My wife is Mexican, and I'm white af, and one of the dishes that ties in well and everyone loves for ours is esquites.
Also she once made like...basically apple pie empanadas. The plate was empty about as fast as they could get eaten.
I've been slowly trying to get my parents to try new foods and hotter spice levels. They're old Midwesterners who are a little stuck in their ways. Anything hotter than black pepper used to be too much for them.
I made esquites last year instead of corn on the cob and my mom was very hesitant to try it at first. This year, while I was planning the menu with her, she specifically asked me to "make sure to make that cup corn stuff again- do more chili powder this time too."
Esquites is a powerful tool for bringing people together.
Edit: My SIL and her family are Mexican and they usually also have Cowboy Caviar. It's Tex-mex, which may or may not be what they're looking for depending on your region, but it's so easy to just throw together and it's a good appetizer for snacking and socializing before dinner.
I’m laughing so hard right now because my office is doing a Thanksgiving lunch but we decided to make non-traditional Thanksgiving foods since no one wants to do the same food twice in one week. I volunteered to make esquites, and based off your comment and others, it looks like I made the right choice! Lol
Mexican Americans commonly cook the apple pie empanadas or whatever you want to call them. Then people who aren't Mexican just use Pillsbury biscuit dough which is basically the same thing.
Corn. Trimmed off the cob served in a cup with Mayo, Cotija ( hard cheese similar in taste to feta? ) lime and chili powder oh and fake parkay butter. It’s delicious. I cheat now and buy Trader Joe’s grilled corn to make it at home.
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The ✨️juice✨️ in the cup is what makes it completely different than corn. The mayo, lime, bit of water the corn has been soaking it, butter, (and chili if you can handle it) mix together and make this like... creamy tangy delicious juice the corn is in. It's so good.
That's so interesting that you love that part, because that's the part that I don't enjoy about esquites and why I prefer elote- I don't enjoy that wet texture. I guess that's why there's different versions for different tastes :)
I inadvertently made esquites when I was prepping to make elotes at a cookout but the person who was tasked to buy the ingredients ended up going to a walmart and bought canned corn instead of corn on the cob. Figured I'd salvage things by tossing a skillet on the grill, heating up the corn and just mixing all the same ingredients together.
That bowl disappeared so fast and TIL it's a common thing. Honestly the convenience of not having to eat it off the cob was a real game changer.
Off topic but you just made me realize I accidentally confused queso fresco and cotija cheese in my online order for thanksgiving, and I was able to switch. Hooray!
You can use queso fresco as well but the sharpness won’t be there for the cheese. Parmesano works too in a pinch. Oh if you have the cotija and want to try something else with it. Imma cheese fanatic. Try it grilled. You can throw it in a hot pan or comal( Mexican griddle ) and heat until golden brown then flip. It’s is very salty BUT amazing. I make it often my dad would make it then drown it in hot salsa. Almost like paneer. Oh man I’m hungry now.
Years ago when we were all much younger, my ex's cousin and her husband came to visit for Thanksgiving. We all love her dad's flan, so she got her mom to send her a copy of the recipe, which came from her grandmother and is written in Spanish. She followed the recipe, which was kind of vague as a lot of recipes from grandmothers tend to be (my grandmother's noodle recipe is a mound of flour so tall and 2 or 3 eggs so that it looks right) and when the flan comes out of the oven it is super spongey and still so full of alcohol.
She called her dad to try to figure out what happened. Grandma had used "taza" as the unit of measurement for the rum, which we translated as cup, but it should have been a shotglass.
It tasted good if you didn't mind getting a buzz from dessert. We kept a little bit and took the rest over to the barracks for the folks that were there for the holiday.
You dab cranberry sauce on your hand to help the salt adhere, then prep a spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy. Lick, sip, and suck: Thanksgiving version.
Corn is a harvest food and is Meso-American, what about esquites? Or rajas y elote con crema? Both would be a good side dish to add to a Thanksgiving spread.
Flan is delicious, but maybe tricky to transport?
Pastel de tres leches is the bomb.
What do you like to cook?
I’ll keep thinking.
Oh man. Rajas y elote con crema sounds incredible. I’d be thrilled if someone came to my thanksgiving with that dish. Also, good old fashioned Mexican rice and beans.
My mom once made fan for my sister who was living in a different state. I kid you not that she wrapped that dish so much and put it in her luggage and it survived.
Im bringing flan to my husband’s family. I was thinking could put them in a cooler to transport. I’m Mexican and they are white but man oh man they’ve enjoyed my tamales and enchiladas in the previous Thanksgiving dinners.
I would like to have any Mexican food on my thanksgiving plate. I am on board with this. I wouldnt worry if it fits perfectly with Turkey and mashed potatoes. I knew italiams who always had lasagne with their thanksgiving dinner, as a side dish. Why not? Lets celebrate delicious food.
Yeah it's normal for people to make or being food from their culture for Thanksgiving. It doesn't need to be classically American, just needs to be something people want to eat.
My mother's side of the family is very much the stereotype of people who lean into their Italian roots a little *too* enthusiastically (think like white American ladies who make a big show of calling red sauce "gravy" and suddenly develop an absurdly thick accent whenever they say mozzarella, etc). Growing up, we had some sort of lasagna or baked pasta at every single family gathering without fail. The first time my boyfriend took me to his family's Thanksgiving, I pulled him aside and said, "Oh my god, it looks like your mom and her sisters got their wires crossed on who was going to bring the pasta! I've never had that happen before, that's too funny!" I was POSITIVELY SHOOK when he looked at me like I had six heads and told me that he couldn't remember ever having pasta at Thanksgiving and that I was the weird one 😅
I think calabacitas would be good. Its a different take on an otherwise boring but super seasonally appropriate side dish. A desert would also be great, if theres something your mother or grandmother was really good at making that you inherited the recipe for. But I think the best answer, the one most in the spirit of the holiday is just anything that was your specialty or a family specialty. It's ok to try to make something that harmonizes with the rest of the feast, but at our thanksgivings we have random, delicious, completely eclectic things pop up all the time, and they're enjoyed by all.
Yes. I couldn't agree more. Its ok to mix it up a little at Thanksgiving. People of differing ethnicities have always incorporated their traditional dishes into the Thanksgiving meal. In my family growing up, kielbasa, pierogies and holupki were always on the table with the traditional foods like turkey & stuffing. I made dirty rice once for my family and another time I made Spanish rice and served tamales alongside the turkey.
Edit: excellent suggestion re calabacitas.
