The McNicholas Milestone

Thanksgiving is a time for family, fun, and food.  During this special holiday, many different dishes are prepared and served, each with their own unique taste.  In a recent Milestone poll, students and faculty were asked to vote for their favorite Thanksgiving foods based on the following choices: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, ham, pumpkin pie, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, squash, dinner rolls, and other.  The people of McNicholas have spoken; here are the Thanksgiving foods they love the most.

In fifth place is turkey receiving 7% of the total vote.

Turkey is probably one of the most classic and well-known foods of Thanksgiving.  According to the US Poultry and Egg Association, 46 million turkeys are consumed every year on this day in the United States. 

“I eat turkey every day,” math teacher Bill Losekamp said.  “However, it’s deli turkey… it’s nothing anywhere near the fresh turkey we have during Thanksgiving.”

Unfortunately, making a delicious turkey can be a difficult task.  Click here for some tips and tricks on how to make a juicy, tasty turkey for the dinner table.

In fourth place is Dinner rolls, receiving 10% of the total vote.

Dinner rolls are another staple of Thanksgiving.  While sometimes overlooked, they are appetizing and easy to serve.  Americans buy about 4.5 million rolls every Thanksgiving. 

“The Hawaiian rolls are the best,” freshman Avery Elliot said.  “I like dipping them in cranberry sauce.”

Freshman Brendan McPheron said, “They’re pretty convenient; you can find them at a lot of stores… they’re also the perfect complement for the Thanksgiving dinner.”

Dinner rolls can be bought or made from scratch.  While buying them can be easier and more cost-efficient, making dinner rolls may have a more satisfying result.  “My Mima makes the best dinner rolls that we only get to have once a year,” said sophomore Kelly Carville.

In third place is Pumpkin Pie which received 13% of the total vote.

Pumpkin pie is probably the most common dessert at any Thanksgiving table.  If made right, it’s hard not to love this flavorful food.

“I feel like pumpkin pie is so universally associated with Thanksgiving that the holiday would not be the same without it,” junior Jennifer Fries said.  “A little whipped cream pulls it all together.”

However, for those who don’t like pumpkin pie, there are also a variety of other pies to enjoy at the dinner table.   “My grandma makes the best pumpkin pies, and we usually have several different types of pies too,” Fries said.

Math teacher Steve Dalton shared his love for pecan pie in the Milestone poll: “My mom only makes it once a year, and my grandfather and I are the only two who eat it. It is one moment where he and I share a bond of a piece of pie.”

Click here to find some fun, refreshing ideas for pies to bake during Thanksgiving.

In second place is Stuffing receiving 25% of the total vote.

Stuffing is undeniably a Thanksgiving favorite at McNicholas.  “As a little girl, my job on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving was to sit with my pappaw and tear up the bread to dry out overnight to make the dish in the morning, and I still love the smell of the butter and sage mixing and cooking with the bread as we wait for dinner to be ready,” English and Journalism teacher Angie Noble said.  “I probably love the memories the food brings just as much as I love the food.”

Stuffing is a great homemade food.  “I like the taste, but we also use my great-grandmother’s stuffing recipe and we make it from scratch, so it has that family nostalgic connection too,” counselor Alaina Way said.

“It’s a fun little tradition to make it with my mom,” sophomore Naomi Preuett said.

To find an easy, fun stuffing recipe, click on this link.

In first place is mashed potatoes receiving 26% of the total vote.

While making homemade mashed potatoes can be a lengthy task, it produces an amazing, mouthwatering result that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

“The ones I make for thanksgiving happen to be vegan, and I feel that I have mastered making them without using any animal products but still tasting delicious. My family actually prefers them to the ‘normal’ way of preparation,” senior Hadley Jerome said.

Americans consume about 250 million pounds of potatoes during Thanksgiving.

Of course, potatoes can be made in many different ways.  “I like potatoes just about any way you serve them (probably my Irish roots),” Theology teacher Jeff Hutchinson-Smyth said.  “My mom, hands down, makes the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten.”

Adding gravy to mashed potatoes can also give them some additional flavor.  Gravy is not a topping for everyone.  Click here to find a quick, homemade gravy recipe that will compliment any mashed potatoes perfectly.