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Cheyenne Mize's Thanksgiving: Low-Key Dishes, Homegrown Vegetables

On Thanksgiving day, Cheyenne Mize will be with her mother, stepfather and stepbrothers in Louisville. It'll be a scene that plays out in homes throughout the city—and the nation—with good autumn food. Her stepfather is a traditional type when it comes to Thanksgiving dishes."My mom does them all really well, so we’re all fine with that," said Mize, who'll share a bill Sunday at Headliners Music Hall with Seluah.Mize has already had Thanksgiving dinner with her father's family in southwestern Kentucky, near Land Between the Lakes. It's a rustic scene there. Her family grows much of their own food.But the dishes aren't "traditional," either—or they're very much so, depending on your definition of a traditional Thanksgiving."There’s no green bean casserole or anything like that," Mize said. "Just probably some kind of beans, probably some kind of peas and corn—and those kinds of things that we really like to grow.“It’s kind of usually what we have, which I think is probably more of a traditional Thanksgiving idea of just finding what you can in the space that you have to enjoy and to celebrate.”In that side of Mize's family, her late grandmother set the tone. The grandmother went as far as to forego herbs—dishes were often augmented by salt and sugar, that's it.Mize said she grew up eating those unassuming dishes—and generally prefers them.And she's tying her two Thanksgivings together. Her assignment for Thursday's holiday in Louisville is the sweet potatoes. There won't be marshmallows atop them, she said.“This year my uncle at the farm had a bumper crop of sweet potatoes, so I dug these myself, which makes it a little more gratifying," Mize said.This story is part of WFPL's Food & Drink Week. We'll be exploring dining and libations in the Louisville area ahead of Thanksgiving. You'll find new stories  hereeveryday through the holiday. Do you have a Thanksgiving dish that you want to share? Call WFPL at (502) 627-0485 or send us an e-mail  here to let us know how it's made and why you love it. We'll post some of the submissions next week. Be sure to include your name.

Joseph Lord is the online managing editor for WFPL.