Menu for a Traditional Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day will soon be here, it comes around but once a year. If I could only have my way, we’d have Thanksgiving every day! A poem the girls are learning for the holiday…
My favorite holiday is right around the corner, and due to some logistics issues we are going to celebrate quietly here at home, just the four of us. Traditionally, we would be surrounded by family and friends or split the day between our parents’ houses – one for dessert, the other for the dinner. Which, as I am sure you know offers up its own sort of challenges.
However, while living in San Diego, I grew pretty accustomed to cooking holiday meals. Thankfully I saved a wireframe for the big day in the notes section of my phone. Guys, this note is 5 years old and boy am I glad I did not delete it!
After dusting off said note, I got to planning…
Once I have my list sorted out, I’ll start to add the non-perishable/frozen items to my food shopping list. So, my holiday food shopping starts in October. That way I am not devoting an entire shopping trip to a one day event. And, the risk of an ingredient selling out is slim to none.
Here’s an idea of the items I grab ahead of time – stuffing, canned cranberries (for my stuffing and an appetizer), biscuits, and a frozen turkey breast. Next year I am ordering a fresh full size turkey. These items are always in danger of selling out around here, especially when we get closer to the big day.
What’s one item you are sure to stock up on in preparation of Turkey Day?
Thanksgiving Day Traditions
As the girls get older, I am excited to add more traditions onto our list – next year, I plan to sign us up for a Turkey Trot (shhhhh, don’t say a word). But this year is going to look pretty similar to years past. Start out the day with an easy, yummy breakfast while watching the parade. Have you ever been to the city for the parade? My family went one year when I was younger, and honestly unless you have access to a building on the parade route, it’s better to watch from home.
After cleaning up breakfast or before depending on the time, I will get our first appetizer in the crockpot. For us, appetizers are grazed on between the end of breakfast and before our early dinner. We have a small kitchen and I can only handle cooking one meal at a time.
While most of my time is spent in the kitchen on the day, in between timer dings sounding off in the kitchen, I like to get crafty with the girls or lounge and watch a holiday movie with them. This year, I found these crafts on Pinterest from Party with Unicorns, and the templates are printed and ready to go.
Thanksgiving Breakfast
Breakfast is going to be fun and easy. I have been meaning to try out these Cinnamon Roll Waffles for a while now, and this is the perfect opportunity to crack out our waffle maker. The fresh fruit will most likely be what we have in season around here – clementine, apples and pears. What fruit is in season where you live?
Thanksgiving Appetizers
With so much attention dedicated to dinner, I kind of like for my appetizers to take care of themselves. I found this slow cooker meatball recipe years ago, and it’s still one of my go-tos. I will likely raid Trader Joe’s for the mini pizzas, make a simple crudité with hummus, and grab some Ritz crackers with two different cheeses, and jams. These are the perfect finger foods to hold us all over until our early Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving DINNER
This year, since there will only be four of us around the table, I opted for a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. And, I would like to give this recipe a try from Carlsbad Cravings. Seriously, Jennifer’s recipes haven’t let me down yet.
Green beans, are a favorite of Justin’s… personally, I can take or leave them. But, here is the recipe I will be using for dinner.
As for the sausage stuffing and sweet potato casserole – top secret recipes straight from my mom. But, I am going to share them soon, as I film our Thanksgiving Day. Make sure to check out my YouTube Channel for more on that!
Thanksgiving Desserts
One of my favorite traditions is to pick up a freshly made pie from one of the local farm stands. This year we will be picking up our apple + pumpkin pies right in town, I’m already picturing a slice of warm apple pie a la mode…yum! What’s one of your favorite holiday desserts?
Spending time around the table with loved ones, and sharing a nice home cooked meal is something we are fortunate enough to do each and every day. However, there’s just something about the holiday that makes it all extra special. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