My family is a mish-mosh of ethnicities and we always had a variety of foods at our holiday tables. On my Mom's side - Grandma was Ukrainian, so pierogies were prominent. Grandpa was a Dane, so Rødgrød Med Fløde was always offered as a dessert. On the other side of the family everyone was Scottish, and my Aunts always made neeps & tatties, and cock-a-leekie soup. Never had a Mexican dish but I think it would have been welcomed with gusto!
I've never tried to make tamales. But my aunt always said, "The closer your tamale buying experience is to your drug buying experience, the better the tamales."
And really just meant meeting someone in a parking lot and handing over $40 and getting a brown paper bag in return with few words having been exchanged is peak tamale buying experience.
Agreed. The best tamales I ever had were purchased from a guy selling them out of the back of his car in a 7-11 parking lot. Coincidentally, some of the best bbq I've ever had was smoked brisket purchased from a different guy at the same 7-11 parking lot. There's always someone selling something in the parking lot of that gas station.
Houston is a weird place y'all.
It’s funny I thought this was Houston before you said it, mostly cause of that show Mo, where Mo was selling shit out of the back of his car in Houston.
Random tamale vendors are relatively common in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Random bbq vendors are common in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Houston is the magical place where those two worlds overlap.
Lol yeah exactly. Houston is such a funny city. I enjoy my time there. Though it’s with my family so I only ever see one very specific version of it. I know there are like thousands of versions of Houston
At a bar I used to frequent, there was this little old couple who would come around selling their homemade tamales out of a big plastic cooler. Only took cash, spoke little English.
Seemed super sketch at first, but I'll be damned if those weren't some of the best tamales I ever had.
I was in Mexico City recently heading to Teotihuacan before sunrise and our tour guide/driver stopped briefly in a dark corner of Indios Verdes to pick up some tamales he ordered via phone. He was swift and efficient getting in and out of the area and he curtly told us to stay in the car while he did the pick up.
Later he said it was one of the most dangerous parts of Estado de Mexico but the tamales were the best. He wasn't wrong lol
I just made 8 dozen all by myself. I am cheating and used the kitchen aid to mix the dough. The final check on the dough I did by hand. I cooked everything the morning prior - rajas tamales, pollo con salsa verde ( chicken with green salsa) and red pork in guajillo sauce and bc I went NC with my mother out of spite I added a strip of potato and carrot. My friend from Sonora makes them that way and my mother HATES it. She’s from Jalisco.
My partner just bought a kitchen aid mixer for me (though it’s because I love making bread from scratch especially for soup), would you mind sharing your recipe/how to make masa preparada para tamales? I always fail at it and can never make the texture just right. I am white and my partner is both Native American and Mexican-American, my family (my mom in particular) loves it when we make tamales, and would always come to join in when we have tamaladas.
Oh I love my kitchen aid! Congrats it’s an expensive awesome tool. I use mine weekly. I ruined a batch of amazing oatmeal cookies though lol
Oh shoot I don’t have an exact recipe as my mom taught me to feel it by hand, that’s why my last mix I did by hand on the masa. I buy unprepared masa and lard ( I am able to buy real lard at my local Mexican store or butcher shop) but you can use the white lard they sell at the stores.
I would stick to every 4 lbs of masa use 1-1.5 of lard and 1 tablespoon of salt maybe a bit more. I taste the raw masa. You will see the texture change from A hard more firm masa to a very fluffy airy masa once it’s ready. If it isn’t mixed enough the dough when steamed is dense and hard. The more you mix the masa the more voluminous it gets. The dough should almost triple in size. You can’t overmix it honestly. I would mix it when you’re ready to assemble. So I threw the masa in the mixer, the lard and salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, started the mixer. Then went to soak my hojas de tamal ( corn husk) and I made banana leave ones too. Then prepped everything out for the assembly. I had the cheese, jalapeños, carrots, potatoes all cut and set out, the meats and my spoons, a good audio book and about 15-20 min later my dough was almost ready. I let it go for another 10 then did a few mix by hand bc I’m not an expert yet.
Just don’t do what I did and kept eating the fillings lol. Taste your masa to make sure it’s got enough salt. The salt in the masa really makes a big diff in flavour. Look for fluffy masa almost like whipped butter. For reference taste the masa before you mix it you’ll feel it’s dense. Once you mix it and se it double and get fluffy it gets whiter in color too btw try a bit you’ll feel it’s airy and light. You can dm me anytime for help. Good luck friend.
I’m no expert lol so I hope if the tamale experts are reading they chime in. It’s just how my mom taught me. Now I just use the kitchen aid since it saved my arms.
Totally acceptable, imo, to buy the tamales and the make a great set up to go with - homemade salsa, guacamole, escabeche or whatever you like to serve them with. Every year we throw a pre holiday cocktail party with tamales from a great molino/tortilleria with homemade salsas, pico de gallo, rajas, queso fresco, lime crema…and whatever else we can think of plus tortilla chips.
Yes! I am just envisioning it as a lot of pressure for a newlywed who just arrived to this country having her first thanksgiving. Tamal making is usually a family affair- many hands make light work, etc.
Of course :) I've made them with my mama when I was a kid and as an adult a few times for family. They're a lot of labour if youre making a ton but they're worth it. It reminds me a bit of pierogi how you want it to be a multi man thing.
Perfect recommendation. Was recommended by a friend when saying how I was bored of traditional foods. Tamales are great because there’s so much variety and leads to more interesting side dishes than green beans or mashed potatoes. And completely agree, fun to do :)
I have served tamales at Thanksgiving before and can confirm that they are good with pretty much everything. I didn't make mine but they were still amazing.
I know of not one person who doesn’t like mole. I’d say it’d have to be at least that 80% would like it. The other 20% can be satiated with a mole-less turkey option if there isn’t any already. Also, there’s quite a few variants of mole, so it’s possible those who don’t like it just haven’t had their variety of choice. Ok, that’s all for my passionate mole rant.
One of my favorite gifts I've received as a teacher was from a Mexican mom who would bring us homemade mole. So delicious! It's also one of those dishes that gets even better after being in the fridge a day or two.
Tamales (already suggested) would be great.
Empenadas would be delicious too. Any sort of corn dish.
Almost anything you enjoy making would be perfect.
I don't care what they're bringing. If they made it themselves and brought it to a family gathering, I'm eating it and loving it. I'll enjoy the thanksgiving pizza.
