Easy Thanksgiving Menu

Plan Ahead to Simplify Thanksgiving Day » »

November 1, 2009

I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving since Labor Day.

We’ve hosted Thanksgiving at our home since the year Joe and I got engaged. I love it.

After we clean our house (a big, stressful job), Thanksgiving preparations are relatively simple. Planning an easy Thanksgiving menu makes a big difference.

We cook a lot of different foods, but many of them are made ahead and reheated just before dinner. My only Thanksgiving day headache is trying to get everything hot at the same time. It can be tricky, and I have no magic trick to get it right.

In any case, the dishes are easy and most of them stay hot (or cold) long enough that it works itself out.

Without further ado, here’s what we’re serving for Thanksgiving.

Our Easy Thanksgiving Menu

Sparkling cider (our favorite brand is Martinelli’s)
A relish tray with black olives, salad olives (green ones stuffed with pimentos), dill pickles, and bread & butter pickles

Roast turkey, prepared according to the directions on the frozen turkey’s wrapper (we get this free every year by spending a certain number of dollars in a given time period)
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes with gravy prepared by my mom using the turkey juice (is that called drippings?) and flour
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Carrot Souffle
Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce
Grand’s really big flaky buttered biscuits served with real butter and homemade jam – I know they’re cheating, but my Dad loves them.

Gourmet Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Topping served with whipped topping and vanilla ice cream
My Favorite Pecan Pie
The Easiest Cherry Pie Ever

I love how Joe and I split all of the duties of Thanksgiving. I think our division of labor is one of the main reasons that I love the holiday so much.

Neither of us is overwhelmed with work, and we clear the table right into the dishwasher. By the time we’re all eating dessert, the first load of dishes are clean, and they can be put away.

In this post, I’ll tell you when to plan ahead and prepare each dish for a minimum of hassle on Thanksgiving morning.

In the meantime, you can start to put your shopping list together.

Happily submitted to Simple Saturday, Mouthwatering Mondays, Homemaking Monday, Real Life, I am Blissfully Domestic, Do It Yourself Day, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tuesday Toot, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tackle It Tuesday, and What’s Cooking Wednesday

Photo courtesy of basykes on Flickr

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Stop4chocolate said:

Yummy – I'm hungry now! We host Thanksgiving too! I've got to check out the crockpot mashed potatoes! We make crockpot stuffing that everybody just loves. And of course, we have waaayyyy too much dessert every year!
Lisa

# 2 November 2009 at 2:52 am

ClassyMommy said:

I love your place settings and table. Nice! I'll need to come back and read all these tips when we get a little closer to Thanksgiving!

# 2 November 2009 at 11:42 am

Stacie said:

Your menu sounds delicious. We will be staying home for Thanksgiving. Just hubby and the kids. I love cooking for Thanksgiving! I make a double layer pumpkin pie each year.

# 2 November 2009 at 7:44 pm

Geri said:

I love your table and the carrot souffle recipe.
Geri

# 2 November 2009 at 7:51 pm

angie said:

sounds like a great menu and a great plan to get it all together

# 2 November 2009 at 9:01 pm

Lolli said:

You've got me hungry! Sounds like a great meal!!

# 2 November 2009 at 9:06 pm

vickie said:

Sounds like a wonderful arrangement. It's so nice not to stress out and enjoy the holiday.
vickie

# 2 November 2009 at 5:38 pm

Blessedwithgrace said:

Great recipe links!!!

# 2 November 2009 at 7:14 pm

amy2boys said:

Now I really want to eat a turkey. (Sounds delish!)

# 3 November 2009 at 12:17 am

susieshomemade said:

What a GREAT holiday tackle:-)

# 3 November 2009 at 6:36 am

Robyn's Online World said:

Our menu is fairly simple like this also. Brad MUST have his green bean casserole (I don't like it tho), and Taylor MUST have sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

# 3 November 2009 at 9:04 am

FeelsLikeHomeBlog (author) said:

Yes! I totally understand that. Everything on our list (except for the carrot souffle, which is a recent addition) is a MUST HAVE. 3 pies for 6 people? I can't bear to leave one off. I'd rather send 3/4 of a pie home with someone than not have a slice of each on the big day. Isn't that silly?

# 3 November 2009 at 10:07 am

Rebecca said:

I need to get my Thanksgiving menu planned out. This is our second year having Thanksgiving at home and this time friends will be joining us. Yours looks like a great menu & your table is gorgeous!

# 3 November 2009 at 2:54 pm

Brenda said:

This sounds good. My menu is just whatever my cousin is cooking But I will be taking the crock pot mashed potatoes.

# 3 November 2009 at 4:06 pm

Julie@comehaveapeace said:

Looks like a “smart” menu that has given you freedom to enjoy the family day. And I'm so glad to see your recipe for Carrot Souffle. I've been looking for that one.

# 3 November 2009 at 5:01 pm

FeelsLikeHomeBlog (author) said:

I think I wrote it on the Carrot Souffle post, but it's not actually my recipe. I got it from Ilina, one of my editors on Foodie Mama. It's delicious. Dessert-like, even.

# 3 November 2009 at 5:17 pm

Iris said:

I'm making Thanksgiving this year for the first time. It's just me and my parents, but I'll definitely be back for your tips on how to prepare things ahead of time!

# 3 November 2009 at 6:52 pm

AllTheLittleStuff said:

Great menu!! I make my own cranberry sauce each year and what doesn't get eaten gets dabbled with a bit and ultimately turns into cranberry sorbet.

Thanks for sharing with TATT!

# 3 November 2009 at 7:50 pm

Plan Ahead to Simplify Thanksgiving Day | Feels Like Home said:

[...] My recipes are all available here. [...]

# 3 November 2009 at 8:54 pm

shopwithmemama said:

I am making Thanksgiving dinner at my home for the second time! Thanks for the helpful links! YUM!

# 8 November 2009 at 2:20 pm

Green Bean Casserole | Feels Like Home said:

[...] Green bean casserole is part of my Thanksgiving menu [...]

# 10 November 2009 at 6:42 am

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes - Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes | Feels Like Home said:

[...] These Crock Pot mashed potatoes are part of my easy Thanksgiving menu. [...]

# 12 November 2009 at 10:10 pm

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Topping | Feels Like Home said:

[...] when I started having my family’s Thanksgiving celebration feast at my house, I set out to find a great pumpkin pie [...]

# 12 November 2009 at 10:52 pm

Chestnut Stuffing | Feels Like Home said:

[...] something missing from my easy Thanksgiving menu, and nobody noticed it but [...]

# 23 November 2009 at 8:55 pm

PainterMommy said:

Oh man, everything sounds great! I am doing Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows, corn, and pumpkin pie (store bought kind). I am not a big baker or cook for that matter. I do love to eat though.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

DAWN

# 25 November 2009 at 11:42 am

PainterMommy said:

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

DAWN

# 25 November 2009 at 7:42 pm