Taste your agency through a century of our Test Kitchen ’s best Thanksgiving menus and holiday hosting tips .
Take a peep through the archive of the last100 eld atBetter Homes & Gardensand you ’ll chop-chop actualize that holidays have always been part of our heritage . Thefirst Thanksgivingwas commemorated in 1621 , and here atBHG , we ’ve been fete it alongside you since 1922 .
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Each family brings its own traditions , memories , and heirloom recipes to the board , and every year guide in new trend . While our expectant grandmother in all likelihood never could have conceive of that they could falsify nearly an entireThanksgiving meal in an air fryer , or that their descendants would pass a holiday or twocelebrating virtually during a planetary pandemic , they must be looking down proud of the fact that we continue to ( strain to ) recreate their signaturepumpkin pieandgreen bean casserole recipe .
As we pulled together the latest year of Thanksgiving inspiration for the centenary year ofBHG , we could n’t help but question , what ’s hiding out in the November subject of the past 100 year ? allow ’s take a looking back on the recipes , traditions , andfood trendsof the preceding C , all of which have been chronicle in the page of our magazine .
The 1920s: A Focus on Table Talk
In a voice more like to an advice tower than a how - to guide , this early edition of our magazine — then calledFruit , Garden & Home — was released prior to the foundation garment of our in - houseTest Kitchenin 1928 . So rather of recipes , the focus was on entertain in this feature from November 1926 . “ It appear at times that the fine art of conversing soon will be nonextant in the hurry place of this country , ” Nell B. Nichols write .
With that in mind , Nichols nods to the importance of diner unseasoned and sometime holding up their remnant of the conversation , as well as go forgivingness . ( “ Hospitality can not be a success if any member of the home break to glow welcome . It also is mutual . It can not be bestowed attractively unless it is received graciously , ” Nichols advises . )
As far as the cuisine goes , your estimable bet is to stick around with your try - and - reliable victor . Rather than experimenting with a new technique or recipe , she suggest turning to those “ cute morsels of food ” that you “ can fashion more successful than anyone . ” Go ahead , make them jealous with your next - level mashed potatoes .
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Related : Highlighting 100 Years of Food Trends with BHG
The 1930s: The Introduction of Mix-and-Match and Make-Ahead Menus
With the Test Kitchen in full swing by November 1938 , we were quick to divvy up recipes — and a circumstances of them . For this feature , we included a “ modernised version ” of the classic Thanksgiving menu that is “ mere but aplenty . Your family will clap it , ” the editors of the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. say .
So what ’s on deck ? Roast Tom Turkey for the main course , plus Oyster Stuffing Whipped Potatoes , Carrot Strips , Whole Onions , Cranberry Sauce , Crab - Apple Pickles , and Hot Rolls ( whew ! ) for side dishes . Pumpkin Pie and Assorted Fruits and Nuts are the suggested dessert , and for a “ squeamish to help ” increase , we recommend Tomato Bisque .
For something a mo more unexpected , or other “ So Good Meals ” to revel afterward in the holiday season , mixing - and - lucifer recipes from our menus based around Pork tug , Meat Loaf with Potato Stuffing , Scalloped Chicken , Short - Rib Crown Onion Dressing , Roast Young Duck with Baked Apples or Double Pork Chops with Savory Stuffing . We were in spades making up for lost time on the formula - partake in front !
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The 1940s: Decor Gets “Frankly Fancy”
“ Thanksgiving with all the passementerie ” is en vogue in the 1940s , when the trend of the epoch was also all about accessory . Just like no shirtwaist apparel is complete without wrist - duration baseball glove , a pillbox chapeau , and a chic handbag to complete the looking at , no tablescape is ready towelcome guestswithout a few supplements .
In our November 1949 feature , Jessie Prather recommends that we “ get the season suggest to your garnishes , table decorations , and way of serving . ” For a “ seasonable and festive ” touch , try golden pumpkins , fall leaves , nuts , and a bounty of fall fruits and vegetables .
While much fussier than many of us would have patience for today , we ca n’t aid but smile when we see the ice cream cones stuffed with fruit salad ; a nod to an overflow cornucopia . And can we have a moment for the orange rind “ Cucurbita pepo ” cups , all over with a cinnamon stick stalk and filled withpumpkin ice creamor orange sherbet ?
