Thanksgiving Menu

This is a post I share every year, and each year I update it with some of the new recipes I've added  - Hello, Kale Salad and Petite Pecan Pies.  I've also included the link to my Thanksgiving Planning Worksheets (below) to help you with your scheduling for the week... it is "go" time for those of us hosting!

Somethings aren't changing, like the BEST Turkey recipe that starts with a bottle of white wine and a pound of butter : )  I'm adding  a new side dish - Sausage & Brie Stuffed Mushrooms.  Instead of the Baked Brie, I'm making an old fashioned relish tray.  We'll be featuring some homemade pickled vegetables, bread and butter pickles, olives, etc.  All of that yummy salty briny goodness goes great with a glass of mulled wine before dinner, without filling up.

My sister and her family are staying here the night before Thanksgiving so we will begin our day with parade watching and breakfast - all made in advance so the kitchen can concentrate on making the Thanksgiving meal the morning of.  We will be eating at 1pm this year, so the times have been changed to reflect that.  Hope you enjoy and it helps you prepare for the big day.

I'll be working on my table setting early next week, so I'll be sure to share that, too.

We have a busy week ahead since we are hosting Thanksgiving at the new house.   I'm still hunting for dining room chairs... tiny detail, right?  I'm hoping to find an eclectic mix of six old windsor chairs to mix with our six upholstered. We also need to make some teachers' gifts for school, get the house ready for overnight guests and plan details for a holiday packed weekend.   Would love to hear about what recipes are your favorites or new ones you are trying.  This weekend marks the start of the most wonderful time of the year - and I am so glad to be in the thick of it!

Here is a link to download my Thanksgiving Worksheets.  They will help you go on autopilot for the day so you can enjoy yourself and know that everything will be perfectly timed... or at least most things.   You will be prompted to add your email before the lists download, just FYI.  This adds you to my email list so you can stay updated on new posts and specials I have for the store.  

Cranberry Orange Scones

Petite Quiche Tarts

Barefoot Contessa Mulled Wine

Relish Tray Inspiration

Baked Brie with Caramelized Pecans in Puff Pastry served with Apples 

Not making this this year, but have every year before.

Kale, Pumpkin Seed, Apple & Cranberry Salad

Always nice to have something fresh and crunchy in addition to such an indulgent meal.

 

Thanksgiving Planner | Traditional Herb Stuffing Recipe | Sage & Thyme Dressing Recipe

Bacon Braised Green Beans

 The Best Classic Mashed Potatoes | Potato Ricer

Stuffed Mushrooms

This photo is of The Pioneer Woman's Brie Stuffed, but I think I'm going to combine that recipe with Ina's Sausage Stuffed.

 

Holidays | Entertaining | Thanksgiving Planner | Countdown Day 9 | Roasted Turkey & Gravy Recipes

One thing that I highly recommend, is trying the Turkey recipe I have posted from Martha Stewart.  We stared using this method a couple of years ago and everyone goes crazy over it.  You stuff the bird with lemon, garlic, thyme, and sage, then baste it with a mixture of a bottle of chardonnay and 4 sticks of butter.  It makes the most unbelievable pan drippings for gravy.  Turkey is usually a little bland, but this recipe makes it amazing.

Leaf Topped Apple & Cranberry Cobbler with Orange Zest, Cinnamon & Nutmeg

 

Pecan Tart | A New Twist on a Classic Pecan Pie Recipe

  

Chocolate Cream Tart with Pecan Shortbread Crust

 Thanksgiving Table Setting | DIY Flower Pumpkin Centerpiece, Woodland China, Hemstitch Linens, Pewter Flatware & Rustic Glassware

Enjoy this week of planning - my favorite part of Thanksgiving... getting everything ready!

Jenny

Thanksgiving Tables | Round-up of 5 Years of Our Thanksgiving Tables!

