My Favorite Family Side Dishes for a Soulful Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is about food and family. Family members, who haven't seen each other all year, gather for a meal that stirs up happy memories and time honored meal traditions. This article will highlight a few of the side dishes that have become mainstays in my home during Thanksgiving dinner. Even when the originator of the recipes is no longer with us or can't be physically present for the meal, these savory side dishes remind us of them. As with a lot of things passed down from generation to generation, recipes were given by word of mouth and measurements were not always exact. The addition of ingredients was more a matter of instinct or "feel" than an exact science. My mother helped me to come up with an estimation of the amounts based on my grandmother's recollection.

Oyster Fritters
My grandmother always made this dish at Thanksgiving especially for her husband. When he died, she continued to make the dish. Now, my stepfather can't get enough of them!

Ingredients:
1 pint of raw oysters
Complete pancake mix (requires water only)
Vegetable oil
Milk
¼ tsp. Soul food seasoning

1. Mix the Complete pancake mix using milk instead of water for a thicker batter. Follow the instructions to make ten to twelve pancakes.

2. Pour the oysters in a bowl. Take two knives and crosscut the oysters into smaller pieces.

3. Pour the oysters into the prepared pancake batter. Add soul food seasoning.

4. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a 10" skillet. Drop round spoonfuls (no more than two tablespoons per fritter) of batter into the skillet. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel. Makes about 20-24 fritters.

Pork Yok
When I was younger, I thought that my grandmother was saying "yak". The kids assumed that we were going to eat something made from that funny looking animal that reminded me of a kind of buffalo. It sounded funny, but it tasted delicious.

Ingredients:
6-8 thin sliced pork chops (cooked and cubed)
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
¾ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
2 cups spaghetti noodles, thin
Vegetable oil

1. Sauté onions and celery in a tablespoon of oil in a 10" skillet.

2. Add cubed pork chops.

3. Add Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Cover and simmer over medium heat until caramelized.

4. Boil a large pot of water. Cook spaghetti according to the package directions.

5. Drain spaghetti. Add the noodles to the skillet mixture.

6. Stir until noodles are thoroughly coated. Remove from heat. Serve.

Grandma's Stuffing
I refer to this simple and easy dish as stuffing because my grandmother always baked it in the turkey. Now, she makes her stuffing on the stove top.

Ingredients:
½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 package bread crumbs
1 tbsp Butter
¼ tsp sage
¼ cup water

1. In a 10" skillet, sauté onions and celery in butter over medium heat.

2. Add bread crumbs and sage. As the bread crumbs brown, add water.

3. Continue to stir over low heat until the desired consistency is achieved. Add more water if needed.

4. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl and serve.

Rutabaga (or Yellow Turnip)
My husband's grandmother used to fix him this dish when he was growing up in New Jersey and South Carolina. He continues to fix it every year in her memory. This dish is quite savory due to the smoked meat used to flavor the vegetable.

Ingredients:
1 large rutabaga (washed, peeled, and cubed)
1 package smoked meat (pork or turkey)
1/8 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook half a package of smoked meat in a three quart saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the cubed rutabaga. Cover and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and easy to pierce with a fork.

3. Add the sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to serve.

Thanksgiving is about sharing life and love over a bountiful meal. These recipes have made our meals unique and at the same time, familiar and comforting. What are some of your traditional side dishes? Don't have any? Start right now by creating new side dish recipes this Thanksgiving for family and friends to enjoy.