What are some of the most "Off the beaten path" Thanksgiving side dishes you can think of?

[Numbers9000]

I'm having a HUGE Thanksgiving meal for several of my friends. It's one of those meals where everyone brings a dish to share. All the basics to a traditional Thanksgiving fest have been taken care of, such as the turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. I've been charged with just bringing some beverages and napkins because I told them I wouldn't have much time to prepare anything this week, but as it turns out I have some time the day before the feast and I've decided to make something. The only problem is, I can't decide on which dish to prepare and I also don't want to make something that I know someone else will bring.

So I'd like to ask you all, what are some of the more unique side dishes you've served/been served at Thanksgiving that totally worked?

 

[clairebeautiful]

I'm not sure it is unique, but we ONLY have it at thanksgiving and I love it. It is a can of creamed corn, a can of regular corn, a stick of butter, a dash of salt, and a box of Jiffy mix (and an egg, I believe). Mix all together and bake according to the directions on the box.

It is my FAVORITE. (Tastes like dessert.)

Also, around Thanksgiving is the only time you can really find fresh cranberries for a decent price. One thing I love to do is mix a bag of these with a can of pie filling (any will do but apple and cherry are favorites), then top with ginger snap crumbles or Nilla Wafer® crumbles, a few pats of butter, and bake on 350 for half an hour.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, or just wake up to this for breakfast. SO GOOD.

 

[OhioTom76]

I was sort of surprised to hear about all the different types of stuffing/dressing recipes from around the country. In some places they even put oysters in their stuffing. Perhaps try one of the more unusual recipes for that?

The blog FoodWishes has a neat recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust. He also has a recipe for a homemade cranberry walnut sauce that might even be good on that cheesecake.

 

[MyPaperBleedsInk]

How about a dessert-like food? My mom loves making a vanilla wafer banana pudding recipes. I guess some would call it a salad, no clue why, but it's almost like having a pre-dessert with your meal. I believe you only need bananas, vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, milk and coolwhip.

Recipe link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bananarama-wafer-pudding-recipe/index.html

 

[sillylucy]

The strangest was Beer Bread sponsored by Larry the Cable Guy. I kid you not. A friend of mine bought a box at the Dollar Tree and had the nerve to make it and bring it to our Friendsgiving. You just buy the mix and add a can of beer to it. Gross sounding, but not bad.