Regardless of how fun the actual holiday is, the work that goes into prepping for a beautiful Thanksgiving meal is stressful. Whether it’s someone’s in-laws getting too involved in the prep or the turkey being too big to fit into the oven, I thought I could take some of the stress off regarding the menu with a few recipes from both faculty and students’ families in our community. Here’s what Stone Ridge is cooking up in their houses this week!
A Little Aperitifs Before the Meal Begins
In France, aperitifs indicates sitting in the living room as a community, prior to gathering (after the first glass of Champagne) around the table for a big meal. It offers a chance to congregate at the living room table and share a few little bites as you socialize a bit with your family before the big meal. Here are some small dish ideas from our community that will warm you up for the big feast ahead.
- Maddie DeLuca‘s (’26) Great Grandma’s Pumpkin Soup: A delicious, light and creamy soup that both smells and tastes like fall in a bowl.
- Dani Dinges‘ (’26) Charcuterie Board: Containing both sweet and savory items, charcuterie boards are the best way to start off a meal and could even be a meal in itself. To make yours more festive, add dried apricots, Trader Joe’s pumpkin crackers for spreading a variety of cheeses like brie or, Mr. Woodard‘s favorite, sharp cheddar, and some cold cuts like rosemary ham.
- Pasta may sound like an odd choice for Thanksgiving, but not in Lucy Iandoli‘s (’26) Italian family, who enjoys their Mezzo Rigatoni with a sweet, tangy tomato sauce for the holiday.
- From Italy to France, une coupe de Champagne for aperitif and amuse-gueule (nuts and olives) is a staple in Madame Worth‘s house for the perfect way to gather as a family and socialize before the big meal.
The Star of the Show
Whether it’s a turkey, steak, stew, or vegetable, the main dish is the star of the show and arguably, the main form of decor for the table. As a turkey lover, I am all for the big, traditional bird, but as I have come to realize through my interviews with students and faculty, the big bird isn’t the only “star of the show” as other meats. stews, and pumpkins are also quite popular. Here’s what our students and faculty are cooking up this year!
- Because my (Maddie DeLuca‘s) family is so split on the kinds of meats we like on the table at Thanksgiving, and my mom doesn’t eat red meat, we always have a turkey option and my grandma Na’s incredible London Broil (and one of the only ways I will eat steak). Marinated in a red wine marinade for a couple days, this steak has so much flavor and comes out perfectly every single time.
- For a non-traditional Thanksgiving dish, spaghetti squash is a delicious way to get some veggies on your plate or to partake in the big meal if you are vegetarian or vegan.
- Madame Worth’s Oven Sac Turkey with veggies, butter, and herbs is a traditional French way to make a turkey. The oven sac is the key to keeping the turkey moist so that it doesn’t lose any of its flavor in the oven.
- If you’ve ever seen those big green egg-shaped grills, it’s the best way to smoke a Thanksgiving turkey (to make it taste like ham) according to Dr. Bulger. Smoking the bird in one of these ceramic charcoal grills also frees up the oven for sides.
- Mrs. D’Avella‘s spatchcock grilled turkey makes for the best way to cook a turkey evenly, although there is a grueling process to get it to fit on the grill.
- At Ms. Diaz‘s house, the pork, also called pernil is her family’s traditional holiday meal. Her mom, grandma, and aunts would all prepare for the season by making it together.
- Ms. Browder’s bitterleaf stew, is a traditional Liberian dish (and Nigerian too). Served with rice or foufou, and cooked with melon seeds, bitter leaf, different meats (including fish), onion, veggie, oil, crawfish, pepper, salt, baking soda, and water, this stew is a staple at Thanksgiving meals in her household.
- For an absolutely out of this world dish, Ms. Beachler stuffs a pumpkin with fondue cheese (traditionally gruyere) and roasted nuts. She recommends a pre-roasted blue pumpkin (jarrahdale). Jarrahdale pumpkins are the key for this dish as they are a sweeter pumpkin that make this dish decadent.
