Corn Pudding: An Easy Side for Thanksgiving (or any day!)

When I was a child, each summer, we would load up the wood-paneled station wagon and head west. We drove from Raleigh, North Carolina to Moreland, Kentucky where my mother’s aunt lived. She lived on a big farm and I remember climbing the willow trees and playing in the corn fields. On many of these annual trips, we visited Shakertown, a historical site, and an interactive museum. We always ate at the Shakertown restaurant, where we enjoyed the farm fresh foods and recipes of the Kentucky Shakers, who once lived on the site. One year, we went to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Shakertown. No matter when we went, we always enjoyed corn pudding. 

A "Go-To" Side Dish

Since then, my family has included corn pudding in our Thanksgiving tradition. This is an extremely easy recipe that can be enjoyed at any time of year. Each year, when we have it at Thanksgiving, I wonder why we don’t make it more often. It can be made with ingredients we usually have on hand, milk, eggs, butter, flour, and canned corn. The recipe simply requires mixing and putting it in the oven.  

Holiday foods are often new foods.

I also wish I offered it throughout the year so it wouldn’t be a new food each year to my kids. So many holiday foods are new foods for children. I know at my house they see corn pudding, stuffing, roasted turkey, and cranberry sauce only once per year. For more cautious eaters, we shouldn’t expect them to eat food they’ve seen for the first time or haven’t seen in 364 days. Then, we add on the pressure and excitement of the day! Honestly, I don’t see why we think our kids will eat anything on Thanksgiving! 

Tip: Always include one item you know your more cautious eaters will eat. This helps them know they can "make do" and will reduce their and your stress.

Increased Food Acceptance

I cooked corn pudding this past week and hope that will help with the acceptance on Thanksgiving next week. I also included a helper in the kitchen which always helps with food acceptance. My daughter was so happy to crack the eggs and mix the ingredients. She was proud of serving it to her siblings and of course, had to try her masterpiece.

I’ll say it again: I plan to cook corn pudding more over the next year. It’s warm, nourishing, easy, and yummy. 

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