{"id":71015,"date":"2025-11-26T18:22:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/71015\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T18:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:22:06","slug":"whats-the-best-dish-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/71015\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the best dish? \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orange County legislators<\/a> have a major decision to make this week: What is going on their Thanksgiving<\/a> plates?<\/p>\n

For some, a holiday dish and tradition go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, breaks out a special green decorative bowl \u2014 the same one her grandmother used for the very same recipe \u2014 to make a matching green Jell-O fruit salad that includes walnuts and Cool Whip. She calls her older sister to get the recipe, a tradition they both enjoy.<\/p>\n

Sen. Tom Umberg, meanwhile, married into a tradition that he counts as his favorite Thanksgiving dish: dressing made out of herb-seasoned stuffing mix and shredded giblets and liver from inside the turkey.<\/p>\n

That goes for Sen. Tony Strickland, too \u2014 albeit, his favorite Thanksgiving dish may not be overly traditional. The Huntington Beach Republican said he is grateful for his wife\u2019s family\u2019s homemade lasagna, which includes tiny meatballs and is served ahead of the turkey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best lasagna I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Strickland said, remarking on its freshness. \u201cEverybody fights over the pieces of lasagna and the leftovers, who can take it home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tradition is both on and off the table for Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas. She enjoys dark meat turkey as well as crispy turkey skin, off the turkey, which her family always makes sure there is plenty of. Her mother always made turkeys that way.<\/p>\n

But before the meal, Blakespear\u2019s family participates in a planned physical activity. Some years that has been volleyball or yoga or even archery. This year, a long walk is planned.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the scoop on what other Orange County legislators are serving \u2014 and eating \u2014 this Thanksgiving. Spoiler: It seems various mashed potato and dressing recipes are leading this poll.<\/p>\n

Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera: \u201cFor many, Thanksgiving is a highlight of the year, and I\u2019m no exception. Few things bring me more joy than gathering with my family and friends to share a meal. The holiday offers a chance to sample a wide spread of dishes, prepared by different cooks in the family, from ham and turkey, to an array of salads and sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut for me, the standout is always the mashed potatoes and gravy. And if there are a few hardy chunks left in the mix, all the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Phillip Chen, R-Yorba Linda: Mashed potatoes with heavy butter is the Assembly member\u2019s choice, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Sen. Steven Choi, R-Irvine: \u201cMy favorite Thanksgiving dish is, of course, well-cooked turkey breast, white meat, with plenty of cranberry sauce. The most fun part of Thanksgiving is sharing the meal with relatives in a favorite restaurant, and this year, we have chosen QUA Contemporary in Fountain Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel: \u201cI\u2019m a midwestern girl, so if I had to choose just one dish, it would be my creamy mashed potatoes. I load them up with sour cream and garnish with chives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach: \u201cMy favorite dish has to be my mother\u2019s homemade from scratch turkey dressing that I\u2019ve been preparing for over 50 years! It takes hours, and I start preparing the dish the day before with all original, fresh ingredients. And don\u2019t forget that the gravy has to be homemade from scratch, too!\u201d<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, D-Downey: Her favorite Thanksgiving dishes are mashed potatoes and stuffing, a spokesperson said, adding that she isn\u2019t much of a meat-eater, so the sides are the highlight of her plate.<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita:\u00a0\u201cCandied yams were always my grandmother\u2019s favorite dish, and every Thanksgiving she treated them like they were the star of the whole meal. She never rushed them \u2014 she\u2019d melt the butter slowly, sprinkle the brown sugar like it was a secret ingredient, and always add just a little more cinnamon than the recipe called for.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made it special wasn\u2019t just the taste \u2014 it was the way she cooked. She\u2019d tell stories while the yams simmered, about our family, about her childhood, about how food was love long before anyone said it out loud. By the time the yams were glossy and tender, the whole kitchen felt warmer, calmer, connected. Now, every year, when that same sweet smell fills my house, I\u2019m reminded that tradition isn\u2019t something we inherit \u2014 it\u2019s something we keep alive. Her candied yams weren\u2019t just a dish; they were her way of gathering us, grounding us, and reminding us who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta: \u201cTraditional stuffing has been my favorite throughout the Thanksgiving dinners of my life. Can\u2019t forget the cranberries either.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Orange County legislators have a major decision to make this week: What is going on their Thanksgiving plates?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,1843,400,2646,100,611,11976,13,41780,15398,136],"class_list":["post-71015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-california-legislature","tag-california-politics","tag-holidays","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orange-county-politics","tag-politics","tag-sacramento-snapshot","tag-thanksgiving","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}