Thanksgiving meal, all the good stuff.

This year for the first time in seven years, I won't be hosting Thanksgiving dinner.
I will still be sharing all my great recipes and tips, but since I am only making the stuffing, I have not been looking up new and creative recipes for one of my favorite holidays.

The best way to make Thanksgiving an enjoyable meal is to plan ahead and share the cooking.
There are things you can do in the next few days that will make life easier on Thursday.

Check your table linens, serving dishes, etc... to make sure you have ready and at hand everything you will need to serve the meal.

Make some of the dishes ahead of time.
Cranberry sauce can be made right now.
Bread or cornbread can be cubed and allowed to get stale for the stuffing.
Some people like to make their gravy drippings ahead of time using turkey wings.
Desserts can be made a day or two before depending on the what you are making.
You get the idea.

Here are some of my favorite recipes or tips by category.

Appetizers: Don't bother, let everyone get very hungry or if you must offer a plate of raw veggies.
It's a task you can assign to someone else anyway.

Side dishes; That's what it's all about !
Candied yams, made with maple syrup and rosemary.
Bacon roasted Brussel sprouts, bacon makes everything better, it's true.
Cranberry sauce, please make your own.
Cornbread stuffing, my sister's recipe.
Genna's and Laurie's hybrid stuffing, the best of both kinds.
Winter squash biscuits  these are great for breakfast too.
Roasted winter squash , tis' the season.
Stuffed baked squash, this dish would be great for your vegetarian and vegan dinner guests.
 Pumpkin cornbread

And if you need still more ideas here is a post : 101 Thanksgiving side dishes.

Check out this post for Alton Brown's explanation of why it's better NOT to stuff your turkey.

Desserts, you can never have too many, that could be our family motto.
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin cheesecake
Pecan pie
Pumpkin cake
Ginger cake with caramel topping
Baked apples
Pecan pie bars
Old fashion gingerbread 


Do have fun, love your friends and family as much as you can, be grateful for the bounty in your life.

In the words of the immortal Miss Piggy: Never eat more than you can lift !