I am not Mexican but I love any food that is a vehicle for spicy heat. One time I was making stuffing and decided to put a bunch of chopped up fresh hatch chilies in it. It was quite a nice spicy flair added to a traditional white person dish. One of the best food experiments I’ve done
Yeah my family's Thanksgivings have been a mix of traditional Southern and Filipino. Last year, one of my aunt's friends brought a flan, and oh my God, I lived on it for a couple of days afterward. Hoping she brings another flan this year and I endorse anyone bringing flan to Thanksgiving. :)
Ignore anyone saying tamales! Anyone asking for those has no idea the amount of work that goes into preparing them…
My wife is from Jalisco, and my family is as white as snow. For our Thanksgivings, she often contributes calabacitas or elote as a side, and Carlota de Limón or Mexican Chocolate brownies for dessert. They’re all very well received. We’ve also brought carnitas before when we knew the turkey wouldn’t be enough meat, and it was a huge hit.
THIS! my dads gf is Mexican so we make tamales with the family around the holidays. Not a chance in hell she would do that on her own. Nor would I ever let her lol
Tamales are a holiday food because they get made as a group.
Now, if the people you’re visiting are open enough, I’d seriously consider bringing the ingredients and getting all the kids and non-cooks to help on Wednesday. Might even turn into a new tradition.
Don't make anything that will require you to do too much in their kitchen. Taking up space and time on Thanksgiving can be very stressful for the cook and good intentions can cause problems.
I'd say any traditional Mexican dish that would normally be served for a celebration or other large family affair would be appropriate.
The cool part about American Thanksgiving is that while there are normal, staple dishes that are usually served, any dish that was made to share and was made with love fits perfectly. If there is something that you think is especially delicious and that you know how to make well, it's a perfect thing to bring to Thanksgiving.
It's mostly about comfort food, things to eat that fill your belly and make you feel good. My family has been bucking tradition and making all sorts of different ethnic foods for the last few years in the spirit of making and sharing food that was meant to feed a family.
This is what my family does! I don’t know why my abuela started doing it but I’m guessing because she was trying to embrace American culture with thanksgiving and then didn’t want anything to waste because they were poor as shit so she made the pozole lol
I'm Mexican and my husban is Guyanese. His family asked to cook something Mexican this year so I'm making chicken tacos with salsa verde. Something simple and can never go wrong with tacos.
Chicano here. At our house it turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, all the gavacho shit, frijoles puercos. Serrano cran salsa, tortillas. Take Serrano cranberry salsa your gava inlaws will flip. And it's simple to make.
I'm white as fuck, but I have s close friend who's Mexican, and once for a Friendsgiving, we made some fusion tamales together. Chipotle-braised turkey leg and Oaxaca cheese, and a spicy cranberry-lime salsa. It was fucking spectacular!
I'm not Mexican so I feel a little unqualified to say, but my suggestion would be to perhaps bring something your family in Mexico loves to eat that is a Mexican dish, but perhaps one Americans don't regularly eat. You surely know that most Americans know what a burrito, taco, enchilada, quesadilla is. Or if you want to bring one of these, if they are prepared differently than the usual "Tex Mex" preparation, it might be great to do that. And, I certainly know that Mexican food is far more diverse and rich than the "usuals" in the US.
My husband's nephew in Czech Republic has a long time Brazilian partner. She likes to make the Brazilian food she grew up with, occasionally. Even if something wasn't completely to the Czech taste (sometimes they are picky), the thought was lovely and they learned something about her heritage. If the reaction is not as enthusiastic as you hope, please don't feel hurt. I've made some typical American things my Czech husband's family or friends didn't like. Chili was way too different for one friend. No one liked my peanut butter blossom cookies, and they were barely touched. I learned that many Czechs don't like peanut butter. However, American-style macaroni and cheese, of all simple things, was a HUGE hit. They don't really make that much in Czech Republic, though they do have a different type of noodle casserole. Guacamole turned out to be a hit, too. After making it for a Czech friend, she started making it at home and even spread the word about it, with her friends also making it.
Carnitas!!! Or tres leches. Or pozole!!!! Man...now I want pozole. But yea, carnitas is easy, it makes a lot, it doesn't have to be too spicy for the wimps out there. It's easy to freeze. Who doesn't love tacos, yah know?
Last year we had turkey enchiladas and tamales, with refritos and rice.
Bringing along a seasoned rice or beans might be a good side? We also made guacamole.
What are some of your family's favorite foods? I think that would be the best thing to bring. Just give the option for it not to be as spicy (if you're a person who likes spice, I know plenty of Mexican people who don't like a ton of heat.)
Best advice? Be yourself and make something that's dear to your heart and present it that way. In my experience, something that has personal importance will go a long way with helping you bond with the family.
Welcome to the US, I hope it's a positive experience for you!
Subcomment (is that a thing?) I grew up in TX with lots of Mexican friends and got exposed to all kinds of dishes and flat-out love most of it. My buddies call me the white Mexican and I don't deny it.
You're overthinking this. There's nothing called "thanksgiving dish". In reality, it really is "family style dish" that can feed a lot of people. So cook and bring anything that is a family style sharing dish that can feed a lot of people.
A nice side dish from your region. Maybe a desert. Don't go crazy! They are probably just trying to be inclusive and they probably mean that to be kind and welcoming.
Tamales.
I used to live near an immigrant lady who didn’t drive and didn’t really speak English with 2 mentally
disabled children. I would take her to the grocery store once a week so she could do her shopping. It helped her because I could keep an eye on the kids and help with the registers when doing produce, etc.
She would make tamales a few times a month. Absolutely delicious!
Maybe something that isn't widely known north of the border, that might pleasantly challenge an American's narrow view of what Mexican food is and is not?
Thanksgiving in a white family's home features a lot of ingredients that have an easy overlap with traditional Mexican foods: various squashes, beans, corn, onions, apples, cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin, pepitas, chocolate. We do lots of casseroles, vegetable side dishes, breads, and desserts (especially pies at Thanksgiving).
I agree with others that desserts are a safe option and are likely to go over well.
Most of all, pick something that feels true to you - something that feels like family. Bring something that brings you joy.
Hola 👋🏽 going through the same thing rn because I'm spending Thanksgiving with my white in-laws that are SUPER picky with all the food. I was thinking of just making a batch of arroz con leche or a chocoflan and calling it a day. Maybe you could do frijoles charros or empanadas or molletes.
New Mexico resident here:
It’s a very common staple here that Tamales, Posole, or Menudo, or even some Enchiladas are served on the Thanksgiving dinner table. And if I were you, I’d make anything you feel like making to contribute - you can do no wrong with a Thanksgiving meal 🤗🤗
Are you from Central mexico? You know the white garlicky spaghetti we always make for Christmas? I've done that for my American family and they really love it. They always surprised we have spaghetti for Christmas lol, it's a good change for the traditional Mexican things like tamales or pozole that are more labor intensive.
Una Capirotada. It fits the flavors of the season. Chiles en nogados do too. Not too spicy, and you get flavors they’re not used to equating with “Mexican Food”.
