5 Thanksgiving Foods

I love the Holidays because I get to spend time with family. But, over the years, I found myself more and more annoyed with the kitchen aspect of the season. Our home doesn’t have an open-concept kitchen/living area; so, the family spent a lot of time in the living room while I felt stuck in the kitchen. Eventually, I realized I could prepare foods ahead of time so that I could spend more time enjoying the family and less time in the kitchen. Many people don’t realize that the turkey doesn’t HAVE to be cooked at 6am Thanksgiving morning. Mashed potatoes can be made a few days before. The house can still smell like Thanksgiving without having to spend 12 hours in the kitchen.

I hope you get to enjoy your family on these special occasions. The older I get, the more I’m realizing that family time is way more important than preparing a 10- course meal or killing my sanity to make sure the house is spotless. Here are a few Thanksgiving Day foods you can make in advance….

Roasted Turkey with Herb Butter

Ingredients:

12-14 pound turkey

1 Tbs. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Prep the turkey: Remove giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Season the turkey: Combine thyme, rosemary, pepper, and salt. Rub the mixture all over the turkey, both inside and out.

3. Make the herb butter: In a small bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, and parsley. Mix well.

4. Stuff the turkey: Loosely stuff the turkey cavity with the herb butter.

5. Roast the turkey: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 3-4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.

6. Rest the turkey: Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Storage: The cooked turkey can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. So, you can prepare and cook turkey two days before Thanksgiving and still enjoy leftovers for a day or two after.

Prime Rib Roast (For the non-turkey lovers)

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. prime rib roast, bone-in

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 C. unsalted butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Season the roast: Rub the prime roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Make the herb butter: In a small bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, and rosemary. Mix well.

4. Rose the prime rib: Place the prime rib, fat side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the outside is browned. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and roast for an additional 20-30 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 125 degrees F for medium-rare.

5. Rest the roast: Let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Storage: The cooked prime rib can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can prepare the prime rib a day or two before Thanksgiving and it will still be good for Thanksgiving day.

Maple-Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 C. maple syrup

2 Tbs. butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Roast the carrots: Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.

3. Make the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened.

4. Glaze the carrots: Pour the glaze over the roasted carrots and toss to coat.

Storage: The glazed carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can prepare them a day before Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

Ingredients:

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes: Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Drain and mash.

2. Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, melted butter, brown sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well.

3. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine chopped pecans and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Mix well.

4. Assemble the casserole: Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the pecan streusel.

5. Bake the casserole: Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Storage: The casserole can be assembled and baked ahead of time, then reheated on Thanksgiving Day.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 C. granulated sugar

1 C. packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Cream butters and sugars: In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add wet ingredients: Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.

4. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Bake cookies: Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Storage: The cookies can be baked ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.

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