Thanksgiving Menu & Recipes

What’s on the menu at the James house and all of the recipes I use.

MENU

Charcuterie Board

Mac n Cheese

Mashed Potatoes

Peas n Corn

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Cornbread Stuffing

Turkey

Gravy

Peanut Butter Pie

It’s good to note that I definitely don’t make everything from scratch. I believe some things, if you find the right ones, are perfectly fine from a box. I also believe in prepping the day before. I’d rather pop everything in the oven and let it be while I enjoy time with family and friends.

Charcuterie Board

This is one of my favorites. If you have extra table space somewhere, make it an entire spread. Get some brown paper, (easily found on amazon here) and spread it across the table. Add assortments of cheese, meat, nuts, spread, crackers, fruits, veggies- ANYTHING. The best part about a charcuterie board is you can completely make it your own. I’m not going to give you step by step directions for this. But I do have a couple tips.

1. Use different levels. stack cutting boards and bowls around your whole spread to give it a less flat look.

2. Add in decorative pieces- a pumpkin, an apple, a turkey trinket- it makes a difference!

3. Pinterest inspo. If you are feeling lost, thats my go to!

What’s nice is you don’t really have to think about another appetizer outside of this because people will be grazing on it the whole time.

Turkey

I tried to find the exact recipe I used last year but did not have any luck. This recipe is just about the same so I am going to trust my gut here.

Ingredients:

• Turkey of your choice

• 1 chopped onion

• 1 stalk of chopped celery

• 3 chopped carrots

• half stick of butter

• 6 sprigs of rosemary

• 1 bunch chopped sage

• paprika

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make sure your turkey is defrosted and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Remove the neck and gobbler of the turkey (do with it what you please, mine is going straight in the trash)

3. Dry the turkey with paper towels on the inside and the outside.

4. Season entire outside and inside of turkey with salt, paprika and pepper. Rub it in good with your hands.

5. Place a few of the chopped vegetables inside the turkey, and the rest around the outside.

6. Fold the wing tips under the turkey if this is not already done.

7. Use a small saucepan to melt the butter. Add in the chopped sage and 4 sprigs of rosemary. Cook for about 2 minutes.

8. Use a brush and rub the butter mixture all over the turkey. Be generous.

9. Stuff the remaining two sprigs of rosemary inside of the turkey. Your house is going to definitely smell like rosemary from this.

10. Cook turkey to the internal temp of 170 degrees. It’s about 15-20 minutes per pound. for a 12 pound turkey I am going to cook mine for about 3.5 hours.

Mac n Cheese

prep the night before

Ingredients:

• 1 box small elbow noodles

• 1.5 cups of heavy cream

• .5 cup of milk

• 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter

• 2 cups of velveeta cheese

• 2 cups of white cheddar cheese

• .5 cup of gruyere cheese

• .5 cup parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon of pepper

• pinch of salt

• .5 teaspoon mustard powder

• .5 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 cups of breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Make sure all of your cheeses are grated. The velvet can just be cut into small slices or cubes.

2. Boil water and cook macaroni. Drain and set aside.

3. In a saucepan, add the milk, cream and 1 stick of butter (the other half stick will be used later). Heat until combined. Add in the velveeta. On low heat let this melt together. Add in pepper, nutmeg, and mustard powder.

4. In a large bowl, pour cheese mix over the pasta and combine. Add in the remaining cheese- reserving 1 cup of white cheddar for the top

5. Pour pasta into a large baking dish and cover with foil overnight (or if you are making it same day you may skip this step)

6. Allow half stick of butter to thaw so it is soft.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8. Remove pasta from the fridge and cover with the remaining cheddar.

9. Mix butter and breadcrumbs in a bowl, then sprinkle over the top of the dish.

10. Cook for about 20-30 minutes depending on how golden you want your “crust” to be.

Sweet Potato Casserole

prep the night before

Ingredients:

• 3 large cans of yams (29 oz)

• 1/4 cup of half n half

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Plus this for the topping:

• 1/4 cup of brown sugar

• half cup of flour

• half stick of softened butter

• half cup of chopped pecans (optional)

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1 bag mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Drain yams.

