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Our Best Thanksgiving Recipes

turkey_slider

From Faith: Yes! This is where you find all of our time-tested and best Thanksgiving recipes and how to make them. Many are do-ahead to ease your stress. This is one of our treasured things to do on the Food Schmooze® Party — give you our personal holiday favorites.  We’re introducing  some new things into the mix, including Warm Wild Mushroom Salad from Lidia Bastianich; the Best Mediterranean Feta Dip in the World; Ina Garten’s Pear & Parsnip Gratin; and a dazzling list of value red and white wines. We have food and drink favorites we created ourselves, and many other delicious recipes from our trusted sources, including magazines — Saveur, Bon Appétit, Food&Wine, the old Gourmet, Fine Cooking, Cooks Illustrated, Food Network Magazine — and from cookbooks we love, such as Robb Forman Dew’s A Southern Thanksgiving, Ina Garten’s Make it Ahead, Food 52 Genius Recipes, and How to Cook a Turkey. We’ve been inspired by our chef friends, including frequent guest and pal Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Lidia Bastianich, and show hosts on The Food Network, among others. We’re here to cheer you on, so dive right in!

green-beans_pixabay_postLISTEN: Before you dive in, check out our 60-Second Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Turkey and Gravy
Hot Stock Keeps Turkey Warm and Juicy
How to Roast Garlic the Fast and Easy Way
How to Make the Easiest Fresh Fruit Crumble for Dessert
Easy Appetizer: How to Make Homemade Hummus
Ree Drummond-Inspired (Fast!) Green Beans for Thanksgiving

Delicious Dishes, From Starters to Turkey to Pie

Straight Talk Thanksgiving Turkey. Excerpted from Mad Hungry Family by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2016. Photographs by Jonathan Lovekin.• Top Turkey Techniques & Recipes
Chris’s Make-Ahead Turkey & Gravy
Ina Garten’s Make the Whole Turkey Ahead of Time
Ultra-Crispy Dry-Brined Turkey
Fennel Spice Rub for the Big Bird
Slow Roasted Turkey (Slow Cooker recipe)
Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Straight-Talk Turkey

Freezer-to-Oven Whole Turkey
Julia Turshen’s Roast Turkey Breast + Onion, Mustard + Sage

Now & Again_Julia Turshen_Sheet Pan Bread Stuffing_recipe

• The Right Stuff
Paleo Turkey Sausage-Vegetable Stuffing
Sheet Pan Bread Stuffing with Sausage + Spinach

peaches with goat cheese honey recipe_recipe• Let’s Get This Party Started
Appetizer: Dazzling Fig N Pig
Starter: Thanksgiving Ceviche
Lidia’s Warm Mushroom Salad
Brussels Sprout Salad with Cheese, Lemon and Truffle Oil
Seasonal Fruit with Goat Cheese, Honey and Pine Nuts
Light: Shrimp & Pineapple Salsa Lettuce Wraps

incredible-melting-potatoes_leon-brocard_flickr-creative-commons

mediterranean-mashed-potatoes_recipe• Pass the Potatoes (Smashed, Mashed & More)
Chris Prosperi’s Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Incredible Melting Potatoes!
Chris’s Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chive Smashed Potatoes
Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes
Winter Squash, Potato, and Olive Oil Smash

Ina Garten_haricot verts with hazelnuts and dill_recipe

• Sides That Steal the Show
Ina Garten’s Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts & Dill
Green Beans with Brown Butter and Toasted Pecans
Amazing Crisp-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Shallots, Pears & Prosciutto
Roasted Acorn Squash with Blue Cheese
Ina Garten’s Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Asparagus and Prosciutto Bundles
Parmesan-Crusted Creamed Corn
Ina Garten: Pear & Parsnip Gratin
Rustic Roasted Pearl Onions and Potatoes
Bacon-Cranberry Brussels Sprout Slaw
Brussels Sprouts Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

stir-sizzle-bake_carrot-currant-crostata_recipe• Other Must-Makes for Your Thanksgiving Spread
Oven-Roasted Cranberry-Citrus Compote
Savory Cornbread Stuffing Muffins
Butternut Squash Agrodolce
The Best Cranberry Sauce
Carrot-Currant Crostata

cranberrypie_slider

Bacon Maple Walnut Pie with Malt Frozen Custard_Eric Medsker_recipe• Save Room for Pie
Food Schmooze® Original! Brown-Butter Shortbread Pecan Pie with Double Cream Filling
Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping
Basic Pie Dough
Scrumptious and Simple Graham Cracker Pumpkin Tart
Wholesome Apple-Quince Skillet Pie
Bacon-Maple Walnut Pie
Kate McDermott’s Gluten-Free Nutty No-Bake Crust
Kate McDermott’s Pumpkin Pie
Kate McDermott’s Cranberry Pie

good-taste_pumpkin_gingerbread_trifle_slider

good-taste_chocolate_chestnut_triffle_cake_recipe• Other Desserts That End the Meal on a Sweet Note
Favorite Pumpkin Bread
Orange Blossom Almond Cake
Key Lime Pie Bars
Buttery Spiced Poached Pears
Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Flourless Chocolate Chestnut Truffle Torte
Chocolate Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Apple Cherry Cardamom Crumble

• Ideas for Leftovers
Don’t Throw Away the Turkey Carcass
Jimmy’s Turkey Hash
Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Dark Chocolate
Eric Geenspan’s “The Gobbler” Grilled Cheese

