Thanksgiving Meal Plan

Thanksgiving is almost here and it’s time to start preparing your meal plan.  No time?  No problem!  I have an entire meal plan prepared for you.

Appetizers:

• Pumpkin Puree – Use these tips and add pumpkin puree to different dishes for a fun twist. For example, stir some pumpkin puree into prepared hummus to make a delicious Thanksgiving appetizer.  Serve with warm pita bread.

• Cheese and Soup – Use these tips to prepare the perfect cheese platter, make sure you take a look at the suggestion for preparing a Thanksgiving appetizer by pairing Camembert with butternut squash soup.

Entrees:

• Turkey – This turkey sounds delicious and will need to cook for around 6 hours and then sit for approximately 15 minutes before carving.  Alternatively, you can try these step by step directions for the perfect turkey which includes instructions for adding stuffing too.

Sides:

• Gravy – using the pan from the delicious turkey recipe above and a few extra ingredients, this gravy can be whipped up while the turkey is sitting aside.

• Mac and Cheese –  This delicious mac and cheese recipe will require about 40 minutes of oven time.  Alternatively, if your oven is full, make a slow cooker mac and cheese instead.  This frees up the oven for reheating and baking other dishes.
• Candied Sweet Potatoes – approx 20 minutes prep time and 1.5 hours to bake in the oven.
• Green Beans – This recipe takes approximately 5 minutes to prep, and 10 minutes to cook in a covered pan on the stove.  You can have this cooking while you are preparing the gravy and reheating or warm dishes in the oven.
• Corn – boil frozen corn.  Once cooked toss with a nice big slice of butter.  You can make this ahead of time, refrigerate and then reheat once ready to serve.

• Cranberry Sauce – This is my own recipe for cranberry sauce and takes about 10 minutes to cook.
• Mashed Potatoes – Boil potatoes. Once soft, remove from the water.  Add a little chicken stock, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and butter and mash until smooth.
• Buttermilk Biscuits – Bake these biscuits ahead of time (they take approximately 15 minutes), then re-heat once the turkey is out of the oven.

Desserts:

• Miniature Gingersnap Pumpkin Pies – you will want to make these earlier in the day, approximately 1 hour before the turkey is due to go in the oven.  If your Thanksgiving meal will be for lunch, then make these the night before.
• Pomegranate Mousse (a delicious alternative for those who don’t like pumpkin pie) –  serve in small glasses, jars or glass dishes.  Can be made in the morning and kept refrigerated until time to serve (need to be refrigerated for minimum 1 hour).
• Pumpkin Ice Cream – can be made a day in advance.  Leave in the freezer until ready to serve.  Add a bowl of Fall colored sprinkles with a spoon for the kids.

Serve dessert with a Pumpkin Pie Lattes.  These can be made to order after dinner has been finished.

Tip: Don’t forget to check that your salt and pepper shakers are full.  You can do this the day before.