I’ve been trying to decide what to cook for my Thanksgiving meal. I don’t normally do the traditional thing.
I don’t go to either of my daughters’ houses. Or typically even cook a turkey. Still, I want a nice meal to look forward to. Not to mention the leftovers!
I do like the old-fashioned Southern-style stuffing that Will Cook For Smiles made. But I don’t really like celery. So I could make it without the celery maybe.
I even ordered some ceramic baking pans to go in my convection/toaster oven. You’re not supposed to use glass, and I needed bigger pans than I already have.
I ordered the pans below, but I ordered them in red. Apparently, they’ve sold out of the red, so I don’t have a photo of them.
Ceramic Baking Pans:
I figured these sizes would be what I need to make my meal. My convection/toaster oven is pretty big, so these will fit inside it.
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls:
I also ordered mixing bowls with handles because of the condition my hands are in. Because I didn’t have any with handles in my kitchen.
I’ve never heard of this brand, but they are stainless steel. So they should be nice and sturdy. Those handles will sure help me with these arthritic fingers/hands.
I don’t really want to cook a turkey so I considered a Cornish Game Hen.
Cornish Game Hens:
Here’s a recipe for Cornish Game Hens with Rice and Pomegranate Vinaigrette created by Pine Ridge Vineyards. It sure does look delicious!
Cornish Game Hens are mostly white meat. And I’m not fond of dark meat.
Broccoli Salad:
I found a recipe on Pinterest for Easy Broccoli Bacon Salad created by The Food Charlatan. I’m considering making this.
This photo from her site shows the ingredients that go into this broccoli salad. Yum!
Cheesy Greenbeans:
Then I came across this recipe for Cheesy Green Beans from Cafe Delites. This dish is definitely in consideration.
I would certainly stagger cooking these dishes for a few days the week of Thanksgiving.
For one thing, I only have the convection/toaster oven and a microwave to cook in. Second, I don’t want to overdo it with my back and hands.
I’m trying to decide between the broccoli salad and these Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cinnamon Butternut Squash with Pecans and Cranberries. This dish looks nice and healthy. It was created by Julia’s Album.
Brussels Sprouts Dish:
As I will be alone, I don’t think I need both. But then again, there’s the thought of all those tasty leftovers. Which to me is the best thing about Thanksgiving.
Keto Brussels Sprouts Dish:
Oh my, then I stumbled across this Keto Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts with Bacon made by Green And Keto. I had not seen this cooking blog before and will have to go back and scour through it because I like Keto recipes.
Doesn’t that look delicious? But then I don’t have a cooktop, so I would have to make it in my electric skillet. A consideration.
Millionaire Cranberry Salad:
Do you make Millionaire Salad for Thanksgiving? Here’s a recipe for Millionaire Cranberry Salad made by Spend With Pennies.
Wow, I’m getting images in my head of trying to fit all or some of these dishes into my refrigerator after the meal!
Let’s move on to dessert. I really like pumpkin pie and haven’t baked one in ages. But I’m not going to make one from scratch. I want to use the canned pumpkin to make it easy on myself.
Traditional Pumpkin Pie:
This particular pumpkin pie recipe comes from A Farmgirl’s Kitchen.
Well, I think I’m about set. Did I forget anything?
Oh, well I need to take a look at sweet potato casserole recipes I guess.
Sweet Potato Casserole:
This is Classic Sweet Potato Casserole made by Everyday Family Cooking using canned yams.
That would be more my style.
What are you having for Thanksgiving?
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Wow this is really too good about the deciding on thanksgiving meal thanks sharing this article
I’ve made the broccoli salad and it’s amazingly good. I’ve also brought it to potlucks and it goes fast. Whatever you make, enjoy!
I make it a lot also. I use candied pecans instead of the sunflower seeds. I have also used the Marzetti’s slaw dressing instead of making the recipe. Sometimes I’m lazy like that. 🙂
All of the recipes sound delicious. Me? I’d pick the brussels over the broccoli salad. We’ll have all the typical Thanksgiving dishes, and happily, this year we can be with our cousins. Would you believe my job is to bring the turkey??
