my Thanksgiving menu
dinner rolls
cinnamon bourbon old fashioned
autumn harvest honeycrisp apple & feta salad
smoked turkey
glazed ham
sweet potato casserole
mashed potatoes & gravy
bacon stuffing with apples & sage
cranberry sauce
green bean casserole
pumpkin pie
cherry pie
If you know me, you know I LOVE Thanksgiving. Mainly, I love the food and I have some pretty strong opinions about what should be included in a Thanksgiving menu. And although I will change recipes up, add and take away an items or 2, there are just some staples that I have to make sure are included or it doesn't feel right. I'm sharing my menu for this year and the recipes I'm using or have used in the past and where I'm letting Costco help me out this year...and just so we are clear, I 100% buy things already made from Costco. It makes things so much easier and usually tastes as good as homemade.
Rolls
I will tell you this right now. I do not make the rolls from scratch. Who has time for that? I'm sure some people do, but not me. Plus, the rolls that I buy are so good. One year my sister tried to make homemade rolls from an ex-boyfriend's mom's recipe and they were so hard and not good. We decided then and there that Rhodes Rolls were the way to go forever. I use the ones that you let rise for 3-5 hours and then bake. Almost feels like I made them myself, except I didn't, thank goodness!
Cocktails
This year we are having my husband's family over and no one really drinks, so I am making something that I know my husband and I will both enjoy. If you saw my #brittanybartends stories on Instagram over the weekend, you know I made these and they are so good. So I replenished all of my ingredients so that I could make them again tomorrow. I'm going to premake the cinnamon syrup today though.
Salad
via Half Baked Harvest
I didn't always like having a salad and according to Reese Witherspoon, as of this morning, no one wants a salad. But I actually appreciate a break from the heavy casserole items and it's nice to have something lighter that is still full of flavor. This year, I am making this Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad from Half Baked Harvest. It looks delicious!
Turkey & Ham
I know that turkey is a staple for Thankgiving, but I love having ham as well. Turkey goes best with stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. But ham is better with green been casserole and sweet potato casserole. That's just facts. 🙂 My husband has started smoking a turkey the last couple of years. He brines it the day before with water, lemons, onion, celery and herbs and then smokes it on our Big Green Egg. The ham is precooked and we just roast it in the oven and glaze it.
Sweet Potato Casserole
via Half Baked Harvest
This is my favorite dish of Thanksgiving by far! I love it and I make it every year. I started using this recipe last year. Before that I used one from Pioneer Woman. I will say that I add my own twist on this recipe though. For the crumble, I sub the nuts for oats. I'm not a nut person in my casserole...what can I say. And then I top with marshmallows after it's all baked and let them brown on top for a few minutes before serving. I grew up eating sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows and although years ago I realized it tasted better with real sweet potatoes instead of canned yams (gross!), I still can't let go of the marshmallows.
Stuffing
via Boxwood Avenue
I don't typically make the stuffing for Thanksgiving. Normally my sister and/or my mom makes both bread and cornbread stuffing from my Grandmas on both of my parents' sides of the family. But this year, we are doing things differently and I needed a good stuffing recipe. I know some people like sausage in their stuffing, but I am not one of those people. So when I saw this recipe from Boxwood Avenue and she said the same thing about sausage, I knew that I wanted to try this recipe. Plus, it has bacon and apples in it. Yum!!
Mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce
Some years I make all of these from scratch and some years I don't. This year, all of these are coming from Costco and there is no shame at all. Here are some recipes that I have used in the past that are so good though and actually pretty easy to make.
mashed potatoes
gravy
cranberry sauce
Green Bean Casserole
via Yellow Bliss Road
I'm a casserole person. There I said it. I love a good green bean casserole. But I have to use fresh green beans. No canned green beans for me. I'm using this recipe from Yellow Bliss Road, minus the bacon. I already have it in my stuffing, so I'm leaving it out here. But give me all the mushrooms and crispy onions!
Pumpkin & Cherry Pie
I don't bake pies. Not when I can buy them and they taste AMAZING and take me no time at all. This year by pumpkin pie is from Costco and the cherry pie is from Whole Foods. My Mom's favorite pie is cherry and she said last year that it was one of the best cherry pies that she has had. That is good enough for me right there!
There you have it! My thanksgiving menu for this year. If you waited until last minute and don't have a good recipe or you can go to Costco, then I hope these help. Pro tip: Get the mashed potatoes from Costco in the black plastic container with a clear lid and pats of butter on top. 🙂
And if you need some table inspiration, you can head to this post for a Fall 5 minute table setting!
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