Northerners call it, but good old fashioned dressin’. And it has to be made with cornbread - I heard up north, they used cubed slices of bread instead. What a disgrace! Oh, and it has to be made with A LOT of eggs. My mom grew up on a farm, and her mom used to use eight eggs from their chickens in the dressin'.
Flickr/jow
There might be other pies on the table, but this is surely every Texan’s favorite. Flaky, rich, syrupy (Karo, of course), and delicious.
Flickr/vancouver-bites
Did y’all know the South is the only place where mac ’n cheese is a Thanksgiving tradition? I’m even more grateful for where I live now because this is by far my favorite dish. Especially when it’s sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked in the oven. Mmmm.
Flickr/vegan-baking
We ain’t havin’ none of that canned nonsense here in Texas. We buy fresh cranberries and simmer them with (lots of) sugar until we hear that satisfying pop that’s music to our ears. My mom even adds some orange zest to ours to give a refreshing citrus taste.
Flickr/bbqjunkie
Flickr/usdagov
It’s no secret that we’re serious about our meat here in Texas, and Thanksgiving is no exception. My grandma used to make a turkey, ham, and hen every year, and all that was left at the end of the night were the bones. Some years she even combined meats and made a turducken. Whoever thought one meat on Thanksgiving was enough must’ve never met a Texan.
Flickr/maryandjc
Up north, they just eat roasted sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving. Come on, this is NOT the day to be healthy. Y’all can keep your plain, boring spuds, but I’ll stick to my Sugary Sam, gooey, marshmallow-topped, unhealthy as can be yams, thank you very much.
Flickr/lolololori
It might take a little longer, but we make our gravy from scratch. I’m not even sure what the Northerners do, but I don’t think I even want to know.
Flickr/uits
It’s almost as good as pecan. Luckily, we don’t have to choose.
Flickr/Joanna Bourne
We’re country, okay? We like butter.
Flickr/lotheringtons
Can you believe some states don’t do this dish? They’re sure missing out on some creamy, crispy goodness. Oh well, more for us!
Flickr/tofuttibreak
There’s always at least one cobbler at my family’s Thanksgiving. In exchange for our lack of winter here in Texas, we’ve been blessed with longer fruit seasons and thus the ability to make delicious desserts like this so late in the year. There’s always a bright side, y’all.
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