Thanksgiving and its simplicity: “Thanksgiving recipes have a rich and diverse background that reflects the history as well as culture of the holiday.” Thanksgiving and its food are always changing; people and cultures are finding unique ways to celebrate with their own culinary traditions.

According to ChatGPT, here are five interesting background facts about Thanksgiving recipes: “From the very first Thanksgiving, featuring venison, seafood, wild fowl, and various vegetables, to the evolution of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, leading to the modern Thanksgiving we have today.” A survey conducted at Morton East High School found that, out of 100+ students, over 70% prefer Thanksgiving dinner over Thanksgiving desserts.

Let’s now discuss the simplicity of Thanksgiving, particularly in recipes that even students like us can attempt to make. On the Thanksgiving table, the main attraction is often the turkey, but for some, it might be the long-awaited gravy, mashed potatoes, a new garlic bread recipe, chicken Alfredo, or various other dishes.

Now, let’s delve into a recipe that even someone who nearly burned down their kitchen can make—the recipe of the day is Garlic Bread. Simple, yet delicious.

Garlic bread:

• 1 loaf of any Italian bread (e.g., Pane de Casa)
• 3 shallots
• 2 garlic bulbs
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tbsp miso
• 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
• Cheese (mixture of mozzarella and parmesan)
• Parsley, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp honey

Another recipe to consider is Chicken Alfredo:

Pasta of your choice (boiled for 15-20 minutes)

Chicken breast seasoned with paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon pepper seasoning.

And, of course, Mashed Potatoes:

• Boil potatoes in salted water with added garlic.
• Drain the water and add a mixture of melted butter and milk.
• Mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.

So, maybe you can help out by making these side dishes this year.  After all, moms are usually doing most of the work; they could use a hand.

“No, I don’t cook, but my mom does; she gets up around ten in the morning to start on the ham because the ham take’s a long time and then she starts everything else about around six because that around the time the ham is done,” Senior Alma Romero said.

“No, I don’t do the cooking for Thanksgiving; my mom does. My mom makes multiple dishes for Thanksgiving, but there have been times when she just didn’t want to make the food, so she bought from outside.  She wanted to do that this year as well, but we got her to actually make food this year for Thanksgiving,” Senior Jasmine Gorostieta said.