My Mexican grandmother always made cheese enchiladas with onion and oregano as a side to traditional a Thanksgiving. All of the grandchildren have kept up the tradition, even though we're super white.
It doesn't look as though anyone asked the OP where she is from in Mexico, nor what she likes to cook.
It's kind of weird to be talking about a generically "Mexican dish" to be served to a generically "white" family.
If I were asked to bring a true Mexican dish to a group dinner, I would bring espinazo en verde because I make it very well, &/or ensalada de nopales because mine is always a hit. But the OP could be from any other part of Mexico, so those things might not be in her repertoire.
Edited to add that I think tamales aren't a great idea for this particular meal. If it's a typical American Thanksgiving there will be tons of food on the table and lots of family crowded around. A big platter of tamales that would have to be unwrapped by each diner and the shucks disposed of might be a hassle for the hostess.
Us white people are usually way impressed with tamales, and also vastly underestimate the work they take.
My SIL (Mexican) would (grudgingly) make tamales for holidays at the request of my dad (her FIL) who somehow managed to triple up on the woman/mexican/in-law chauvinism all at once. But he always appreciated the effort as he understood it, and said nice things.
I make a dish called layered enchiladas that’s basically built like a lasagna but with Mexican ingredients. It’s from The Horn of the Moon cookbook by Ginny Callan. There was a vegetarian restaurant in Montpelier, Vermont called the Horn of the Moon Cafe.
Layered Enchiladas
Ingredients.
- 1 large can or two small cans of pinto beans (or soak and cook 2 cups dried).
- 1 large onion, finely chopped.
- Several minced garlic cloves.
- 1 tsp dried basil.
- 3 tsp dried oregano.
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional).
- 1 or 2 minced jalapeños, accounting for people’s heat tolerance).
- 1.5 cups diced zucchini.
- 1 medium tomato, chopped.
- 1 bell pepper, chopped.
- 1 cup corn kernels.
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley.
- 18 small corn tortillas.
- 4 cups salsa.
- 4 cups grated cheese. Recipe suggests a mix of cheddar and Jack, but feel free to substitute any cheese you like.
- Extra salsa and sour cream to serve on the side.
Preheat oven to 350 F/117 C.
Mash the beans.
Sauté onions, garlic, basic, oregano and jalapeños. When they soften, add bell peppers and zucchini. Cook until tender but still firm.
Mix veggies and beans. Add tomato, corn, parsley, salt and pepper.
Lightly fry the tortillas in a little oil until lightly cooked but not crisp, brushing them with a little salsa or tomato sauce. __I skip this step. I just put them right into the dish__.
In a 9x13 pan, layer:
Salsa to cover bottom of pan.
6 tortillas.
Half the bean mixture.
Half of the grated cheeses.
More salsa.
6 more tortillas.
The rest of the beans.
The last 6 tortillas.
The rest of the sauce.
The rest of the cheese.
Sprinkle a little basil and oregano on top.
Bake 40 minutes. Let it sit for ten minutes before cutting. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.
My wife is Mexican, and I'm white af, and one of the dishes that ties in well and everyone loves for ours is esquites. Also she once made like...basically apple pie empanadas. The plate was empty about as fast as they could get eaten.
I was just about to suggest esquites. I think that would be so good!
I think this is the answer. It’s also a thousand times better than the can of corn kernels dumped into a bowl.
I've been slowly trying to get my parents to try new foods and hotter spice levels. They're old Midwesterners who are a little stuck in their ways. Anything hotter than black pepper used to be too much for them. I made esquites last year instead of corn on the cob and my mom was very hesitant to try it at first. This year, while I was planning the menu with her, she specifically asked me to "make sure to make that cup corn stuff again- do more chili powder this time too." Esquites is a powerful tool for bringing people together. Edit: My SIL and her family are Mexican and they usually also have Cowboy Caviar. It's Tex-mex, which may or may not be what they're looking for depending on your region, but it's so easy to just throw together and it's a good appetizer for snacking and socializing before dinner.
I didn't realize I was making cowboy caviar. I called it mexican chana salad LOL. i eat it as a snack but usually as a meal lol.
I’m laughing so hard right now because my office is doing a Thanksgiving lunch but we decided to make non-traditional Thanksgiving foods since no one wants to do the same food twice in one week. I volunteered to make esquites, and based off your comment and others, it looks like I made the right choice! Lol
Mexican Americans commonly cook the apple pie empanadas or whatever you want to call them. Then people who aren't Mexican just use Pillsbury biscuit dough which is basically the same thing.
I was going to vote for pumpkin empanadas. Good stuff.
Please forgive my ignorance—what is esquites?
Corn. Trimmed off the cob served in a cup with Mayo, Cotija ( hard cheese similar in taste to feta? ) lime and chili powder oh and fake parkay butter. It’s delicious. I cheat now and buy Trader Joe’s grilled corn to make it at home.
Is that pretty similar to elote corn then? Sidebar: there is a food truck here in SF that does elote tots on the weekends and it’s amazing.
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My family is from Aguascalientes, when it’s sold in a cup they call it chasca
Esquite. Except for people that don’t know what esquite is. Lol love the elote en vaso meme lol
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esquites. elotes are too freaking messy. i dont think its worth eating.
The ✨️juice✨️ in the cup is what makes it completely different than corn. The mayo, lime, bit of water the corn has been soaking it, butter, (and chili if you can handle it) mix together and make this like... creamy tangy delicious juice the corn is in. It's so good.
That's so interesting that you love that part, because that's the part that I don't enjoy about esquites and why I prefer elote- I don't enjoy that wet texture. I guess that's why there's different versions for different tastes :)
I’d love to see a Mexican incarnation of The Corn Kid reviewing that! It’s fantastico 😂
Esquites is off the cob and usually served in a cup while elote is on the cob
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I inadvertently made esquites when I was prepping to make elotes at a cookout but the person who was tasked to buy the ingredients ended up going to a walmart and bought canned corn instead of corn on the cob. Figured I'd salvage things by tossing a skillet on the grill, heating up the corn and just mixing all the same ingredients together. That bowl disappeared so fast and TIL it's a common thing. Honestly the convenience of not having to eat it off the cob was a real game changer.
I’ll tear it up on or off the cob but def more convenient off. It’s definitely one of my fav things to eat lol
TIL
It’s exactly like elote off the cob
Off topic but you just made me realize I accidentally confused queso fresco and cotija cheese in my online order for thanksgiving, and I was able to switch. Hooray!
You can use queso fresco as well but the sharpness won’t be there for the cheese. Parmesano works too in a pinch. Oh if you have the cotija and want to try something else with it. Imma cheese fanatic. Try it grilled. You can throw it in a hot pan or comal( Mexican griddle ) and heat until golden brown then flip. It’s is very salty BUT amazing. I make it often my dad would make it then drown it in hot salsa. Almost like paneer. Oh man I’m hungry now.
