Last year, we devoted a lot of blog space to Thanksgiving, by Sam Sifton. And since we’re editors and writers, supposedly on the pulse of what the lastest, greatest, trendiest everything is, we should probably be featuring this year’s of-the-moment holiday cookbook. But here’s the thing: “trendy” and “of-the-moment” are not words that should EVER EVER EVER be in the same sentence as “Thanksgiving,” and we stand by our claim that Sam Sifton’s timeless, authoritative, delicious guide to our country’s greatest holiday is The Only Thanksgiving Recipe Collection You Will Ever Need. (Outside of your grandmother’s recipe box, of course — we don’t want to get anyone in trouble here). As such, we launch our “Countdown to Thanksgiving Series” with a bountiful giveaway: In the next 48 hours, five readers are eligible to win a free copy of Sifton’s Thanksgiving, and five more are eligible to have a free copy sent to whoever is cooking/hosting the feast… as a little pre-holiday pump-up and thank-you-in-advance. That’s TEN COPIES WE ARE GIVING AWAY. All you have to do is leave a comment below (we wouldn’t complain if this comment included a Thanksgiving tip) and tell me which one you are: #Host or #Guest.
Update: All winners have been notified. Congrats Josh, Betsy, Candice, Eva, Molly, Susan, Colleen F, L, Divya, Memegirl and to everyone else thanks for playing!
Related: Sam Sifton’s 1o Laws of Thanksgiving.
I will be a host for a small group. It’s still stressful for me, including house guests, but the kids love it! Thanks for give away.
I will be half host/ half guest–my husband and I can’t be with our families and neither can our friends, and we always do Thanksgiving together in New York. It’s not our immediate family, but it’s the closest thing we have to family here.
guest. Smoke the turkey on the Green Egg!! Delicious. Better than fried…
It varies – this year I’m a guest! My tip is to have the kids get creative when making and decorating the place cards – it’s a fun and personal thing to do that fills up some of their pre-meal time.
I’m a guest this year, and grateful for that (as I have a 10 month old). My tip would be to do as much prep ahead of time as possible! Also, try to stick with recipes that you are comfortable with, or have made before. That will reduce some of the stress of the day and whether or not something will turn out okay. 🙂
I’m always a guest although with this book, maybe that would change! I always buy at least one pie from Pie in the Sky here to support food for shut ins. This year, in addition to volunteering at our local food pantry as a pinch (pitch?) hitter sub throughout the year, we’re donating money to them, too, because they’re struggling even more than usual.
I’m most often a guest, though I have hosted many times as well. My hint is to make the mashed potatoes ahead of time, with lots of sour cream and cream cheese and then reheat them in a crock pot. Save space in your oven, save time on the big day, and sooo delish!
#host always turn my turkey into a great turkey noodle soup
#host
Love the tip to make cranberry ahead so at least it feels like you have something accomplished
#guest. My host sister from Germany is visiting the US this year, and we’re bringing her along to my aunt’s house. In a way, I’m her host…especially since I’ll be cooking her separate, vegan Thanksgiving dinner!
I’m a 23 year old #host who has cooked for Thanksgiving since age 16. My tip is to make skin-on herb stuffed turkey cutlets if you’re in a pinch — not very traditional, but everyone gets their own individual, crisped up portion.
I want to make a beautiful turkey the right way this year, and this book would help a great deal!
#host Pimp out the pumpkin pie. Have someone bring it. There is no discernible difference in taste of store vs. homemade pumpkin pie IMHO.
I still have this bookmarked on Amazon from your last year’s recommendation. For financial reasons, this will be the first year my family and I do not fly home to my parents house for Thanksgiving (perhaps THE BEST time to be home all year). Doubly disappointing as Thanksgiving actually coincides with Chanukah this year. What this means is that I will be attempting to make a Thanksgiving meal for my little family (a week and a half after we move in to our new home, no less). Perhaps it is time to start traditions of our own. And this book might be the way to do it (hint, hint)!
I am a guest for the first time in quite a while. Not sure yet how I feel about it.
My tip is to have twice as much wine on hand as you think will need.
Cannot believe I’m just seeing this!
I’m a guest this year, for the first time in years. My tip is to always know which supermarkets are open on the big day, JUST in case you need to pick up an extra bag of cranberries or, if like me, your rolls forget to rise and you need backup!
I’m not sure who is cooking this year!! Lots of family and friends gathering for the weekend at a cabin in TN. So I would love this book to get the conversation about cooking started!! 🙂
I’m not sure who is cooking this year!! Lots of family and friends gathering for the weekend at a cabin in TN. So I would love this book to get the conversation about who is cooking what started!! 🙂
We are guests this year, as for the past several, and will contribute some yet to be decided side dish. Our tight-knit urban block of families began rotating holiday potluck meals a few years ago at Easter. None of us has family in town, so we’ve become each other’s families and are thankful indeed.
#Guest
Unfortunately? Is that terrible to say? I wish I was hosting. My m-in-law just doesn’t love to cook. I do get to make the stuffing and might make the cranberry margs from Bon Ap.
Guest, making pies upon arrival.
Guest, making pies upon arrival!
We’re doing a Thanksgiving potluck, so we’re both #Host and #Guest I guess!
Guest. Buy the pie, make everything else. Butterfly the bird.
I made a turkey on tuesday. My husband bought it after canadian thanksgiving…on sale. I was really pissed. Since we were guests at a dinner this year and since last year when we were hosts and I decided back then to NEVEREVEREVERDOTHATAGAIN that turkey was going to be the last one I cooked. There were way tooooo many cooks in that kitchen last year. I was so dooooone with the whole cooking all day thing. So it’s a good thing the turkey was frozen solid cause it went into the freezer. I figured I’d unload it on someone or bone it and then can the meat. But I got tired of moving it around in the freezer…it was always in the way. So on Sunday I toke the damn thing out and put it on top of the freezer in a pan (the freezer is in the garage….and it’s friggin cold here right now) and figured I’d cook the sucker what ever day it defrosted. And it was a Tuesday. And you know what…..When it’s not t’giving or xmas or easter or whatever special day…it’s just a Tuesday. The meal comes together like a charm. I even made three different potatoes for heavens sake. and I did it all by myself. It was amazing how stress free my turkey day was. Course now we’re eating turkey for the rest of the week. But I no longer have to deal with that dead weight in the freezer. Yay…
Sorry for the lenghth of the post. And don’t send me the book cause I’m not making t’giving dinner anytime soon. It’s the next generations turn already.
AAAAAND….it was even all Gluten Free. Everything. First time I didn’t feel like a beached whale after a huge dinner like that. The best part was the stuffing. I used a half a pkg of gluten free ceasar salad croutons. Six slices of some weird flax seed bread thing I found in the freezer, cubed it and threw it in the toaster oven to crouton up. And about a cup of leftover cooked quinoa that I found in the fridge while hunting for the eggs. Added the usual stuff and threw in some toasted filberts I fished out of the freezer. Best stuffing ever. When I added some lea and perrins gluten free knock-off. The lid kinda popped off as I was adding a couple splashed and I ended up pouring waaaaay to much in. I thought for sure the stuffing was a goner. But did I mention that it was the best ever…..