Yes, the leftovers!! Oh my gosh, all those recipes look delicious.
Brenda, this was a great post. All of these recipes look so good I think that I will make one or two at a time for the next few weeks. There would not be room in my fridge for all of them.
Some times I go to the deli at Reasor’s on Thanksgiving morning or the day before and get my dinner of Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc in containers and just warm it up.
They have excellent half pies from Tippins so the whole meal is no muss no fuss.
You might like fixing Turkey the way a friend told me was delicious…. put a turkey breast in the crockpot and add at least a half can of cranberries, one packet of Lipton’s onion soup mix, and 1/2 Cup of orange juice. And let it cook for at least 4 hours. This is something that I will prepare soon. Her family loves it.
I love your blog and look forward to reading it. I think I will try the green beans. Just a fun bit of information. Most people in the United States haven’t eaten a yam as they can only be grown in the tropics, mostly in Africa. The meat of a yam is white and rough. Yams grow on vines where as sweet potatoes are a root vegetable and grown in the ground. Not sure how we starting calling sweet potatoes yams. God bless you and your sweet kittens
My son will smoke meat…probably some kind of pork, not ham.
In the past my husband or I did the meat but my son has become very good at smoking meat. It’s better than a restaurant.
We’ll add some healthy sides & my daughter-in-law will probably do dessert since she’s the professional baker in the family.
Aww, Brenda…you should consider going to one of your daughter’s houses for Thanksgiving! I bet you would have a wonderful time with your family and they’d be glad to see you. Some of those recipes you posted look really good. You could make one of them and bring it with you to share.
My mom is hosting Thanksgiving this year. It’ll be me and Brian, my aunt and uncle, and later in the evening, my niece is stopping by. So just a small group. Our family is scattered all over, plus my sister is estranged from our family.
My mom is making a turkey (which I don’t even like) and my aunt is bringing a ham and a homemade apple cake. My mom will also make mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (fresh ones, cut in chunks, and cooked with pure maple syrup and butter), homemade stuffing, homemade rolls, and homemade pumpkin pie. Maybe even another homemade pie! Yes, my mother goes all out, even at 81 years old!
I will be making three vegetable side dishes. One will be a corn pudding, the other will be some kind of green but not sure what yet (some kind of green bean or Brussels sprouts dish), and the other will be something with carrots.
Oops, forgot to mention cranberry relish. I will also make that. It’s so simple. Just fresh organic cranberries cooked down with orange peel, fresh squeezed orange juice, cinnamon, and pure maple syrup.
The broccoli salad you showed is a classic. I’ve been eating that salad at family gatherings and friend’s parties for years. But a couple of years ago, I ran into a recipe somewhere online (I probably have it pinned) for a broccoli salad that doesn’t use mayo. So it’s not heavy and unhealthy, like the mayo-laden one. I made it for a friend’s party last year and it was a huge hit.
Tradition, especially in our food, is so important to us isn’t it. I am not as industrious as you and will buy several dishes from the grocery Deli. But must have a few slices of baked ham, homemade sweet potatoes and pecan pie. I used to make Ambrosia but too labor intensive for me now. Thank you for all your wonderful posts.
I work in an assisted living facility in the kitchen. I work every other holiday . I also live alone , no family near for thanksgiving. If I work all staff get the whole meal. If I’m off I buy the “hungry man” turkey frozen dinner . But I do miss not having pumpkin pie . Kudos to you for wanting to cook all those things! I’m off this year not sure what I’m going to do !
Love seeing all the Gracie and Ivy pictures !
Brenda.
Thanksgiving in my entire household was “EPIC!” My parent’s, sisters. brother and all their children and spouses and parent’s and their siblings and friends without any family. Our menu was varied with several styles of turkey; brined and roasted. smoked and deep fried. Hams and slow cooker pot roast plus whatever seafood our guys had fished for. We set up 4 tables; appetizers, fowl and meats and other proteins, sides and desserts. This holiday was the big celebration because as a family we are firefighters/EMT, police and farmer with retail operations. This was in San Diego and outside in our backyards. This lasted almost 40 years and is fondly recalled by many generations of family and friends!
