I have always loved Thanksgiving, mostly because I am a food lover but also because it is a holiday that you can spend in a comfy sweater cooking in the kitchen while watching football. As a kid I would get up early to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade with my sibs and then help my mom with the cooking, setting the table and doing the last minute vacuuming before the family arrived. (you know how much I love to vacuum!
As I grew up, Thanksgiving was associated with long weekends off from school, spending the day with my cousins, road trips home from college, and now quiet holidays spent with my husband and a few guests here and there. It has become one of the holidays that Chris and I have had to make our own over the last 5 years. Our first year living in Chicago we drove back to Michigan to celebrate with family but after sitting in traffic for 12+ hours coming and going we decided we wouldn’t do that again. The next two years we hosted my brother who lived in Iowa at the time and then we moved to Cali and spent the holiday either on our own or with a few friends.
This year we get to spend the holiday with our families which will be a treat. I am looking forward to helping my mom in the kitchen and learning more from her, especially now that I have some experience under my belt.
Today I wanted to feature some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you just in case you are stuck in the meal planning process. For starters I like to serve items that I can prep ahead of time and pop in the oven right before guests arrive. These 4 recipes can be thrown together hours or days in advance and will be guaranteed crowd pleasers. I would especially recommend the herb bruschetta, it is light and fresh. You can throw the bread slices under the broiler for a minute to crisp them up and then ask your kitchen helpers to add the topping.
The Single Nester says
What time's dinner 🙂 Looks delish. I am a big fan of sopressatta. Eat it all the time.
Amanda Kuzak says
Me too, it is such a favorite at our house!