Wickeds, what is a dish your main characters traditionally eat at Thanksgiving? Something beyond turkey and potatoes.
Sherry: Since Sarah is eating at the DiNapoli’s house there are a lot of Italian dishes along side the traditional turkey and sides. Sarah can’t resist Angelo’s award winning lasagna but wonders how she will be expected to eat anything else.
Edith/Maddie: Robbie Jordan’s boyfriend Abe told her not to be surprised that his father always prepares fried catfish with Cajun sauce along with turkey for the Thanksgiving table. Since she loves the crispy Southern treat, she’s not complaining. Instead of turkey dressing, Mac Almeida’s family has a tradition of serving Cape Verdean Arroz de Marisco, a delicious rice and seafood dish. And Mac’s grandmother Abo Reba makes a mean southern spicy kale side dish.
Liz: Maddie’s mom is a health nut and loves to try new dishes that she reads about. This year, along with the traditional turkey, she’s making a vegan mac and cheese side dish, with cashews and almond milk, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and lots of roasted veggies. And of course, gluten-free pasta!
Julie: Lilly makes a cranberry jello mold. It has raspberry jello, cranberry sauce, pineapple, apples, a dab of mayo and cream cheese. She makes it because it is delicious, and it often horrifies her guests. She enjoys keeping people on their toes. Lilly is Maddie’s mother’s worst nightmare.
Jessie: Since Beryl is not a cook and is often away from the States when Thanksgiving rolls round, more often than not she either makes a meal of local fare or makes the best of things with a tin of beans settled next to a campfire. Edwina is a Brit and is not sure what all the fuss is about. She always lays on a spread at Christmas.
Barb: At Julia’s mother’s house Sonny and Chris are having some kind of manly competition that involves brining the turkey and cooking it on the barbecue. Julia wishes they would just put the bird in the oven, for heaven’s sake. They’re having oyster stuffing since the best oysters come from the Damariscotta River nearby. (Expecting pushback from people from Massachusetts to Louisiana on that assertion.) Did you know one of the largest rutabaga farms on the East Coast is in Corinth, ME? Of course, as the farmer jokes, not many people like rutabaga so it doesn’t take much to be the biggest.
Readers: What’s on your Thanksgiving table?