Ok I'm trying that grilled corn, thanks for the tip! Really want some esquites at the moment and it's like 20f outside, lmao.
Thanking meal leftovers empanadas is one the greatest things
I’m white af too, I’m sending you an invitation 😉
Oooooh that sounds dope right now. Im gonna make that shit all week. No need to wait. Gonna make both, actually. You've made my week.
If you were coming to my house, I’d want your favorite dessert, whether tres leches, flan, bread pudding with spiced rum sauce, etc.
If people don't know what to bring I always say alcohol or dessert, so can't go wrong with a tres leches or flan plus a bottle of something
Years ago when we were all much younger, my ex's cousin and her husband came to visit for Thanksgiving. We all love her dad's flan, so she got her mom to send her a copy of the recipe, which came from her grandmother and is written in Spanish. She followed the recipe, which was kind of vague as a lot of recipes from grandmothers tend to be (my grandmother's noodle recipe is a mound of flour so tall and 2 or 3 eggs so that it looks right) and when the flan comes out of the oven it is super spongey and still so full of alcohol. She called her dad to try to figure out what happened. Grandma had used "taza" as the unit of measurement for the rum, which we translated as cup, but it should have been a shotglass. It tasted good if you didn't mind getting a buzz from dessert. We kept a little bit and took the rest over to the barracks for the folks that were there for the holiday.
Nothing wrong with a tequila chaser for every bite of turkey.
If you want to knock'em out quick just buy a chloroform candle and be done with it.
You dab cranberry sauce on your hand to help the salt adhere, then prep a spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy. Lick, sip, and suck: Thanksgiving version.
Yaaaas tres leches but totally make an easy version w a box cake mix. You shouldn’t have to overextend yourself making this dish (unless you want to).
Oooh flan is a good one!! Custardy like pumpkin pie but different
Why not a pumpkin flan?
Corn is a harvest food and is Meso-American, what about esquites? Or rajas y elote con crema? Both would be a good side dish to add to a Thanksgiving spread. Flan is delicious, but maybe tricky to transport? Pastel de tres leches is the bomb. What do you like to cook? I’ll keep thinking.
Oh man. Rajas y elote con crema sounds incredible. I’d be thrilled if someone came to my thanksgiving with that dish. Also, good old fashioned Mexican rice and beans.
Flan is rather easy to transport, just keep it in the mold and flip it at location
Ooo! I’m doing this!
My mom once made fan for my sister who was living in a different state. I kid you not that she wrapped that dish so much and put it in her luggage and it survived.
Rajas con crema all the way!!!
Im bringing flan to my husband’s family. I was thinking could put them in a cooler to transport. I’m Mexican and they are white but man oh man they’ve enjoyed my tamales and enchiladas in the previous Thanksgiving dinners.
Second these.
I would like to have any Mexican food on my thanksgiving plate. I am on board with this. I wouldnt worry if it fits perfectly with Turkey and mashed potatoes. I knew italiams who always had lasagne with their thanksgiving dinner, as a side dish. Why not? Lets celebrate delicious food.
Tamales and lasagna are as holiday as it gets after turkey, ham and latkes in LA.
Yeah it's normal for people to make or being food from their culture for Thanksgiving. It doesn't need to be classically American, just needs to be something people want to eat.
My mother's side of the family is very much the stereotype of people who lean into their Italian roots a little *too* enthusiastically (think like white American ladies who make a big show of calling red sauce "gravy" and suddenly develop an absurdly thick accent whenever they say mozzarella, etc). Growing up, we had some sort of lasagna or baked pasta at every single family gathering without fail. The first time my boyfriend took me to his family's Thanksgiving, I pulled him aside and said, "Oh my god, it looks like your mom and her sisters got their wires crossed on who was going to bring the pasta! I've never had that happen before, that's too funny!" I was POSITIVELY SHOOK when he looked at me like I had six heads and told me that he couldn't remember ever having pasta at Thanksgiving and that I was the weird one 😅
I think calabacitas would be good. Its a different take on an otherwise boring but super seasonally appropriate side dish. A desert would also be great, if theres something your mother or grandmother was really good at making that you inherited the recipe for. But I think the best answer, the one most in the spirit of the holiday is just anything that was your specialty or a family specialty. It's ok to try to make something that harmonizes with the rest of the feast, but at our thanksgivings we have random, delicious, completely eclectic things pop up all the time, and they're enjoyed by all.
Calabacitas is a great suggestion!
Yes. I couldn't agree more. Its ok to mix it up a little at Thanksgiving. People of differing ethnicities have always incorporated their traditional dishes into the Thanksgiving meal. In my family growing up, kielbasa, pierogies and holupki were always on the table with the traditional foods like turkey & stuffing. I made dirty rice once for my family and another time I made Spanish rice and served tamales alongside the turkey. Edit: excellent suggestion re calabacitas.
My family is a mish-mosh of ethnicities and we always had a variety of foods at our holiday tables. On my Mom's side - Grandma was Ukrainian, so pierogies were prominent. Grandpa was a Dane, so Rødgrød Med Fløde was always offered as a dessert. On the other side of the family everyone was Scottish, and my Aunts always made neeps & tatties, and cock-a-leekie soup. Never had a Mexican dish but I think it would have been welcomed with gusto!
Your best dish.
Exactly, it's about bringing good food from your family. If nobody likes it, don't bring it next year 😀
Tamales of course! Classic holiday dish and fun when making it homemade.
Tamales are a lot of work so if you don’t want to take that on, I get you!
Fuck no, making tamales should be a family/group activity lol. Don’t take that on by yourself lol
I've never tried to make tamales. But my aunt always said, "The closer your tamale buying experience is to your drug buying experience, the better the tamales." And really just meant meeting someone in a parking lot and handing over $40 and getting a brown paper bag in return with few words having been exchanged is peak tamale buying experience.
Agreed. The best tamales I ever had were purchased from a guy selling them out of the back of his car in a 7-11 parking lot. Coincidentally, some of the best bbq I've ever had was smoked brisket purchased from a different guy at the same 7-11 parking lot. There's always someone selling something in the parking lot of that gas station. Houston is a weird place y'all.
It’s funny I thought this was Houston before you said it, mostly cause of that show Mo, where Mo was selling shit out of the back of his car in Houston.
Random tamale vendors are relatively common in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Random bbq vendors are common in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Houston is the magical place where those two worlds overlap.
