Let's Talk with Cheryl Hollon

Thanksgiving is only two weeks away! Pass the gravy, please!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There’s something wonderfully cozy about gathering family and friends around a table laden with favorite dishes, swapping stories, and making room for just one more helping. Our Thanksgiving crowd is a delicious mix of cultures and traditions, with Midwesterners, Appalachians, Filipinos, Germans, and Poles all bringing their own culinary memories to the table. Who needs a passport when you can travel the world one bite at a time?

The star of our feast is always a roast turkey with oyster dressing, a family favorite we wouldn’t dare miss. Since we live in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, a fabulous smoked salmon often joins the celebration, too.

But one of my favorite nontraditional dishes is Pancit, a Filipino stir-fried noodle dish with Chinese roots and a wonderful blend of local and Spanish influences. It’s a festive, family-friendly dish that brings a little international flavor to our Thanksgiving table. And isn’t sharing treasured food traditions one of the best ways to make new memories?

Speaking of memorable meals, Savannah Webb, the amateur sleuth in my Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries, has discovered a new culinary favorite of her own. She’s fallen for the British tradition of Sunday Roast, enjoyed with Edward’s family.

When his mum takes charge of the kitchen, the result is a feast fit for a queen: tender roast lamb with mint sauce, crispy roast potatoes that are golden on the outside and fluffy within, and a colorful assortment of steamed carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and peas.

I can practically smell those potatoes roasting!

That’s part of the magic of a cozy mystery. Yes, there’s a murder to solve, clues to untangle, and a culprit who probably isn’t telling the whole truth. But there’s also a welcoming community, familiar places, friendships that deepen over time, and meals that make everyone feel at home. Sometimes the most satisfying moments happen when the sleuth sets the evidence aside for a while and pulls up a chair at the table.

Now it’s your turn! Every family has that one dish that might raise an eyebrow among traditionalists but wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without it. What nontraditional Thanksgiving dish has earned a permanent place at your family table? I’d love to hear about your delicious traditions!

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Want to know more about our author Cheryl Hollon? Visit her WEBSITE.

Don’t forget to enter our Booklover’s Bench contest. We’re collecting entries for TWO free books for one lucky winner. It runs from November 1-22. Here’s the link: https://bookloversbench.com/contests/

The Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries are set in St. Petersburg, FL. The characters spend considerable time creating beautiful glass art and also sampling the culinary delights of the downtown foodie landscape. Please buy books locally if you can. Independent bookstores need your business. If your budget is tight, support your local library – that counts!