The United States of Thankgiving

[Amira]

The NY Times has recipes from all over the US featuring a Thanksgiving dish from each state.  This NPR article thinks the grape salad wasn't the best choice for Minnesota (it was suggested by a "Minnesota-born heiress," although that article isn't written by a Minnesotan (and I want you to know I pronounced Minnesotan correctly in my head)) and the Utah dish which was created by someone from Vermont and it really has nothing to do with Utah except that it's sweet.  Even though I have always hated Jell-O, I think it would have been a better choice for Utah, or funeral potatoes.

 

So, what about your state?  Colorado ends up with a sweet and salty treat for people who are stoned and the Texas turkey tamales are making me cringe.

 

I think this would have been a difficult project to do, and no one's going to be happy with everything, but I do think a lot of the recipes seem pretty good, even if not evocative of a certain state.  

[myfunnybunch]

The Oregon recipe is definitely right on. Cranberry sauce with pinot noir. Yum!

 

Cat

[Chris in VA]

Corn casserole for Virginia? Guess I am not that well-aquainted with the area to say it's spot-on, despite having lived here 13 years.

 

I was thinking corn something-or-other would be good for Nebraska.

[Jean in Newcastle]

They're stretching a bit.  Not every place has regional specialties that are tied in with Thanksgiving.  

[vonfirmath]

The NY Times has recipes from all over the US featuring a Thanksgiving dish from each state.  This NPR article thinks the grape salad wasn't the best choice for Minnesota (it was suggested by a "Minnesota-born heiress," although that article isn't written by a Minnesotan (and I want you to know I pronounced Minnesotan correctly in my head)) and the Utah dish which was created by someone from Vermont and it really has nothing to do with Utah except that it's sweet.  Even though I have always hated Jell-O, I think it would have been a better choice for Utah, or funeral potatoes.

 

So, what about your state?  Colorado ends up with a sweet and salty treat for people who are stoned and the Texas turkey tamales are making me cringe.

 

I think this would have been a difficult project to do, and no one's going to be happy with everything, but I do think a lot of the recipes seem pretty good, even if not evocative of a certain state.  

 

Tamales for Texas was a great choice. Not everyone around here eats Turkey for Christmas and tamales are quite easy to find. Sold both in the stories and by ladies going door to door at businesses. Turkey tamales? Not so much.  Never even seen them.

 

[MomtoCandJ]

For Michigan they have baked German potato salad, I haven't had that before but my mom makes hot German potato salad (it's not baked).

[Cinder]

From Hawaii: Mochi rice stuffing. Grew up there, never heard of it. We'd have some of the other stuff listed, though--poke and haupia, particularly.

 

I'm in GA now, and yes to pecan pie for all occasions.

[Desert Strawberry]

California and Louisiana are dead-on. The stuffing is a good representation of the wide variety and intermingling of foods one finds in California, and the Shrimp-stuffed Mirltons are indeed a well-known, common-but-fancy dish. 

 

I give both a thumbs up. 

[stephanier.1765]

From Florida: I've not personally had the Mojo Turkey but I've known those that have and I'm dying to try some. Sounds delicious to me!

[JustEm]

Delaware: Du Pont turkey with truffled zucchini stuffing. Just some old recipe from a rich family that happens to be from Delaware. Nothing traditional about that unless you are a member of that family, which I am not.

[Guest]

Well, Sauerkraut for Maryland is correct, though I never really thought about it before. We didn't have it with apples and my German ancestors are teetotalers, so no beer. But yeah, my grandmother did always serve sauerkraut at Thanksgiving.

 

I was expecting them to say oysters, though. Another regional holiday go-with.

[MrsMommy]

The Illinois recipe makes no sense to me. I've lived in the Chicago area and in Southern Illinois, and I've never known anybody to have pumpkin soup with ancho and apple.

 

Yes, pumpkin is huge here, but then say pumpkin pie or something. Where did the soup come from?!?

[Susan in TN]

I grew up in MN and have never heard of grape salad. The Jello salad referred to is an obvious one, and needs Cool Whip, canned pineapple, and mini marshmallows mixed in. Mandarin Orange salad is also popular, and it's what we have every Thanksgiving.

 

So did the writer just find various people he knew from different states and ask them what they liked to have? Probably would have taken too long to do an actual survey of lifelong state residents.

