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Mimi's Classic Southern Thanksgiving

This is the one that feels like going to your grandmother's: the good china, a sideboard full of casseroles, cornbread dressing instead of stuffing, and sweet tea in a pitcher that never runs dry. It's named for my Mimi, and the corn casserole is non-negotiable.

Host tip: Put a small card next to each casserole with the dish's name and who made it. At a table this full, guests like knowing what they're about to try.

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The menu

Starter
Deviled eggsRecipe from Taste of Home ↗
Pimento cheese with crackers and celeryRecipe from Once Upon a Chef ↗
Main
Classic roast turkeyRecipe from Ina Garten, Food Network ↗
Side
Cornbread dressingRecipe from Taste of Home ↗
Corn casseroleRecipe from Spend With Pennies ↗
Collard greensRecipe from Patrick and Gina Neely, Food Network ↗
Green bean casseroleRecipe from Spend With Pennies ↗
Sweet potato casseroleRecipe from Once Upon a Chef ↗
Mac and cheeseRecipe from Spend With Pennies ↗
Bread
Yeast rollsRecipe from Spend With Pennies ↗
Dessert
Pecan pieRecipe from Sally's Baking Addiction ↗
Sweet potato pieRecipe from Taste of Home ↗
Banana puddingRecipe from Trisha Yearwood, Food Network ↗

Drinks and ice

  • Southern sweet tea: recipe
  • Bourbon apple cider punch, topped with ginger beer: recipe

Sweet tea cubes

Freeze leftover sweet tea in a tray with a lemon wheel and a mint leaf in each, so the tea gets stronger as it sits instead of weaker. For the punch bowl, freeze a ring in a bundt pan with apple slices, cranberries and orange wheels.

Make ahead

  1. 3 days before: Thaw the turkey. Bake the cornbread for the dressing and let it dry out.
  2. 2 days before: Bake the pecan and sweet potato pies. Make the pimento cheese. Freeze the tea cubes and the punch ring.
  3. 1 day before: Assemble the dressing, corn casserole, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese. Cook the collards (they're better reheated). Make the banana pudding. Brew the tea.
  4. Day of, morning: Turkey goes in. Make the deviled eggs.
  5. While the turkey rests: Casseroles and dressing into the oven. Rolls go in last.

The music

Classic country and Southern soul

The 25 songs
  1. Jolene, Dolly Parton
  2. Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn
  3. Georgia on My Mind, Ray Charles
  4. I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
  5. Crazy, Patsy Cline
  6. I'll Fly Away, Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch
  7. Midnight Train to Georgia, Gladys Knight & The Pips
  8. The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
  9. Islands in the Stream, Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
  10. Mama Tried, Merle Haggard
  11. He Stopped Loving Her Today, George Jones
  12. Your Cheatin' Heart, Hank Williams
  13. Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
  14. Stand by Your Man, Tammy Wynette
  15. Rocky Top, The Osborne Brothers
  16. Amarillo by Morning, George Strait
  17. Friends in Low Places, Garth Brooks
  18. Delta Dawn, Tanya Tucker
  19. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
  20. Bring It On Home to Me, Sam Cooke
  21. Gentle on My Mind, Glen Campbell
  22. Mama He's Crazy, The Judds
  23. Family Tradition, Hank Williams Jr.
  24. Fancy, Reba McEntire
  25. Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Little touches

  • A gift for the host

    What guests can bring.

    A pie, a jar of chow-chow or pepper jelly, or a pretty serving spoon

  • To take home

    A little something at the door.

    A recipe card for the corn casserole, tied to a small bag of pecans

  • Something to do

    Before the blessing, go around the table and share a favorite memory of someone who isn't there this year

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