It occurred to me while I was putting together the Thanksgiving Guide (a work in progress, but much is up now!), that I've set quite a few Thanksgiving tables, especially given that we've only hosted Thanksgiving once ; )   The table above and below are from our first house and the first time we hosted Thanksgiving.  We'd just unwrapped all of our wedding presents and we (ok, I...) were so excited to be able to use everything.  So fun to look back on how our style and our homes have evolved.  There are many things that are still in constant use at our house - and some things I miss here, too.  We've ordered a new dining table that is arriving next week, so we will say goodbye to our beloved rustic table.

Here is the link from our 1st Thanksgiving : 

Holidays | Entertaining | Thanksgiving Planner | Countdown Day 3 | Table Setting Tools & Inspiration | Thanksgiving Table Setting & House Decor

Now we'll start at other tables I've set throughout the years.  They are either actually for Thanksgiving inspiration or a Fall dinner party at our house.  If you want to just scroll through all of the posts, you can visit this link that will take you through them all.

Fall-ish Table Setting | DIY Coral & Peach Roses with Privet Berries | Provence Beige Linens

Creams & Brown Fall Table Setting | Spode Woodland Dishes with Creamy Candles

Wheat Harvest Table for Thanksgiving 

Pumpkins & Gourds Harvest Table Setting for Thanksgiving

A table set on our old porch in Concord, Ma.

Fall Table Setting | Fall Entertaining | Fall Dinner Party

My Harvest Table for :

Williams-Sonoma Blog | The Blender

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpiece | Roses, Mums & Broom Cob in a Pumpkin "Vase"

Thanksgiving Table : Pears, Bittersweet, Velvet & Linen

Autumn Pasta | Bucatini, Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic, Brussels Sprouts & Ricotta

At one of our favorite dinner spots, they recently added this Autumn Bucatini to the menu.  I love Bucatini.  If you haven't tried it, it is a spaghetti like noodle, but it has a tiny hole through it, like a straw.  It makes it thick, chewy and sort of, um, bouncy.  To make it a meal, they included roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, pancetta, roasted garlic, mushrooms and topped it with fresh ricotta.  I ordered it for dinner one night and picked it up to-go the next - so, so good.  I decided to replicate it at home and add shrimp, as well, but it stands alone as a very hearty pasta.

There are quite a few steps, and maybe more complicated than our typical weeknight meals, but all in all it was about 45 minutes from start to finish.  We also used 5 pans, which made the dish doing more work than usual... but, you can't talk to Mike about that ; )

It does have a tiny bit of pancetta in it, and with all of the recent discoveries about processed meats I thought it would be a good time to share how we are adapting.  I am not excited about making any of these adjustments, but here is what we plan to do : 

No more entrees of only processed meat (hot dogs, brats, etc.) except on occasion. 

Will I have a hot dog at Royals game sometime?  Probably.  Chili dog in the fall?  Yes.

Will I eat a BLT when summer tomatoes are at their best?  Yes.  Yes!  

Will I still use pancetta or bacon to add flavor to a pasta, soup, etc.?  Yes.  

Will I let Emma or Mike snack on genoa (their favorite...).  No, not all of the time.  And they're not happy about it ; )  

Will I serve or order a side of sausage or bacon for brunch?  Not as often... but probably sometimes.

Will we still continue to enjoy high quality beef a couple of times a week as we always have?   Yes.  We are lucky because the beef we eat comes from my parent's farm/back yard, goes to the butcher in their town and the directly to our freezer.  

I'm not sure if this is the right answer, but this is how we will proceed for the time being.  How are you adjusting?  

Autumn BucatiniButternut Squash, Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic, Brussels Sprouts & Ricotta

1 pound of bucatini pasta
8 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 butternut squash, 1/2" dice
2 cups of brussels sprouts, quartered
1 thick slice of pancetta
1 pound of mushroom
Sea Salt
1/4 cup of cream
Ricotta Cheese
....
Optional : Sauteed Shrimp
Parmesan Cheese

Roasted Garlic :
In a oven proof small bowl, place 6 garlic cloves (mince the remaining 2 and saute with mushrooms) and olive oil.  Place in 400 degree oven for 20+ minutes, or until starts to brown.  Meanwhile...

