Working in consumer PR, we tend to take a close look at holidays and “holidays" to discover if there is a unique angle to the designated day that will benefit our clients. In the past, we've celebrated gems like National Martial Arts Day, Flag Day  and National Underwear Day. And if a holiday for our particular need doesn’t exist, we're not afraid to start our own...ever heard of Jell-O Week or National Pierogy Day?

Among the national “thises “and “thats” is Thanksgiving - truly one of our favorite traditional holidays. Once the pumpkin carving masters put away their tools and the Halloween candy around the office finally disappears, it’s time to focus on the sides. Yes, sides dishes. Who wants a serving of turkey complemented with just another helping of turkey? Plus, many of the products that we get to work on provide the necessary essentials for Thanksgiving side dishes so we get to think about these delightful dishes year-round.

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the U.S. is a big producer of Thanksgiving sides: 709 million pounds of cranberries, 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes, and 794,777 tons of snap green beans. That’s quite a bit of green bean casserole!  And don’t even get me started about potatoes.

To celebrate the sensational sides of Thanksgiving, here are my picks for the top five most important sides for the holiday feast.

1.    Rolls: I’m a firm believer in home made rolls…made with yeast. Scary, but so worth the time investment and stress.

2.    Stuffing. Do I really have to elaborate? Here’s my favorite.

3.    Mashed potatoes & gravy: Usually the debate comes down to lumps or no lumps. I prefer whipped with homemade gravy made from the turkey drippings. Yum.

4.    Black olives: I might not eat olives any other time of the year, but when it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m like a little kid and I have to have at least 5 on my plate – one for each finger on my right hand.

5.    Green Stuff: This is one side that baffles most, but it’s a family tradition. In some circles, this dish is known as “Pistachio Fluff” (I suppose a more friendly name for the test kitchens). But, this sweet “salad” has been a staple at all major family meals since I was a wee one with the very technical name of “green stuff.” If it’s an important meal chez nous, we have home made rolls (see #1) and green stuff. You can check out the recipe here (but I would omit the nuts). Try it. You’ll like it.

Ok – now that my tastebuds are ready for the sensational sides of Thanksgiving, it’s time to do a little shopping! Happy Thanksgiving!

Donetta