Hi everybody and happy Thanksgiving eve! It’s my first day off of school and I am simply so happy about it. I have lots of Thanksgiving prep ahead of me, so I thought I’d tell you all a little about my menu this year and how I schedule everything. Also in this post I’ll do a little catch up on blog stuff, a lil announcement, and a sneak peak at my holiday recipes.
Ok let’s start off with Thanksgiving stuffs. Ever since I started the blog, and baking, and all that jazz, Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays. I get an excuse to cook up a storm of delicious food, specifically autumnal themed food. As we all know at this point, fall food is my favorite. Something about cozy food is just so comforting. These days, I cook everything except for the Turkey, gravy, and stuffing. We don’t use a recipe for any of those, my family has always just kinda thrown it all together. Now personally, I handle the sides which I think are the best part. You can have the most fun with the side dishes.
Ok before I list off my recipes I’m using this year, let’s talk scheduling. I always write out a schedule/checklist with times two days before Thanksgiving. This way I know what I need to prep the day before, I can make sure the oven will be open when I need it to be, I can have break times without running out of time, I can make sure the dishes don’t pile up, and I can have everything ready in time. This prevents tears, which is good because no one wants overly salty food.
So here’s a list of all the stuff I’m making this year
- Cranberry Sauce: I use this recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes every year. I always make a double batch because I love cranberries, and I usually make it the day before because it keeps well.
- Sage Rolls: I always make dinner rolls of some kind, but the recipe usually switches up. This year I’m using a new one from Half Baked Harvest because it looks simply delicious.
- Brussels Sprouts: I’m a bit of a weird kid, and I have always LOVED Brussels sprouts, so they are a must on the Thanksgiving table. I made these ones from Half Baked Harvest last year and I really love them.
- Sweet Potato Casserole: For the past two years I have used this recipe from Half Baked Harvest for my sweet potato casserole. I don’t like the kinds with the marshmallows on top because I think it’s too sweet to be a side dish. But this one is perfectly balanced between sweet and salty.
- Mashed Potatoes: Ok so there’s beef with the mashed potatoes. Not like, real meat beef, like metaphorical beef. My brother wants to do the mashed potatoes but I really want to make them too. Mashed potatoes are such a blank canvas and I could have a lot of fun seasoning them. This year my brother finally agreed to split them with me, so he’ll season half of them his way, and I’ll have control over the other half. We never use a recipe, but I think mine will be brown butter with Boursin.
- Honeynut Custard Tart: This ones from Red Currant Bakery, one of my favorite food blog finds. This is a new one for me but it looks so delicious, I couldn’t pass it up.
I don’t tend to use my own recipes on Thanksgiving because I treat it as a time to have some fun trying out other’s recipes. But I still have plenty of recipes I would recommend for the holiday if you’re interested.
- Apple Cheddar Sage Rolls: For a fun little side dish.
- Butternut Squash Muffins: To have as a snack while you’re cooking
- Mushroom Pastries: For a tasty and simple appetizer.
- Toasted Marshmallow Sweet Potato Cookie Bars: I published these two days ago, and I think they’re a fun quick little sweet treat.
- Ginger Pear Sparkle Cookies: Just so cute and honestly one of my favorite recipes I have ever made.
- Pumpkin Chai Brûlée Pie: A classic recipe with a fun little twist.
Ok everybody that’s just about it on the Thanksgiving front. But this year, November 28th isn’t just Thanksgiving, it’s also Ballerina Baker’s third birthday! It’s honestly crazy that I have been doing this for three years, but I really do think I’ve grown a lot. To be honest, my community hasn’t grown all that much. But it has grown a tiny bit so I’m extremely thankful for that!
Ok let’s close out with a little sneak peak at my holiday recipes. I have six recipes headed your way in the next month, and they’re each very different. The first is a cookie that is sure to be a new favorite. They’ve received raving reviews, more than I honestly expected. And they’re pretty easy so no worries there!
I’ll also have a subtly festive tart headed your way, some decadent and cozy sweet rolls, a comforting creme brûlée, a holiday centerpiece cake, and a unique tiramisu for New Years! So yes, very exciting things headed your way. Stay tuned!