Thanksgiving Menu Tip Sheet

Thanksgiving is upon us! We’re officially one week out! Are you ready? Got holes in your menu? Still not sure what to make? We’ve got you covered!

Let’s start with the bird, stuffing, and cranberry sauce…

• Spatchcocked and Dry Brined Turkey – Fun to say, even easier to make. This is the moistest bird you’ll ever eat! Also, it doesn’t take all day to cook!
• Sage Sausage and Apple Sourdough Stuffing – This flavor profile is delicious. Sage, not your thing? Need it to be grain-free or vegan? This recipe also shows you how to change things up.
• Mulled Cranberry Sauce – Feeling short on time, or that preparing cranberry sauce from scratch is too much? This takes less than an hour and makes your house smell amazing as it simmers! Alternatively, there are two cranberry sauce recipes in this post. The second one is even faster.

Then add a traditional side dish…

• Paleo Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes – These are easy to prepare, not too sweet and also vegan!
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange – This is not only delicious, it is also super easy to prepare and can even be made up to two days ahead.

Orange-Scented Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Throw in some veggies that everyone will love…

• Elevated Green Bean Casserole – Not your Mamma’s Green Bean Casserole…well it is, but done one better. It is easy to prepare and you know what is in it! No mystery canned ingredients here.
• Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Fig – One of the most popular posts on the site, this recipe is an ideal way to prepare sprouts for the most skeptical veggie eater. Don’t worry if fresh figs aren’t available, the fig jam can provide the flavor.
• Barley with Mushrooms and Onion – This ‘goes-with-everything’ side dish can be made hours ahead and re-heated at the last minute. Beware, it does require 50 minutes in the oven if you are oven-space constrained.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Fig

Thanksgiving is all about family and traditions. Here are three must-haves in Laura’s family…

• Aunt Donna’s Rolls – Yes, you can make your own dinner rolls! (Wouldn’t that blow away YOUR family!)
• Dumpling Noodles – These wonderfully slurpy noodles are served in a rich bone broth.
• Pumpkin Soup – This spicy pumpkin soup is the definition of fall comfort food.

Aunt Donn’s Rolls – perfect for any occasion!

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without PIE!

• Pumpkin Pie Tartlets – In our house Thanksgiving dinner requires pumpkin pie! We have two versions on the site, traditional and vegan!
• Apple Pie – Make a traditional two-crust apple pie or Dutch Crunch apple pie! (Both recipes are in this post.)
• Pecan Pie Tartlets – These tartlets are the texture of a caramel-ly nut cluster wrapped in pie crust. They are simply AMAZING.

Pecan Pie Tartlets with Whole Pecans

These ideas not quite what you are looking for? Dig around on the site, there is more where these came from. We trust that you will find options that are not only delicious but also honor your family traditions as well.

From our families to yours – Happy Thanksgiving!

Know that we are thankful for your continued support! We love cooking and sharing our love of food with you.

💜Laura