Toss the butternut squash in olive oil + sea salt and place on a sheet pan.  Roast in the same oven as the garlic for 15 minutes.  Ad brussels sprouts and roast for another 20 minutes until all start to crisp and brown.

Boil a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta.

In a large saute pan, brown pancetta until fat is rendered.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil with mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of sea salt.  Continue cooking until mushrooms are soft.  Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

When pasta is al dente (almost done), strain it from the cooking water and add it directly to the pancetta and mushrooms.  Toss in the butternut squash and brussels.  Chop the roasted garlic cloves and add them along with the oil they cooked in.  Toss pasta and add sea salt if needed.

Serve with sauteed shrimp (optional) and a dollop of ricotta cheese on top.

Tiny hands love to help.

We peeled some of the brussels sprouts leaves to make them crisp up, along with the quartered ones.

We also love bucatini with bolognese... or anything.

I did a mix of baby bella and shitake mushrooms.

This is what the garlic looked like when I decided it was roasted enough.  I let it sit in the hot oil until it was time to chop it.  It was so sweet and yummmmy.

I sautéed shrimp in a separate pan, then added at the end.

Now that the sun is setting early, our dinner food photos won't be as beautiful without natural light.  Sorry : )

Real family dinner photo.  This would be great for a dinner party - all of the elements can be made ahead of time.  Just cook pasta and toss together before serving.

Highly unusual photo of Emma actually eating her dinner!

I hope to include more of these "real" food photos in the future.  Not as pretty - much easier to just snap before we enjoy rather than recreating the next morning for good light.  Do you mind too much?!

 

Thanksgiving Favorites | Easy Centerpieces & Accents

My Thanksgiving Collection is all about easy centerpieces and accents for your home. Each season or holiday my favorite thing to do is to add these sort of seasonal touches on side tables, in the powder room, the kitchen counter and our dining table. These little transformations make our house feel welcoming, alive and special.

Fresh flowers are great, but I typically opt for accents that will last for weeks without tiring. All of these ideas will look great now through Thanksgiving - even into Christmas. Even if you are the only one to see them, making the effort reaffirms that your each day and hour is worth enjoying.

Above : Potted Bulbs in Transferware : Paperwhites & Amaryllis

Now is the time to plant paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs so they will be ready to bloom for December. I love to see the green shoots during November and then the blooms will open early December and last until Christmas. Typically the bulbs bloom 4-6 weeks after planting - so you still have time : ) They look fantastic scattered around the house or clustered together. They make a great gift, too. I will share more of a step-by-step of my potting process later.

Shop Transferware Square Containers >

Planter Box with Candles

A couple of years ago I had an old wooden box that sat on our kitchen table. Each season I found more and more uses for it. I loved the linear shape and how it so easily lend itself to a line of planted bulbs (paperwhites or amaryllis) for the holidays, or daffodils in the spring. I used it filled with herbs in the summer and piled with mini gourds in the fall. It worked great on our old, more rustic table (which was on a porch), but now I found myself looking for a more refined vessel. I searched and searched for the perfect shape and patina (this unlaquered brass will age over time) to duplicate the look in our home this holiday season. I hope you can do the same : )

Shop Brass Planter Box >

DIY Candle Holders

It is very hard for me to find candle holders that I love that aren't one of a kind. So I thought, why not create candle holders out of containers? It is very easy - a 10 minute project that will leave you feeling like the ultimate homemaker : ) Of course, the beautiful, colorful candles really make them look fantastic and impossible to mess up! Step-by-Step coming soon.

Shop this look >

Wheat Bundles

Of course, the ever popular wheat bundles never go out of style. I love how these look going down the center of a table with hurricane candles in-between, too. So many options... how will we every decide!

Shop Wheat Bundles >