Somebody help a girl out, would ya?

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and I face a rather familiar dilemma.  How to make Thanksgiving special when my family will be celebrating more than once?  My girls will be eating two yummy dinners that day and I hate being redundant.  I could change things up a bit and serve chicken fried rice with a big ole helping of beef & broccoli, but where's the tradition in that?? 

And much more importantly...where are the leftovers in that?!!

So I stick to the at-least-mostly traditional, familiar fare.  Mamaw Honaker's sweet potato casserole is a must of course.  Amelia's recipe for brining and roasting the turkey is a never-fail.  Pumpkin pie for Jeremy and apple pie for Drew.  There's the must-have stuffing which we do not stuff and is never particularly wonderful.  (I need a good recipe for that one!!  A recipe that has nothing weird in it that my kids will reject!)  And of course we have to have the usual mashed potatoes and gravy. 

And the bread!  We can not, must not, forget the bread!  This year I'm thinking I'll serve up some of Pioneer Woman's rosemary rolls - they are out-of-this-world and a sure crowd pleaser. 

Something green would be good but I don't think I can bear to slap together the awesome green bean casserole this year and I don't think the fam will approve of the healthy version I found.  Maybe just some steamed broccoli.  No?  Not on the most decadent eating day of the year?  How about broccoli casserole with a lot of cheese and stuff that's bad for you?  I thought so.

After typing all of this out I'm not impressed by the, well...unbalanced-ness of it all, but seriously I don't think the offspring will tolerate any variation on the traditional. 

However, I sure would like to get it a try.  Do any of you have any good suggestions?  Any favorites around your house that you just couldn't face the holiday without?  I can't stray too far because of the aforementioned issues, but I would love to shake thinks up a little bit beyond the rosemary rolls. 

Because seriously, how many 5-gazillion-calorie buttered rolls can a girl eat in one sitting?

Happy Friday!
Renee

p.s.  Don't forget the cranberry sauce! the canned, jelly kind!  Yumm-O...  There was a most excellent-looking recipe for it on PW's site, but I'm afraid I might shock and horrify my children.  What is fascinating and somewhat pathetic about that is the fact that I'm pretty sure my children do not even eat cranberry sauce.  well, that and the fact that my children are grown adults.  Good grief I'm such a mom. and a goober. and not particularly in that order. 

Have a good weekend, y'all!