This is my list of recipes this year.

Day before Thanksgiving:

Bake and puree the pumpkin. Save the seeds.

I was going to rub the turkey and let it soak in the flavors overnight, but the turkey was still too frozen, so I had to change my recipe for it, to one that didn’t require brining or rubbing the night before. Both the recipe I used and the one I had wanted to use are listed below.

I could have prepared the cranberry sauce or made pies or the pumpkin breads, but I wrote a blog instead. Priorities.

Thanksgiving Day:

My middle daughter is working today, until 5:00 p.m., so we are planning a late meal.

My youngest daughter said she would make some of the side dishes. I’m expecting her to make the sweet potatoes (she rejected my preferred recipe in favor of something sweeter, which she found herself) and she was going to wrap either green beans, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus with turkey bacon, since I won’t let her mix meat and cheese in a non-kosher recipe that she likes (prosciutto with garlic cream cheese wrapped around asparagus).

Desserts are usually a do-ahead, but this year we’re trying to economize eggs by doing meringue cookies (lots of egg whites) side-by-side with a Cardamom Creme Brûlée (lots of egg yolks). Creme brûlée must be served fresh. The meringues take hours to slowly dry, so the timing will be tricky, especially with all the other cooking, but the batter lasts longer. We may either try the meringues in the dehydrator or else save the meringues for the day after Thanksgiving.

Normally I make pies for dessert, but this year I felt like shaking it up. I have a couple types of pumpkin breads, since I had a pumpkin left over from Halloween, and I found a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe which I will probably use the day after Thanksgiving if I have any pumpkin puree left.

During the day, while cooking, we will be snacking on baked pumpkin seeds from our pumpkin and a variety of goat cheeses and other cheeses. I also have leftover artichoke spinach dip from earlier. Whatever vegetable my youngest daughter decides not to wrap in bacon, we will cook and dress with olive oil and garlic or possibly blue cheese. If dressed with cheese, we will eat that during the day. We separate milk and meat, so cheeses are for during the day, turkey and any other meat dishes are consumed during the main feast with the non-cheesy veggies, and milk/cream desserts are eaten after a break to digest the meat.

Sometime during the day the kids will visit with their paternal grandmother and their father. They plan to bring home mashed potatoes and gravy for themselves, to eat with our feast, since I don’t eat or cook that.

Breads

CRESCENT ROLLS RECIPE
https://lilluna.com/crescent-rolls/

Flaky homemade Crescent Rolls are soft and tender. They are perfect for Sunday dinner or a holiday gathering!

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4.99 from 57 votes

Author Lil’ Luna

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 32 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 136 kcal

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup warm water
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1/2 cup warm milk
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/3 cup sugar
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy. Add the butter, warm milk, egg, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture.
• Add 2 cups of flour, and mix until combined. Mix in additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about one hour, until doubled.
• After the dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide them into two balls. Roll each ball out into a circle that is about 12 inches wide, then cut each circle into twelve wedges using a pizza cutter.
• Roll each wedge of dough up, starting at the wide end, to form a crescent shape. Place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled, 30-60 minutes.
• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Serve warm.

Pumkin Conchas Recipe
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8505349/pumpkin-conchas/

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup warm milk
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup butter, at room temperature
• orange food coloring (Optional)

Directions

1. Combine flour, pumpkin puree, warm milk, egg yolk, melted butter, sugar, active dry yeast, salt, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix until a smooth, slightly elastic ball forms or knead by hand for about 5 minutes. 
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. 
3. While dough is rising, combine powdered sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl for the topping. Mix with your hands or a spatula until a moldable dough forms. Mix in orange food coloring if you like. 
4. Divide topping dough into 6 equal portions and shape them into balls; set onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover each ball with a sheet of plastic and press down with something flat and heavy (like the bottom of a glass or measuring cup) into a flat circle. Take the tip of a knife and score a pumpkin design into the topping. Place in the refrigerator to allow butter to firm up. 
5. After the dough rises, transfer it onto a work surface and press down to remove the air. Cut into 6 equal portions and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Transfer balls onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet and press down to flatten lightly. Place the topping on top of the dough balls. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
7. Bake in the center of a preheated oven until puffed up and golden, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a21581148/best-pumpkin-bread-recipe/

Ingredients

• Cooking spray, for pan
• 2 c.all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp.ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp.baking soda
• 1/2 tsp.baking powder
• 1/2 tsp.kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp.ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp.ground nutmeg
• 1/2 c.(1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 1/4 c.granulated sugar
• 1 c.pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c.sour cream
• 2large eggs
• 1 tsp.pure vanilla extract
• Cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8“-x-4” loaf pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray (or softened butter).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. 
3. In a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat melted butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if using. 
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. 