[LuvToRead]

The Illinois recipe makes no sense to me. I've lived in the Chicago area and in Southern Illinois, and I've never known anybody to have pumpkin soup with ancho and apple.

 

Yes, pumpkin is huge here, but then say pumpkin pie or something. Where did the soup come from?!?

 

I agree.  Most people use pumpkin in dessert, or make pumpkin bread.   But pumpkin soup?  Not so much.

[JustEm]

I agree. Most people use pumpkin in dessert, or make pumpkin bread. But pumpkin soup? Not so much.

Pumpkin soup is amazing!!!

[zoobie]

Pecan pie! Yes! Finally Georgia's contribution on a list doesn't make me hang my head.

[Jane in NC]

Now no one I know makes sweet potato corn bread, but I do think this might exemplify NC as it is the sweet potato state.  Cornbread and collards are a staple meal in Eastern NC!

[vonfirmath]

From Hawaii: Mochi rice stuffing. Grew up there, never heard of it. We'd have some of the other stuff listed, though--poke and haupia, particularly.

 

I'm in GA now, and yes to pecan pie for all occasions.

 

Its evidently also a thing in neighboring state South Carolina. My mom has sometimes bought a pecan pie there and brought it all the way to Texas to share!

 

[JFSinIL]

The Illinois recipe makes no sense to me. I've lived in the Chicago area and in Southern Illinois, and I've never known anybody to have pumpkin soup with ancho and apple.

 

Yes, pumpkin is huge here, but then say pumpkin pie or something. Where did the soup come from?!?

 

While I have eaten once at one of Bayless's restaurants, and he is a BIG name in Chicago...outside of the city, no one is going to be making his soup.

 

Now, I will try the Kansas sweet tater one, as it looks nice and basic and hubby will like it. 

[vonfirmath]

I would have expected Washington's contribution to be something with apples. OR sushi.

 

[PinkInTheBlue]

Oyster dressing would only make sense for around Mobile, as far as I know. I've never seen it. Never.

[Pawz4me]

Now no one I know makes sweet potato corn bread, but I do think this might exemplify NC as it is the sweet potato state.  Cornbread and collards are a staple meal in Eastern NC!

 

I knew it was going to be (or should be) something sweet potato before I looked.  But corn bread???

[milovany]

I would have expected Washington's contribution to be something with apples. OR sushi.

 

"Glazed shiitake mushrooms with bok choy" -- seriously??  I didn't even know Washington was a big mushroom state and I've lived here the vast majority of my life.  I would say salmon!  With apples a close second. 

 

[chiguirre]

So, what about your state?  Colorado ends up with a sweet and salty treat for people who are stoned and the Texas turkey tamales are making me cringe.

Hmmm, turkey's not a typical tamale ingredient, but it's very similar to chicken so I think it works fine. The "Order Your Tamales" signs have been up for the last couple of weeks here. I know they're for Christmas, but I think they can be extended to Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims probably ate something like them as leftovers of the first Thanksgiving.

[Beaniemom]

I am from Mobile and never had oyster dressing until my Ohioan husband asked me to make it one year.

[Sun]

Could the New York Times be any more out of touch? Some of the states' recipes seemed reasonable for their states, but others just seemed really random, like they were chosen by some NYT staffer or intern who only had the vaguest idea of what states outside the New York area are like. Washington state produces seven times the apples that New York state does, but New York got apple pie. Instead of apples or salmon, Washington got shiitake mushrooms, which is not exactly a Northwest dish, and when I googled, Washington didn't come up as one of the top four shiitake-producing states. Arizona got cranberry sauce with chiles, but I'm pretty sure that Arizona is not exactly a cranberry-producing state.  It just seems kind of odd to claim that these recipes evoked those states.

[Sun]

"Glazed shiitake mushrooms with bok choy" -- seriously??  I didn't even know Washington was a big mushroom state and I've lived her the vast majority of my life.  I would say salmon!  With apples a close second. 

 

 

At least they could have chosen chanterelles, which are native here.

[Jean in Newcastle]

"Glazed shiitake mushrooms with bok choy" -- seriously??  I didn't even know Washington was a big mushroom state and I've lived here the vast majority of my life.  I would say salmon!  With apples a close second. 