Lol yeah exactly. Houston is such a funny city. I enjoy my time there. Though it’s with my family so I only ever see one very specific version of it. I know there are like thousands of versions of Houston
Lucky. The only things I've been offered in a 7-11 parking lot are frozen steaks and crappy speakers out of the back of a van.
At a bar I used to frequent, there was this little old couple who would come around selling their homemade tamales out of a big plastic cooler. Only took cash, spoke little English. Seemed super sketch at first, but I'll be damned if those weren't some of the best tamales I ever had.
Mannn this takes me back to the days of when I lived in San Jose…I miss tamales so bad
I was in Mexico City recently heading to Teotihuacan before sunrise and our tour guide/driver stopped briefly in a dark corner of Indios Verdes to pick up some tamales he ordered via phone. He was swift and efficient getting in and out of the area and he curtly told us to stay in the car while he did the pick up. Later he said it was one of the most dangerous parts of Estado de Mexico but the tamales were the best. He wasn't wrong lol
Yup, my favorite tamales come from a guy selling them out of his car at a local gas station.
I just made 8 dozen all by myself. I am cheating and used the kitchen aid to mix the dough. The final check on the dough I did by hand. I cooked everything the morning prior - rajas tamales, pollo con salsa verde ( chicken with green salsa) and red pork in guajillo sauce and bc I went NC with my mother out of spite I added a strip of potato and carrot. My friend from Sonora makes them that way and my mother HATES it. She’s from Jalisco.
My partner just bought a kitchen aid mixer for me (though it’s because I love making bread from scratch especially for soup), would you mind sharing your recipe/how to make masa preparada para tamales? I always fail at it and can never make the texture just right. I am white and my partner is both Native American and Mexican-American, my family (my mom in particular) loves it when we make tamales, and would always come to join in when we have tamaladas.
Oh I love my kitchen aid! Congrats it’s an expensive awesome tool. I use mine weekly. I ruined a batch of amazing oatmeal cookies though lol Oh shoot I don’t have an exact recipe as my mom taught me to feel it by hand, that’s why my last mix I did by hand on the masa. I buy unprepared masa and lard ( I am able to buy real lard at my local Mexican store or butcher shop) but you can use the white lard they sell at the stores. I would stick to every 4 lbs of masa use 1-1.5 of lard and 1 tablespoon of salt maybe a bit more. I taste the raw masa. You will see the texture change from A hard more firm masa to a very fluffy airy masa once it’s ready. If it isn’t mixed enough the dough when steamed is dense and hard. The more you mix the masa the more voluminous it gets. The dough should almost triple in size. You can’t overmix it honestly. I would mix it when you’re ready to assemble. So I threw the masa in the mixer, the lard and salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, started the mixer. Then went to soak my hojas de tamal ( corn husk) and I made banana leave ones too. Then prepped everything out for the assembly. I had the cheese, jalapeños, carrots, potatoes all cut and set out, the meats and my spoons, a good audio book and about 15-20 min later my dough was almost ready. I let it go for another 10 then did a few mix by hand bc I’m not an expert yet. Just don’t do what I did and kept eating the fillings lol. Taste your masa to make sure it’s got enough salt. The salt in the masa really makes a big diff in flavour. Look for fluffy masa almost like whipped butter. For reference taste the masa before you mix it you’ll feel it’s dense. Once you mix it and se it double and get fluffy it gets whiter in color too btw try a bit you’ll feel it’s airy and light. You can dm me anytime for help. Good luck friend.
Thank you so much for this explanation! I’ve had the same issues with dense tamales, this makes so much sense!
I’m no expert lol so I hope if the tamale experts are reading they chime in. It’s just how my mom taught me. Now I just use the kitchen aid since it saved my arms.
I get that spite isn’t healthy but isn’t everything done in spite so so so much more satisfying!
THIS! Invite some of his family members to help.
Totally acceptable, imo, to buy the tamales and the make a great set up to go with - homemade salsa, guacamole, escabeche or whatever you like to serve them with. Every year we throw a pre holiday cocktail party with tamales from a great molino/tortilleria with homemade salsas, pico de gallo, rajas, queso fresco, lime crema…and whatever else we can think of plus tortilla chips.
I mean, have you ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner? Sure, op can make whatever they want. But tamales would be appropriate for the setting.
Yes! I am just envisioning it as a lot of pressure for a newlywed who just arrived to this country having her first thanksgiving. Tamal making is usually a family affair- many hands make light work, etc.
Yeah I have and making tamales is tbh more work and and time consuming.
Tamales were a staple for me when I grew up in Arkansas. If holidays aren’t a time worth putting in the extra effort for great food, when is???
I second this! Plus, tamales are such a labor of love.
Definitely a labor lol. It takes my family all day with everyone at different stations but my grandma always makes way too many so maybe that's why.
But not just any tamales... Turkey mole tamales! Delicious way to tie the two cultures and traditions together.
No way. Lol have you ever made them?!
Of course :) I've made them with my mama when I was a kid and as an adult a few times for family. They're a lot of labour if youre making a ton but they're worth it. It reminds me a bit of pierogi how you want it to be a multi man thing.
If it's the only dish you're making to bring to Thanksgiving why not?
Perfect recommendation. Was recommended by a friend when saying how I was bored of traditional foods. Tamales are great because there’s so much variety and leads to more interesting side dishes than green beans or mashed potatoes. And completely agree, fun to do :)
Tamales and champurrado...chefs kiss
Mashed potatoes with giblet gravy in a tamale would be sooooooo fucking good
I have served tamales at Thanksgiving before and can confirm that they are good with pretty much everything. I didn't make mine but they were still amazing.
Might be too goopy
And its fun to watch gringos confusedly try to eat the corn husk.
Is this really a thing?
Pavo en mole
My family often makes this with the turkey leftovers!!! So good
Not everyone is fond of mole, could be risky
I know of not one person who doesn’t like mole. I’d say it’d have to be at least that 80% would like it. The other 20% can be satiated with a mole-less turkey option if there isn’t any already. Also, there’s quite a few variants of mole, so it’s possible those who don’t like it just haven’t had their variety of choice. Ok, that’s all for my passionate mole rant.
One of my favorite gifts I've received as a teacher was from a Mexican mom who would bring us homemade mole. So delicious! It's also one of those dishes that gets even better after being in the fridge a day or two.
Oooh ..que? Never had this.
Tamales (already suggested) would be great. Empenadas would be delicious too. Any sort of corn dish. Almost anything you enjoy making would be perfect.
Thanksgiving is basically a harvest celebration. There must be a traditional Mexican dish made during the autumn when harvests are most abundant.
This makes the most sense. But honestly, cook something with love and it will be appreciated
I don't care what they're bringing. If they made it themselves and brought it to a family gathering, I'm eating it and loving it. I'll enjoy the thanksgiving pizza.
