Thanksgiving Simplicity With Trisha Yearwood

On a recent tour stop in San Jose, I chatted with three-time Grammy Award winner and country music star Trisha Yearwood to find out what she'll be dishing out for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

photo credit Ben Fink

"You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey and dressing," she replied. (She then went on to mention how important it is to have hot and ready traditional classics with a special twist to please the crowd. "I'm also going to make brussel sprout with pistachios. Some people don't like sprouts, but it's all about how you prepare them."

She offers tips about this recipe in her latest decadent southern cookbook, Trisha's Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced Life.

"I have adopted an 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the time I make good choices; 20 percent of the time I let myself splurge a little - sprouts at Thanksgiving is in the 80 percent."

Trisha has sold 15 million albums, and is quickly becoming the next big lifestyle maven with three New York Times best-selling cookbooks, host of an Emmy award-winning Food Network show, as well as new lines of cookware and furniture.

The Food Network host of Trisha's Southern Kitchen says that anyone can cook. "Cooking doesn't have to be an all-day affair, start simply with three to four ingredients that you already have on hand."

For many Americans, Thanksgiving festivities traditionally are a time for extended families getting together. Trisha also talked about why family dinners are still important.

"My family grew up having dinner together every night," she said. "It's where important conversations happen."