are you ready?

Luckily, I have a reprieve from helping with my granddaughter this week. Today, I've been prepping some side dishes for Thanksgiving. I'm also lucky to have guests that have offered to bring side dishes. The side dishes that I'm making this year is Great Grandma Fried's turkey dressing and a recipe that I picked up many years ago at Delicious Orchards for sweet potato casserole with pecans. I've made this many times over the years and it's one of my favorites. What makes it special is that the sweet potatoes are mashed and they are topped with a delicious and crunchy topping with pecans.

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Other side dishes that I recommend for the harried cook this year are yams with cider, corn casserole, butternut squash and apple casserole, and Brussels sprouts with pancetta. These recipes, except for the Brussels sprouts,  require a bit of prep, but can be done ahead. Are you making a salad? How about salad of winter greens, walnuts, roasted beets and goat cheese or a recipe from Bon Appètit Magazine, September 2002 for apple, dried cherry and walnut salad with maple dressing. I'm trying this one this year. You should be able to find the champagne vinegar at Wegmans.