Happy “day after Halloween” everyone! Also known as the day all kids and adults wish was an actual holiday from work and school. Also known as November 1st, “the day I go full tilt into Thanksgiving”. Let’s do it!
Okay, so actually I’ve been sneaking thoughts of Thanksgiving for a while now. Truth is, it’s my favorite holiday. Yes, even more than Christmas. For someone who loves to cook, it’s the best event of the year, and if cooking were a sport, Thanksgiving would be my Olympics.
Our family Thanksgiving this year has grown to a whopping 65 people! (I like to think it’s because they all heard how good the food is…) We do a full on takeover of a small street on the beach in Florida - houses rented, kids running everywhere, and plenty of food to go around. And while it takes some prep and planning, I am here for all of it!
So whether you do Thanksgiving for a small group, a large group, or anywhere in between, I thought I’d share our menu and favorite dishes and how I manage to get it all done without stressing out too much.
Our menu is a nice combination of mostly homemade, a little help from some store-bought items, and the extras everyone else pitches in to bring. Knowing what I can manage on my own and what I should ask for help with is huge (and it took me a while to learn that I don’t have to do it all on my own), but the biggest key is knowing what I can make ahead and stash in the freezer.
So here’s what our menu looks like - I’ll put in links to recipes where I can and post a couple of my own recipes below!
MAIN DISHES
Smoked Turkey Breasts - Dad will throw 4 turkey breasts on his smoker a couple of days before Thanksgiving. He usually puts them on in the evening and lets it go overnight. Hands-off and easy!
Spiral Sliced Ham - Store-bought and ready to go!
Beef Brisket - We have found a fully cooked and sliced option at Sams Club that we really like. Just heat it in a foil pan! And it makes the best leftover sandwiches…
SIDE DISHES
Cornbread Dressing - I use this recipe from Southern Living and it comes out perfect every time. Make ahead and freeze.
Mashed Potatoes - I’ve been using this recipe for Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes from Ina Garten for years. I sub half of the goat cheese for cream cheese to tone it down a smidge, but they feel more special than every day mashed potatoes. Make ahead and freeze.
Baked Mac ‘n Cheese - My recipe is based on one from Kenji Lopez-Alt’s cookbook, The Food Lab. This recipe is similar, but I don’t use the sodium-citrate it calls for, and we prefer just extra cheese on top and not bread crumbs. Make ahead and freeze.
Jiffy Corn Pudding - Definitely an old school (and super easy!) recipe, but it’s a great choice for those who don’t like traditional cornbread stuffing, and I haven’t met a kid yet who didn’t like it. You can google it and come up with tons of hits - here's one. Make ahead and freeze.
Bacon and Brown Sugar Green Beans - there are a bunch of similar recipes out there, I’m pretty sure this one is the one I based mine on years ago. I swap in two pounds of fresh green beans for the canned. (Just trim and blanch them first.) Make 2 days before and refrigerate.
Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Ah the controversial Brussels Sprouts. We all have that one family member who insists on telling you every year how much they hate them (looking at you, Uncle Andy), but who cares - more for me! These sprouts roast with the parmesan already on them, so it gets toasty and nutty, and for the final flourish are topped with crispy fried shallots. Make them. You won’t be sorry. Recipe below! Make 2 days before and refrigerate.
Fresh Cranberry Relish - I took Ina Garten's Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce and tweaked it a little adding chopped fresh cranberries as well as cooked. I love it with the smoked turkey and cornbread dressing, but the real winner is the sandwich the next day. My recipe/version below. Make ahead and freeze.
Salads - Other people are pitching in with salads! In years past, I’ve also made the side salads, and this year I decided it was just one last minute thing I didn’t need to do - so thanks guys! That being said, I do have a couple of salad ideas for you, but you’ll have to tune in next week for those recipes!
Rolls - Again, I’m taking help and letting others take care of it. One less thing on my list.
DESSERTS
I’ll make traditional pumpkin pies and pecan squares, and then other people are pitching in for the dessert table. I’ll get some recipes and ideas ready for you for next week’s newsletter!
And that’s that! All the food will be packed in coolers for the drive down; the frozen casseroles help keep everything cold and start to thaw on the way. Then on Thanksgiving day, I just have to re-heat dishes in the oven(s). Keep in mind that when you do mostly make ahead casseroles, you do have to find room for them all to reheat. Helpful tips - you can actually use a grill on low/indirect heat to warm a foil casserole pan (been there, done that), and just as coolers keep things cold, they can also keep things warm for a few minutes.
