Dungeness Crab, Lime Jello Molds and Other 'Thanksgiving Food' We Love

By JB Davis and Katie O'Connor

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and cooks everywhere are pulling out the recipes for family dishes that are “only served at Thanksgiving.”  

Maybe it's sweet potatoes and marshmallows or Grandma Dobbertin's lime green Jello mold with apples, celery and walnuts. (Don't knock it 'till you try it!)

Besides those family favorites there are a range of regional specialties.

In the San Francisco Bay Area Thanksgiving isn’t complete without Dungeness crab. The crab season started on Nov. 1 for sport fishermen in Northern California.  Commercial fishermen can start setting crab pots on November 15.

In parts of the coastal Northeast, stuffed lobster graces many tables at Thanksgiving.

Do you have a special family recipe that you pull out only at Thanksgiving? Is there a particular food that is popular in your region? We’ll tell you one of ours, and we want you to tell us one of yours in the comments below.

What we can't live without: Ocean Spray cranberry sauce direct from can to serving plate. (The ridges make it taste better!)

Send your favorite recipe to kathleen@patch.com. We’ll feature some of them on Patch sites across the country as Thanksgiving gets closer.