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By Bekah Landers

In 1621 the Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest in the new land. Today, we call this Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving traditions have evolved over the years with the frantic Black Friday shopping day and much anticipated football games, but still the home cooked food remains the same.

One of the most well known holiday food items, besides the turkey, is stuffing (also known as dressing). Whether we hate it or love it, stuffing is a Thanksgiving staple that won’t be going away any time soon. If you aren’t too thrilled with the usually bland bread stuffing try adding sausage or apples. These small things will really spice up the usual.

Another famous turkey day food is the cranberry sauce. I used to think that cranberry sauce was the foulest thing on this earth. With its gelatinous form and unusual texture I didn’t touch the stuff until last Thanksgiving. It’s still not my favorite, but homemade cranberry sauce is slowly growing on me.

If you’re a guy, or a girl who doesn’t drool over the thought of slaving over a hot stove all day and you want to try and make something this year, try mashed potatoes.  This all-American recipe couldn’t be easier, or more delicious.

Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part, the dessert! While a traditional pumpkin pie is always a crowd-pleaser you could put an interesting spin on it by turning it into a milk shake or mini-pies.  Apple pie is also a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving meal.

This Thanksgiving why not experiment a little bit? The worst that could happen is that you give food poisoning to your whole family and you’ll  hear, “Joe, remember that one time when you made us all sick on Thanksgiving,” for the rest of your life. But what’s life without taking a chance? Follow these simple recipes for an unforgettable (good or bad) Thanksgiving.

Comment below with what you’re making for Thanksgiving or tell us how these recipes turned out.