FILE - A Thanksgiving dinner is displayed on a table in Concord, N.H., on Oct. 22, 2012. Families are navigating the vaccination divide for the holidays. Thanksgiving is a bellwether for how the rest of the season will go among those facing family conflict over the shot. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File)
We asked our newsletter readers to select one turkey day food item they can’t do without, and not a single person picked turkey. Maybe we should start informally referring to Thanksgiving as “stuffing day?”
Everyone has a Thanksgiving dinner favorite. Maybe it’s one of the the staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, or green beans; an outlier like creamed onions or macaroni and cheese (the latter of which is NOT an outlier, according to my southern friends), or the many delectable desserts like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or apple pie.
In a recent Question of the Week in the Keystone newsletter (which you can subscribe to here) we asked readers to name the one Thanksgiving menu item they simply can’t do without. Spoiler alert: Not a single person responded with turkey, but a whole lot answered with stuffing. Maybe we should start informally referring to Thanksgiving as “stuffing day,” not “turkey day?”
Here’s what your fellow Pennsylvanians can’t do without on Thanksgiving (answers have been edited for length and clarity).
“Mashed potatoes! What can I say? I’m Irish. It’s my comfort food.”
-Dale, Philadelphia
“My sister’s apple pie, hands down.”
-Suzanne, Jenkintown
“My own cranberry relish. I especially love hearing the berries ‘pop’ as they are boiled.”
-Beth McMullen, State College
“The one Thanksgiving food item I’d eat if forced to choose is stuffing/dressing.”
-Melvin, Philadelphia
“Baked Cranberry Apple Sausage stuffing with gravy.”
-George Trunk, Geigertown
“Gotta go with stuffing!”
-Cory Spotts, Mill Hall
“The one essential for a Thanksgiving meal is filling, aka stuffing or dressing.”
-Karen Poe, Carlisle
“Sweet potatoes. Either candied or a sweet potato casserole.”
-Karen, Union County
“Stuffing!”
-Reed Williams, Pittsburgh
“Stuffing.”
-Ellen Franko, Schuylkill County
“Sweet potatoes. In any form. I love sweet potatoes and have since I was a little kid. I prefer a casserole that has pecans and brown sugar on top rather than the marshmallow one but I’m not picky. Just gimme all of the sweet potatoes.”
-Duke Slifko, Greensburg
“Candied sweet potatoes.”
-Paige Katz, York
“My mom’s stuffing/dressing. Mom’s recipe includes homemade croutons, parsley (and lots of it), celery, onion, fresh sage, and nuts.”
-Laszlo, Rostraver Township
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Pennsylvanians and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Keystone has always been to empower people across the commonwealth with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Pennsylvania families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
The 5 best bars in Erie, according to our readers
I once heard a joke about my hometown, Erie, PA: there’s a bar and a church on every corner. While this isn’t technically true, there are, in fact,...
The best sushi spots in Erie, according to our readers
Erie, PA is not exactly the first place a person thinks of when it comes to good sushi. But over the past couple of decades, the dish has popped up...
The 3 best clubs in Erie, according to our readers
Erie loves its nightlife. And while it may or may not be happenin’ the way it was in the early ‘00s, there are plenty of cool places where folks can...
The 3 best pizza parlors in Erie, according to our readers
Erie might not be the first place that comes to mind when it comes to finding really good pizza, but some locals would argue otherwise. Where can a...
The 3 best burgers in Erie, according to our readers
The best thing about burgers is how approachable they are. Just about anybody can eat a burger. You often find burgers on kids' menus and in...
