Time For Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving Week Monday! How is it time for turkey already??? My husband and I hosted his family yesterday for our annual “early Thanksgiving/November birthdays” meal – nothing like killing three birds with one stone. We travel each year for Thanksgiving to see my extended family, so we started this tradition of having his family over the weekend before so as not to miss out on celebrating and giving thanks with them. I’m not sure which year we’re on because me and history do not go together, but I’d say it’s a tradition we’ll hold on to for many more to come.

My husband and I have a tendency to always cook way too much food but this year takes the cake. We have leftovers for days and maybe even weeks. Oh who am I kidding? We both like to eat so it might be gone tomorrow. Regardless, better to have too much than not enough in my opinion (and it never goes to waste). We tried out several new recipes this year and I have to say I was pretty happy with the way things turned out. So … if you’re like me and wait until the last minute to do certain things (like planning your Thanksgiving day menu) – or maybe you just need some last minute ideas – this post is definitely for you. Or if you’re like me and just enjoy cooking, baking, and better yet eating, this post is even more so definitely for you 🙂

2016 Thanksgiving Day Menu

Appetizers
Spicy Black Bean Hummus with Pretzel Crisps
Shrimp Cocktail
Chicken Wings

Main Course
Turkey Tenderloin
Kale Salad
Rolls
Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Pineapple Casserole
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Roasted Acorn Squash

Desserts
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies
Cast Iron Triple Berry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

Anything making your mouth water? Maybe pictures will help. I’m sharing some of the recipes below as well!

Spicy Black Bean Hummus
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Throw everything into a food processor and combine until smooth!

Chicken Wings
Done on the Big Green Egg by my talented husband (marinated in Lupo’s Chicken Barbeque Marinade)

 

Turkey Tenderloin
Also done on the Big Green Egg by my talented husband (injected with Lupo’s Lemon-Garlic Marinade). Lupo’s is pretty phenomenal.

Kale Salad (serves 6-8) – adapted from foodbabe.com
2 large bunches dinosaur kale, stems removed
1 cup pomegranate craisins
juice of 3 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup walnuts, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste
12 tablespoons grated parmesan

Throw kale into food processor and process into tiny chopped pieces. Stir lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together in large bowl. Add in chopped kale, craisins, pine nuts, walnuts and parmesan and stir together into dressing.

Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce – courtesy of the Pioneer Woman
http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/thanksgiving-dinner-how-to-make-cranberry-sauce/

Slow Cooker Stuffing – courtesy of Cooking Classy
http://www.cookingclassy.com/slow-cooker-stuffing/

Green Bean Casserole (serves 8)
2 cans green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups french fried onions
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk and black pepper together in casserole dish. Cover with french fried onions. Bake for 25 minutes. Add cheddar cheese, cover dish with foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Slice potatoes in half and place in baking dish. Top with butter and/or olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and dill and bake at 400 F for 1 hour.

Roasted Acorn Squash
Slice squash in half and place on baking sheet. Top with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and bake at 420 F for 75 minutes.

 

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies – I accidentally screwed up my typical go-to cookies by using unrefined coconut oil instead of refined coconut oil, but they were still very well-received. So for a more coconut-y flavor in these cookies, stick to the unrefined!
https://myhouseoflove.com/2016/02/29/the-perfect-cookie/

Cast Iron Triple Berry Cobbler
https://myhouseoflove.com/2015/11/16/cast-iron-cobbler/

The foods from the menu that I don’t have recipes for (shrimp cocktail, rolls, pineapple casserole and pumpkin pie) were all brought by my in-laws and I failed to get pictures because well, you know how hosting goes – forgot until it was too late. But they were of course equally as delicious and definite must-haves to make this early Thanksgiving celebration simply perfect.

Many blessings to all for a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys their week, finds many reasons to give thanks, and eats lots of good eats. ‘Til next time!