We go with all traditional Thanksgiving items, although some of the sides may vary year to year. But always leave the core favorites alone. Where we mix it up a little is with pies. We go into a frenzy and sometimes make 7 different ones for just 4! But we do have a SIL now, so we’ll be five. He has added a family tradition to our table, which are mini caramel pecan sticky rolls. Heavenly and we have them at Xmas too. In years past, we invited neighbors over for pie and coffee, but they’ve all moved or passed on to another realm. 
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@Sasha - is your son allergic to walnuts, or is it a texture thing? I will say cranberry and walnut flavors are a heavenly match. I love making cranberry walnut oil vinaigrette with the leftover cranberry sauce from T-day. If it’s not a tree nut allergy, hazelnuts may be a good substitute. In any case, I’m sure your plan will be coming together nicely, soon.
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That. Sounds. Great.
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Not quite to your question but a favorite Thanksgiving story. I don’t even care if it’s true.
The story goes that the matriarch of a family finally announced that this year would be the last time she hosted Thanksgiving as it was simply too much work at her age. After much familial discussion one of her granddaughters agreed to carry the tradition forward. With support from other family members (which the matriarch never received) all the regular traditions were honored, including cutting the turkey in half along the backbone and roasting the halves separately. No one knew why the matriarch did it that way but by golly she did so they would also.
When the day arrived the matriarch arrived to great fanfare and received a tour of the granddaughter’s home which she had not previously seen. Lots of “ohh’s” and “ahh’s” later the tour ended in the kitchen where the matriarch was greatly impressed. At the sight of the lovely double convection wall oven she exclaimed “I sure with I had ovens like that. I wouldn’t have had to cut the d@m^ turkey in half to make it fit all those years.”
Happy Thanksgiving.
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I really love the stalks too. One the one hand, gimmicky. Otoh, its keeps the freshness, it is visibly less processed i.e. close to the earth, and thirdly, I get a chance to admire something I have been hopeless at growing myself. My brussels from the garden, in the 3 or so yrs I tried, were always small and demolished by insects or one kind or another. It is kind of a pain to remove them from the stalk, but a perfect mindless activity while in front of the tv the day or 2 before. I won’t slice by hand for large volume like that. I’ll use the disk blade in my cuisinart.
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Allergy. Peanuts and tree nuts. 2 exceptions from blood testing are almonds and pine nuts. Somehow coconuts don’t count, and so those are ok too. We did a food challenge with hazelnuts a couple years ago before a trip to Italy, but he also had a cold then and so stopped prematurely. But if you like the cran-wal combo, I encourage you to give this TJ “Pie” a whirl. It was mighty tasty.
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FP makes sense.
We do whole sprouts for the meal, and I’m often the one that preps them (maybe you got that from my comment already 
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Have you experimented with the stalks? I did for the first time last year - pretty tasty.
I will do just that @Sasha. Love going to TJ’s this time of year. I don’t go much anymore since the kids flew the coop. There’s a $5 toll to cross the bridge, so I try to combine errands. I do need to hit an Asian store and would like a visit to Grocery Outlet as well.
I am the sous chef come Thanksgiving Day but if I were in charge of the turkey
I have always wanted to try Jacques Pepin’s recipe when he and Julia Child cooked for Thanksgiving…a long time ago. Especially the stuffed legs.
All the prep is in part one but the finished product is in part two. The creamed onions they create for a side is worth considering. We have made them often.
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No! Tell me more. Are they edible like a broccoli stalk, if you peel the outside?
Oh ouch. Yes, in that case, combine all the errands. Have a big old errand day, and go home only when you can’t fit anything more in the car.
Yeah!! H will be so pleased! 
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Creamed onions were a mandatory dish for my early 20C family. Never appreciated by any of the younger generations. But I now wonder if they might not be once again be appreciated. Good call!
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I love it.
NYT and Epi have their thanksgiving links up.
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Yes, Brussels sprouts stalks (the inner part) are edible. I recall some HO posting about roasting them like bones and then scooping out the cooked innards like bone marrow!
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I recently had whitefish salad/pate at a restaurant and loved it - thinking about it for one of the new apps - anyone have a recipe they love?
ETA: thanks @Rooster
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I love Thanksgiving and not only because of the food, but because it is a four day weekend!!! The family is finally together from all over and we just sit and chill (the before is a bit hectic, but once the food is ready, it lasts throughout the weekend). We all sit together in the LR, light a fire and sit with our throws and just talk, laugh, catch up and of course… eat! Food is the same every year - although I make remarks at the end of the long weekend, so I don’t forget for next year (“make less of this”, “more of that”) but it’s Turkey, Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes topped with pecans/butter/brown sugar, mushroom/herb stuffing and an Apple Pie from Drive By Pies (which are absolutely delicious).
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