I thought it might be helpful to make a Thanksgiving Recipe Round Up by adding all of my favorite Thanksgiving-friendly recipes to one post, so they are easier to find. This time of year is busy enough, you shouldn’t have to search for all of these yummy options! Just click on a photo to go to the full post and recipe.
Main protein:
I have yet to roast an entire turkey myself, so these options are more for a smaller family Thanksgiving, or even in addition to the full turkey if you’re having a huge crowd!
Herb Infused Turkey Breast
Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken
Sides:
Let’s be honest. Thanksgiving is ALL about the sides! Here are some of my favorites. Some traditional, some not so much.
Slow Cooker Garlic Red PotatoesCreamy Mashed PotatoesMashed Potatoes with Mushroom SaucePressure Cooker Mashed Sweet PotatoesCouscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine NutsApple-Sage Stuffing CupsCardamom Glazed CarrotsHoney Mustard Roasted Rainbow CarrotsBalsamic Honey Roasted CarrotsSlow Cooker Creamed CornGreen Bean Casserole with Mushrooms and Fried OnionsSlow Cooker Cranberry SauceCherry-Port Cranberry SauceCranberry-Pomegranate SauceSteamed Spinach with Curry Butter
Cauliflower with Anchovy BreadcrumbsPressure Cooker Cauliflower PureeLemon BroccoliPomegranate Mustard Roasted Brussels SproutsBrowned Butter and Lemon Brussels SproutsWinter Risotto with Farro and Arborio RiceMoroccan Black Lentils with Kale and OnionsFarro with Vidalia Onion and Asparagus
Desserts:
I hope you saved room!
Nutella-Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Cake BitesMini Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin PiesChocolate Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese FrostingChocolate Hazelnut CakeFlourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate GanacheVery Berry PieApple Butter Swirled Gingerbread BarsCaramel Apple PieSpiced Apple Two Bite Tarts
What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes?
Note: I was sent a copy of AMERICAN COOKIE: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved for Generations for review. Opinions are mine alone.
Every cookie recipe has a back story, from the chocolate chip cookie to thumbprint cookies. What’s truly interesting about these back stories is how they align with the shaping of American baking through the generations. I love cookbooks that provide a back story to the recipes, like AMERICAN COOKIE: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved for Generations by Anne Bryn. Did you know that the first snickerdoodle cookie recipes were actually bars? Or that the first Girl Scout Cookies were baked at home to help raise money to send girls to camp?
Source: Penguin Random House
I assume I’m not alone in associating different recipes with different parts of my own life. I can’t look at a Peanut Butter Cookie without thinking of my family’s recipe, passed down from my great grandmother, or snack on a Neiman Marcus “$250” cookies without recalling many December weekends spent making them with my mom as a child.
I was first introduced to rugelach cookies — a cookie made by rolling a triangle of dough around a sweet filling — by my mother-in-law. She makes them every Christmas and has since my husband was little. So when I saw a recipe for Apricot and Raisin Rugelach in AMERICANCOOKIE, I knew I had to try them as a nod to my mother-in-law’s fantastic baking every December. This recipe differs from my mother-in-law’s version but the general idea is still there.
Rugelach cookies were first brought to America from Austrian-Hungarian immigrants, and has over time been adapted and modernized by Jewish-American bakers. Apparently, the original dough was quite time consuming to make. Somewhere along the line, cream cheese was added to rugelach dough, resulting in an easy to work with and flaky dough. Rugelach cookies have become a staple in many American households, and typically include raisins, nuts, spices and jam or preserves as a filling.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
My husband has been on a pretty solid streak of making himself salads for weekday lunches. Nothing terribly fancy: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a protein, and some olives or cheese with homemade dressing. For the protein, he tends to use canned tuna, beans, or rotisserie chicken. So when I heard that you can make your own “rotisserie” chicken in a pressure cooker, I knew I had to try it! May I introduce you to: Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken!