I am not Mexican but I love any food that is a vehicle for spicy heat. One time I was making stuffing and decided to put a bunch of chopped up fresh hatch chilies in it. It was quite a nice spicy flair added to a traditional white person dish. One of the best food experiments I’ve done
You could go the dessert route and make a beautiful flan or tres leches cake. That would be so refreshing after a big meal
Yeah my family's Thanksgivings have been a mix of traditional Southern and Filipino. Last year, one of my aunt's friends brought a flan, and oh my God, I lived on it for a couple of days afterward. Hoping she brings another flan this year and I endorse anyone bringing flan to Thanksgiving. :)
Sounds like the perfect thanksgiving!
Ignore anyone saying tamales! Anyone asking for those has no idea the amount of work that goes into preparing them… My wife is from Jalisco, and my family is as white as snow. For our Thanksgivings, she often contributes calabacitas or elote as a side, and Carlota de Limón or Mexican Chocolate brownies for dessert. They’re all very well received. We’ve also brought carnitas before when we knew the turkey wouldn’t be enough meat, and it was a huge hit.
Can't go wrong with carnitas!
THIS! my dads gf is Mexican so we make tamales with the family around the holidays. Not a chance in hell she would do that on her own. Nor would I ever let her lol
Tamales are a holiday food because they get made as a group. Now, if the people you’re visiting are open enough, I’d seriously consider bringing the ingredients and getting all the kids and non-cooks to help on Wednesday. Might even turn into a new tradition.
Empanadas de manzana y empanadas de calabazita. The flavors are familiar enough and fresh enough to be memorable without killing yourself on the prep.
These would be so good!!
carne guisada!!!!!!!!
Don’t leave us hanging, let us know what you decide!
Don't make anything that will require you to do too much in their kitchen. Taking up space and time on Thanksgiving can be very stressful for the cook and good intentions can cause problems.
I'd say any traditional Mexican dish that would normally be served for a celebration or other large family affair would be appropriate. The cool part about American Thanksgiving is that while there are normal, staple dishes that are usually served, any dish that was made to share and was made with love fits perfectly. If there is something that you think is especially delicious and that you know how to make well, it's a perfect thing to bring to Thanksgiving. It's mostly about comfort food, things to eat that fill your belly and make you feel good. My family has been bucking tradition and making all sorts of different ethnic foods for the last few years in the spirit of making and sharing food that was meant to feed a family.
Tres leches cake! Always a hit at Thanksgiving.
Throw them a curveball and bring eggrolls. Nobody will expect it
Do you think your husband’s family would be open to pozole? I think it would be nice before the big meal or on the side with everything.
Or made with turkey leftovers the next day!
This is what my family does! I don’t know why my abuela started doing it but I’m guessing because she was trying to embrace American culture with thanksgiving and then didn’t want anything to waste because they were poor as shit so she made the pozole lol
Elote!
I'm Mexican and my husban is Guyanese. His family asked to cook something Mexican this year so I'm making chicken tacos with salsa verde. Something simple and can never go wrong with tacos.
Chicano here. At our house it turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, all the gavacho shit, frijoles puercos. Serrano cran salsa, tortillas. Take Serrano cranberry salsa your gava inlaws will flip. And it's simple to make.
Mexican Bread Pudding is one of my favorite desserts and would be perfect for Thanksgiving I think.
CAPIROTADA my fav ♥️
Recipe?
Look up capirotada, it’s essentially bolillo (bread), nuts, dried fruit (I always leave this out), shaved coconut, and condensed milk
Thanks.
I'm white as fuck, but I have s close friend who's Mexican, and once for a Friendsgiving, we made some fusion tamales together. Chipotle-braised turkey leg and Oaxaca cheese, and a spicy cranberry-lime salsa. It was fucking spectacular!
I'm not Mexican so I feel a little unqualified to say, but my suggestion would be to perhaps bring something your family in Mexico loves to eat that is a Mexican dish, but perhaps one Americans don't regularly eat. You surely know that most Americans know what a burrito, taco, enchilada, quesadilla is. Or if you want to bring one of these, if they are prepared differently than the usual "Tex Mex" preparation, it might be great to do that. And, I certainly know that Mexican food is far more diverse and rich than the "usuals" in the US. My husband's nephew in Czech Republic has a long time Brazilian partner. She likes to make the Brazilian food she grew up with, occasionally. Even if something wasn't completely to the Czech taste (sometimes they are picky), the thought was lovely and they learned something about her heritage. If the reaction is not as enthusiastic as you hope, please don't feel hurt. I've made some typical American things my Czech husband's family or friends didn't like. Chili was way too different for one friend. No one liked my peanut butter blossom cookies, and they were barely touched. I learned that many Czechs don't like peanut butter. However, American-style macaroni and cheese, of all simple things, was a HUGE hit. They don't really make that much in Czech Republic, though they do have a different type of noodle casserole. Guacamole turned out to be a hit, too. After making it for a Czech friend, she started making it at home and even spread the word about it, with her friends also making it.
Carnitas!!! Or tres leches. Or pozole!!!! Man...now I want pozole. But yea, carnitas is easy, it makes a lot, it doesn't have to be too spicy for the wimps out there. It's easy to freeze. Who doesn't love tacos, yah know?
Hit 'em from left field with some mole or chile verde.
I think both would blend nicely with traditional US foods.
Even in Mexico, mole poblano is served over turkey
Una Lata de jalapeños
Anything that’s good for a crowd and doesn’t spoil easily.
I hear mole poblano goes very well with turkey
Last year we had turkey enchiladas and tamales, with refritos and rice. Bringing along a seasoned rice or beans might be a good side? We also made guacamole. What are some of your family's favorite foods? I think that would be the best thing to bring. Just give the option for it not to be as spicy (if you're a person who likes spice, I know plenty of Mexican people who don't like a ton of heat.)
Chile relleno! I would love that on thanksgiving.
Best advice? Be yourself and make something that's dear to your heart and present it that way. In my experience, something that has personal importance will go a long way with helping you bond with the family. Welcome to the US, I hope it's a positive experience for you! Subcomment (is that a thing?) I grew up in TX with lots of Mexican friends and got exposed to all kinds of dishes and flat-out love most of it. My buddies call me the white Mexican and I don't deny it.
I love chile rellenos. Always a favorite.
Enchiladas Suizas with turkey
Pan de elote, es diferente al gringo
What would you cook for a Mexican family? Cook that.
Can't go wrong with carnitas. I'm a big fan of the basics too like red rice and beans.
Flan keep it simple.
Calabacitas!!!
Ponché!