The recipes you posted look interesting. particularly the brussel sprouts. Thanks for these new blog posts.
Susan
Everything looks really nice! Just delicious. 😋 I’ve never baked Cornish hens. So that’s out. Lots of turkeys though. Easy to roast. Takes time. Most all sides take time to prep, bake up and then refrigerate. Very quick to put together for the big day!! I love those green beans! Might make them. Also the dessert sounds so good!! 👍We all have g-shopping ahead of us. Gonna make my list of items to pic up. Always busy here for Thanksgiving. 😊 ENJOY your feast people!!
It looks like u have everything to make a Thanksgiving meal Brenda but what about cranberry sauce?
I like the berries in my cranberry sauce. I also bake quick breads with cranberries in them and a Bundt cake and make fudge.
I usually go over my parents house for Thanksgiving to celebrate with some of my siblings.
Each of us make a bunch of things to bring over there. I usually will make at least one different recipe to try too. I already baked my parents favorite cookies and had my brother come and get them. I’m baking more today to put in my freezer for Thanksgiving too.
I still will cook a big turkey within that week for me with all the fixings and my daughter will usually stop over my house and take what she wants for her and grands.
She has to sometimes work on Thanksgiving so I try to have everything done the next day. She doesn’t bake so that’s what she mainly comes over for! I taught her how to bake so that’s just an excuse she uses! She hates washing dishes ! Lol
She bakes her turkey the week after. One year I dropped one of the glass containers on the floor just as I was putting both of them in my refrigerator! I also had a little bowl of turkey on top for my dog that I was watching too closely and some how let go of a big container of turkey! What a mess, turkey with glass shattered in it everywhere! I wanted to cry and she did too bc it was all the dark meat container of a 20+lb turkey!
Now I carry only one glass container at a time to the refrigerator bc listen learned! Lol
Oh yeah, gotta have cranberry sauce.
Lots of great ideas Brenda…thanks for sharing!! I have not yet decided entirely either…twill just be us 2 and our daughter so will see what she wants to do too. (The sperm donor has the kids this year…poor kids…whatever they have will not be much that they can eat, that is for sure…was thinking we need to have another “Thanksgiving” meal when they can be with us…so it will stuff they can eat too!!) I was thinking about a kind of corn souffle recipe I saw, made with a jiffy mix, that you make in a crock pot. With such a small kitchen and though I have a regular stove/oven, usually I use my toaster oven and stovetop. I like your idea of spreading out the over the week…especially if just for you, why not? Last week we got some low sodium sliced turkey from the deli…it tasted like awesome turkey roast…we might just get that to warm up, make some gravy for it and mashed potatoes and of course I have to make some stuffing for the other 2 anyway…and whatever other dishes…and probably they will want pumpkin pie. Maybe apple pie. My apt fridge will not hold a great lot…so one has to make choices. I hope your week will be lovely…your apt surely will smell lovely with all those dishes cooking away!! Bon Apetit!!
Brenda, ALL of those recipes look delicious! I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them! I tend to make a traditional dinner, but I might have to rethink that this year. The brussel sprouts with the squash, pecans, and cranberries sounds amazing! Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
You mentioned so many tasty things, and I didn’t know what to fix for the two of us. Every recipe on this page is something I’d like to have, but of course can not make it all. Husband and I were just talking about Thanksgiving, we stay home too, just the two of us. When our 3 boys were young (in grade school) I prepared Cornish Hens one year, and we all liked them a lot. I am so happy you mentioned that, I would not have thought of it. The broccoli salad sounds like a winner, and cranberry salad too, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Guess I know now what we are going to have to eat. Thanks Brenda, for all of your ideas. Hugs from WI
I was never a big turkey fan, even as a kid when turkey was served at my paternal grandparents’ house for a big family get-together. I usually make one of two dishes: either my easy beef burgundy or a pan-grilled filet mignon. If I feel in the mood for chicken, I will pick up a whole broasted chicken from the supermarket, they often have specials and they are very reasonably priced. The advantage of the chicken and the beef burgundy is that they give me left-overs, the filet mignon doesn’t. I’ll usually have some kind of potato – microwave “baked,” old-fashioned mashed potatoes the way my paternal grandma taught me to make them, or one of the “instant” side dishes that I buy in a package from Idahoan (very reasonably priced) – like cheesy potatoes with bacon, made on the stove top. It depends how ambitious I feel when I’m planning the meal. For a “formal” meal such as Thanksgiving, I like some kind of vegetable – I’m a peas/corn/carrots kind of girl. I’m no longer much of a dessert eater, but I keep Dove dark chocolates in the house and two of those will satisfy any craving I have for something sweet/chocolate! On rare occasions, I will buy a frozen package of six chocolate eclairs and feast on them over six days.
