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Monday, October 21, 2024

Tried and True Favorites, for Your Best Thanksgiving Celebration Ever!

When Halloween reaches the point of shifting from decorating to celebrating, I know it is time to get ready for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! 

This has always been a day of celebration with family. And while family members sitting at the table have changed through the years, the family part has not! We celebrate with food offered from each family's kitchen, once placed on the largest table available for sharing. 


The abundance of food and family is a blessing. With each passing year marking another great celebration to remember. And that is where this collection of our favorites originated...I invite you to come and take a look at these suggestions from our family to yours! It is time to celebrate!

It goes without saying that a roasted turkey is a must! 


And it may surprise you to know that I do not have a recipe for roast turkey here on Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. With good reason. Roast turkey is held near and dear in everyone's heart for Thanksgiving, and most if not all who cook, already have their own preferred methods and cooking style. And I salute you, my friends. Keep enjoying your Thanksgiving turkey, your way!

What I do have to share, is everything else!

From appetizers and starters, to salads and side dishes. And of course we cannot forget desserts! And those are the recipes that I will share. Recipes we cook and bake to celebrate and share with family. Some you may have noticed before, or possibly not. Because some we do enjoy often, and not just at holiday time. But maybe you were not thinking Thanksgiving when you did see it! So let's get started, there is a holiday dinner to plan for!

Appetizers and Starters:

It is fun to offer a Shared Plate Appetizers selection. Plus it is easy on the cook! Most of the preparation is done ahead. Each person can enjoy a bite of 2 or 3 different appetizers without ruining their dinner. Offer small plates and forks, along with a basket of crusty sliced bread. 

For Shared Plate Appetizers, we offer the following suggestions: 


This has stood the test of time, always delicious and worth sourcing out ripe tomatoes at holiday time. 


 For those who love spicy bites!



Make ahead easy, and make again delicious! PS this is fun to make into individual cheese balls for each person to have their own...


If on the other hand, your dinner is more formal and you would enjoy beginning with a starter plate for each guest at the table, I offer:


The perfect small plate starter to have on the table when everyone takes their seat...



Salads:

While it is easy to offer too much food at a holiday dinner, I do like to offer a couple of easy salads. Why? Because we usually have littles at our table and they might not be ready for some of the more advanced dishes, flavor wise. 

The salads offered still help to make sure that there is plenty for everyone to choose from. And yet, we are all eating the same meal...PS two of the salads are top dressed with nuts, simply remove them for littles who do not eat or enjoy nuts. 

For Salads, we offer the following suggestions: 


This is a delightful salad. Everyone enjoys it, plus it comes together quickly and you top dress for color and crunch, before serving. 



This one is offered specifically for your little one who might be overwhelmed by so many flavors. It is creamy, has protein and small chunks of apples. 



Easy to put together and who doesn't love a fruit salad with dinner?



Side Dishes:

Side dishes can be what you want them to be! It goes without saying that stuffing is mandatory, but like a roasted turkey each family has their favorite. So again I leave you to it. Stuffing and mashed potatoes recipes will be your own!  But side dishes offer the perfect opportunity to get healthy vegetables on each plate, and so that is my focus...plus we have offered a wide range of enjoyable flavors, for everyone to want to eat. 

For Side Dishes, we offer the following suggestions:


You will not find a fresher dish than this one to put on the Thanksgiving table. Not overcooked, this will be your new family favorite for Brussels Sprouts. 



Sweet potatoes are delicious in this more savory than sweet, casserole. 



This easy to assemble casserole is expected on our table each year by my husband. 



This is not the usual green bean casserole. No canned soup and plenty of flavor from delicious ingredients that come together quickly.



Everyone loves these carrots, it is the cinnamon. A perfect vegetable to offer the whole family. 



Condiments:

Condiments are the one way to really shine up a meal. To be honest, I love cranberries enough to enjoy the jelled round cylinder, right out of the can! But I also know that most folks really appreciate the time and effort put into a prepared condiment that completes the meal. So that is what we shall offer...

For Condiments, we offer the following: 


Cranberries and dried cherries are a match made in heaven. No worries, because the gin cooks out, but offers a subtle herby essence. 



These sweet pickle slices are easy to prepare a couple days before the big day. Offer these slices along with black olives, side by side.



A must for those serving ham along side that perfectly roasted turkey. 



Desserts: 

Which brings us to the end of the meal! We have our favorites just like everyone else. But we like to try something new for a holiday dinner as well. Our family seems to run in two categories, pie or cheesecake. I am team pie all the way, while my husband is team cheesecake through and through! To keep everyone happy, we usually offer both. 

For Desserts, we offer the following: 


This deep dish pecan pie, was developed to please those who love the gooey inside filling! 



This cheesecake is a two-fer! Chocolate and cheesecake. You really can't go wrong! 



This treasured recipe will bring on the smiles. Not too sweet, but sweet enough to keep everyone happy. It really is, just like Grandma's. 



This cheesecake is quite nice, you can bake it two different ways. Traditional or soft and creamy. 



We have one family member who prefers cake over pie. So there is only one thing to do, offer a cake that is rich, spicy and contains a bit of chocolate, like this one!



And this last offering is for the littles! I like to offer a dessert that they will enjoy, something familiar, something creamy, something fun...plus parents can control the serving size. 



Pour you favorite beverages, call the family to the table and begin the celebration!



#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

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Would you like to comment?

  1. It all looks so yummy! We are having a very small get together this year so I'm working on pairing down our menu to the absolute favorites and musts.

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