When it comes to Thanksgiving at Kylie Kelce's house, everyone has a job before they come together for a day filled with Donna's rolls and Grandma's cinnamon apples.
And there are no turkey trots.
On Thanksgiving Day, Kylie, her mother, sister and mother-in-law are helping chop up food in the kitchen, her husband, Jason Kelce, is outside frying the turkey and the rest of the family is in the living room watching football and distracting the kids.
While Kylie is preparing for a year of hosting, there are a few things she's sure not to forget on the holiday. Thanksgiving dinner at the Kelces isn't the same without these seven "must-have" details:
1. There needs to be more than one meat on the table
It's not really "turkey day" for the Kelces.
Kylie told USA TODAY Food that she grew up in a turkey-loving household. On a mission to make every turkey better than the last, her mother would try anything from putting the turkey in a paper bag to basting it every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, Jason's family was quite the opposite — they were more of pork chop people. So on Thanksgiving, Kylie said Jason has taken it upon himself to fry a turkey, while Kylie makes a Honey Baked Ham from her childhood. Sometimes, they even throw pork chops on the table too.
"I think (Jason) could do the absolute best possible version of the turkey, and they would still be like, 'But are there other proteins?'" Kylie joked.
2. Mama Kelce's Dinner Rolls are a nonnegotiable
Other than meat options, one of the most important dishes that has to be on the table is Donna Kelce's dinner rolls. They're known as "Mama Kelce's Dinner Rolls," a recipe that has circulated online. She takes a marshmallow, rolls it in cinnamon, sugar and butter, then bakes it inside a roll.
"At this point, if they were not on our holiday table, I think everyone would voice their opinion," said Kylie.
3. Grandma's cinnamon apples will be on the table
Another staple on the Kelce table comes from Kylie's family: her late grandmother's favorite cinnamon apples. This dish was always a must for Kylie's family, and her grandmother "was actually quite perturbed" if they weren't served. The recipe has now been handed down to the Kelce family, and it is pretty simple to follow.
3. The cranberry sauce needs to have lines on it
Kylie is also setting the record straight on what kind of cranberry sauce is best. Hers comes out of a can.
"I'm a very big cranberry person. I love cranberry sauce. It has to have lines. It must. I don't want any other cranberry sauce. It must have lines from a can," said Kylie.
This isn't just for the Thanksgiving table. Kylie argues that this is the best cranberry sauce because it also fits perfectly in the leftover sandwich she makes the next day.
4. You have to take home leftovers
Kylie takes leftovers seriously.
She makes her next-day sandwich with rolls, ham, cranberry sauce and her mother's stuffing. This stuffing is what makes the sandwich, according to Kylie. Their family hunts for the Bell's Seasoning, picking up boxes of it when they find it. The seasoning with garlic, onion, carrots and celery on the stove is one of the best smells in the house.
"I feel like not only would the table be lacking if (the stuffing) wasn't on there, but then also the next day's sandwiches would stink. They would be so bad if it was other stuffing," said Kylie.
She makes sure to keep Tupperware containers out to make sure people leave with food.
5. If someone else is going to do it right, then let them do it
Kylie took over hosting Thanksgiving from her parents, who were the "You don't have anywhere to go on Thanksgiving? Come to our house," type of hosts. She said they host Jason's family every other year when they're not at Travis Kelce's house, and they've "acquired" people over the years to come to their Thanksgiving.
So when Kylie's hosting anywhere from nine to 18 people, she follows one of her mother's biggest rules: "If someone else is going to do it right, then let them take that off of your plate."
In short, if you don't have time or don't want to make something, let someone else do it — whether it's family stepping in to cook or just buying it from the store.
"That really takes a lot of the stress out of it, not having to do every single little thing from scratch. That has been a really great suggestion that my mom has passed down. Like, if there's something you truly love and that someone else does better, and it will make your life easier on a hosting day, let them do it," said Kylie.
6. Dinner's going to be late
Even though Thanksgiving is Kylie's favorite holiday, she has one big issue with it. Timing.
"Without fail, I will say that we are having dinner two hours before dinner's actually on the table. Don't ever take my estimation for timing. It's not honest. It's lying to your face. When I tell you that dinner is expected to be on the table at 4, we might sit down by 6:30, and that's bad time management, and I'm okay with that. You get a meal," Kylie said.
At the Kelce household, dinner won't be when Kylie says it is — and everyone's going to have to be OK with it.
"It's every year without fail. We are late to the table, and that's OK. It's Thanksgiving. You've got nothing else to do. Football's on. We're fine," said Kylie.
7. There will be no turkey trotting
Kylie laughed when I asked if they were a turkey trot family. She actually started with, “No. Oh my God, no.” Needless to say, they will not be waking up before cooking to run in a local race.
"I always say I'm not running unless it's for something or from something," she said. "So unless I'm running towards a turkey dinner, all the fixings, and a big fat slab of ham, it's not going to be me. I was raised like that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kylie Kelce shares the unspoken family rules at her Thanksgiving
