Are you looking for some great recipes for this Thanksgiving (or maybe just the holidays in general?)
I’m not typically a huge fan of all the chaos around the holidays, but I do get very excited for Thanksgiving.
I think it’s the carbs. All that rich food mixed with wonderful smells all day, combined with family festivities, it’s a recipe for some great memories.
It’s the one day out of the year I don’t even bother to try to be good. Why fight it?
I’ve been Pinteresting my way through Thanksgiving fails and wins over the years, and here are some of my favorite food bloggers AND their T-day recipes.
Oh, and if you are hosting Thanksgiving and interested in making your holiday planning a bit easier, download this Thanksgiving planner to keep track of your to-dos.
Click here for access to all printables
This is a roundup of some of the best Thanksgiving meal options out there.
Appetizers
TURKEY VEGGIE TRAY
Yes, I made this but no, it did not look like this picture. Maybe yours will turn out better. I still like the idea and will work on perfecting it. At any rate, these are probably the only actual healthy things you will serve on this day.
Veggie Turkey Appetizer from Princess Pinky Girl
CHEESE & CRACKER TURKEY APPETIZER
I have not tried this one yet, but plan on doing so this year.
Cheese & Cracker Turkey Appetizer Platter from Melanie Cooks
CRANBERRY PECAN CHEESE BALL
Tangy, rich, and creamy with a unique cheese that you have to try!
Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
THE TURKEY
Time for the main enchilada, and by enchilada I mean, of course, the turkey.
The 2 pins below are both really reliable methods of guaranteeing a great tasting, juicy bird.
Both methods suggest you thaw out the turkey before you brine, so you’ll want to plan to buy and start to thaw your turkey a few days before you need to brine, which is typically the day before Thanksgiving.
DRY BRINE TURKEY
For those of you who haven’t done a dry-brine before it’s a very good but simple way to retain the moistness of your meat.
Dry Brine Turkey Recipe from Good in The Simple
WET BRINE TURKEY
The wet brine is a lot more work, and a lot more ingredients, but also comes out good. I’m kind of cheating by including Alton Brown’s (not an authentic Pinterest/Blogger) recipe, but a lot of the Pinterest recipes from bloggers are variations on his recipe anyway. 5000 or so 5 star reviews from people who have used it can’t be wrong.
Alton Brown’s Wet Brined Turkey
GRAVY
What good is turkey without gravy? None, I say. It’s also great for your potatoes (really you could eat it with anything couldn’t you?)
Gravy shouldn’t be overly complicated to make – it’s best if you can get fresh turkey or chicken drippings but if you can’t you can still make it using the recipe below.
Gravy recipe from Center Cut Cook
THE SIDES
I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t actually care less about the turkey, it’s really all about the SIDES! OH YES.
MASHED POTATOES
I’m sorry, I can’t even look at these without getting hungry. In fact, I’m going to finish this post as soon as I can and run off to the store to have a “practice run” of these. Not even kidding.
Mashed Potatoes from Cooking For Keeps
These are also awesome – although they can be a little on the watery side but were great in a crock pot all day.
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
This recipe is the one to try if you’ve never made sweet potatoes as part of your Thanksgiving day before. You will never go back to being without them.
Sweet Potato Casserole from Creme de la Crumb
STUFFING
Don’t even get me started on this food blogger because I won’t stop. I don’t think I ever cooked anything well until I stumbled upon her blog years ago. I heart her. Check out this recipe and don’t stop there, she has some of the most fantastic recipes out there in blogland.
Stuffing Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything
LIGHTENED UP GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
A lighter version of the typical heavy on the cream cheese, cheese, and corn flake recipe.
Lighter Green Bean Casserole from Gimme Some Oven
BUTTERNUT SQUASH LEEK STUFFING
For those hosting, you might need to consider what to feed your vegetarian friends. This makes a great side dish OR a main dish alternative to turkey.
Squash Leek Stuffing by Real House Moms
SQUASH CASSEROLE
This is the ultimate in comfort food. Sweet, salty, and buttery.
Squash Casserole from Altered Recipe
BREAD
A lot of times we will just buy Rhodes from the supermarket, which I always love. However, there’s nothing like fresh bread.
Roll Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything
DESSERT
PUMPKIN PIE
Anyone can make a traditional pumpkin pie following the recipe on the back of the pumpkin pie filling (that actually comes out really good too), but if you want to go a little more exotic and give people something that will bring a WOW factor, try this pumpkin pie recipe that also adds candied yams.
Pumpkin Candied Yam Pie Recipe from Life Currents Blog
PUMPKIN CAKE PIE
Another unique pie to make or bring – this is a combination of a pumpkin pie and a cake.
Pumpkin Pie Cake Recipe by Tornadough Alli
PECAN PIE
Not overly sweet – but adjust the cinnamon amounts to your liking.
Pecan Pie by Sally’s Baking Addiction
SOUR CREAM BERRY CRUMBLE
Fruity and tangy with just the right amount of sugary crunch!
Sour Cream Berry Pie from Altered Recipe
DRINKS
CRANBERRY APPLE CIDER
Cranberry Apple Cider from the Recipe Rebel
WHITE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN COCOA
White Chocolate Pumpkin Cocoa from Tornadough Alli
CROCK POT HOT APPLE CIDER
Hot Apple Cider Recipe from Altered Recipe
These ideas should get you started on a fantastic menu for Thanksgiving, whether it’s your first or 31st one!
