Last year, we devoted a lot of blog space to Thanksgiving, by Sam Sifton. And since weโre editors and writers, supposedly on the pulse of what the lastest, greatest, trendiest everything is, we should probably be featuring this yearโs of-the-moment holiday cookbook. But hereโs the thing: โtrendyโ and โof-the-momentโ are not words that should EVER EVER EVER be in the same sentence as โThanksgiving,โ and we stand by our claim that Sam Siftonโs timeless, authoritative, delicious guide to our countryโs greatest holiday is The Only Thanksgiving Recipe Collection You Will Ever Need. (Outside of your grandmotherโs recipe box, of course โ we donโt want to get anyone in trouble here). As such, we launch our โCountdown to Thanksgiving Seriesโ with a bountiful giveaway: In the next 48 hours, five readers are eligible to win a free copy of Siftonโs Thanksgiving, and five more are eligible to have a free copy sent to whoever is cooking/hosting the feastโฆ as a little pre-holiday pump-up and thank-you-in-advance. Thatโs TEN COPIES WE ARE GIVING AWAY. All you have to do is leave a comment below (we wouldnโt complain if this comment included a Thanksgiving tip) and tell me which one you are: #Host or #Guest.
Update: All winners have been notified. Congrats Josh, Betsy, Candice, Eva, Molly, Susan, Colleen F, L, Divya, Memegirl and to everyone else thanks for playing!
Related: Sam Siftonโs 1o Laws of Thanksgiving.
We will be guests at my in-laws this year. I will miss early morning kitchen prep with my own mom!
Happily a guest this year, but bringing traditional stuffing and pie. Stuffing with butter/onion/apples/walnuts/sausage and cider replacing water for the liquid. Except for the sausage & cider, just the way my grandmother & mother made it.
Technically, my mom is the #host, but Iโll be right next to her in the kitchen. Weโre doing Thanksgiving in Manhattan for the first time and we canโt even all fit in the apartment, so my husband and I are staying in a hotel up the street. Canโt wait!
biggest tip is prep, prep, pre ahead of time! And lay down a rule that the cook does NOT have to clean up.
HOSTing a modest 15 people this year!! We get bogged down by preferences for multiple dressings and desserts. Been planning for a month
Iโm the host this year. In our annual Friendsgiving, the host provides the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and something extra of their choice and the guests bring the rest. Just placed the order for our first heritage bird. SO. Excited.
#host โฆ Simplify, simplify, simplify. Pare the list from seven sides to five. Think of something fun for kiddos that grow ups will like too (last year I turned a pie crust disaster into fun mini hand pies and the two-year-old present ate four of them and his dad ate three). Work ahead when toucan, clean as you go, accept help, have a cocktail.
Best Tโgiving tip from my aunt who often hosts extended family for extended days: let everyone bring something thatโs NOT for Thursday dinner: a pot of soup for Friday lunch or a strata for Thursday morning. Smart. #guest
Iโm hosting this year, and the best advice I can give is get as much done ahead of time as possible!! Iโd rather spend time with the family than rushing around at the last minute trying to pull it all together ๐
First time, very clueless but willing to learn #host! Letโs hope we donโt end up with Chinese take-out.
Iโm the host this year this year, and my tip is to enjoy the day, and donโt stress about the details that donโt matter. Itโs just me, my mom and my husband this year, and we decided it was okay to make reservations and eat out, rather than cook a big bird for our little group. Enjoy the people; thatโs the priority.
Hosting for the first time! Just ordered my turkeyโฆso any help I can get would be great!!
I will be 9 months pregnant, so will gladly be a guest this year!
I am the #guest but I do help my Mom out in the kitch. I am also tasked with brining a side dish so pointers of how to do a dish better would be great. I also bring wine, lots of wine:)
Iโm the #Host, but itโs just going to be my husband and I. Plus the dog, who will likely get sick from all the turkey bits we throw his way! Iโd love to add a few new recipes to my repertoire as we create new traditions for our new marriage!
I have been coveting this book for a year and as the host of Thanksgiving on the Saturday after Thanksgiving I could really use it this year!
Thanks!
#guest @ my daughters house โ but we enjoy putting dinner together โ together!
I am the #host. After years of always wanting to try new recipes for special occasions, Iโve learned to go with the old standbys everyone loves (e.g., crockpot corn spoon bread); it makes me happy to think my kids will remember them as โMomโs.โ I usually try one new dish that tempts me from the pages of Saveur, Bon Appetit, or Food and Wine, something that isnโt too complicated. And I never make the piesโmy mother-in-law always brings them. Every time I approach a turkey I feel like Iโm doing it for the first time, so this book would be helpful.
Only tip I have is have lots of wine and a good sense of humor!
First time #Host! Going to be making latkes since itโs Hanukkah as well!
I am still an eater, not a cooker yet, but my motherโs Italian sausage stuffing will go inside any bird I ever make. Itโs so good that sheโs going to smuggle me some back from her celebration in NJ this year.
This year, Iโm a #guest. Iโve hosted the past two years in our tiny apartment though. Iโm looking forward to the stuffing, always made with sausage, and apple pie for dessert.xo
Host again this year we are having 16 people and I couldnโt be happier! This one is MY holiday, I love love, love! My tips were already mentioned, but I would write out your plan but realize you need to stay flexible.
Guest. My mom hosts Thanksgiving every year and I always bring baked goods.
First time #host for 19 people! Would be great to have this book, especially this year!
#Host for the first time!