Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is a celebration of Thanksgiving day, a North American holiday. Typical menu items include turkey, potatoes, corn, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving dinner has been an annual tradition since the 1500s.http://www.paralumun.com/thanksgiving.htm It is typically considered a day to feast and give thanks. The Thanksgiving dinner may often be served in the afternoon when family and friends gather to share in the splendor of food, drink and company.

In the United States,Thanksgiving is considered a legal holiday and often times the day is devoted to the preparation of the celebratory feast. The tradition extend from the historic observance of the harvest festivals which were conducted by Puritan Christian settlers.http://www.paralumun.com/thanksgiving.htm

Turkey is typically served as the main course, although ham is a second choice, served along with various side dishes. There are numerous ways to prepare a turkey, including roasting, deep frying or even grilling, as well as numerous variations on the preparation method, including brining and marinading.http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&category_id=223&article=19903

While some will use prepared stuffing from the grocery store, making stuffing at home is easy as well. Homemade stuffing can be customized to include flavors of leek and wild mushrooms, sausage, cornbread and sage and even oysters.http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving-stuffing-and-dressing/package/index.html

To top the turkey, there are a variety of gravies that can be prepared, including the traditional giblet gravy, lemon garlic gravy and the robust pancetta-sage gravy.http://allrecipes.com//Recipes/holidays-and-events/thanksgiving/gravy/Main.aspx

Traditional sides include mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables, and other items. It is tradition to eat hearty on Thanksgiving, which is why many dinners contain an abundance of food (often resulting in leftovers). The main course is usually followed up with desserts like pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies.

Recipes used on Thanksgiving are often handed down generation to generation. Using grandma's favorite stuffing recipe brings back family tradition and memories of days long past. Others look to the familiar recipes like on the back of the Campbell's soup can for green bean casserole.http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/thanksgiving.html