The recipe is quite straightforward… season your chicken, brown on all sides, and then pressure cook. Pressure cooking doesn’t result in crispy skin, but boy does the meat stay juicy!
The school year has begun. I don’t have kids, but I am married to a teacher, so this time of year gets pretty hectic. Which means it’s about time I started stocking my fridge and freezer on weekends so weeknight dinners are a bit more manageable.
These Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers are a super tasty (and easy) make-ahead meal. You can cook these over the weekend and reheat during the week, or freeze before cooking, thaw, and cook when ready to eat!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup jarred salsa (mild or medium)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 oz) box of yellow rice, cooked according to package directions
I come from a fairly large family. Growing up, my cousins and I would see each other nearly every Sunday for dinner at our grandparents. As we’ve gotten older, we clearly don’t have as many opportunities to see each other. So we decided to have a cousin barbecue for those of us that still live in the Philadelphia area.
Whenever I think of outdoor cooking, I naturally think of S’mores for dessert.
Because I was hosting, I wanted to pre-make as much of the food as I could, so I decided to make Smores Bars for us to enjoy!
These are super easy, and absolutely addicting!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.
When it comes to summer get togethers, there tend to be plenty of mouths to feed. So I’m a big fan of crowd recipes that feed multiple people, or allow you to make ahead and portion out as you like!
With cherries in season, there is no better time to make a simple Cherry Slab Pie. Slab pie is just pie made in a sheet pan with sides, which is a great option for making dessert for a bunch of people. It’s a bit more rustic, so you don’t really have to worry about perfecting your pie crust skills (it will still taste awesome!)
Ingredients:
Slab pie (serves 12):
8 cups fresh cherries, destemmed and pitted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
the juice and zest of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 store bought refrigerated 9-inch pie crusts (2 packages)
I don’t think you can ever have too many side dishes to rotate for different dinner combinations, including ones you can make on the grill, like this Grilled Fennel with Parmesan recipe.
One of my favorite ingredients is fennel. When raw, it has a nice anise (licorice) flavor with great crunch. When cooked, fennel becomes sweeter and the licorice flavor more subtle. Typically, you’d roast fennel. But hey, it’s summer. Let’s bring it outdoors!
This recipe is based off a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, and is a tasty side with any grilled protein. I particularly love it with a lemony grilled salmon!
Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 fennel bulbs, tops removed, cut into thick slices, leaving the core intact
Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post and recipe for Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread. All opinions are mine alone.
My husband and I were recently invited to go down the shore with our friends, and I wanted to bring something as a thank you for a weekend at the beach. Luckily, I had some overripe bananas sitting on my countertop, so I made this chocolate cherry banana bread to bring with us.
As I mentioned in my recent post, I have quite a few cherries in my house at the moment, so I decided to snazz up the banana bread with some fresh chopped cherries and chocolate chips.
Now that grilling season is in full swing, I am grilling anything and everything I can, and yes, that includes Grilled Clams in Lemon Butter Sauce!
This recipe for grilled clams is SO easy, and can be made completely on your grill (just make sure you have a cast iron or other grill-safe pot for the sauce, if not, you can make it on your stovetop).
It’s an awesome appetizer to share with friends, just don’t forget the crusty bready for dipping!
Ingredients:
3 dozen clams
2 sticks salted butter (1 cup)
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
You’ve probably noticed by now that I love to grill. And with that, sometimes I grill some strange things, like this recipe for a Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail, or this recipe for Grilled Margaritas.
I’ve wanted to make another grilled cocktail since I made the Grilled Old Fashioned. Citrus is always a great option for grilling because the heat helps release the juices of the fruit. So I figured Grilled Margaritas would work great!
I also substituted in Mezcal, which is like tequila, but has a smoky flavor, perfect for grilled margaritas!
Note: I was sent a box of Vidalia onions to make this post for Farro with Vidalia Onion and Asparagus. Opinions are mine alone.
I’m still working through my box of Vidalia onions. No complaints here, they are incredibly versatile! These sweet onions are perfect for low and slow cooking that allow the sugars to caramelize and develop another layer of flavor.
