Here, Food Blogs Star Monique Kilgore of the divine Divas Can Cook site shares her plans for the Thanksgiving holiday! (Get Thanksgiving recipes and more from all of the Food Blogs Stars here.)
I come from a large, Southern family in which just about everyone is a cook and undiscovered comedian. I’m pretty sure you can imagine what Thanksgiving is like, right?
There’s an overabundance of the same foods, because everyone claims to make the best version. Seeing a table dedicated solely to baked macaroni and cheese, you’d think there’s a blue ribbon to be won.
Innocent family board games turn into rowdy tournaments. One year, Uno nearly caused a rivalry among the cousins. Who knew slamming down a Draw Four and yelling, “In your face!” could send a person over the edge?
Jokes fly left and right, some way below the belt. You’re bound to find somebody on the floor, laughing in tears. All the while, my grandmother sits proudly, smiling at the crazy family she created.
It’s joyfully chaotic, but once the comfort food settles in, the evening becomes calm and conversational. The homemade apple cider and coffee gets fired up. My aunts pull out the big box of old family photos, and the hilarious trip down Memory Lane starts.
My Thanksgivings are always a reminder of how blessed I am to have my family. I leave with my soul full and grateful.
Monique’s Thanksgiving recipes
- Old-fashioned Southern cornbread dressing
- Creamy baked macaroni and cheese
- Honey-butter dinner rolls
- Cream cheese mashed potatoes
- Italian cream sheet cake
- Southern sweet potato pie
Thanksgiving Q&A with the Diva!
Will you be doing the cooking? No, we’ll be going to my grandmother’s house this year. We do Thanksgiving potluck style.
What is your absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish? Hmm… this is tough. I’m going to go with cornbread dressing because Thanksgiving is the only time I crave it.
Where will you be? In the mountains! Asheville, North Carolina, is the best place to spend Thanksgiving. The trees are breathtaking this time of year.
Who will you be with? All of my family! Thanksgiving is usually like a family reunion.
What else do you like to do on Thanksgiving day? Well, since calories don’t count on Thanksgiving, I pretty much eat and relax all day. We play a lot of board games and watch old family videos. That’s always fun.
Anything you’re particularly thankful for this year? I could write a book on all the things I’ve been thankful for this year, so I’ll just go with life. Life is good.