Cook In / Dine Out: Thanksgiving Central

Here in one place are all of my Thanksgiving recipes and other posts from the current and previous years. Watch for new recipes to be posted all through November in the lead-up to Thanksgiving.

Turkey and Gravy


Marbella-Brined Roast Turkey Breast	Stuffing-Brined Roast Turkey Breast	Marinated Broiled Tempeh


Mole Brined Roast Turkey Breast	Smoky Maple-Brined Roast Turkey Breast	Roast Turkey Breast with Herb Butter


Brined Roasted Turkey Breast	Mole Gravy	Easy Turkey Gravy

Stuffing

Sausage-Cornbread Stuffing
Hands down my favorite stuffing recipe--simple, classic and like mom used to make.


Sausage-Fennel Cornbread Stuffing	Rye Bread Stuffing	Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing


Classic 11-Ingredient Bread Stuffing	Italian Stuffing	Oregon Stuffing

Asian Grain Stuffing
An alternative to traditional bread stuffing with the flavors of garlic, ginger and shiitake mushrooms (and gluten-free too).

Potatoes


Deconstructed Sweet Potato Casserole	Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon-Maple Glaze and Smoked Almonds	Sweet Potatoes with Mole and Queso Fresco

Buttery Mashed Potatoes
Because no Thanksgiving spread is complete without a steaming bowl of buttery, creamy mashed spuds.

Vegetable (and Fruit) Sides

Butternut Squash, Roasted Tomato and Popped Black Bean Salad
A sweet potato side so wonderfully delicious you won't care that it's actually quite healthful.

Orange-Ginger Cranberry Sauce


Kale, Smoked Gouda and Pecan Gratin	Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Curry-Honey Yogurt	Green Bean Salad with Almonds and Quinoa


Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt	Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans	Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Mushrooms


Homemade Cranberry Sauce	Sautéed Garlic-Ginger Green Beans	Baked Apples with Fennel and Onion


Kale-Swiss Gratin (and Swiss Chard Gratin)	Green Beans with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pecans and Dried Cranberries	Honey-Ginger Glazed Carrots

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Celery, Cumin, Garlic and Rosemary

California-style brussels sprouts with pistachio and pomegranate

Salads


North African Green Bean and Sweet Potato Couscous Salad	Roasted Parsnip and Quinoa Salad with Pistachios, Dried Cranberries and Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette	Apple, Manchego and Pecan Salad

Wheat Berry Salad with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage
This grain salad is loaded with Thanksgiving flavors, providing a healthful counterpoint to "heavier" fare.

Breads

Cranberry-Walnut Drop Biscuits
Easier than biscuits that are rolled-out and cut and just as tasty.

Butter-Flaky Biscuits
A folding-and-rolling technique creates buttery layers of flaky goodness in these biscuits. They taste even better with a little apple butter.


Rosemary-Onion and Black Pepper Biscuits (with Bacon Marmalade)	Cheesy Scallion-Corn Biscuits (with Homemade Compound Herb Butter)	Simple Corn Bread

Butternut Squash, Pecan and Bacon Bread
Like pumpkin bread but made with butternut squash; and what bread wouldn't taste better with bacon in it?

Appetizers

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini with Crispy Shallots
These artful crostini are a visually stunning way to kick off a Thanksgiving dinner.

Corn Crackers with Brie and Apple Butter

Starting the evening with a good appetizer is a great way to please your guests upon arrival (as well as provide a distraction while you finish cooking the last few dishes).

Dessert

Fall-Leaf Apple Pie
A simple decorative touch elevates apple pie to a thing of visual beauty.

Brandied "Pumpkin" Pie
The secret to this wonderful pumpkin pie? It's not pumpkin--it's butternut squash. Serve it with homemade Butter-Pecan Ice Cream.

Caramel Apple Custard Pie

Taking the apple custard pie up a notch with a layer of caramel and a graham-cracker-dusted pie crust.


Apple Custard Pie with Gingersnap Crust	Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart	Apple Pie with Vodka Crust


Old Fashioned Texas Pecan Pie	Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream and Ginger-Brown Sugar Ice Cream	Lattice Apple Pie with Rye Whiskey Crust

Drinks

Sage Old Bourbon Cocktail
Bourbon, sherry, blanc vermouth, maple, sage, cranberry bitters and celery shrub combine into a tasty cocktail inspired by the flavors on the table.


(Wild) Turkey with Cranberry	Hot Butternut Rum	Thanksgiving Wines (2012 selections)


Smoky Vanilla Bowery Cocktail	Apple Turnover Cocktail	Ginger Loves Apples and Whiskey

Thanksgiving Wines 2014
Trying to stay away from Chardonnay (overdone) and Beaujolais (not my thing), here are red and white selections including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and dry Rieslings.

Dallas Drinks: The Bobby
This selection from my series of Dallas Drinks would make a perfect Thanksgiving dessert cocktail since it's inspired by the flavors of apple pie a la mode.

Leftovers

Thanksgiving Leftovers Frittata
Always satisfying and about the simplest, most flexible way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.

8-2-Eat: Thanksgiving Leftovers
If you made Thanksgiving dinner, chances are your fridge is stuffed the day after. Here are 8 ideas for ways to use those leftovers.