Turkey

My youngest daughter complained about having turkey. Turkey tastes bland to her. I have usually roasted it with salt, pepper, paprika, but not much else, so yeah, I guess it is bland (I dress it up with sauces and relishes). In response to her, I had planned to try a new recipe, Adobe Turkey, but the turkey was too frozen to rub the night before. I am therefore making the Garlic Herb Maple recipe below. I’m including the Adobe Turkey recipe so I don’t lose it, because I’d like to try it later.

Note: A tip I learned from one of my best friends, who had been married to a chef, was to roast a turkey breast-side down, slightly elevated, with fluid, in a lidded or contained (wrapped in tin foil) roasting pan. Remove the lid/wrap and turn the turkey breast-side up for the last half-hour of cooking to crisp the skin. This gives a super-moist turkey. My problem is I have yet to rightly judge the last half-hour of cooking. By the time I go to turn it over, the meat is falling off the bones already.

Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey
Nutmeg Nanny
https://www.nutmegnanny.com/garlic-herb-maple-roast-turkey/

Ingredients for garlic herb maple roast turkey

• Turkey – The star of the show! I’ve used a 14-lb bird here, so you may need to adjust your cooking time depending on your size.
• Onion and garlic – Classic additions that will add earthiness to the turkey.
• Herbs – Fresh is best! Rosemary, thyme, and sage are the perfect combo of herbs that will fill the air with the familiar smells of Thanksgiving.
• Apples – The apples will add a fresh, juicy sweetness to the aromatics in the cavity of the bird.
• Dark maple syrup – Slightly smoky with a deep sweetness, maple syrup will give the turkey a savory sweetness without being cloying.
• Unsalted butter – We use unsalted butter here to help crisp up the skin and help the meat stay juicy.

The darker the maple syrup, the more complex and rich the flavors will be. 

I’ve chosen dark maple syrup here because I’m looking for an intense maple flavor.

What kind of apples?

There are so many varieties of apples out there, that it’s hard to know which ones will work with which recipes.

For this garlic herb maple roast turkey, I would stick with an apple that is firm, but juicy and sweet, like a Fuji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Jazz variety. 

Granny Smith apples would be too tart here, and Red Delicious are too mealy in texture. 

Ingredients

• 1 (14 pound) whole turkey
• 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (I use coconut oil)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 2 heads garlic, cut in half
• 2 apples, quartered (I use Honeycrisp this year)
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 1/3 cup dark maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove your turkey from its packaging, rinse and remove the giblets. Add turkey to your roasting pan and using your hands cover the whole outside of the turkey with melted butter.

Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with kosher salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage.

Fill the cavity of the turkey with the heads of garlic, apples, and onion. If you have any leftover fresh herbs feel free to also add them to the cavity of the turkey.

Place your turkey into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes turn down the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for about 2 hours.

Remove from the oven, drizzle the outside of the turkey with maple syrup and add back to the oven and continue cooking until the bird reaches an internal temperature (when checked near the thigh) of 160 degrees. Then let the bird rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

If the bird starts to brown too quickly simply tent it lightly with foil so it does not burn.

Adobo Turkey
https://www.nutmegnanny.com/adobo-butter-turkey/

Ingredients

For adobo:

• 4 dried pasilla chiles 
• 3 dried ancho chiles 
• 2 dried chipotle chiles 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 5 tablespoons orange juice 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano 
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice 
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves 

For turkey:

• 1 12-14 pound Diestel Organic Heirloom Turkey, giblets removed 
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste 
• 4 heads garlic, halved 
• 6 clementines, halved 

For adobo butter: 

• 1 cup butter, unsalted room temperature 
• 1/4 cup adobo sauce 

Instructions

For adobo:

1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth. The mixture should be smooth, slightly thick, and very aromatic.
2. Set aside 1/4 cup of the adobo sauce.