We have to wait and see how the winds are! Last yr we were warned we would have power outages due to them and sure enough Thanksgiving morning at 10:30 the power was cut for 33 hrs!! I have a gas stove top so we can still cook. My daughter planned on making beef bourginon as we don’t have to have typical either. But instead of the oven she did it stovetop and we had the mashed potatoes too. It was perfect. I recently made a small pork roast we enjoyed so might do that again. Have been baking acorn squash with sausages in them the last couple of weeks. They are so good. Whatever you have it will be wonderful🧡 PS some people hadn’t paid attention to the warnings and had to scramble to find a place to roast that Turkey!!
All those recipes sound delicious but I’m thinking seriously about making that broccoli salad. It just looks SO yummy!
Thanks for sharing all these goodies! Will definitely be looking up several of them in addition to the broccoli salad.
Have you considered a induction hot plate. I have a countertop True Induction 2 burner hot plate. It and a toaster oven and a microwave is all I need to cook a complete meal. The burners are a flat surface with no coils to be a mess if anything boils over. So convenient to have everything within reach of each and saves my back and legs from needless steps. Your meal choices sound good to me. I’m not a big fan of turkey, one meal is enough for me. Leftovers stay around for a long time. Ha ha. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Brenda, you can not go wrong with that broccoli salad. I make it all the time and it’s delicious.
Brenda, I think you are going to have a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner. You have picked out so many tasty dishes. I am not a turkey fan either, we typically have a caramelized onion, gruyere cheese stuffed pork loin. We always cook and bake so many things, we each have our own stuffing, pies, and everything else we like. After all it is a special day and it is fun to cook all day!
As for not over doing it, you could prep the ingredients a few days before, and then make the pie a day or two ahead(more time to enjoy it), and then leaf a few things to make the day before and the day of.
I think the Cornish hen would be a great idea to have. I checked out some of the recipes, they all sounded good! I also look forward to the leftovers!
Thanks for some wonderful looking recipes as well as interesting dishes and bowls!
Made me hungry looking at all those good recipes. My husband and I are planning to stay home and have pajama day. Dinner might be what he just had for lunch today, the gobbler from Wawa. I just like things more and more simple as I age. I love being home snuggled in with the dog. Macy’s parade will be back to normal this year. My absolute favorite parade is the Rose parade on New Year’s Day with all the beautiful flowers. Have a great day.
I have used the Brussel sprouts recipe with squash, cranberries, and pecans. It’s wonderful!
Oh my gosh I feel so hungry now after looking at all these yummy dishes. I love the idea of cornish hens if you are just cooking for one or two instead of a whole turkey. Have a great new week ahead. xoxo
You have made me hungry. I don’t have any place to go to for Thanksgiving so I don’t usually cook. One year I had tomato soup out of a can, another year it was a peanut butter sandwich but I like a couple of the above recipes, and I think I just may make myself a decent meal this year. It’s such a depressing day for me but I just decided I can at least have a good meal. Thanks for putting the idea in my head.
God Bless
Laurie, I think it is an excellent idea to make a few of these recipes! As Brenda said it is nice to treat ourselves and to have some tasty leftovers!