For Obama, Thanksgiving is all about food, football and hoping turkey doesn’t turn out too dry

The Obamas
(Photo from Wikipedia/Pete Souza)

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama says Thanksgiving is a day for food, football and hoping “the turkey didn’t turn out too dry.”

Even if the White House’s thyme-roasted bird didn’t turn out to be the moistest, the first family’s menu boasted more than enough other choices to fill the stomach.

There was honey-baked ham with apricot-mustard glaze, and prime rib and creamed horseradish, according to the White House.

Two kinds of stuffing: cornbread with chorizo and “roasted peppers oyster.”

As for the veggies, the Obamas could enjoy some braised winter greens—collards, kale, and turnip greens—in addition to kale Caesar salad. Green bean casserole, too.

Plus, the macaroni and cheese, sweet potato gratin and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes

As for dessert, it seemed Pie Day came early: banana cream, coconut cream, pumpkin, apple, pecan, cherry.

“We go all out on pies,” the president told ABC in a pre-Thanksgiving interview last year. He prefers pumpkin, with a bit of whipped cream on top.

On Thanksgiving morning, Obama called 10 service members—two from each of the five branches of the military—to wish them and their families a happy holiday.

Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to appeal again for acceptance of Syrian refugees, saying “so much of our greatness comes from our generosity.”

“Nearly four centuries after the Mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims—men and women who want nothing more than the chance for a safer, better future for themselves and their families,” Obama said. “What makes America America is that we offer that chance.”

Obama’s plan to receive thousands of additional Syrian refugees has come under heavy criticism in Congress and by Republican presidential contenders in the aftermath of the Paris attacks Nov. 13.