The 

The only reason this fits our family is because we're an Asian family.  (But then MIL is known for serving things like purple squid for Thanksgiving so we're not exactly traditional.)

[Lady Florida.]

Both of my states are spot on. I'm from New Jersey and am Italian-American. Our Thanksgiving meal always included Italian food (red sauce as the article says) in addition to the full traditional "American" Thanksgiving meal.

 

I've lived most of my life in Florida, and while I don't know anyone personally who's had mojo turkey I can see how it fits with our state's culture. It sounds yummy. Also, key lime pie. Mmmmm!

[Mergath]

I grew up in MN and have never heard of grape salad. The Jello salad referred to is an obvious one, and needs Cool Whip, canned pineapple, and mini marshmallows mixed in. Mandarin Orange salad is also popular, and it's what we have every Thanksgiving.

 

So did the writer just find various people he knew from different states and ask them what they liked to have? Probably would have taken too long to do an actual survey of lifelong state residents.

 

I'm a native Minnesotan, and I've actually had grape salad at quite a few Thanksgivings.  But not the way the article described.  Sour cream and brown sugar?  Blech.  The stuff I've always had has whipped cream, grapes, and various other things depending on who makes it.

[freeindeed]

I live in Alabama. The dressing concept is accurate, but minus the oysters.

[SamanthaCarter]

It looks like they just asked some sort of chef/foodie/blogger from each state that wanted to try to make a name for him/herself. Hence the strange collection. They should have polled regular people. 

[MrsBasil]

Ugh. I am in Colorado. I know many people who are here. None of them are planning their menu around pot or around people who will have the munchies at dinner.

[BarbecueMom]

Well, I do see gooey butter cake on the holiday dessert table once in a while (I prefer gooey butter cookies), but a recipe that is "not too sweet" is sort of wrong. I'd probably like it more, but if you can't feel your teeth rotting out immediately your butter/sugar ratio is off. And you forgot to dust the top with powdered sugar.

[Farrar]

Could the New York Times be any more out of touch? 

 

Agreed.

 

Some of them look like yummy recipes and a few were right on, but really there were several that made zero sense to me. And some of the things that are really regional - like a sweet potato souffle or macaroni and cheese weren't in those states. They just had recipes or ingredients that were more chic that they wanted to feature instead.

 

Garam Masala for DC? Um, no. You can't make White House food represent us. Ugh. Not cool, NYT.

[LibraryLover]

I think MA is spot on.

[Susan in TN]

I'm a native Minnesotan, and I've actually had grape salad at quite a few Thanksgivings. But not the way the article described. Sour cream and brown sugar? Blech. The stuff I've always had has whipped cream, grapes, and various other things depending on who makes it.

This makes me feel much better. Maybe we will give it a try this year.

[Stratford]

They nailed it with PA....we do eat a lot of bacon 'round here.  

[The Girls' Mom]

Brussels sprouts with peanut sauce for Tennessee?! They are nuts.

 

There was a comment below the Tennessee recipe about chess pie. THAT makes sense. Or cornbread dressing.

[dirty ethel rackham]

The Illinois recipe makes no sense to me. I've lived in the Chicago area and in Southern Illinois, and I've never known anybody to have pumpkin soup with ancho and apple.

 

Yes, pumpkin is huge here, but then say pumpkin pie or something. Where did the soup come from?!?

Yeah, that puzzled me.  Rick Bayless is not from Chicago.  He's from Oklahoma.     His restaurant is amazing, but the food is inspired by  Mexico, not Illinois.  While I like pumpkin (and any squash) soup, I would not say that it is a traditional Illinois dish.

 

Could the New York Times be any more out of touch? Some of the states' recipes seemed reasonable for their states, but others just seemed really random, like they were chosen by some NYT staffer or intern who only had the vaguest idea of what states outside the New York area are like. Washington state produces seven times the apples that New York state does, but New York got apple pie. Instead of apples or salmon, Washington got shiitake mushrooms, which is not exactly a Northwest dish, and when I googled, Washington didn't come up as one of the top four shiitake-producing states. Arizona got cranberry sauce with chiles, but I'm pretty sure that Arizona is not exactly a cranberry-producing state.  It just seems kind of odd to claim that these recipes evoked those states.

