Thirty Thanksgiving Recipes from Start to Leftovers

Happy Thanksgiving. Or should I say "April Fools" because yes, I know it's Halloween. The irony of posting a Thanksgiving recipe round up on Halloween is that this spooky holiday season has always been my favorite for being in the kitchen, it raises "playing with your food" to a whole new level. I'm going to have to admit {{gasp}} that no longer having young kids around takes some of the fun out of it. The looks on their faces when I come up with a spooky edible is sorely missed.

   

I always keep Halloween going until the last second so it's been my practice to post those recipes right up until the bitter end, including today. But the truth is that it's highly doubtful that anyone who'd try any of my seasonal treats are out there looking for a recipe today anyway. So I'm breaking with tradition today and moving forward. Goodbye 2017 Halloween, it's been fun. See you again next year.

And in a last gasp effort to tie this Halloween day to today's post, let me just say that nothing's as scary as having a house full of family at Thanksgiving and not being prepared.

Thanksgiving takes a lot of forethought and planning. I fly my son home from college and we're all here together. Because my time with him is precious, I do as much as I can in advance, plan the meal, make out shopping lists, prep whatever can be done in advance, all well worth it. This is a favorite meal of the year.

Today I'm sharing 30 favorite Baking in A Tornado recipes, from cocktails and appetizers to fun uses of leftovers. I hope it makes planning a little easier for you. I've broken them down into groups, click on the link I've provided for each and it will take you to the post where that recipe is listed. 

I always welcome my guests with a cocktail and a nosh. There's beer and wine, but I also make a few specialty drinks. For the appetizers, I always try to keep them down to just a few to enjoy with your cocktail, I've got a whole meal coming, no filling up before it's served. Here are a few "Welcome" options:

1) Pomegranate Martini - This martini is a favorite for the fruit flavors, and martinis are so simple to make, perfect for a busy holiday.

2) Thanksgiving Cheese Ball Appetizer - Cheese and crackers go with any occasion and are a great compliment to cocktails. This cheese ball is whimsically decorated in honor of the holiday.

3) Gouda En Croute Appetizer - Simple to put together and the creamy smoked gouda is just delicious baked with the fruits and nuts.

4) Tornado Cocktail - Another fruit flavored cocktail, not as strong as a martini and this one can be made ahead in a carafe and refrigerated until serving time.

I like to start the meal with soup a soup and salad course. There is always a bread basket on the table, each year I change up the quick breads and muffins included. Most breads can be made a day or two ahead and leftovers are great the next morning for breakfast. They also freeze well. 

1) Harvest Soup - This soup marries so many fall flavors, I serve this before dinner for the holiday and sometimes for dinner on a cold fall night.

2) Caesar Salad with Eggless Dressing - Caesar salad is a favorite in our house. I make the dressing in advance so it's effortless to throw together at dinner time.

3) Apricot Almond Quick Bread - I tend to use dried apricots a lot in the fall as the fresh summer fruits are no longer available. The leftovers of this bread are delicious toasted with a little butter for breakfast later in the week.

4) Cranberry Swirl Corn Muffins - A muffin utilizing cranberry sauce, cranraisins and fresh corn is an ideal Thanksgiving dinner accompaniment. These are also yummy toasted and spread with a little butter.

5) Cinnamon Cranraisin Pumpkin Bread - This bread uses cranraisins also but is a completely different flavor from the muffins. This moist quick bread is versatile too, I use it in my Holiday Trifle (see "Dessert" below) and the leftovers are amazing used in my Cinnamon Pumpkin French Toast with Cranberry Sauce (see "Love Leftovers" below) for breakfast or brunch.

Turkey, of course. The bigger the better. I've made a 22# turkey when there were just the four of us. We love leftovers, both as a repeat of this dinner, but used in other recipes as well. And turkey must be accompanied by cranberry sauce. When we have larger groups, I've got as many as four cranberry sauce options on the table.

1) Cranberry Holiday Jello - Some might consider this a dessert, but we've always served this beautiful fruit flavored jello as an accompaniment to our turkey. Make this one a day in advance.

2) Oven Roasted Whole Chicken - Yes, this is a roasted chicken recipe but I make my turkey the exact same way. Brine or not, up to you, my secret to a moist and delicious turkey is in the flavored butter under the skin.

3) Festive Cranberry Sauce - This one is my favorite, probably because there's liqueur in the recipe but you can substitute orange juice if you must. I make this one a few days in advance to allow the flavors to marry. Leftovers are used in my Cinnamon Pumpkin French Toast with Cranberry Sauce (see "Love Leftovers" below) for breakfast or lunch later in the week.