• Festive Holiday Sparklers
Pour a Sparkler on Thanksgiving
Faith’s Thanksgiving Cosmo Sparkler

santa-carolina_post• Recommended Wine
4 Yummy Thanksgiving Wines
Special Host Gift: Pol Roger for the Holidays
The Best Thanksgiving Wine, A Delicious Red Bargain!
2013 Santa Carolina Reserve Pinot Noir
Finca el Origen 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cru Beaujolais from Cote de Brouilly, France
Shooting Star: Red Zinfandel from Steele Wines in California
Museum, Tempranillo (Faith’s all-time favorite)

• Cocktails
Luscious Pear-Basil Sour Cocktail
The Cinnamon Toast Cocktail
Thanksgiving Night Bourbon Cider Sipper
The Brown Turkey
Northern Lights

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terry Sheeran says

    October 30, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Please come to NPR in Louisville, Kentucky. I love NOR but couldn’t find you. How about an app for my iPhone/iPad? My beloved niece I Connecticut told me about you.

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 6, 2015 at 2:20 pm

      Terry, maybe we will someday, but now that we live in a podcast world, you can catch the show whenever you want by grabbing our podcast here at our site foodschmooze.org. We also post the show on Facebook at Faith Middleton Food Schmooze (R). Delighted to have you with us on a frequent basis. Stay in touch! Cheers, Faith

      Reply »
  2. melissa joy says

    November 6, 2015 at 8:07 am

    Hi Faith,
    it’s difficult to drive and listen to your show because I want to pull over and start cooking! You were raving about a braised short rib recipe that called for 2 bottles of wine. How (and why) should I resist it but I can’t seem to find it, any suggestions where it might be located?

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 6, 2015 at 1:53 pm

      Melissa, I can identify, I feel like cooking and eating while I’m talking on the show…you’re referring to the Italian beef braised in Barolo Wine from Lidia’s new cookbook. Hang on, we’re featuring it in a major way right after Thanksgiving on this site, on Facebook, which you can connect to through us, and in our program guide inside CONNECTICUT Magazine. In other words, we’ll be bombarding you with that recipe as soon as we get on the other side of turkey. We think her beef is ideal for Hannuka and Christmas! Cheers, Faith

      Reply »
      • Mary Anne says

        November 6, 2015 at 8:04 pm

        I can’t wait. It sounded great and just what I was looking for. How can I get it before thanksgiving? Mac

        Reply »
  3. Ian says

    November 8, 2015 at 9:43 pm

    If I am traveling for Thanksgiving, but still need to bring a gift (wine), are there any ways to have wine mailed to my destination so I don’t have to pack wine in my luggage?

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 9, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      Ian, you’ve hit on a controversial issue in the wine world. There are millions of rules in various states saying you can or cannot mail wine, so it depends on the state. I tried to send Champagne to someone in Pennsylvania through a wine store there and the state won’t allow it for any reason! I’m told some people cheat and mail it disguised, but I’m not in any way recommending that. I’d call a wine store at your location and ask them to deliver it to the place you’re visiting, probably for a fee. Cheers, Faith

      Reply »
  4. Annette says

    November 12, 2015 at 3:45 pm

    Thanks for the great suggestions!
    What is the first wine you talked about on todays show that is from the northern part of Lake Como?

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 12, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      That is a Nino Negri wine called Sfursat and tell your wine store the distributor is Frederick Wildman and Sons. It’s dazzling! Cheers, Faith

      Reply »
      • Annette says

        November 12, 2015 at 4:08 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply »
  5. Christy McDonnell says

    November 13, 2015 at 12:40 am

    Great show today and what a list in the Thanksgiving kit. This makes my life much easier for Thanksgiving

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 13, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Christy, thanks so much for taking the time to say so. So many favorites in the kit, the Brussels Sprouts, the Incredible Melting Potatoes by Barbara Kafka, the Feta Dip, and especially the Make-Ahead Turkey and Gravy. Chris makes killer gravy. Tip…Chris, Alex, Mark and I will be staffing Facebook all morning and into the evening — a Thanksgiving 911 hotline on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. If you need us, yell! We’ll do our best for you. Cheers, Faith

      Reply »
  6. Kathy O'Brien says

    November 27, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    Thanks for the Thanksgiving Recipes! I used them to update my side dishes and what a hit!

    Reply »
    • Faith Middleton says

      November 27, 2015 at 8:03 pm

      Thrilled, Kathy! — Faith

      Reply »
  7. Christa Rakich says

    November 4, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    Tired of turkey. I’ve ordered a goose for Thanksgiving! Any tips?

    Reply »
    • Robyn Doyon-Aitken says

      November 7, 2016 at 12:54 pm

      One of my favorite Fine Cooking contributors, Molly Stevens, recommends steam-roasting goose because it renders lots of good clear fat you can cook with later. (Anything you’d cook in duck fat, you can cook in goose fat!). Here’s more, including a recipe for roasted goose with prune stuffing: http://www.finecooking.com/articles/roasting-duck-goose-cornish-game-hens.aspx

      Reply »
  8. Jackie Edington says

    November 29, 2016 at 12:29 pm

    Sitting in the UK I have just listened to your Thanksgiving Food Schmooze! I made Thanksgiving dinner for my husband who is a naturalised US citizen. I always add Marmite to my gravy but I also add a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly. The sweetness of the jelly helps to lift the gravy to a new level. Thanks for a great programme which I listen to as a Podcast.

    Reply »
    • Robyn Doyon-Aitken says

      November 29, 2016 at 1:30 pm

      Well, you’re so welcome. Thank YOU for listening!

      Reply »

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