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Related:8 formula from Our 1943 Edition of New Cook Book That Are Still Relevant
The 1950s: 3 Ways With Pie
Since we ’ve been guiding readers through the holiday time of year for more than 30 class , November 1955 show in an era where we offer variations on the composition . For “ run - in - your - oral cavity pastry , ” you now have several options that are “ flaky , tender , and gold as the one Mother used to make , ” the food editors of the daylight write . “ We give you the traditional cut - fatty tissue - in - flour kind and two of the speedier oil pastries to opt from . ”
The recipes for unpatterned pastry dough , oil pastry , and “ pat - a - pie ” with a crumble go past all yield enough for a double - Earth’s crust pie . afterwards in the issue , we explicate how to control a grille pie . While we might edit the verbiage to be more modern , the instructions that still hold back up today :
As for that filling , we highly urge our tartapple Proto-Indo European recipethat ’s scented with cinnamon and nutmeg . “ Even Mother could n’t amend on this . ”
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The 1960s: Elevate a Semi-Homemade Meal With Over-the-Top Garnishes
Sorry , Sandra Lee , but we had started mouse in semi - homemade secrets decades before yourFood Networkshow launch ! With television set dinners bring in in the early 1950s and convenience intellectual nourishment of all kinds becoming more prominent part of the culture , we evoke “ a few crosscut ” to round out our November 1963 menu of Roast Turkey with Whipped Potatoes , Oyster Stuffing , Old - Time Giblet Gravy , Blue Cheese Waldorf Salad , and Pumpkin Pie . “You get a head commence with soups from a can and frozen and tin cranberry sauce . Brown - and - serve rolls just need heating in the oven . And you may choose little displace onions to salve peel off and wangle the sassy kind . ”
With the clip you relieve by getting some help from the supermarket , you’re able to surely go unfounded with the interior decoration . We did just that with massivepewter mugs(For water ? vino ? Glog ? ) , piles of Petroselinum crispum around the turkey , and a large grape - adorned ceramic dud , scag dab in the center of the tabular array .
The 1970s: Introducing Alternative Birds
Go your own way . Coinciding with a decade ripe with societal variety and individual construction ( see : color - blocked Vanessa Bell bottoms , head - to - toe denim case , drapey ponchos … ) , our November 1971 variant offers alternatives “ if turkey is n’t your darling . ”
Eschew custom with four “ other birds for the fully grown sidereal day ” from adjunct food editor Joan McCloskey . For the Pheasant with Wild rice , “ strips of bacon keep the elegant pheasant moist and juicy while roasting . ” The Apricot - Sauced Duck gets its gorgeous glow and loads of flavor from an apricot nectar- and chicken bouillon - based glaze . The Southern Stuffed Capon is filled with Viscount St. Albans dripping - coated clavus clams for “ that exceptional Southern flavor , ” and the Cornish Hens Veronica come with “ an refined sauce ” of grapes infused with citrus and Sauternes ( a sweet dessert wine ) .
The 1980s: Set the Stage With Natural Accents
“ Set more than the table … ready the stage . ” To make a “ dramatic mood for good feeding , happy moments , and ardent retention shared with supporter , ” our November 1989 guides readers through the integral fall and winter holiday time of year with tabular array options ideas for several major meals .
Everything from the dining elbow room moderate to the plate and bowls to the standard candle holders make this feature find exactly of its present moment ; vestal ‘ 80s opulence . Hey , the holidays are no prison term to be subtle .
For the Thanksgiving assembly , writers Jim Williams and Jilann Severson recommend a “ passing country ” vibration , which you may attain with faux and genuine Mrs. Henry Wood accent , a rust - toned wool blanket tablecloth and “ a scattering of fall harvest ” like acorns and winter squash .
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Then keep the issue handy to return to the ideas for a floral - productive Hanukkah feast , a damask and silk formal Christmas , and a New Year ’s soiree with “ high - technical school pitch-black and white ” and party horns for a “ note of frivolity . ”
Related:19 Easy Thanksgiving Table Decorations That Will Take Center Stage
The 1990s: Our First Virtual Thanksgiving Guide
True , you ’d still have to wait through dial - up internet postponement and tones , but for the first time ever , the technological advancements of the ‘ ninety meant that you could access someBHGbest practices online .
In our November 1998 egress , we bring out our “ Thanksgiving Survival Guide ” that ’s “ designed to guide beginning cooks as well as experient hand , ” harmonise to executive food editor Nancy Byal . The card deviser acts as the centerpiece , which we coach you through via a 30 - daytime guide so you may get a jump on shopping , dissolve , andmake - ahead Thanksgiving recipesto trim down on day - of accent . We also have an Interactive Roasting Guide to help you hump exactlyhow long to ridicule that bird . Unsure of where to get down ? Take a peek at “ 24 how - to telecasting that illustrate key techniques , ” likehow to carve a turkeyand secret for rolling out piecrusts .
Just do n’t pretermit the glacial - in - metre “ Holiday Traditions Discussion Group , ” an “ online bulletin board ” that leave cook to swap ideas for class festivity and entertaining .
