Country Stars Share Thanksgiving Plans, Favorite Dishes, Memories & More

Written by SLN Staff Writer
Country Stars Share Thanksgiving Plans, Favorite Dishes, Memories & More

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few of Country music’s hottest stars recently shared their Thanksgiving plans, memories, favorite side dishes, and more. See what Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Eric Church, Keith Urban, and many more have to say about the holiday…

Thanksgiving plans…

“We kind of got a lot of our friends together that don’t really have a lot of family in the area, all the people that are kind of like ‘we’d be alone on Thanksgiving.’ So, we are all gonna get together and make food and cook and eat and drink wine.” – Carrie Underwood

“I will be with my in-laws for the first Thanksgiving since we got married. Here is my one stipulation: because this is the first Thanksgiving away from my family, I have to make my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole. I’m bringing the recipe and I’m making it because it wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving if we didn’t have that.” – Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott

“It’s gonna be interesting trying to find turkey there. That’s kinda how my life goes. Wherever I’m gonna be I’m gonna be. I know that when I’m putting out a record all bets are off. I just put my head down and wake up when they tell me to and I just do what I’m told … a lot. That sounds depressing, but I think it’s fun.” – Taylor Swift, who is spending Thanksgiving in Tokyo

Thanksgiving Memories…

“One of my most memorable Thanksgiving memories was probably the first year that me and my two brothers decided to start our annual eating contest where we ate throughout the whole day. We started that morning and weighed ourselves and at the very end of the night, we weighed ourselves out and all three of us equally gained five pounds. I wish we had a more accurate scale to decide the winner, but we all tied. Five pounds!” – Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley

What they’re thankful for…

“I’m most thankful for health, and the health of my loved ones and family. I’m thankful for the safety of my brother who came back from Afghanistan. I’m thankful for music and to have a wonderful partner and manager and a wonderful group of people to go on the road with and do what I love. I’m thankful for the fans that buy the records to allow us to do what we love. I could list on and on, but I am a happy girl.” – Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles

“Thankful that my marriage is not just life-changing, it’s been life-giving for me. And from there, we created life, and that’s just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the effect that all of that has had in my work, has given life to it too, given it a sense of purpose and really deepened the experience for me.” – Keith Urban

“I’m thankful for my family, my son, my wife and great health. From a career standpoint, I’m very thankful for the success we’ve had lately. I’m thankful for Chief, I’m thankful for what the fans have done. I’m thankful that we’re starting to have some hit songs on the radio. There’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for in that regard.” – Eric Church

“The main thing I’m thankful for is my family, there’s no doubt about that. Thanksgiving is about family for us. If we’re in Jersey, getting together with family. If we’re in Charleston, getting together with family and just cooking and eating. Sitting around and talking and remembering and being thankful for where we are. We’re all still alive.” – Darius Rucker

“Having family and being able to spend that quality time with them and the opportunity to do what I do. But absolutely being able to spend that time with family and your loved ones.” – Easton Corbin

Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes…

“Well, my granny’s chicken and dumplin’s is my favorite, but we do have turkey and dressing and all that stuff. But I did ask her — I guess it was the year before last — I was like, ‘Granny, can you please make chicken and dumplin’s (laughs) for Thanksgiving?’ And she did! She had the turkey and the dressing and the ham and all that other stuff, but she did make chicken and dumplin’s for…just for me, and I love her so much…not just for her chicken and dumplin’s.” – Kristen Kelly

“We always have turkey and dressing. The dressing, I think is, to us, more important than the turkey. We’ve got a family recipe that’s really, really good.” – Justin Moore

“My grandma, my mom and aunt and them — they always make chicken and dumplin’s, with the gravy on the mashed potatoes, all out. You know, that’s, hands down, my favorite side, the potatoes and the gravy. Add some weight onto my back thighs, so it looks like somebody hit me in the back of the legs with a bag of nickels, after I leave, so that’s my one thing.” – Tyler Farr

“My favorite Thanksgiving dish would be the homemade dressing, cornbread-based kind of dressing, that we always have with turkey. That recipe is a kind of a combination of my mama, and Denise has taken it and perfected it over the years, so that me and my children really enjoy it.” – Alan Jackson

“My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is definitely the dressing. My grandmothers — both my grandparents in Valdosta and in Knoxville — both make the best dressing in the entire planet. I look forward to eating that and falling asleep every year.” – Thomas Rhett

Thanksgiving Traditions…

“It’s kind of a tradition to watch the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. And hopefully this year we’ll be whoopin’ up on somebody.” – Casey James

“I’m kind of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade girl. Like, when that happens, we always watch it, and then Santa Claus is at the end, and I know Christmas — this Christmas season — has arrived.” – Joanna Smith