50 Essential Thanksgiving Recipes

I can hardly believe that it’s already that time of year but the holidays are upon us starting with Thanksgiving which is being celebrated next weekend here in Canada! Of course that means that it is time for a roundup of Thanksgiving recipe ideas! Thanksgiving is a busy cooking day starting in the morning with a hearty breakfast or brunch before moving on to snacks/appetizers in the afternoon and then finally the big meal which generally consists of a turkey or other roast, several sides and a dessert! What a tasty day indeed! My mouth is already watering just thinking about all of the good food! For me though the real fun starts the next day when it’s time to start coming up with tasty ways to use all of the leftovers!

The trick to a successful Thanksgiving is to have a day full of tasty food without being so swamped with cooking that you don’t get a chance to enjoy it and that means that you need to do a bit of planning. Many desserts can be made several days ahead so that is a good place to start followed by the cranberry sauce and casseroles which can often be assembled the day ahead and then just baked on the big day. In addition to having a closet sized kitchen, my oven is tiny and it can barely fit one large roasting pan so forget about cooking a casserole at the same time as the turkey. I usually try to limit my sides to one casserole that requires oven time and I get it in after the turkey has cooked, while it is resting and being carved. Up next is a simple stove top side but who wants to be standing over the stove in the kitchen when you have guests so pull out that slow cooker and make use of it! Many casseroles can be made in the slow cooker in addition to things like mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, etc.

What are your favourite time saving Thanksgiving tips?