Every year, my family’s tradition is to scramble at the last minute to figure out what we are going to make for Thanksgiving, who’s coming to eat, or if we want to 86 the entire strategically planned Martha Stewart setup for a dish free meal at a local restaurant.
Last year, with just my mom, my daughter, and myself we opted for the later option and were joyous, to say the least, about not having any dishes on the evening agenda.
This year, I think we are going to try and do something special, since my 94 year old grandmother will be joining us. We want to have a fresh and unique approach to the recipes, instead of just your typical turkey and beans affair. Plus, my grandmother is SPICY to say the least. (She broke out the microphone just a few Thanksgivings ago, to ensure we could indulge on every last word of her Thanksgiving childhood monologue.) She is a hoot and a half.
Below are 5 dishes that have currently made the cut for our menu:
- Everything Bagel & Bacon Stuffing – As you may have caught in my bio section of the blog, I love a good bagel & shmear, so what’s not to love about this stuffing! I love trying traditional recipes with a twist on them like this one from Rachael Ray.
- Garden Greens & Pumpernickel Panzanella – Grandma loves a good dinner salad, but doesn’t everyone? Also, she’s not the biggest meat eater so this scrumptious rabbit feast from Good Housekeeping has got me all kinds of excited about the holiday meal. Lettuce pray.
- Roasted Squash with Goat Cheese & Poached Cranberries – Thank you Country Living for this little mouth watering gem. Personally, they had me at goat cheese. I could eat it every day, and I swear, I would NEVER get sick of it. Not ever. But that is again, a blog post for another day. (I see it now, 500 innovative ways to incorporate goat cheese into your life. Yessss.)
- Citrus & Honey Roasted Beets – Thank you Trisha Hughes for this tantalizing side dish that Grams and the fam is sure to love. Loving beets is something that lives in my DNA, and I plan to continue the tradition. Plus this recipe calls for carmelized shallots. Does it get much better than caramelized shallots?
- Veal Medallions with Fig and Almond Cream Sauce – I am so tired of hearing about turkey and Thanksgiving. Not to mention how tired I get after eating turkey. Ok so a rumor has been passed that turkey does make you tired, but technically and scientifically it’s all that carb action post meal on the dessert tray that has us feeling all sloth like. Look it up. It’s LEGIT. This little veal medallion recipe from foodandwine.com has got my heart pumping, and turkey is so overrated. Like who decided we MUST eat turkey every single Thanksgiving? Uhhhhh, no…
What are your plans this year for Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments what you have planned that is super traditional or different & fun?
– Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
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