We asked for your special Thanksgiving recipes, dear readers, and you sent us a stack of wonderful, irresistible ones -- from salads to desserts. This week and next we'll feature them in the Kitchen Mailbox.

Liz Dick of Freedom writes:

"I have a family Thanksgiving recipe and story that goes with it that is our most cherished family tradition, although it may be different than most.

"When I was a little girl growing up in Cleveland, my mother's sister, Aunt Dot, would take the night train from Dayton and arrive at our house early in the morning on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

"The day was spent polishing silver and getting out the good china and crystal and, of course, the food preparation!

"My mother had many special recipes that she only made once a year for Thanksgiving, including a wonderful fresh cranberry relish that was quite labor intensive.

"While all of this activity was going on, mother had Wednesday night's dinner simmering on the back burner of the stove. It was a delicious Hungarian Goulash and again, this was a dish that she only made once a year, on the day before Thanksgiving.

"Her Hungarian Goulash has become a family tradition that is more dear and even more important to us than all of the wonderful food that she prepared for Thanksgiving.

"We must always have it on the Wednesday night before 'Turkey Day' or our holiday would not be complete!"

As Liz Dick elaborates, this recipe may not sound like Thanksgiving, but her family's holiday wouldn't be complete without serving it the night before.

PG tested

• 1/4 pound bacon
• 11/2 pounds stew meat cut in large squares
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup water
• 11/2 cups canned tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Cut bacon in cubes and fry until golden brown. Add beef, onions and garlic and fry until onions are golden brown.

Sprinkle with flour and cook until flour is brown.

Add water, tomatoes, sugar, salt and paprika.

Simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally until meat is tender and sauce is thick.

-- Liz Dick, Freedom

PG TESTED

Mary Anne Talarek, Whitehall: "Our family has a favorite broccoli casserole recipe we serve at Thanksgiving each year. Over the years we enjoyed the casserole at my husband's family's Thanksgiving dinner, and after his mother died, we continue to serve it and cherish her memory. The grandchildren all called her 'Baka' (her first grandchild, Jill, named her this as she couldn't quite master the Polish word for grandmother), thus the name of the dish."

• 1 bunch fresh broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 slices American cheese
• 30 Ritz crackers, crushed
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted

Steam broccoli about 15 minutes or until tender. Place in lightly greased 8-by-8-by-2-inch pan or casserole pan of similar size. Place the cheese slices over the broccoli so the broccoli is completely covered. Sprinkle crushed crackers over cheese, drizzle butter over cracker crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

-- Mary Anne Talarek, Whitehall

PG TESTED

Karen Torris, Scott. "This recipe is a family tradition, only served on Thanksgiving. It comes from my mother-in-law, Daisy, and I believe from her mother, Alma. My mother-in-law grew up in Carrick, married, raised five children and lived in Castle Shannon her whole married life. She is deceased now for 17 years, but I have helped to carry on my husband's family tradition since I took over making Thanksgiving dinner for the past 25 years or so. We always assign the duty of preparing this very special aperitif to my husband's sister, Janet, and the female cousins. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it."

• 1 carton lime or rainbow sherbert
• 1/2 gallon fresh apple cider

Scoop some sherbert into a wide-rimmed margarita glass and pour cider over it. Use a spoon to eat sherbert and sip remaining cider, flavored with the sherbert.

-- Karen Torris, ScottNatasha Aque, Grove City: "My mother's family had a cousin, Lottie, whose husband had died and who lived with them and served as their housekeeper. Our family Thanksgiving dinner would never be complete without Lottie's date nut bread. As it turns out, there was a wee bit of jealousy on my grandmother's part, as Lottie was highly revered. One night, when Lottie served this date nut bread, and my grandfather raved over it. Grammy interjected, 'Yes, but it was MY recipe.'

"My grandmother and Lottie have both passed, but the bread still is a family tradition. Every year it is my job to make it and everyone raves, but someone will always claim, 'Yes, but it is MY recipe.' "

-- Karen Torris, Scott

PG TESTED

Ms. Aque's family serves the bread with butter or cream cheese. You can use packaged chopped dates and walnuts.

• 1 cup dates
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup nutts

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Place dates and soda in the hot water, allow to cool. Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the cooled date mixture; mix until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Place batter in a greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Bake 50 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Store on side on rack until cool.

Makes 1 loaf.

-- Natasha Aque, Grove City

PG TESTED

Darlene Solomond of Allegheny Township: "This has become a favorite on our Thanksgiving table since I received it from my sister-in-law, Kim Postupack of Atlanta. My grandchildren think they are getting dessert with their meal!"Come on back

• 2 29-ounce cans sweet potatoes, drained and whipped
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients and place in a 9-by-13-inch glass casserole dish.

For the topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon over potatoes. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 35 minutes.

-- Darlene Solomond, Allegheny Township

We'll have more Thanksgiving favorites from readers next week in Food & Flavor.