Viral Duo Wanda and Jamal Are Planning Their 10th Thanksgiving: What They’re Serving This Year

Nearly a decade ago, a viral tweet sparked a Thanksgiving tradition that people all across the country tune in for each year. For Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench, it all started back in 2016—and it began with a wrong number.

When Wanda sent out her yearly Thanksgiving dinner invitation over text, she didn’t realize that her grandson’s phone number had changed, causing Jamal to receive the invitation instead. Even after Wanda realized the mishap, she texted him that he could still attend. Screenshots of their text exchange went viral, and the two ended up making the Thanksgiving plans a reality.

Ever since, the two have continued celebrating Thanksgiving together—and fans have been following along to see what their plans are for the big holiday meal. This year, we’re just as excited as you are to get a sneak peek at their Thanksgiving table.

Wanda and Jamal's Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes

Green Giant is catering Wanda and Jamal’s Thanksgiving meal this year, and the brand will be bringing plenty of classic Thanksgiving dishes to the table (literally). “We’ve always had the traditional,” Wanda says of her family’s Thanksgiving menu. “The turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, some rolls, and pumpkin pie,” she adds. That stands true this year, too—the duo will be relying on Green Giant’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole. 

Though Wanda and Jamal are experts at blending their Thanksgiving together year after year, Jamal’s family always relies on a few other Thanksgiving favorites. “Since [my family] is hosting this year, we kind of do a little bit of a twist, so we usually have a prime rib,” Jamal says. Brisket and mac and cheese will also be on the duo’s Thanksgiving menu this year. 

Jamal’s favorite Thanksgiving dish is mashed potatoes—but make no mistake that there’s a specific way you have to eat them to achieve the perfect Thanksgiving bite.

“You take the mashed potatoes, take the gravy,” he says. “You put the gravy on the mashed potatoes, and then you grab your dinner roll, and you grab your spoon, and you kind of, like, spoon the mashed potatoes on the dinner roll and take the bite with a little bit of turkey, and it’s amazing,” Jamal advises.

 “That made my mouth water,” Wanda adds. (We couldn’t agree more.) 

For Wanda, her favorite Thanksgiving dish isn’t a part of dinnertime at all. “For me, it’s all about the dessert,” she says. “I remember my own grandma saying, ‘Life is short, eat dessert first.’” The Internet’s ‘Thanksgiving Grandma’ says that her absolute favorite Thanksgiving pie is apple. Jamal, on the other hand, is partial to pumpkin. “Any other pie is a no,” he jokes. 

Take Inspiration from Wanda and Bake Your Pies from Scratch This Year

Wanda is the duo’s de-facto baker—and while both Wanda and Jamal don’t mind the occasional Thanksgiving dinner shortcut, that’s just not the case when it comes to dessert. It’s her favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal, after all, so she bakes all the pies on her table completely from scratch. And yes, that includes the pie crust.

“I didn’t know that it was supposed to be difficult to make crust, because nobody told me that, so I could always make a crust,” Wanda jokes. In fact, Wanda and Jamal fondly recalled that she taught Jamal how to bake a pie crust from scratch a few years ago. Her key tip for him was always to pinch around the edges—it helps seal your filling away and keep your pie walls strong.

Wanda also swears by homemade whipped cream each Thanksgiving. Making whipped cream from scratch is straightforward, and the process is well worth it.

For Wanda’s favorite apple pie, her recipe comes from when her daughter was in the Girl Scouts. She told us that her daughter had brought back a homemade apple pie for her—“It was the best,” she recalled, and said that she asked for the recipe right away.

“It’s just apples, cinnamon, and sugar, and butter. That’s it. And then you put twice as much as you normally would,” says Wanda. (Since apples shrink when they bake, piling your pie high is a good way to get rich, gap-free results.) “The best. I will never, ever buy a can again.”

The Duo's Top Thanksgiving Hosting Tips

The two expert Thanksgiving hosts have a few tips to ensure that your holiday runs smoothly. 

“Get up early and get the turkey in first,” Wanda says. She’s served up a delicious Thanksgiving feast so many times, she has her holiday down to a science. She recommends planning out your Thanksgiving meals by how long they take to cook, so that everything is hot and fresh when you’re ready to serve dinner. 

Jamal’s family is expecting over 20 guests this year—with up to 100 additional family members stopping by throughout the holiday to say hello. Clearly, he’s no stranger to hosting a crowd. With all the hustle and bustle happening on Thanksgiving, it’s easy to forget when you have something cooking in the oven.

“Set timers for everything on your phone and give it a title for why this timer is set,” Jamal recommends. This way, you can easily keep track of each dish throughout all of its cooking stages—from roasting the turkey to cooling your pie. 

“Me, I would go drive to the store or something and I’d just forget, and I’d get home and I’m like, dang, the mac and cheese is burned, gotta restart,” Jamal jokes. A few handy phone timers might just be the key to avoiding any Thanksgiving dinner disasters this year. 

Aside from all the plans Wanda and Jamal have for a delicious Thanksgiving meal this year, they’re both most excited to spend time with their loved ones during the holiday. Wanda will be meeting Jamal’s family in person for the first time this holiday, and the two plan to spend lots of time catching up and playing games together—a Thanksgiving tradition we can all get behind.