Do you love cooking for Thanksgiving as much as I do? Or does it give you nightmares? I am by no means a Thanksgiving expert, but I’m happy to provide inspiration and help where I can!
MONDAY - Beef Stroganoff and Roasted Brussels
Stroganoff is a family favorite and makes plenty for leftovers for lunches for the week. Even the Kiddo takes it in his thermos to school! And I needed a new picture of the brussels sprouts in the recipe below, so we’ll have them for dinner!
TUESDAY - Chili and Grilled Cheese
Happy Halloween! It’s supposed to be cold for trick-or-treating, so chili is the perfect choice. Maybe I’ll even take a second bowl with me as we go up and down the street…
WEDNESDAY - Roasted Chicken Thighs, Potatoes & Green Beans
Sheet pan meal for the win!
THURSDAY - Pasta with Marinara and Italian Sausages, Salad
I love the aroma of a pot of marinara sauce simmering on the stove. I can make it ahead when I have some time (or when I’m already in the kitchen starting Thanksgiving things…). And best of all - I’ll put the extra in the freezer for another day!
FRIDAY - Friday night pick up!
SATURDAY - Dinner on the go!
We have a rare overlap of the last soccer game leading right into the first archery tournament of the season, so we’ll probably pick up a pizza in there somewhere.
SUNDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s (the in-laws)
She’s making round steak and gravy with rice and biscuits. Gravy on everything please!
LUNCHES for this week - Baked Kale and Cabbage Salads
The weather report is telling me I’m going to want something warm, so I’m leaning back into that baked salad from Justine Snacks I first linked a few weeks ago. This time I’m going to add some roasted chickpeas as well.
EXTRAS for this week
Thanksgiving prep has begun! This week I’m working on getting cornbread dressing into the freezer and re-testing my pecan squares to make sure they’re up to snuff.
Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots
Makes about 6-8 servings.
Crispy Shallots
· 2 medium size Shallots
· Vegetable Oil for frying
· Salt
Brussels Sprouts
· 2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved
· 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
· ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt (Morton’s or store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Make the crispy shallots first, as they take longer. Or make them ahead and store tightly covered at room temperature up to 5 days.
Slice the shallots into rings about 1/8th of an inch thick. Put shallot rings into a small saucepan and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover them. Heat over medium heat, stirring with a fork every once in a while to separate rings, for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat if needed as you go; keep an eye on them toward the end as they can quickly go too far and burn.
Set a mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl. Pour shallots and oil through strainer, then spread crispy shallots on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Cool. Discard oil.
For the sprouts, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make sure there is a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Place rimmed baking sheet on that rack so it heats as the oven preheats.
In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan together until well combined.
Remove baking tray from oven, spray with non-stick spray. Working quickly, pour sprouts onto prepared baking sheet. Carefully turn sprouts cut side down. Roast on bottom rack 15-20 minutes, until golden brown in spots.
Arrange sprouts in serving dish, top with crispy shallots.
NOTE: You can make the brussels sprouts ahead of time. After roasting, move the sprouts to an oven safe dish. Cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven, uncovered, on the middle rack for about 20 minutes. Top with crispy shallots before serving.
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Fresh Cranberry Relish
Makes about 2 - 2 1/2 quarts.
· 3 (12oz each) bags Fresh Cranberries, divided (rinse, pick out any stems)
· 3 ¼ cups white Sugar
· 2 cups Water
· 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into about ½ -inch cubes
· 2 Oranges, zest and juice
· 1 Lemon, zest and juice
Combine 2 bags cranberries, sugar, and water in large pot. Heat over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until skins begin to pop.
Add chopped apples, zests, and juices. Cook 15-20 more minutes at a simmer, until apples are soft and liquid has begun to thicken. Be careful, it has a tendency to boil over if you walk away! Reduce heat if needed.
Remove from heat, cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse remaining bag of cranberries until finely chopped. Stir into cooled sauce.
Spoon into storage containers and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze for several months.
NOTES: This relish is excellent on that famous Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, but I also have used it in a small bowl on a cheese board or even spooned over a block of cream cheese for an appetizer.