Save Room for Sides!
Side dishes are arguably the best part of Thanksgiving, whether it’s the hit-or-miss green bean casserole or the ever-controversial stuffing, the sides you put at your table say a lot about your family and the traditions you share at Thanksgiving.
- Taylor Barch’s (’26) favorite side is sweet potatoes with marshmallows and brown sugar, a classic sweet potato casserole with that added touch of sweetness from the brown sugar.
- Maren Todd’s (’28) grandma makes a homemade cranberry sauce, and with the addition of raisins and apples, it definitely prevails over canned cranberries.
- Dr. Bulger’s convinces everyone to eat their vegetables by adding manchego cheese and pomegranate arils atop her roasted brussels sprouts.
- Terra Tita’s (’26) family prepares a traditional Cameroonian Fried Rice. If you want to include this on your Thanksgiving table, Terra has shared the full recipe with us:
- First wash rice multiple times
- Fried in oil, the rice is cooked in veggie water (that contains grated carrots, green beans chopped and ground with a stone, bell peppers grated then mashed, and minced leeks).
- Boil the chicken separately with the skin on (for added flavor)
- Add chicken stock, then the squeezed veggie water
- Boil the rice in the pot after it’s been fried
- Fry the veggies separately (1 onion, 2 carrots)
- Add cream
- Add the de-boned chopped chicken and put it in the oven to bake until crispy.
- Lastly, the veggies and chicken are put in the rice and mixed together.
- Madame Worth’s makes gratin dauphinois à la crème et fromage (scalloped potatoes with cream and cheese)
- Dr. Minogue is vegan and, therefore, Thanksgiving can be a little more difficult, especially when a lot of the dishes contain cream, butter, or are meat-based. She prepares a vegan green bean casserole that solves that problem in a decadent way! Here’s the recipe she uses.
- Abby Neary’s (’26) family makes a 3-cheese mac and cheese containing the BEST cheeses: gouda, white cheddar, and gruyere. This ought to be the creamiest savory mac and cheese recipe yet!
- Now, if there’s one dish to try containing sweet potatoes, it has to be Clare Morrell‘s (’26) family’s Praline Sweet Potatoes, reminiscent of the sweet potato side at Founding Farmers. Her mom was kind enough to share the recipe with us so that I could share it with you!
New Orleans Praline Sweet Potatoes
Yields 6-8 Servings
4 cups baked sweet potato meat (about 4 pounds)
Ingredients:
– 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
– 1/2 cup light brown sugar
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/8 tsp. EACH: ground white pepper, ground nutmeg
– 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Praline topping:
- 1/4 cups shelled, unsalted pecans (halves or chopped)
- Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Sweet Treat O’Clock!
Now for the most fun part of the Thanksgiving meal: the dessert! From traditional apple and pumpkin pies, to crumbles and less traditional cheesecakes and other treats, dessert is a more customizable part of the meal. Make sure you save room!
- I might be a little biased, but I think my (Maddie DeLuca‘s) Grandma Na’s Apple Crumble Pie might be the best one I have ever tasted! With a homemade crust, sweet stewed Granny Smith apples coated in cinnamon sugar (that I would eat out of the bowl as she prepared it) and a brown sugar crumble on top, this warm flavorful secret family recipe is the perfect end to our Thanksgiving meal.
- For a more personalized apple pie, Mrs. Lynch and her husband go apple picking and use those in the Kroger Apple Crisp mix that she buys at the store. An adorable tradition and a yummy treat!
- Between the college counselors, Ms. Konecni argues that she makes a mean Dutch Apple Pie that is a fan favorite in her house. Mrs. Sweeney’s Apple Crisp Cobbler sounds equally incredible with oats in cinnamon and hot butter on top of six chopped and peeled red apples. Pull it out of the oven and serve with vanilla ice cream.
