What's On Your Table?

Thanksgiving.  It's one of those great holidays that is full of traditions.  I am a traditions kind of girl and Team Holmes has no shortage of them!  I love the things that make our holidays special to us but I also like to throw in one or two new things each year.

We always start our Thanksgiving by watching the Macy's Day parade.  I am usually able to mostly watch it (meaning I don't have to start cooking yet).  I try to make something for breakfast the night before so it is ready in the morning.  Besides, who wants to cook breakfast when you are going to have to make Thanksgiving dinner all day?  Not me.  Here are a few of my fav, EASY overnight breakfast ideas you can throw together Wednesday night:

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Easy French Toast Bake

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

One thing I am thinking of adding to the docket this year is Apple Cider Mimosas.  I love the thought of having these while watching the parade.  HOWEVER....champagne is not known to be a great motivator so...not too sure about this one.  This might turn out to be an epic fail.

The Turkey
I make many of the same things for Thanksgiving every year and have for a looooong time.  You will never believe what I change up every year....the turkey!  I have been brining it (soaking in a high salt marinade) for years now and I love this method. But I keep finding recipes that sound too good not to try!  This year, I am going in with this one  Maple Cider Brined Turkey.  Did I mention the recipe comes with a Bourbon-Cider gravy? Be still my heart.

The Sweet Potato Casserole
No, the old miniature marshmallow thing is not for me.  I seriously love my yams though!  I adore this recipe and would chop my arm off before I went without it.  With nuts, coconut and amaretto...nothing can go wrong!

The Mashed Potatoes
Also one of my favs AND another recipe I change up every year!  (Don't ask about the year we decided to make gruyere mashed potatoes and my neice and I searched the town over for gruyere cheese!)  This year, I am going to try this recipe.  They had me at make-ahead.  

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

The Stuffing
Our stuffing has sausage in it because that's how we roll.  I have made this stuffing recipe for as long as I can remember.
This year, I am gonna try changing it up with one I recently got in a cookbook...dried cherry and sausage dressing.  See, I kept the sausage.  Can't change too much!

The Green Beans
Forget about french fried onions. This is another one that I would chop my arm off rather than go without.  If you want to try just one of my recipes, THIS IS IT!  This is a cold green bean salad that is absolutely amazing!

The Cranberry Sauce
I hated cranberry sauce for years.  That's because my mom bought the jellied kind in the can and sliced it.  (For the record, that is not cranberry sauce... eww)  Geez, the 70s...who knew any better?

Well, cranberry sauce is such a great compliment to turkey.  And REAL cranberry sauce is delicious!  If you have never tried it, you really should.  This homemade sauce is TO DIE FOR!  AND...it is super easy.  You could have it on other things too! (think english muffins, ice cream...etc)  If you have leftovers, by all means bake some brie and put this on top!  Yummm!  I said IF you have leftovers...

White Wine.  No recipe needed.  Add more as necessary.

The Pumpkin Dessert

Dessert has always been my maple pumpkin cheesecake.  I am pretty well known in these parts for my cheesecake,  I gotta tell you.  This recipe is fairly easy as far as cheesecakes go but if you've never made one before, this is not the time to start.  Again, I have decided to buck long-standing tradition and try a pumpkin tiramisu.  I haven't announced this yet.  Not sure how it is going to go over.  I am pretty sure my BFF is crying right now.

So there you have it.  A run down of the HolmeStead menu, the old and the new.  I hope you found some recipes you can try!  Whatever you do, don't overdo.  Enjoy your time with your family and friends and don't be stressed.  The day is not about the meal, it's about the fellowship.

After sharing our meal and cleaning up, we of course, like the rest of the nation, want to take a nap.  But we don't eat until about 3 so by the time our show is over, it's just too late for naptime.  We do get into our jammies and hit the couch though!  We really love Christmas but I just can't get down with it until Thanksgiving is over.  Well, almost.  Our last Thanksgiving tradition is our holiday season kick-off.  We sit on the couch in our jammies Thanksgiving night, all fat and full and thankful, and watch A Christmas Story.  There is no better way to start the Christmas season than learning how to NOT shoot your eye out.

I'd love to know of any favorite recipes or traditions you have for the Thanksgiving holiday!  Don't be afraid to try something new once in awhile.  Go ahead!  I triple dog dare you.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!  Gobble, Gobble!
K