I think they just looked for hip chefs and took their recipes rather than looked at what is really traditional. 

[Plateau Mama]

"Glazed shiitake mushrooms with bok choy" -- seriously??  I didn't even know Washington was a big mushroom state and I've lived here the vast majority of my life.  I would say salmon!  With apples a close second.

 

I would have expected Salmon or apples. We always had turkey & salmon, for Thanksgiving. Never mushrooms, except in the stuffing.

[ErinE]

California and Louisiana are dead-on. The stuffing is a good representation of the wide variety and intermingling of foods one finds in California, and the Shrimp-stuffed Mirltons are indeed a well-known, common-but-fancy dish.

 

I give both a thumbs up.

I'm glad they called it mirliton, instead of chayote. My grandmother (and mother) make the best mirliton casserole for Thanksgviing. The turkey bones are then used to make broth which is frozen for use in Christmas gumbo.

[redsquirrel]

Could the New York Times be any more out of touch? Some of the states' recipes seemed reasonable for their states, but others just seemed really random, like they were chosen by some NYT staffer or intern who only had the vaguest idea of what states outside the New York area are like. Washington state produces seven times the apples that New York state does, but New York got apple pie. Instead of apples or salmon, Washington got shiitake mushrooms, which is not exactly a Northwest dish, and when I googled, Washington didn't come up as one of the top four shiitake-producing states. Arizona got cranberry sauce with chiles, but I'm pretty sure that Arizona is not exactly a cranberry-producing state.  It just seems kind of odd to claim that these recipes evoked those states.

 

Because, as it says in the story, NY is The Big Apple. I could have predicted that one with my eyes closed.

[strange_girl]

Okay, this article is seriously reaching. Maine's dish is lobster Mac 'n cheese? Um, no.

 

1.) No one around here (that I've ever met) eats Mac 'n cheese for thanksgiving dinner.

 

2.) Sea bugs...yuck! Lobster is seriously not the delicacy here that it is in other places.

[Farrar]

I like the idea of the mirletons for Louisiana, but I think of mac and cheese as an oddly New Orleans thing for Thanksgiving that I haven't heard of other places.

 

Can someone weigh in on Iowa and cookies? Everyone I've ever known from Iowa was nuts for cookies so that seemed to fit at least.

[Farrar]

Also, everyone knows the NY Times food section is a weird world unto itself. They have their weird tropes there... And the bizarre things they like to highlight...

[Melinda in VT]

I guess cheddar mashed potatoes works OK for VT, although I've never seen them served here.

 

Vermont's contribution to our Thanksgiving menu is that I now use maple syrup in place of corn syrup in my pecan pie. :-)

[itsheresomewhere]

I guess cheddar mashed potatoes works OK for VT, although I've never seen them served here.

 

Vermont's contribution to our Thanksgiving menu is that I now use maple syrup in place of corn syrup in my pecan pie. :-)

I emailed my friend in VT this article.  Her response was what about maple syrup. 

[umsami]

Well, the Mojo Turkey for Florida actually makes sense.  You can buy premade Mojo marinade by Goya or Publix at many supermarkets.  Makes a mighty tasty bird. :)

 

For Michigan....baked German potato salad...umm...doesn't say Thanksgiving to me. I would have done something with dried Michigan cherries in it, maybe a stuffing or bread pudding?  Or maybe a Honeybaked Ham, as it was started in Michigan. :)

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/296295/dried-cherry-sourdough-stuffing

 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Challah-Sausage-and-Dried-Cherry-Stuffing-51138030

 

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/dried-cherry-italian-sausage-stuffing

 

 

Dried cherry bread pudding:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-dried-cherry-bread-pudding.html

 

 

 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

I like the idea of the mirletons for Louisiana, but I think of mac and cheese as an oddly New Orleans thing for Thanksgiving that I haven't heard of other places.

 

Mac and cheese is a vegetable side in the South, and will be on a lot of Thanksgiving tables in SC. It would have worked well for several Southern states as a representative Thanksgiving food. 

 

As to the lobster in Maine, I have this vague recollection that when my sister went up to Maine for Thanksgiving at her inlaws, they did serve lobster, but I don't know how it was prepared. I am 100% sure it was not in mac and cheese. 

 

Maybe we should put together our own list...