I know it’s difficult to even see the Vidalia onions in the final photos of this Farro with Vidalia Onion and Asparagus, but I promise you, they are the star of this dish — their flavor is in each and every bite, and results in one of the best sides I’ve made in a long time!
This recipe for Farro with Vidalia Onion and Asparagus from Trisha Yearwood is definitely a keeper. Plus, it comes together pretty easily!
Psst. Save this recipe for Easy Grilled Marinated Chicken. It will definitely become a go to grilling recipe for you! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know how much I love my grill. I would grill absolutely everything if I could (and honestly, I’ve tried, including grilled guacamole, a grilled cocktail, and a grilled cheese plate.)
So, be prepared for plenty of grilling recipes this summer! I wanted to start off a bit simple – an easy grilled marinated chicken recipe.
This does involve some prep time, you want the chicken to sit in the marinade for a few hours at least. For the most flavor, add the chicken to the marinade the night before.
Note: I was sent a copy of The Freds at Barneys New York Cookbook for review. All opinions are mine alone.
The Freds at Barneys New York Cookbook is the definitive cookbook by the celebrated chef and managing director (Mark Strausman) of Freds at Barneys New York, one of New York’s most beloved restaurants with locations in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Barneys New York, with its flagship store on Madison Avenue, is a world-famous cutting-edge fashion destination, and a true New York phenomenon. And since 1996, Barneys’ restaurant Freds at Barneys New York–named after found Barneys Pressman’s son Fred–has been offering in food what Barneys offers in fashion: a luxury destination that provides a level of personal service second to none, where the food keeps their celebrity clientele coming back for more.
In The Freds at Barneys Cookbook, Strausman invites you into the kitchen of this restaurant institution and teaches you how to bring a piece of New York chic into your own home. The cookbook is filled with awesome recipes from the restaurant, such as Belgian Fries or Estelle’s Chicken Soup, Mark’s Madison Avenue Salad or Chicken Paillard, Traditional Bolognese (or Vegan!) or Cheese Fondue Scrambled Eggs, and commemorates all of the delicious recipes Freds has served over the years at the Madison Avenue, Chelsea, Beverly Hills, and Chicago locations.
This recipe for sauteed hen of the woods mushrooms caught my eye. I love mushrooms, especially hen of the woods mushrooms. Also known as maitake mushrooms, these mushrooms have a feathery texture but pack some hearty flavor.
Note: I was sent a box of Vidalia onions to make this recipe for Peach Vidalia Onion and Pancetta Flatbread. Opinions are mine alone.
Spring is one of my favorite times of year for cooking. As the weather warms, all sorts of fun produce hits the shelves, bringing so many more options for creative meals! One of the most versatile spring produce options are Vidalia onions.
Vidalia onions are known as America’s favorite sweet onion.
Grown in 20 counties in Southern Georgia, their distinctive taste is a result of the combination of weather, water and soil in that specific region.
Vidalia onions are in season from April to August, so this is the perfect time to show them off in some recipes! This recipe for Peach Vidalia Onion and Pancetta Flatbread plays off the sweetness of Vidalia onions with grilled peaches, while balancing out the flavor with some pancetta and a touch of chili powder. The rosemary and chives add some freshness to the flatbread, brightening up the other flavors.
Ingredients:
4 oz Pancetta, cubed
2 Vidalia onions, cut into thin slices, then halved into half moons
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch chili powder
Store bought pizza dough (use gluten free dough to make recipe gluten free)
2 large ripe peaches, cut into wedges (or, if not in season, frozen peach slices that have been thawed work too)
These super chocolatey Devils Food Cupcakes are most certainly going to be a favorite of the chocoholic in your life.
There isn’t anything that specifically determines a chocolate cake as devil’s food cake, but they do tend to be a bit more airy and have quite a bit of chocolate in them!
This moist and fluffy recipe for Devils Food Cupcakes also uses coffee extract to further enhance the chocolate flavor.