I end up making a ton of side dishes. Everyone has their favorites and this is one time of year I love seeing everyone get their favorites. Today I'm sharing two "must"s, stuffing and mashed potato, and three vegetables. Most of these can be made ahead, the Brussels Sprouts and Snap Peas cannot.

1) Baked Cauliflower Carrot Casserole - Hubs loves cauliflower but who knew it could be so flavorful? I did, and you can too.

2) Fall Harvest Stuffing - It's all about the stuffing. Mine has a cornbread and crackers base with all the flavors of fall added in. You can bake this in a casserole dish but it's so much more flavorful cooked in the turkey.

3) Mashed Potato Casserole - Similar to twice baked potatoes but casserole style this is a favorite side dish year round. And I love that it also can be made ahead.

4) Brussels Sprouts with Pignolis and Prosciutto - Pan seared with pignolis and prosciutto adding to the flavor profile is a delicious way to serve Brussels Sprouts. 

5) Festive Pea Casserole - Yes, I often make a version of green bean casserole, but for a change this creamy pea version topped with crunchy french fried onions is every bit as good. It too can be thrown together quickly in advance.

6) Pralined Snap Peas and Carrots - The orange maple flavor of this side dish makes it a Fall favorite. Although you cannot make it in advance, it comes together in minutes using a microwave oven.

Desserts. It's probably not a surprise to you that I could go on forever in this category. It took me quite some time, but here are seven seasonal favorites. 

1) Butterfingers Rum Cake - This cake is part recipe, part labor of love. The recipe was developed by Menopausal Mother and her sister who, I'm sorry to say, died years ago. I'm so glad they had to time together to work on this delicious masterpiece, and so grateful that Marcia chose to share it with us.

2) Holiday Trifle - This dessert is as beautiful as it is delicious, made with layers of gingersnaps, my Cinnamon Cranraisin Pumpkin Bread (see "Starters" above) and eggnog, we serve this both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas.

3) Sweet Potato Pecan Cake with Maple Glaze - Start with a boxed cake mix and add a whole lot of Fall flavor, this bundt cake with a simple maple flavored glaze is easy to make ahead. 

4) White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares - Pumpkin, Cinnamon and Cloves flavor this cake studded with white chocolate chips and topped with a cream cheese frosting. I love cake made in a baking pan as the single serving squares are easy to serve with a large group.

5) THE Best Pumpkin Pie - Yes, with a gingerbread crust and eggnog mixed in with the pumpkin, this truly is the best Pumpkin Pie. If I do say so myself.

6) Thanksgiving Gobble Cookies - Don't let the fun look of these cookies fool you, the chocolate and vanilla swirled cookies are flavorful too.

7) Spiced Pie with Pecans - This is not your mama's Pecan Pie. Spiced, spiked and with a few surprise ingredients this version is a decadent surprise. 

As I said, we love leftovers, I always buy an extra large turkey with them in mind. And although repeating Thanksgiving dinner is a treat, I also love repurposing them into different meal options. Here are a breakfast, a sandwich, two dinners and a fun wonton that could be appetizer, lunch or dinner.

1) Cinnamon Pumpkin French Toast with Cranberry Sauce - This recipe uses my Cinnamon Cranraisin Pumpkin Bread (see "Starters" above) and my Festive Cranberry Sauce (see "The Main Event" above) to make a delicious breakfast, lunch or brunch.

2) Holiday Leftovers Wontons - Thanksgiving in a wonton, these flavor pockets can be served as an appetizer, lunch or dinner. They use your leftover turkey, Fall Harvest Stuffing (see "The Sides" above) and Mashed Potato Casserole (see "The Sides" above). To add even more holiday flavor, top with Festive Cranberry Sauce (see "The Main Event" above). 

3) Turkey Dinner Casserole - I freeze some of my leftover turkey to make this casserole of turkey, rice, asparagus and cranraisins later on in the winter.

4) Turkey Tetrazzini Casserole - Another casserole I make during the winter using leftover turkey. This time I bake it with spaghetti, peas and pimentos in a chicken broth sauce.

5) Grilled Holiday Sandwich - For this sandwich I use not only turkey, but it's flavored with leftovers of my Thanksgiving Cheese Ball Appetizer (see "Welcome" above), then pan grilled for a delicious buttery crust.

I hope I've been able to entice you, get you excited for Thanksgiving, and helped you to plan a fun and flavorful holiday.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!