A Taste of Almost Heaven: Thanksgiving Edition

Try something new for your family holiday gathering this year. Wow your company this Thanksgiving with delicious Appalachian-inspired cuisine.

Sides

In the Mountain State, sausage gravy is most often paired with a buttery biscuit. Why not take a twist on a Thanksgiving dinner staple with this hearty dressing? It tastes great on everything.

This year switch out your traditional dinner roll recipe for sweet cornbread. Serve it up with soup beans, top it with gravy, add a little butter or eat it plain. It’s packed with flavor so you can’t go amiss.

Stuffing, another essential to this holiday meal can easily be given an Appalachian flare. By adding finely chopped ramps, a type of wild onion that is abundantly found in West Virginia, this dish will be sure to please your guests.

Savory

Try swapping out your traditional turkey for venison this year. Or add it as an additional protein option. Venison can be prepared as a steak, stew, and even jerky. Don’t fret if you’re not a hunter, there are plenty of markets in the state that sell the fare. You can buy venison meat at these locations:

Sweets

If you’ve never tried a pawpaw, this holiday season is the time to do just that and make a new dish with it – such as pawpaw pudding. What is a pawpaw, you might ask? It’s a fruit indigenous to the state that is described as tasting like a cross between a mango and a banana and it’s ridiculously delicious.

Blackberry or mixed berry cobbler is the perfect dessert to add to your Thanksgiving dinner menu. Frozen fruit will do the trick, but if fresh ones are available, that will really step it up a notch. Serve it fresh out of the oven and top off the treat with a bit of whipped cream.

Apple butter is a hot commodity in Almost Heaven. It’s a tasty addition to any meal, especially when it’s made with West Virginia golden delicious apples. It can also be used to make yummy desserts like apple butter bars, drizzled with icing and apple butter spice cake. Bon Appetit.

More Mountain Flavor

This post was last updated on March 18, 2022