2. Place yams in a pot with butter, milk, and brown sugar. Mash or use a hand mixer to get a smooth consistency. Add in cinnamon.

3. Add the mixture to a greased dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. ( or move to next step)

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Place sweet potato dish in oven and prepare the topping.

6. Combine the brown sugar, softened butter, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. If you are using pecans add these at the end.

7. Layer the sweet potatoes with the brown sugar mixture and then marshmallows on top ( or do a few layers!). Cook until marshmallows are golden or to your preference (8+ minutes).

Cranberry Sauce

prepare the night before in entirety

This cranberry sauce is made with strawberries which add a sweetness to the usual bitter taste that you may be familiar with. I love this because it is easy to throw together and adds a fancy twist to what guests might be expecting!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen strawberries

• 1 bag fresh cranberries

• 1/3 cup of honey

• 1 pack of strawberry jello

• water

• Cool Whip (optional)

• Slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. Thaw the strawberries in a bag (this can be done under hot water to speed up the process if necessary. *Note that you can freeze fresh strawberries overnight for this or use pre packaged frozen strawberries.

2. Drain the liquid from the strawberries into a measuring cup. Add water until you hit 1 cup.

3. Pour liquid into a saucepan. Boil. Add cranberries, then boil until they “pop”.

4. Add strawberries. Boil. Reduce for 5-10 minutes- until thick.

5. Make the jello pack.

6. Spoon the mixture into the jello.

7. Chill. *Note: I like to prepare this dish the night before so that it chills and also is something I don’t need to worry about while cooking the other dishes.

You can add a layer of cool whip on the top and top with almonds, or another nut of your choice if you’d like. Some also add the nuts into the mixture before chilling.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 10 potatoes- peeled (golden or Idaho- whatever your preference)

• half stick of butter

• 1 cup of whole milk

• 1 dollop of sour cream

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. This year I am using my instapot to soften my potatoes because of how quick it is! If you don’t have one, boil your potatoes for about 20 minutes until they are soft.

2. In a large electric mixer, put your potatoes, butter, and dollop of cream cheese in. Mix. Slowly pour in the milk until the right consistency is met. You may use all of the milk you may not.

3. Season with salt and pepper as needed. We go heavy on the pepper and light on the salt in our house.

Peas n Corn

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen corn

• 1 bag frozen peas

• 4 Garlic cloves

• Olive oil

• Cayenne Pepper

• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pan, pour the pea and corn bags and drizzle with olive oil. Warm on low heat stirring occasionally.

2. Chop garlic (you don’t have to be too particular, just cut it up into small slices.) Add it into the pan and continue to stir.

3. season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper based on how spicy you want the dish to be. Don’t scare guests, a little cayenne goes a long way.

Rolls, gravy & Cornbread Stuffing

store bought

I personally don’t love stuffing, but found Trader Joe’s cornbread stuffing last year and it is AMAZING! I now eat stuffing. This is a quick and easy recipe, just follow the back of the box.

For rolls, we use Sister Schubert’s rolls that come in the tin from the freezer section. When you take them out of the over top them off with some butter so it melts before serving.

I never enjoyed making gravy. This is another Trader Joe’s find. It comes in a broth box. I just heat it over a stove and taste it, if i ever feel like it needs seasoned then I add a little extra seasoning to taste.

Peanut Butter Pie

prepare the night before in entirety

I can't remember a holiday spent with my family that this pie wasn't around. It comes from my Aunt's kitchen, and we all  literally fight over the leftovers. It's perfect for the Reese's lovers out there, and super easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 Oreo Pie Crust (MUST be oreo, not chocolate.)

• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

• 1 Cup of creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

** You need an electric mixer for this

 Directions:

Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Spoon in the cream until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate. Once the pie is dense, cover with Reese's cups. Enjoy!

