And just like that, as Monica from Friends reminds us, Thanksgiving is upon us! Over the last three weeks, we have had an interesting presidential election that I was part of for my day job, we went to the lake in western Maryland to unplug and then I had a work conference in beautiful Palm Beach at my favorite hotel, the Breakers this week. Now I am getting organized for the Thanksgiving week and sharing ideas to make this Thanksgiving delicious and healthy with Good, Better Best.
I am anti-fun police lately, meaning no kale chips at Halloween and mock mashed potatoes at the Thanksgiving table, it's one day people! I do find that using the Best ingredients when you can such as organic veggies and an organic turkey also taste Better too! So here are some easy tips with some Good, Better, Best flashbacks for Thanksgiving.
1) The Thanksgiving Basics-this post is an easy reference for the Best tasting ingredients as you are shopping and prepping this week.
2) Best Cornbread Dressing Ever-This cornbread dressing (stuffing) can be made with regular cornbread or gluten free like I make it. Trust me, this will become your signature dish.
3) Butternut Squash and Pear Soup-This is probably the Best soup I make. I made some last night as I often like to make soup when I have been working a lot and have not been home much. I find it very therapeutic and always have. I made this soup because it was going to be a busy week and the temperature literally dropped about 30 degrees last night and I wanted something warm and light to take us through the holiday week. This could easily be made ahead and taken to your Thanksgiving meal in a crockpot to keep warm, just make sure you have one like I do where the lid latches really well. Serve in shot glasses as an appetizer or in coffee mugs for a casual feel.
4) Wine-Wine is the Best part of any Thanksgiving dinner and Running Daddy is typically in charge of wine for this meal. Here are some of our Best suggestions for Thanksgiving wine over the years:
Thinking Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir? Try these
Chardonnay your Best friend? This Kendall Jackson Reserve Chardonnay is the perfect choice.
Want to go totally outside the box? Check out this Gewurz for turkey and the Penfolds Club Tawny Port for dessert.
5) Speaking of dessert, I have been making this carrot cake since the Sweet Boy was in preschool. In fact he used to request that I make this for his preschool Thanksgiving party. It's still his favorite now that he is a big kid. Carrot cake has all of the savory and sweetness of pumpkin pie but a great option if you want to mix it up a little this year.
Ok, leave me comments below about what you are serving this year for Thanksgiving and post any meal prep questions you have for the big day.
Enjoy the Best Thanksgiving!
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