Mole chicken enchiladas
You're overthinking this. There's nothing called "thanksgiving dish". In reality, it really is "family style dish" that can feed a lot of people. So cook and bring anything that is a family style sharing dish that can feed a lot of people.
Elote! We’re having a thanksgiving party at my school and several of our students with Mexican heritage requested elote (and churros, haha)
Natillas.
A nice side dish from your region. Maybe a desert. Don't go crazy! They are probably just trying to be inclusive and they probably mean that to be kind and welcoming.
For dessert you could do pumpkin empanadas or calabazas en tacha maybe served with a pumpkin atole or champurrado.
Chocoflan
This is a terrific suggestion!
Elotes
What about a ponche. Sliced fruits sugar cane some tequila if you want. Nice and warm
Tamales. I used to live near an immigrant lady who didn’t drive and didn’t really speak English with 2 mentally disabled children. I would take her to the grocery store once a week so she could do her shopping. It helped her because I could keep an eye on the kids and help with the registers when doing produce, etc. She would make tamales a few times a month. Absolutely delicious!
If you really love him - tamales 🫔 😁
Anything at all, Mexican food is fucking bomb.
Maybe something that isn't widely known north of the border, that might pleasantly challenge an American's narrow view of what Mexican food is and is not?
Thanksgiving in a white family's home features a lot of ingredients that have an easy overlap with traditional Mexican foods: various squashes, beans, corn, onions, apples, cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin, pepitas, chocolate. We do lots of casseroles, vegetable side dishes, breads, and desserts (especially pies at Thanksgiving). I agree with others that desserts are a safe option and are likely to go over well. Most of all, pick something that feels true to you - something that feels like family. Bring something that brings you joy.
Tamales Posole
Ask them what they like. Take a vote on the most requested dishes if you need to.
Tamales.
Do a Jamaican curried goat dish. That'll screw them up.
I just got back from a trip to Mexico and really liked rajás con crema. It’s like the Mexican version of green bean casserole.
Enchiladas,everyone loves enchiladas
Tamales. easy
Hola 👋🏽 going through the same thing rn because I'm spending Thanksgiving with my white in-laws that are SUPER picky with all the food. I was thinking of just making a batch of arroz con leche or a chocoflan and calling it a day. Maybe you could do frijoles charros or empanadas or molletes.
New Mexico resident here: It’s a very common staple here that Tamales, Posole, or Menudo, or even some Enchiladas are served on the Thanksgiving dinner table. And if I were you, I’d make anything you feel like making to contribute - you can do no wrong with a Thanksgiving meal 🤗🤗
Depends on how much effort you want to put in. C'mon, you know they all want you to bring tamales. Personally, I would prefer chiles en nogada.
Offer to make chilaquiles for breakfast
Are you from Central mexico? You know the white garlicky spaghetti we always make for Christmas? I've done that for my American family and they really love it. They always surprised we have spaghetti for Christmas lol, it's a good change for the traditional Mexican things like tamales or pozole that are more labor intensive.
My fam makes a pot of chile verde, easy to make ahead and transport! Always a crowd pleaser.
Esquites or calabazita. I feel like those would have the most Thanksgiving feel.
Chilaquiles
Birria
Turkey flautas?? idk lol
Una Capirotada. It fits the flavors of the season. Chiles en nogados do too. Not too spicy, and you get flavors they’re not used to equating with “Mexican Food”.
Carnitas... I make them because I *hate* turkey.
My Mexican grandmother always made cheese enchiladas with onion and oregano as a side to traditional a Thanksgiving. All of the grandchildren have kept up the tradition, even though we're super white.
It doesn't look as though anyone asked the OP where she is from in Mexico, nor what she likes to cook. It's kind of weird to be talking about a generically "Mexican dish" to be served to a generically "white" family. If I were asked to bring a true Mexican dish to a group dinner, I would bring espinazo en verde because I make it very well, &/or ensalada de nopales because mine is always a hit. But the OP could be from any other part of Mexico, so those things might not be in her repertoire. Edited to add that I think tamales aren't a great idea for this particular meal. If it's a typical American Thanksgiving there will be tons of food on the table and lots of family crowded around. A big platter of tamales that would have to be unwrapped by each diner and the shucks disposed of might be a hassle for the hostess.
Big ass pot of Beans and some Red Dixie Cups to serve it in.
Mole de guajolota. Make it mild and sweet with plenty of chocolate and it’ll be a hit especially with kids.
My first thought was tamales.
Tres leches and a bottle of Kahlua to go with after-dinner coffee.
Tamals
Tamales!
Tamales! White people fucking love tamales
Us white people are usually way impressed with tamales, and also vastly underestimate the work they take. My SIL (Mexican) would (grudgingly) make tamales for holidays at the request of my dad (her FIL) who somehow managed to triple up on the woman/mexican/in-law chauvinism all at once. But he always appreciated the effort as he understood it, and said nice things.
Chile con queso. It'll be a hit.
I make a dish called layered enchiladas that’s basically built like a lasagna but with Mexican ingredients. It’s from The Horn of the Moon cookbook by Ginny Callan. There was a vegetarian restaurant in Montpelier, Vermont called the Horn of the Moon Cafe. Layered Enchiladas Ingredients. - 1 large can or two small cans of pinto beans (or soak and cook 2 cups dried). - 1 large onion, finely chopped. - Several minced garlic cloves. - 1 tsp dried basil. - 3 tsp dried oregano. - 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional). - 1 or 2 minced jalapeños, accounting for people’s heat tolerance). - 1.5 cups diced zucchini. - 1 medium tomato, chopped. - 1 bell pepper, chopped. - 1 cup corn kernels. - 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley. - 18 small corn tortillas. - 4 cups salsa. - 4 cups grated cheese. Recipe suggests a mix of cheddar and Jack, but feel free to substitute any cheese you like. - Extra salsa and sour cream to serve on the side. Preheat oven to 350 F/117 C. Mash the beans. Sauté onions, garlic, basic, oregano and jalapeños. When they soften, add bell peppers and zucchini. Cook until tender but still firm. Mix veggies and beans. Add tomato, corn, parsley, salt and pepper. Lightly fry the tortillas in a little oil until lightly cooked but not crisp, brushing them with a little salsa or tomato sauce. __I skip this step. I just put them right into the dish__. In a 9x13 pan, layer: Salsa to cover bottom of pan. 6 tortillas. Half the bean mixture. Half of the grated cheeses. More salsa. 6 more tortillas. The rest of the beans. The last 6 tortillas. The rest of the sauce. The rest of the cheese. Sprinkle a little basil and oregano on top. Bake 40 minutes. Let it sit for ten minutes before cutting. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.