Side dishes can spice up the meal

For some families, tradition reigns supreme at Thanksgiving -- so there's no room at the table for new dishes or unknown flavors. Every year Mom makes her sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows, Grandma makes green bean casserole, and cousin so-and-so makes his famous mashed potatoes. Nothing is new. But why not mix it up?

Stuffed roasted squash is a great side dish as well as a vegetarian entree option. Roasting the squash first gives it big flavor and helps to cook it evenly. The squash halves are brushed with maple syrup, which boosts the inherent sweetness of the vegetable. To bolster a wild rice stuffing, add tart dried cranberries, heady sage, and toasted walnuts.

Spare your green beans the traditional cream sauce bath and dress them in a spicy garlic butter. Simmer garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil to enhance their flavor, then add butter and pour them over the cooked beans. One warning: These beans aren't for the faint of heart, so blanch extra green beans to serve plain.

It wouldn't be autumn without root vegetables. Using the same principle as the green beans, heat thyme in the oil to intensify the flavor, then use the oil to roast trays of carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, and potatoes -- and finish the dish with a drizzle of the oil. The result is a medley of root vegetable flavors with herb punch.

Set one of the new dishes beside the old favorites to start a family tradition. -- KERI FISHER