If you’ve ever hosted or have been responsible for providing a dish for Thanksgiving dinner, then you’ve felt the pressure to bring your A-Game. In many ways, Thanksgiving dinner is more anticipated than even Christmas dinner! While the chefs are busy whipping up a great meal in the kitchen, everyone else is abstaining from eating in preparation for the bountiful feast they are about to devour. If the food isn’t top-notch, you’re going to have to dodge dinner rolls and cranberry sauce as you try and make your escape. In order to ensure your Thanksgiving table is full of satisfied faces, here are 5 incredibly scrumptious Thanksgiving recipes.
Tangy Honey Glazed Ham
While turkey is the traditional mainstay of Thanksgiving dinner, there’s a lot to be said for a giant glazed ham adorning the table. Like people who prefer country music over rock and roll and vice versa connoisseurs of Thanksgiving feasts are generally purists for either turkey or ham, and never between shall meet. Here is our preferred Thanksgiving ham recipe. It’s so well-glazed that you’ll hear the skin cracking as it’s cut from the other room.
Ingredients
A 10 lbs fully-cooked bone-in ham
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup pineapple juice
⅓ cup of honey
⅓ of a large orange, juiced and zested
2 tbsp of dijon mustard
¼ tsp ground cloves
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 325 ℉.
Place the ham in a roasting pan.
In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, orange, orange zest, dijon mustard, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Bake the ham in the preheated oven uncovered for 2 hours.
Remove the ham from the oven and brush with the glaze.
Continue baking the ham for 30-45 minutes, brushing the ham with the glaze every 10 minutes.
Maple Roasted Turkey
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without sitting down to a plump, decadent roasted turkey with all the trimmings. Well, we’ve found one of the most delectable turkey recipes out there, and we’re excited to share it with you. This is an easy recipe that anyone can make, and it’s sure to become a new tradition around your table.
Ingredients
A 12 lbs whole turkey, neck and giblets reserved
2 cups of apple cider
⅓ cup of real maple syrup
2 ½ tbsp of chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp of chopped fresh marjoram
1 ½ tsp of grated lemon zest
¾ cup of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of chopped onion
1 ½ cups of chopped celery
1 ½ cups of chopped carrots
3 cups chicken broth
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
½ cup of apple brandy
Preparation
In a saucepan combine apple cider and maple syrup, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup, then remove the pan from heat. Mix in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees ℉. Place rack in lower third of the oven.
Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reserve 1/4 cup maple butter for gravy, and rub the remaining maple butter under the skin of the breast and over the outside of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrots turkey neck and giblets around the turkey. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon marjoram over vegetables.
Pour 2 cups of broth into pan.
Roast the turkey in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 ℉. Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 ℉. Transfer turkey to a platter, and let stand 30 minutes.
Strain the pan juices into a large measuring cup, and then remove any excess fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup maple butter and 1/3 cup flour until smooth. Whisk flour and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir in remaining thyme and the bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bacon and Cheese Potatoes
Potatoes are an essential component of any Thanksgiving dinner feast. There are almost as many ways to prepare them as there are potatoes in the world. We’ve chosen this particular cheesy potato dish because of its deliciousness and ease of preparation. This potato dish is so good your guests will go on to describe it as “famous”, and are likely to request it every single year.
Ingredients
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into pieces
¼ cup of butter
4 slices of thick bacon
⅓ cup of chopped onion
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 ½ cups of chopped green onion
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp of butter, cut into pieces
¼ tsp of paprika, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
First, preheat your oven to 350 ℉ and lightly grease a baking pan.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and lightly cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, which will take about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes, allow the steam to dry. Return the potatoes to the pot and vigorously mash them with ¼ cup of butter.
While you are boiling the potatoes fry the bacon in a deep skillet, turning often until evenly browned and slightly crispy.
Drain all the grease from the skillet, and gently pat the bacon dry, and set aside.
In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil, and place chopped onions. Turn heat to low and cover. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Pour onions over potatoes.
Stir the bacon, cottage cheese, green onion, ½ cup of cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper into the potato mixture and gently combine. Spoon the potato mixture into the baking dish, dot with 2 tablespoons of butter, and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Garnish the top with paprika and bake, uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the cheese bubbles and begins to turn a golden brown.
Slow Cooker Stuffing
When it comes to stuffing there as many opinions about what needs to go into it, as there are recipe variations. This recipe contains what we consider to be the perfect combination of stuffing ingredients. Please be aware that this is merely our opinion, and by no means are we making a definitive claim on what constitutes the quintessential stuffing experience. For this particular recipe, the cooking method is as important as the ingredients.
Ingredients
1 cup of butter or margarine
2 cups of chopped onions
2 cups of chopped celery
¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces of sliced mushrooms
12 cups of dry bread cubes
1 tsp of poultry seasoning
1 ½ tsp of dried sage
1 tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of dried marjoram
1 ½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of ground black pepper
4 ½ cups of chicken broth, or as needed
2 eggs, beaten
Preparation
Melt the butter or margarine in a large frying pan. Saute the onions, celery, mushrooms, and parsley in the butter, stirring often.
Spoon the cooked vegetable over the bread cubes. Season with the poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth (just enough to moisten).
Put everything into the slow cooker, cover. Cook on high for 45 minutes, then on low for 4 to 8 hours.
Green Cranberry Vinaigrette Salad
Considering that most dishes involved with Thanksgiving are rich, hearty comfort foods it’s a good idea to include some healthy (but also delicious) salads. We’ve found an amazing Thanksgiving-inspired dish that’s sure to be equally as popular as any of your other Thanksgiving appetizers.
Ingredients
1 cup of sliced almonds
3 tbsp of red wine vinegar
⅓ cup of olive oil
¼ cup of fresh cranberries
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
½ tsp of minced garlic
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of black ground pepper
2 tbsp of water
½ a red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
1 lb of mixed salad greens
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 375 ℉. Arrange the almonds evenly on a baking sheet. Toast for 5 minutes.
In a blender combine the vinegar, oil, cranberries, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and water. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl toss the almonds, onions, blue cheese, and greens with the vinegar mixture.
Relax by the Fire
We hope these recipes have inspired in you some Thanksgiving dinner ideas. We know that any one of these easy dinner ideas is sure to become a highly requested dish that will help to make memories for years to come. Happy Thanksgiving!