Thanksgiving Side Dish Showdown

The holiday season is nothing short of chaotic in our family with a minimum of three, and often upwards of five, gatherings to attend per holiday. They're also nothing short of interesting and lively; what with so many personalities, people we love, joyful moods and great food - lots and lots of food.

Our first Thanksgiving together - 2012

And this year, to capitalize on those quirky personalities, love of food and a desire to have a unique experience, my dad, J and I have created our own "game" for our Thanksgiving Weekend Meal.

It's a little bit like our Grocery Outlet Chopped Challenge; because we will be at the mercy of each other for our star ingredient but will still have lots of flexibility and thankfully (no pun intended), planning time.

We drew names and were each granted the power to declare an ingredient for our chosen chef to use to create a side dish. I picked Dad, J got me and Dad chose J.

Here are the rules we're using:

Ingredient:

1. Will be announced on the Friday before Thanksgiving (November 21). 
2. Can be a "category" (like pasta) or a specific item (like carrots)
3. Should be reasonably priced (no caviar or black truffles) and limited in freakiness (Sorry, Mom; no root beer-flavored Magic Shell)
4. Should be featured but not required to be the predominant ingredient
5. May be a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient, but the dish should be non-traditional (like sweet potato gnocchi) OR the dish can be a twist on a classic T-giving dish (like a savory sweet potato "hot dish" instead of candied sweet potato casserole).

We have a few dietary restrictions (no caffeine or chocolate) and we know each others' palates and preferences well enough to not choose a total sabotage ingredient that the person won't enjoy cooking or eating (ex: Dad DESPISES tuna).

My inner Martha Stewart has been buzzing for weeks with the ever-growing list of items I want to cook for Thanksgiving, so I'm excited to have a more focused mission than "COOK ALL THE THINGS," with which to make something creative and delicious.

Dad proposed this idea less than 24 hours ago, but I'm already brainstorming - I'm thinking of the ingredient I want, and resisting the urge to pressure Honey Dearest into choosing it; how to handle the ingredient I do get and what to assign Dad.

And don't you worry dear readers; I'll keep you updated on the progress of this event AND on the recipes we're making for the 3+ other gatherings next week. There's plenty to come!