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Whose Thanksgiving side dishes are better: author Ann Hodgman's or your mother's? Take on our ramped-up "Beat This" challenge and let us know.

Get the Recipe for Ann's Sausage-Cranberry Stuffing

I only start to love the turkey when it's time to put it into a sandwich. At Thanksgiving dinner itself, it's a backdrop. A gorgeous backdrop, true, but never the first thing I eat. What I really pile my plate with is side dishes. And dessert, of course, but that comes later. I start with the best Brussels sprouts in the world. They're beautiful mahogany jewels — well, not jewels exactly, but not at all like the typical Brussels sprouts. They've been roasted until they're crisp and brown and deep-tasting. Then there's stuffing. People have strong opinions about stuffing, so I'm glad to settle all disputes: Mine is the best. Sausage, fresh thyme, apples and dried cranberries, and Pepperidge Farm stuffing — the only "mix" I allow in my kitchen. The battle over whether to use mini marshmallows in the sweet potatoes has destroyed many a family. I have the answer: my sweet potato biscuits. They're delicious. When my kids were little, it was the only part of the dinner they really looked forward to. And let me just say that I've perfected the recipe for mashed potatoes. But before I touch the sprouts, stuffing, biscuits, or potatoes, I have to remember to save room for the cranberry velvet pie . . .

I seriously doubt your recipes are better than mine. But I hereby throw down the official "Beat This" Thanksgiving gauntlet.

How To Enter: If you think you have an unbeatable recipe for sweet potato biscuits, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, or a really great pie, send them to wondertime.editors@disney.com with "Beat This" in the subject line. All entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m., October 31, 2008.

The Wondertime judges will test my recipes against yours and decide on one winner in each category. If I win, I'll be as braggy as ever. If you win, you'll get $100.

Of course there are a couple of rules. No previously published recipes or prepared mixes allowed. We're really looking for the best recipes. Not the most healthful, not the quickest, not the cheapest, but the best. There are plenty of other contests for cheap, quick, or healthful imitations of good recipes. We want the kind of food that people will force you to give up the recipe for, the recipes that make your family and friends thankful for what a great cook you are. To read the complete rules, click here.

Next: Get The Recipe for Ann's Sausage-Cranberry Stuffing

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Sausage-Cranberry Stuffing

I realize that the "Beat This" rules prohibit mixes. That's why I'm declaring that Pepperidge Farm stuffing is not a mix but, rather, seasoned bread crumbs. Some convenience foods are so much better than the inconvenient originals that you should use them without guilt. You don't roast your own peanuts, do you?

Makes about 19 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cup cider, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing crumbs (not cubes)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
12 ounces bulk pork breakfast sausage
2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Soak cranberries in 1/2 cup of cider for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. In a large skillet over high heat, melt 1 stick of the butter. Add onions and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Put onions and stuffing crumbs into an extra large bowl; stir until well combined.

Cook all the sausage in a skillet, stirring frequently and crumbling the meat with a spoon, until it is well browned and no longer pink. Add sausage to the stuffing bowl and stir everything together. Add apples, cranberries with their liquid, and thyme. Mix thoroughly. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining stick of butter. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 1/4 cup cider, and stir. Pour this liquid into the stuffing mixture and combine thoroughly.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two days before cooking, or freeze up to a month in advance. I don't like to stuff my turkey. I bake the stuffing at 350, in a covered 10-by-15-inch pan, for 40 minutes. If you like your stuffing browned, cook it uncovered.