Growing up, Thanksgiving was always the Holiday to end all Holidays. And to this day, at times, it still feels like Iron Chef Thanksgiving edition, except you’re not competing against anyone besides yourself.
Thanksgiving usually begins several days before with Dad cooking turkey parts for stock and gravy. It is this intense process where he saves the drippings, the fat, and of course the stock. Everything is made from scratch… I’ve honestly never known anything besides homemade gravy and stuffing. I know, I’m spoiled. But honestly some of my best Thanksgiving memories involve spending the morning and afternoon in the kitchen with my Dad.
And now that I enjoy being in the kitchen along with my dad, he has relinquished control of many side dishes to me. I’ve been given the power to contribute to the Dewey Family Thanksgiving. So, naturally, I have to execute my dishes at the same caliber as my dad always has. I’m talking from scratch yeast rolls, homemade pies with fancy cut out tops, you get the idea. But the main part is that, I enjoy it. It’s how I was raised. And now it is a challenge I love to take on.
In light of Thanksgiving next week, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes I’ve brought to the table when it comes to the Dewey Family Thanksgiving. And for the record, you don’t have to be an Iron Chef to add these to your Thanksgiving menu.
APPETIZERS
Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip
“This is an absolutely fabulous crowd pleasing appetizer, I’m telling you right off the bat, run to the store and pick up a Vidalia onion and a baguette, then run back and read the post.”
Roasted Cranberry & Goat Cheese Flatbreads
“This roasted cranberry and goat cheese flatbread is a naan traditional pizza. It is an unexpected holiday party appetizer.”
Butternut Squash & Gorgonzola Cheese Crostinis
“Celebrate the approaching winter season with this appetizer. Caramelized Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola Crostini is the perfect seasonal bite with butternut squash, thyme, sage, cranberries and Wisconsin Gorgonzola Cheese.”
Homemade Shrimp Cocktail
“When we want shrimp cocktail at home, it’s easy enough to buy some precooked shrimp (maybe already arranged in a ring) and a jar of cocktail sauce and set it out for people to munch on. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s tasty and easy.
However, if you want an ultimate shrimp cocktail, an experience like those steakhouse appetizers, you need to do a bit more. Not much more, mind you. Homemade shrimp cocktail is still surprisingly simple to do.”
MAIN COURSE
Roasted Turkey & My Favorite Brine
Herb and citrus brine paired with a herb citrus butter for roasting your turkey. Perfect Thanksgiving combination that ups your Thanksgiving turkey game!
Glazed Cranberry Pork Roast
“You must consider my Glazed Cranberry Pork Roast for this year’s big Thanksgiving meal. Think warm cranberry orange sauce oozing over a juicy, moist pork roast (that only took an hour and a half!). No one will miss Tom. I promise!”
Leg of Lamb Marinade
“Anytime I have a good excuse to cook some lamb, I do it! This is one of my favorite marinades for a leg of lamb. It pairs so well with the lamb is so full of flavor. Even my husband enjoyed this leg of lamb!!”
Beef Wellington
“I wanted to do something big with this beef feature. So I went big and attempted Beef Wellington. It turned out amazing! If you’re looking for a special Holiday recipe, give this one a try!”
SIDE DISHES
Traditional Stuffing
“This recipe makes me think of my Dad’s Thanksgiving feast every single time I make it. There are so many wonderful varieties of stuffing out there and I love every single one. But this one is honestly my favorite. It’s classic, it’s traditional, and it is so easy!”
Cornbread Stuffing
“While many of the dishes you can find on our Thanksgiving table change year to year, one of the standbys you can find on the table every single year is Dad’s Cornbread Stuffing. Every year we have all place votes on which one we like better: cornbread or traditional. And every year we get a different winner. Because what’s better than one type of stuffing? TWO types of stuffing! Because honestly there’s no such thing as too much stuffing.”
Bourbon Bacon Sweet Potatoes
“Oh and in case your eyes are deceiving you, this is one heck of an indulgent side dish. It’s a perfect side dish for grilled chicken and steak. We have been eating it alllllllll week and actually… I’m not sure if there is anything it DOESN’T go with.”
