12 Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes From 'Parents' Staffers and Readers

By Alana Chernila and Jenna Helwig
October 06, 2015
Credit: Yunhee Kim
Every family celebrates Thanksgiving a little differently. Get inspired by Parents staffers' and readers' favorite holiday recipes. You just might find one or two new ideas perfect for your little Pilgrims.
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Shirley’s Cranberry Sauce

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My grandmother used to double her cranberry-sauce recipe, making one batch for the meal and another for me to eat throughout the week. She died when I was fourteen, and I took over the cranberry-sauce responsibility. I still make it from her mimeographed recipe, although I know I’ll be able to recite it from memory when the words finally fade from the page. —Alana Chernila

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Sweet Potato Biscuits

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Logan Rockefeller Harris admits that while she and her sister had always assumed these tender biscuits to be an old family recipe from their dad’s Georgia childhood, they recently discovered that their parents had clipped the recipe from a magazine, adapted it, and incorporated it into their holiday traditions. “I love the idea of the recipe making its way into Parents,” says Logan. “Maybe some readers will clip it out and fool their children into thinking it has been passed down for generations.”

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Maple-Roasted Vegetables

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Jessica Speer's mother has always created holiday meals around one principle: Maximize family time and minimize stress. When Jessica, of Chicago, was building traditions for her own family, she kept her mother’s wisdom in mind. Now she makes a feast that brings plants front and center, and these easy-prep, caramelized veggies are always the star.

Tip: Feel free to switch out any of the root vegetables with other favorites—just keep the quantities roughly the same. The only non-negotiable ingredient is the brussels sprouts, the heart of this dish. 

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Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Bread

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Each Thanksgiving of Amanda Kucinski Barker’s life has begun with a thick slice of her mother’s pumpkin bread. Amanda and her sisters would feast through the morning with the Macy’s parade on TV. As an adult in Brookline, New Hampshire, Amanda has made the recipe her own. Now her two boys know the bread will be ready when they wake up on Thanksgiving. 

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Real Pumpkin Pie With Gingersnap Crust

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Stacey Byrne, from Nova Scotia, Canada, first made pumpkin pie entirely from scratch when her oldest daughter was a baby. The adults devoured the tender, silky pie, the baby ate the pumpkin puree, and Stacey was converted to using real pumpkin forever. Now she makes this pie with her daughters each Thanksgiving. The kids choose just the right pumpkins from the market, and together they roast and puree the sweet flesh inside.

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Chorizo and Plantain Stuffing

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Chase Simmering and Alejandro de Onís’s stuffing is a mash-up of many different cultures and experiences, just like their marriage. Between them they have deep New England roots, childhood years spent in Colombia, and their current life in Miami with their two girls. When they brought all of that together they ended up with this brilliant dish that puts a twist on tradition.

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Grandma Czape's Pierogi

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Executive Editor Chandra Czape Turner's Hungarian grandmother made these kid-friendly dumplings for the holidays. Now Chandra and her sister make them with her daughter every Thanksgiving.

 

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Turnip Casserole

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Parents Digital Managing Editor Julia Dennison says this dish is the one that always gets people going for seconds, thirds, even fourths.

Active Time 30 minutesTotal Time 1 hour 10 minutesMakes 8 servings

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Ginger Ale Salad

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The women in Copy Editor Alexa Barre's family have been making this side dish for five generations.

 

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Autumn Kale Salad

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Every Thanksgiving, Food Editor Jenna Helwig makes sure she serves a colorful, crunchy green salad. 

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Provie's Legendary Stuffing

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Aunt Provie's stuffing is the highlight of the Thanksgiving table for Art Production Manager Vincent Spina. Assemble the stuffing the night before so the flavors can meld. 

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Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

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Parents Digital General Manager Tracy Odell's late mother-in-law made this pie. Tracy serves it as a way to keep her memory close.

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How to Make Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

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