- Because of Mr. Lesnick‘s gluten allergy, Thanksgiving can be more difficult with all of the breads and pie crusts for dessert, but his cranberry apple pie with an oat crumble on top instead of a crust is the perfect gluten-free dessert recipe! It’s even better with ice cream and cheddar cheese (according to Mr. Lesnick, though his family doesn’t approve of the cheese part- he still swears by it!)
- Moving on to the non apple desserts, Mr. Woodard makes a Gourmet Orange Liqueur Cheesecake in a spring-form pan pretty much every year! He has some competition from Dani Dinges (’26) as she is the best baker I know and she makes an amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake (check out her insta: dani.ellasdelights to see her incredible cakes and baked goods).
- Moving onto Pumpkin pies, Ms. McGrail’s mother in law makes a decadent Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe that can rival any other, maybe even Ayla Wendt’s (’26) grandma’s Pumpkin Pie recipe, or Stella Lesnick’s (’26) family’s sweet potato pumpkin pie with candied yams and pumpkins?
- For something a bit different, Mrs. Harkins makes a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie that is a fun addition to the end of her Thanksgiving meal!
- Maybe you want to try everything, in which case Ms. Capehart has a great idea for you! She uses this recipe from the Washington Post called “tassies,” essentially mini pies and tarts with different fillings so that you can get a sample of everything! The pumpkin, apple, cranberry, and lemon curd are her favorites, but I am sure that any of the pie recipes above could work as well!
- For a non-traditional pie, Madame Worth makes a Tiramisu for the end of her meal and for any non-pie lovers out there, this is an idea you should try! For another, Melina Fotopoulos’ (’26) Watergate Salad containing cool whip, pistachio jello powder, marshmallows, pecans, pineapple, and cherries is a unique take on dessert post-main-meal
The Perfect Accompaniment
With all of the food, some refreshments are absolute necessities. Here are some of the community’s family drink recipes and ideas for the best sips with your meal.
- Mr. McCluskey‘s family’s “shrubs” drink recipe is definitely one to try: just add 7up, cranberry juice, and rainbow sherbet.
- Ms. Diaz‘s family’s traditional drink is called “tradition” but is also known as coquito, a Puerto Rican cocktail traditionally made with coconut milk, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and rum (if you’re over 21). It got its name because Ms. Diaz’s daughter Mariela (’28) couldn’t pronounce coquito when she was younger and instead said “may I please have some tradition?” and the name stuck!
- My (Maddie DeLuca‘s) family’s sparkling “Spider”- a name that came from my brother’s inability to pronounce Cider – is Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider, fall a staple in my house that doesn’t last longer than two days , that’s how good it is.
- The “French way” according to Madame Worth is a Thanksgiving meal paired with a Bordeaux Rouge (a red wine) “Château Bon Ami”- and I wouldn’t know, but apparently red wine complements turkey quite well, so if you’re over 21, give this a try!
Post-Thanksgiving Breakfast Lunch & Dinner
After cooking up more food than any one family can eat, there are bound to be leftovers. Honestly, sometimes there’s nothing better than a turkey sandwich on a leftover bread roll with some roasted brussels sprouts on the side – a tradition that my southern grandma and I have shared for years. Here’s some other leftover ideas so that the rest of the turkey doesn’t get wasted.
- Mrs. D’Avella has one of the most unique post-Thanksgiving traditions I have ever heard. She makes a soup with the leftover turkey and sides and places stuffing at the bottom of the bowl with a few scoops of soup on top! That sounds like comfort in a bowl!
- When Dr. Bulger‘s family gets tired of reheating leftovers, she uses leftover smoked turkey to make a loaded turkey ramen. She uses this recipe.
- I think at this point everyone has heard of the famous “Moist Maker” from the TV show Friends. Here’s a link to try it yourself.
- Madame Worth makes a Fous-y–tout: a casserole with the leftovers where you “just throw [everything] in there” as it literally translates in French.
Whether or not you decide to follow any of these recipes, I’d love to know how your Thanksgiving Day meal worked out! Happy Thanksgiving Gators!!