Lazy Cheese Buttons
“Now if you aren’t from here, you probably have no idea what that is. Don’t feel bad, I didn’t know either! But let me tell you, they are little pieces of heaven. Traditional cheese buttons (also called Kase Knoepfla) are a dish of tender noodle dough stuffed with seasoned dry cottage cheese. They are traditional to the Dakota area and anyone who grew up here has fond memories of eating them growing up.
Cheese buttons are a rather involved process as they require you to hand make the dough, let it rise, roll it out, stuff the buttons, and then further cook them. Once they are cooked, they are usually served with some sort of creamy gravy with meat. But in this Ashley Reunion cookbook, I found a gem. Lazy Cheese Buttons.”
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries
“Even if you’re not a Brussels sprout fan on any given day, having this dish on a holiday will make you think twice about why you never enjoy these healthy little bites of green goodness more often. Combined with some mild leeks, sweetness from dried cranberries and salty, crispy bacon and your taste-buds will be doing the happy dance!”
Spinach Bacon Pear and Candied Pecan Salad
“And one of the ways I can show my love and gratitude is by making delicious and healthy dishes for them. Like this Spinach, Bacon, Pear and Candied Pecan Salad Do you guys make salad on Thanksgiving? I know lots of families who “don’t bother” because there are so many incredible dishes to indulge in that they don’t want to “take up room” with salad.
I on the other hand approach salad in a totally different way. I am a fan of piling as much delicious stuff as humanly possible onto the lettuce so that the salad in itself is a treat.”
Cheddar Potato Rolls
“If bread baking intimidates you, I think bread rolls are a perfect place to get comfortable. And you can’t get more motivation for making homemade bread than when both cheese and potatoes are involved!”
DESSERTS
Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie
“I knew one thing for sure – the boring, plain old pie crust that accompanies almost every pumpkin pie ever, had to go. First thing. Instead, the pumpkin pie I imagined called for a fabulous, spiced gingersnap cookie crust, the perfect complement to the sweet pumpkin custard filling.”
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Pie
“Chai spice is a lovely new way to change up pumpkin pie. Typical pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves, but chai is a bit more exotic.
The allspice and nutmeg are replaced with plenty of cardamom and ginger, and they give this pie a special new flavor. I’m a huge fan of both, and they’re the perfect complement for this pie.”
Classic Apple Pie
“American icon, most popular pie, and the ONE dessert everyone has to make for Thanksgiving. With its flaky, buttery crust; tart-sweet apples, and wonderful cinnamon-y aroma, a slice of warm apple pie is the perfect end to any repast, from casual lunch to elegant dinner. Add vanilla bean ice cream, and you’ve got a dessert for the ages.”
Caramel Apple Galette
“Galette. It sounds fancy but honestly, it is all the deliciousness of pie without the hassle. Essentially, it’s a rustic pie that can be used with any filling sweet or savory. I decided to take some apples, top them with caramel, and tie them together in a gorgeous galette.”
DRINKS/COCKTAILS
Cran Apple Moscow Mules
“As kids during the Holidays, we always enjoyed sparkling apple cider in fancy glasses. It was bubbly, sweet, and made us kids feel like we were drinking something special. Cue Moscow Mules + sparkling cider and a splash of cranberry! Yep, Cran Apple Moscow Mules…. our newest obsession.”
Honeycrisp Apple Sangria
“It’s the perfect cocktail for your chilly weekends ahead. Each glass explodes with flavors of cider, citrus, cinnamon, and honeycrisp apples. Here I chose to use a light bodied Spanish red wine (Tempranillo) for this sangria because (1) it’s the kind my sangria expert sis-in-law taught me to use and (2) red wine + brandy is tasty.”
Honey Sage Whisky Cocktail
“My sage plant grew like crazy! And then I was left wondering what in the world was I going to do with all that sage!? I got the idea to make simple syrups out of all my herbs to use in cocktails. I shared a recipe for a Thyme Vodka Lemonade and then I decided to try something with a sage simple syrup with honey instead of sugar.”
Thanksgiving Punch
“This fall punch is one of the absolute best Thanksgiving drinks! It has such great fall flavors and is so simple to make. It’s the perfect drink for a crowd. Enjoy all the best flavors of autumn with this amazing, delicious Thanksgiving punch!”
