Thanksgiving side dishes from last year are a preview of the feast to come.

Here I am at some Thanksgiving-past, mixing up a bowl of dressing.  Everybody has a favorite.  I like the cornbread and sausage variety cooked in the turkey and the rest in a side dish. I list this first, because it’s my favorite holiday dish.

This French recipe was given to my mother 70 years ago.  The carrot, onion, bread crumbs and heavily buttered side dish can be make ahead.  Before serving add the persillade (French cooking term for fresh chopped parsley and garlic).

Most familiesl enjoy this old-fashioned recipe, a tasty memento of the corn that was undoubtedly eaten at the first Thanksgiving.

I served these at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion for most formal meals during the 1990s. They are virtually foolproof.

These Brussels sprouts are so good and being shredded rather than whole, they don’t compete for as much space on the Thanksgiving plate.

My Virginia family didn’t eat grits, but I married into a south Missouri family that did. Love ’em now.

This old recipe from Arkansas was given to me more than 50 years ago. A simple and easy side dish.

This is a more recent take on traditional mashed potatoes.  It includes a whole head of roasted garlic, plus butter, half and half cream , and Boursin cheese. You might not want to eat these everyday.

Applesauce works for both adults and picky kids and can be made ahead. Perfect for an extra side dish.

This takes a bit more time than just opening both ends of a can and pushing the jelled berries onto a plate.  But it’s well worth it.  The tasty compote can be made ahead.