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.
Iโm a guest. My mother always hosts in my parentsโ log home in the woods, so perfect especially with the wood burning stove fired up. She focuses on the turkey, stuffing and pies (with homemade crust!) and we all bring the sides & drinks. Itโs one of my favorite days of the year.
Iโm a #guest. This is my first year as a Thanksgiving orphan (my Mom just moved away) and Iโm going to miss doing all the cooking with her!
I guess I am both the #guest and the #host this year! Thanksgiving will be at my in-laws house but they do not like to cook so I will be doing all the cooking! My tip, like many others, prep and plan as best as you can before Thanksgiving day.
I love getting multiple generations involved. Getting my kids to do things like make place cards or stir or assemble. #Guest
I am hosting this year for the first time and could definitely use this as a guide. Thank you for the opportunity:)
Our family just moved; we are knee-deep in boxes of kitchenware at the moment, so we will thankfully be guests again this year! My advice for Thanksgiving- you can never have too many bottles of wine on hand!
#guest/host? My mom hosts, but my little sister and I are her sidekicks who do ALL the grunt work
I am the hostess with the mostess! My Grandmother pasted last year and I have taken over rounding up the troops and cooking for 30 of us and I love every minute of it. Something about getting everything ready and seating down as one big family just makes my day. I live in Florida but my family is in Ohio and I am counting down the days until I can see all o them around the table sharing a special meal.
Iโm the hostess and my tip is to buy your turkey at a turkey farm; super fresh & order in advance! Also, if you are stressed about the sides and cooking, usually those turkey farms have the most amazing sides too! Focus on the decor & your guests and making it special!
#Guest who so so badly wants to be the Host. Must defer to older generations, but I am anxious for my turn! We will bring dessert. And try not to groan at the overcooked vegetables and syrupy sweet potatoes.
Iโm the #host this year for my biggest feast yetโmore than 30 guests! Ack! My favorite tip is to lay out all your serving platters a day or two in advance, and put post-its in each with whatever will go into that platter written on them. That way, no more scrambling for the right platter last minute, and no more forgetting the rolls in the oven.
Hosting! My tip (which I nearly always fail at) is to not apologize for your food. If thereโs a major, cannot be passed off, cannot even be eaten, fail then it should be laughed about. Do your best and cook with love, everyone who is worth it will appreciate it.
BRINE your turkey! Make gravy ahead of time. DO make homemade pies. Iโm host this time and would love to win thisโฆ
Iโm hosting in our new house! Canโt wait for our first holiday here. Thanks for the giveaway!
Oh! And my favorite dish is my familyโs stuffing recipe. Itโs simple and delicious.
I have several recipes that are tradition and must haves. I also like to experiment with a few each year.
We are always guests but enjoy bringing classic sides.
#Host! I am hosting Thanksgiving for the first time at my in-laws! I need all the help I can get, haha!
Nice! Thanks for the contest. Iโm hosting, cooking, cleaning up the mess then taking a long nap!
Guest, with benefits (i.e. I always bring pie, homemade of course)
Hosted since 2005! Tip- Set the special dining table at least three days in advance (up to a week in advance if itโs your first time). Also, at this time pull out all the small appliances that you seem to only use at holiday time such as electric knives, your largest roasting pan, baster, and digital thermometer.
How are you going to pick from all these Thanksgiving foodies?! I am the host โ always the host โ and this year the table will be filled with friends of my kids who canโt be with their families for the holiday. I canโt wait to hear what their family food traditions entail. My tip is to use the freshest and best ingredients you can afford.
This is my first Thanksgiving with my family since my mother died last year, so Iโm feeling much more like a host than ever before, although my siblings and I will all be in it together. Thereโs so much I feel like I didnโt ask my mom about Thanksgiving and how she did certain things (that gravy!). I definitely feel like I need some help in the Host department. One thing I DO know: for leftover turkey sandwiches, ONLY Pepperidge Farm thin sliced white bread is acceptable.
Iโll be a #guest twice this Thanksgiving. Iโll give you my foodie momโs tip to a happy thanksgiving dinner: host one the Sunday before the actual day. That way you wonโt be disappointed by a less from-scratch, decidedly NON-foodie experience at your MILโs house. ๐
As a guest my tip is to offer to bring a dish, as a host my tip is to decide on the entire menu an entire week in advanceโ otherwise Iโve been plagued with indecision/changing my mind/ending up with too many trips to the grocery store, too many dishes to prepare, and too many leftovers (โฆas if such a thing were possible!).
I am a Guest. My favorite Thanksgiving side is from my preschool cookbook! Cranberry Orange Relish. Add one whole naval orange (washed with skin on!), one package raw cranberries, one cup sugar to bowl of Cuisenart, chop with blade. The perfect tart accompaniment to turkey and gravy!