All You Wanted To Know About Thanksgiving Day Recipes

It’s that time of the year where most of us get into food coma because of the variety of rich food that we get to eat. But what’s more challenging would be to become a perfect host on Thanksgiving.

Do you often feel a tight knot in your stomach Thanksgiving dinner? Does the pressure of being a good host and preparing a perfect dinner make you jittery? If yes, I am more than glad to share my delicious and fuss-free Thanksgiving dinner menu and recipes with you. A word of advice—pour yourself a glass of wine, play your favorite music, and enjoy the cooking process to add joy into your food! Let’s begin then, yeah?

1. Thanksgiving Butter Stuffed Turkey

What’s Thanksgiving without a roasted turkey? A big, golden brown, and juicy turkey is what we all eagerly wait for. I have been preparing this turkey recipe for the last two years, and it is an absolute hit with my family and friends. Here is how to prepare this exotic flavored delicious butter stuffed roasted turkey.

Ingredients

• 1 Full turkey (15 pounds or 7 kg)
• Juice of two lemons
• 1 orange
• 1/4 cup orange zest
• 1 tablespoon roasted black pepper powder
• 5 sprigs rosemary, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of ginger marmalade
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsalted softened butter
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 5 liters of water

How To Prepare

1. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. To make the brine, toss in bay leaves, orange juice, lemon juice, salt, brown sugar, black pepper powder, 2 cloves of diced garlic, ginger marmalade, water, orange zest, and 2 springs of rosemary into a boiling pot.
3. Bring it to boil.
4. While the brine is cooling, remove the inside parts of the turkey and rinse under running water.
5. Place the turkey in a large pot and pour the cooled brine into the pot.
6. Cover the pot with a lid and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
7. To make the buttered stuffing, mix 4 tablespoon of softened butter, 3 chopped rosemary sprigs, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
8. Use butter paper to roll the butter and refrigerate it.
9. Take the turkey out from the brine and wash the brine by rinsing it under running water.
10. Next, soak the turkey in a large pot of water for 10 minutes to remove the extra brine and to decrease the possibility of a briny gravy.
11. Take out the turkey from water and carefully truss it.
12. Cover the turkey with an aluminum foil and roast it (in a preheated oven) at 275 degrees F or 135 degrees C for two and half hours.
13. Take out the turkey from the oven, remove the foil, and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
14. Stuff the turkey with the refrigerated flavored butter.
15. Rub unsalted butter on the surface of the turkey and sprinkle a little freshly ground pepper.
16. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C.
17. Insert a meat thermometer near the hip area of the turkey.
18. Next, place the turkey (without the foil) and roast until the meat temperature rises to 170 degrees F or 76 degrees C.
19. Take out the turkey from the oven and cover with aluminum foil.
20. Scoop the juices for gravy.

2. Thanksgiving Mashed Potato

For a side dish, you can indulge in creamy and flavorful mashed potato this Thanksgiving Day. This recipe, with its wholesome taste, is sure to get you a round of applause.

Ingredients

• 7 medium sized potatoes
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 chopped spring onion
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt (as per taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

How To Prepare

1. Wash the potatoes, cut in half (do not peel) and boil them in a boiling pot.
2. Remove the skin and mash the potatoes.
3. Finely chop the spring onions and saute in a frying pan.
4. Add the sauteed spring onions, salt, pepper, milk, and cheese to the mashed potato.
5. Stir well until fluffy.

3. Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts

Who is not a fan of bacon? A crispy and an aromatic bacon can make your day. This roasted bacon wrapped Brussel sprout will be a delicious surprise for your guests.

Ingredients

• 20 Brussel sprouts
• 20 bacon strips
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

How To Prepare

1. Mix salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Add the Brussel sprouts, toss and turn to coat the Brussel sprouts evenly.
3. Add chopped parsley into the softened butter.
4. Brush the bacon strips with this butter on both sides.
5. Wrap the Brussel sprouts with the bacon strips.
6. Secure the strips with toothpicks.
7. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
8. Place the bacon wrapped Brussel sprouts in a baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes at 180 degrees C.
9. Take out the baking tray and garnish with some more chopped parsley leaves and small garden flowers.

4. Red Wine Sangria

Juicy and sweet red wine sangria is something that you should include in your Thanksgiving dinner menu. Fruits add a magic touch to your regular red wine, complements the other recipes mentioned above, and looks incredibly enticing.

Ingredients

• 750 ml red wine
• 1 orange
• 1 apple
• 1 cup strawberries
• 2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 cups chilled sparkling water

How To Prepare

1. Cut the orange, strawberries, and apple into thin wedges and toss into a pitcher.
2. Pour red wine into the pitcher and refrigerate it overnight.
3. Add chilled sparkling water and lemon zest before serving.

5. Pumpkin Bars With Cranberry Sauce

All is well if it ends well. And with this super easy and delectable dessert, I guarantee that it will be a blockbuster hit.

Ingredients

• For Cranberry Sauce
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoon thinly sliced orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 1/4 cup water

For Pumpkin Bars

• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

How To Prepare

Cranberry Sauce

1. Toss the fresh and dried cranberries into a saucepan.
2. Add water, sugar, maple syrup, and orange juice and cook over medium flame till the dried cranberries become soft, and the water dries a bit.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
4. Add strawberry jam, orange zest, and nutmeg powder.
5. Stir well and refrigerate for about an hour.

Pumpkin Bars

1. In a bowl whisk eggs, powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, and oil until fluffy.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Stir in the flour mix into the egg and pumpkin mix.
4. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
5. Grease the baking tray with butter.
6. Pour in the batter.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees C.
8. Insert a steel skewer in the middle of the cake to check whether the cake is cooked properly.
9. Remove from the oven and let it cool for an hour.
10. Sift icing sugar on top of the cooled cake.
11. Now, cut the cake into square bars with a knife.
12. Serve with a dollop of fresh cream and cranberry sauce.

A small dinner or a huge party, these recipes will keep you and your guests craving for more. Just make sure you have enough food (wink wink)!

Was this article helpful?

Community Experiences

Join the conversation and become a part of our vibrant community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with like-minded individuals.

Author

Charushila BiswasHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.

Read full bio of Charushila Biswas