My Thanksgiving Meal Plan
“We would do well in a world like ours, to go back to the simple thankfulness for the things that make a family life possible. I am thankful for the things we still have, despite the atom bomb. The terrible ingenuity of man may wipe us out in time to come. But now, on Thanksgiving, we still have the November sun, and the clear deep blue of the sky, and the white glory of the stars, and the loving-kindness of friends, just as our forefathers had. If only we can preserve the real things—the love of man and woman, the peace of an evening by the fire, the sweetness of music, and the gay sound of children’s voices—we shall not have to hear the sound of the world disintegrating into chaos.”
This year my mom and I are hosting Thanksgiving. I’m so excited! I love not only cooking food for my family but making the atmosphere cozy and festive as well. It is such a time of warmth and celebration. I’m already thinking about how I want to decorate the table and what music I want to play in the background while we eat. I thought I could share what dishes my family prepares each year for Thanksgiving.
One thing I love about the way we do Thanksgiving is that our meal plan gets divided up so that every family brings a dish or two, making it a lot less stressful and less expensive for whoever is hosting. I will also be planning an oven schedule to avoid any kerfuffles getting all the sides hot in time to eat. Planning ahead and prepping ahead is key to enjoying yourself in the kitchen on the most wonderful Thursday of the whole year :)
Thanksgiving Dinner
Two 15lb pasture-raised turkeys from a local farm (30lbs total)
Homemade gravy from the drippings
Mashed potatoes
Sourdough sausage stuffing (Page 9 in Harvest and Home)
Orange cranberry sauce (Page 28 in Harvest and Home)
Sweet potatoes (family recipe)
Fried cabbage and bacon (family recipe)
Green bean almondine (Page 14 in Peace and Plenty)
Homemade dinner rolls (I might try these this year)
Dessert
Pumpkin pie from scratch with homemade whipped cream
Apple pie from scratch with vanilla ice cream
If I have time…maybe a chocolate dessert too? What kind should I make?
Grazing Board
I like to set up a little grazing board to snack from while football or Charlie Brown Thanksgiving plays on the TV. It’s always nice to have just a little something to tide us over until the meal is ready!
Harvest salsa and tortilla chips (Page 28 in Harvest and Home)
Cheese and crackers
Sliced apples
Caramel corn
Fall candies (just for looks, because no one really eats candy corn, right?)
Drinks
This year for drinks I thought it would be fun to try Half Baked Harvest’s Pumpkin Head Punch to drink with the grazing board on the coffee table before the meal. I will keep the vodka separate so the younger folk can still enjoy some punch and the adults can make their drinks their prefered strength. I also ordered a box of bubbly from Dry Farm Wines to serve with dinner along with water, soda, and apple cider as non-alcoholic options.
My family enjoys tradition and we tend to serve the same thing each year, but I am not opposed to trying something new! For a few years there we made this dish on Thanksgiving and sometimes I make caramel apples or pumpkin seeds, but I think this year I’m just going to save those recipes for another day. What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? I would love to hear from you in the comments :)
This will be my last autumn post in the journal this year. I am working quietly on Christmas content to come and wishing all of my American readers a very cozy Thanksgiving!
Blessings,
Kaetlyn