by Julia Coelho
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it is essential to take a moment to reflect on the aspects of your life that you’re thankful for. It is a wonderful time of year to come together and spend time with your loved ones, as well as start preparing for the madness that is the holiday season. It truly marks the, and I quote, “hap- happiest season of all.”
As a result of this holiday coming up, I’m reflecting on what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving, which includes my family I get to spend time with, my friends whom I’m thankful for, and most importantly, THE FOOD. In my biased (and hopefully correct) opinion, please enjoy the following. This is, in order, the crème de la crème of Thanksgiving foods.
5) Bread. To elaborate, any type of bread, at all. This may vary depending on certain cultural influences and traditions that your family celebrates. I come from a Portuguese family, and because of this we are papo secos (Portuguese rolls) fanatics. Papo secos are a bit crunchier than your average dinner roll, and are fantastic with different jams, or just simply butter.
Depending on one’s family traditions, the variety of bread may vary among every Thanksgiving dinner table. Corn bread, italian bread, sweet potato rolls, sweet bread, or just your typical Pillsbury pull and bake rolls are a definite 10/10 addition to the meal.
Senior Angie Bullock added her opinion on the addition of bread to her Thanksgiving meal. “The good thing about bread, especially on Thanksgiving, is that it’s so versatile, and can be dipped in anything and still be very tasty,” Bullock said.
4) Potatoes. Boiled, baked, mashed, hashed, roasted, in soup form, in Hasselback form, any kind at all is the perfect addition to a satisfying Thanksgiving meal. However, you cannot appreciate potatoes to their full potential if there isn’t a delectable side of homemade gravy.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories involved competing with my cousins in trying to make the largest mashed potato volcano drenched in delicious homemade gravy. My ideal Thanksgiving meal would include all the forms of potato products listed above, considering the fact that it is an outstanding side dish to accompany one’s meal.
3) Casserole. Now, I understand that one may associate the word “casserole” with a variety of mushy, creamy foods stuck together in a pan. I can confidently say that if you are stereotyping this sensible and delicious dish, then you clearly have not enjoyed a delicious one at your Thanksgiving dinner. There are many different types of casseroles that can be found on one’s Thanksgiving dinner table, such as broccoli casserole, ham and cheese casserole, creamed corn casserole, among many others. At my dinner, my mom brings her popular sweet potato casserole, to which she adds a crunchy brown sugar topping too as well as a light covering of walnuts. My aunt makes an enjoyable green bean casserole, which she tops it with crispy onion flakes. These are just a couple of the must-haves on one’s plate at dinner.
2) Stuffing. There is truly nothing that beats the pure flavorful bliss that one feels when enjoying a bite homemade stuffing. Of course all recipes are different, but the basis of this popular Thanksgiving side consists of bread cubes, butter, sausage, beef, turkey, or chicken, different spices, and eggs. Baked at 400 degrees until crispy, and there simply nothing better.
Senior Kyra Siano shared her opinion on this delicious side dish. “Although it doesn’t look that appealing, once you mix it with turkey, it brings out the flavor in everything, especially because the turkey on its own can be kind of dry,” Siano said.
For all the people who are more focused on other things, box stuffing is also a delectable alternative this upcoming holiday season. Stove Top, Betty Crocker, and Pepperidge Farm Country Cube Stuffing are perfect additions to complete one’s perfect Thanksgiving plate.
1) Pies. Though this may not be a part of the main course, the dessert portion of Thanksgiving family with your loved ones is, in my opinion, the most important part, favored by all. Every year, before dinner even started, I always used to peek into the fridge and see the large stack of pies, ranging from banana cream to classic pumpkin, all waiting for me later in the day.
There are so many different options of these delicious desserts that everyone enjoys on Thanksgiving, such as pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, chocolate cream pie, butternut squash pie, and so on. My family purchases fresh pies early Thanksgiving morning at Leddy’s Bakery in Fall River, MA.
Others enjoy homemade pies from their family members. “My aunt usually makes delicious homemade pies for us. She makes apple pie for me, and blueberry pie for my sister. We put vanilla bean ice cream to top it off, and it’s my favorite part about Thanksgiving,” shared senior Emma Cromidas.
It is no secret that the wholesome holiday of Thanksgiving is one of the “most wonderful times of the year.” It is important to not take for granted treasured time with your family, holiday traditions, and the food that goes along with this.
From myself and the staff of The First Launch, have a lovely (and tasty) Thanksgiving.
The First Launch 