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Reed Davis
The 2000s: Make the Season Spirited With Wine Pairings
After a duo decades of fallingwine consumption per capita , the new century also meant renew pursuit and passion for all things wine . On trend for the fourth dimension , Paige Porter Fischer spotlight Justin Wangler , the chef at Kendall - Jackson Winery in California , and his married woman Leanne — and the board they do that ’s fulfil with methamphetamine of wine , of course . And the bill of fare is also permeated with just enough vino .
In the November 2009 magazine , we share recipes and wine pairing tip from Wangler , who is “ an expert at pairing intellectual nourishment and wine , creating a complete harmony of taste . He ’s experience for simple foods , humble recipes , and fair preparations — a compounding that he also strives to deliver every Thanksgiving at domicile . ”
The mostly make - ahead computer menu include Make - Ahead Thanksgiving Turkey with white wine Pan Gravy , Chardonnay - glass over Carrots , Savory Butternut Squash Dressing , Pumpkin Corn Bread , Pan - Roasted Brussels Sprouts , Pear and Arugula Salad , Spiced Cranberry Sauce ( with a splash of Pinot Noir ) , Pecan - Cranberry Tart with Sweet Buttermilk Ice Cream , and more . Although that sounds like a sight , Wangler promises that it ’s doable . Just like a ok wine offer balance wheel on the palate , “ biography should have a balance of study and act as . The same goes for this holiday . Get out of the kitchen and enjoy your company . That ’s what you ’ll remember most . ”
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And with that fellowship , share a bottle or two . Wangler recommends Chardonnay due to its “ remarkable feeling and texture ” , Pinot Noir since it has “ velvety tannins and a piano , smoky finishing , ” and/or “ deliciously crip and nearly dry ” Riesling .
The 2010s: A Celebrity Chef Spin
A class later , writerJoe Yonancatches up with one of the most democratic TV chefs of the prison term , Tyler Florence , as he “ counts his blessing ” in our November 2010 edition . Florence also invites BHG lector in as he hosts his South Carolina family at his Mill Valley , California cabin for Thanksgiving .
At the time , Florence was known for hisFood Networkshows likeFood 911andTyler ’s Ultimate(you’re able to now fascinate him onThe Great Food Truck Road Race ) . So in this characteristic , the celebrity chef shares his ultimate tips , timesavers , and formula to help you avoid any demand to call culinary 911 .
For Florence , “ it would n’t be Thanksgiving without candy yams ” from Florence Mama , his previous grandmother , or his dad ’s banana pud . ( By the fashion , you may still snag the recipe forFlorence Mama ’s Candied YamsandBig Papa ’s Banana Puddingon our website ! ) “ We are all from someplace . This is the taste of my childhood , ” Florence says .
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wait on those two dishes alongside the main event — Herb - Roasted Turkey with Calvados Gravy — and be sure to save room for Sourdough Dressing with Roasted Apples and Sage , Fresh Cranberry Compote , Tyler ’s Popovers , and Homemade Chocolate Tart .
In 2011 , we debuted one of our most popular pie Earth’s crust recipes , courtesy of pastry chef Alan Carter . Theall - butter recipeis special - flaky thanks to the improver of sour pick . In addition to the classics , the 2010s brought new takes on classics like aSpicy Green Bean Casserolecreated by renown chef Angelo Sosa .
Carson Downing
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The 2020s: Admitting the Best—And Worst—Turkey Tips
Our November 2020 is a complete closing to our stroll down retentiveness lane . It ’s also a fitting presentation to our next 100 years .
In the Turkey Hall of Fame feature , we share “ our Test Kitchen ’s top tips — and a few interesting fact — from more than 90 old age of roasting , examination , and tasting Thanksgiving turkey . Get this : A turkey did n’t grace the cover ofBHGuntil 1983 , and our joker doneness temporary shifted three times during the course of our powder store ’s story ( so far ) to match USDA food safety guidepost . In 1969 , we debut our foil roasting method acting , which “ remain the best means to cook a 16 - pounding turkey in 2 hours , ” our current food editors say .
For a taste of our Test Kitchen ’s good turkey advice of all time , we created ourGlazed Roast Turkey recipe . 100/10 recommend examine it at home plate .
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The 2020 issue also feature show - stopping sweet formula from Jerrelle Guy , the chef and blogger behindChocolate for Basilincluding theWhiskey and Cream Pumpkin Tart with Pecan Butter Shortbread Crustshown above .
We ca n’t wait to see where the next 100 yr take us but one matter is for certain , the holiday will always be about gathering around the mesa with the ones you have sex .
Credit:Carson Downing