For turkey:

1. Remove your turkey from its packaging, rinse and remove the giblets. 
2. Add turkey to your roasting pan and using your hands cover the whole turkey (inside and out) with the adobo. 
3. Cover the turkey (either with your roasting pan lid or plastic wrap) and let side in the fridge overnight. I marinated my turkey for 12 hours.
4. After your 12 hours remove the turkey from the oven and let sit on the counter for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Take your adobo butter and rub it all over the turkey, inside and out.
7. Stuff the cavity of the bird with garlic and clementines.
8. Season the outside of the bird with kosher salt and pepper. 
9. Tie the legs of the bird if desired.
10. Roast for about 3-1/2 hours OR until the bird reaches an internal temperature (when checked near the thigh) of 160 degrees. 
11. Let the bird rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

For adobo butter:

1. In a mixer mix together butter and reserved 1/4 cup adobo sauce. Mix until smooth and combined.

Cranberry Sauce

Cabernet Cranberry and Currant Sauce
by Averie Sunshine
https://www.averiecooks.com/cabernet-cranberry-currant-sauce/

Ingredients

• 12 ounces bag fresh or frozen cranberries 
• 4-ounces fresh or frozen blueberries, optional (no need to thaw, add straight from freezer) 
• 1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or shiraz, merlot, or a favorite red wine) 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 cup Hero Red Currant Fruit Spread
• 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste 
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste

Instructions

1. To a high-sided medium/large stockpot, add all ingredients, and bring to a rolling boil, stirring intermittently. Make sure pot has room for sauce to at least triple in volume. The juices from the berries release and as the mixture boils rapidly, it will foam and a too-small pot will easily overflow.
   
2. Reduce the heat to low and allow sauce to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly, and most of the cranberries have burst. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
   
3. Transfer to heat-safe jars or containers with lids. Allow sauce to cool at room temperature before refrigerating. Sauce will keep airtight in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.
   
   OR
   
   Red Wine Cranberry Sauce
   https:///www.averiecooks.com/cabernet-cranberry-and-blueberry-sauce/
   
   INGREDIENTS
   •  one 8-ounce bag fresh cranberries
   •  6-ounces frozen blueberries (about 1 1/2 cups), unthawed
   •  1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or shiraz, merlot, or a favorite red wine)
   •  1 cup granulated sugar
   •  1 tablespoon cinnamon, or to taste
   •  1 teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
     
     INSTRUCTIONS
   • Combine all ingredients in a medium to large kettle, and bring to a rolling boil, stirring intermittently. Make sure kettle has room for sauce to at least triple in volume. The juices from the berries release and as the mixture boils rapidly, it will foam and a too-small pot will easily overflow.
   • Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly, and most of the cranberries have burst. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
   • Transfer to heat-safe jars or containers with lids. Allow sauce to cool at room temperature before refrigerating.

Desserts

Cardamom Cream Brûlée
https:///www.purewow.com/recipes/cardamom-creme-brulee/

Ingredients

2¼ cups (555g) heavy cream

1½ tablespoons whole cardamom pods, gently cracked

½ vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)

Pinch ground cinnamon

1 cup (198g) granulated sugar, plus more for finishing

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

4 large (108g) egg yolks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F with the rack in the center of the oven. Put a large kettle of water on the stove to come to a simmer. Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a baking pan.

2. Combine the cream, cardamom, vanilla bean and cinnamon in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the pot and steep for 20 minutes. Strain to remove the cardamom and vanilla bean. Return the cream mixture to the pot.

3. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk over medium-low heat until the cream is warm and the sugar is dissolved. Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium-size heat-safe bowl.

4. When the sugar has fully dissolved, gradually pour the cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Mix until well combined. Transfer to a large container with a pour spout, like a 4-cup liquid measuring cup.

5. Gently pour the custard into the prepared ramekins, filling each just below the rim. Transfer the baking pan to the oven. When it’s on the center rack, pour the kettle of hot water into the baking pan so that the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custards are set at the edges but still jiggly in the center, 45 to 50 minutes.

6. Remove the custards from the water bath to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

7. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons granulated sugar on top of each cooled custard and tilt the ramekin to help coat the surface evenly. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar to an even amber color. Serve immediately.