The popularity of macaroni and cheese in the United States is all thanks to James Hemings, the enslaved cook of Thomas Jefferson, who learned the recipe while training in Europe and brought it back to the United States. While there are probably thousands, if not millions, of different ways to make the dish, every Southerner worth their salt can agree on one thing: it must be baked.

Say "collard greens" and countless people will have vivid memories of sinks full of the leafy vegetable ready to be washed and cooked for supper. Many recipes rely on smoked meats for flavor, and this one is no exception with smoked turkey parts providing the traditional taste.

While many might argue otherwise, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. Yams are a completely different plant, but some growers in the 1930s started to use the term for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and confusion ensued. Regardless of what they're called, when candied, they are delicious.

Pecans have been on this land since before the United States existed. The pie became popular in the 1920s when Karo, the corn syrup manufacturer, began including recipes on its cans of the product. And with pecans being grown in many Southern states and the harvest season in the fall, pecan pie easily became a Southern Thanksgiving staple.

A whole turkey was allegedly first deep-fried in the 1930s somewhere around Louisiana. It wasn't until the 1980s when word of the bird started to spread across the nation, and now it's popular in many homes.

These carb pillows are named after their birthplace, the Boston Parker House Hotel, and were invented in the 1870s. Though they might have originated in Yankee territory, these rolls have been adopted by many in the South.

Corn casserole is the moist cousin of cornbread where the corn flavor has been amped up by the inclusion of whole and creamed corn. This recipe takes it one stop further with the addition of Cheddar cheese and fresh chives.

Traditionally, this cake was a much more muted rust color compared to the bright red versions we see today. That's all thanks to the Texas-based Adams Extract Company who in the 1940s created a version of the recipe that they used to help sell their red food coloring.

Cornbread dressing is a staple of the Southern Thanksgiving table. It's the evolution of a dish called "kush" that was first cooked by enslaved Africans. This recipe is a fairly simple version flavored with onion and sage.

No Southern spread is truly complete without a tray of deviled eggs. This beloved appetizer is great for sating hungry guests while the rest of the meal is completed.

If you're intimidated by baking a ham — don't be. This recipe from Trisha Yearwood couldn't be any easier, and with just a couple ingredients and some time, you'll have something that you'll truly be proud of.

Believe it or not, sweet potato pie can trace its roots to 16th century Europe. Henry VIII of England was even known to be particularly fond of sweet potato tarts. In America, sweet potatoes grow very well in the South, which is why this dessert is so prevalent in the region.

Sweet potatoes are ubiquitous in the South, and this is just one of the many ways they are enjoyed for a holiday. In this recipe, they are turned into a soft, fluffy souffle and topped with a sweet, crunchy pecan streusel.

This iconic American recipe was created by Dorcas Reilly in 1955 at the Campbell's test kitchen to make use of the company's canned mushroom soup. This recipe calls for fresh mushrooms instead, but it's hard to replace the canned fried onions for that satisfying crunch.

Soft drinks have been used as both a leavener (in lieu of baking soda or powder) and additional sweetener in baked goods since as far back as the 1930s and 1940s. The particular variation using lemon-lime soda reached the masses when it was included in a promotional recipe booklet published in 1953 by the 7-Up company.

When cooked correctly, a turkey shouldn't need gravy. But even when it might not be necessary, it doesn't mean that it still shouldn't be present to add some extra richness and decadence to one's Thanksgiving plate.

The name of this dish is slightly misleading in that it traditionally doesn't actually contain any cream, as is the case with this recipe. But it does still have a smooth, velvety texture as its moniker implies.

America’s first biscuits were very different from what we know today. Baking powder and soda, which are responsible for the fluffy texture we know and love, didn't become commercially available until the late 19th century. So if you don't want to deal with yeast for your holiday spread, biscuits are a great bread option.

These miniature versions are not your grandmother's recipe. The filling is flavored with orange juice and crushed pineapple, goes into a graham cracker crust, and is topped with a pecan pineapple topping — yum!