Chicken Wing Dip Recipe

This recipe is intended for a large group. If you have just a couple people I recommend halfing it (although I would literally consume the whole dish myself- just being honest).

Ingredients:

• 15 oz. canned chicken breast (can do fresh, but canned is honestly better. I get organic.)

• 1 cup of wing sauce or Frank’s Hot Sauce

• 2 bags sharp cheddar cheese

• 2 packages of cream cheese - 8 oz. each

• 1 cup blue cheese dressing (Rudy’s blue cheese if you can find it but you probably can’t unless you are in WNY)

• half cup blue cheese crumbles

• tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Put everything in an electric mixer excluding tortilla chips and 1 bag of cheddar cheese.

2. Spread the dip across a large glass dish - or two mini dishes depending on how you want to serve.

3. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

4. Bake fro 20 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven.

5. Serve with tortilla chips - some also like to add in celery and carrots for dipping!

Coconut Chicken Soup

I make this soup almost every single week, and almost every single week I forget to post my recipe for it:) It's so easy and I always have these ingredients in the house. This soup also cures sickness so fast! The recipe is very basic and I do not use measurements, so add as much or as little as you'd like of each ingredient!

- 1 can of fat free organic coconut milk

- 1.5 containers of chicken broth

-fresh carrots

-frozen corn bag

-frozen peas bag

-salt & pepper for taste

-Parsley

-Noodles (I like the small round acini di pepe noodles - John prefers to add jasmine rice)

- Shredded Chicken

Add all ingredients (except noodles) to pot and cook on medium low for about 20 minutes. Cooke your noodles separately, or throw them right in the soup to cook until tender.

Enjoy:)

Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

I can't remember a holiday spent with my family that this pie wasn't around. It comes from my Aunt's kitchen, and we all  literally fight over the leftovers. It's perfect for the reese's lovers out there, and super easy to make!

Ingredients:

-1 Oreo Pie Crust (MUST be oreo, not chocolate.)

-1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

-1 Cup of creamy peanut butter

-1 cup of sugar

-1 tablespoon of butter

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 pint heavy whipping cream

** You need an electric mixer for this

Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Spoon in the cream until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate. Once the pie is dense, cover with Reese's cups. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

With cold nights approaching us the best meals are those that warm our bellies. They are the ones that we can whip up and not worry about for a while, while we spend time watching movies with loved ones. One of my favorite recipes to cook is Chicken Pot Pie. It is so easy and so delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 box of pie crust

2 large chicken breasts

1/3 cup of chopped onion

1.5 cups mixed frozen veggies (carrots, peas, corn, green beans) - or use fresh!

5 tbsp butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

salt/pepper for taste

Building Your Pie:

-Heat oven to 425°F.

-Thaw veggies

-Boil chicken in about 2 inches of water. Cover the pan. Once the chicken is cooked pull it out and shred it. You can use a mixer to do this, or two forks. Do not overcook the chicken or it will be tough.

-Once shredded, add a generous amount of salt and pepper for taste. mix around the chicken.

-Place pie crusts in glass or foil pan, I like to cook it in a glass pan for more stability.

- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. cook until tender (they should begin to look translucent, about 2 minutes). Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in broth, then milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. While the sauce thickens add salt/pepper. A few sprinkles of each.

-When the sauce is thick, add in your mixed veggies and chicken. Stir on low heat for about 2  minutes.

-Spoon mixture into your pie crust, then cover it with the top crust. Cut small slits across the top of the crust.

-Cover the entire circumference of the pie crust with foil. ONLY ON THE EDGES. This will prevent the edges from burning since they cook quickest.

-Bake 30-40 minutes. Your pie should be golden brown. 10 minutes before taking the pie out, check the edges of the pie to make sure the crust is the same color as the rest of the pie, if it's too light, remove the foil.

-Let pie cool for at least 5 minutes before serving, Allow the pie to sit longer, or even overnight if you would like the gravy to be very thick.

This recipe tastes great the day after, so feel free to chill overnight and serve the following day.