Thanksgiving Prep

Let’s be honest, we are all thinking about Thanksgiving prep with just a few short weeks between then and now.

Last week Mike and I decided to host our families for Thanksgiving (insert mild panic here). We were out to eat with his parents and we started talking about the logistics of seeing everyone and what time each family was eating, before I knew it Mike had volunteered that we host. This year we have a home that actually allows us enough room to host Thanksgiving, and the idea of my home filling up with my favorite people warms my heart. (Seriously, who am I?). The best part is, the table my grandma Alice left me will be surrounded on Thanksgiving, and it will almost feel like she’s here with us. It really is the little things.

For those of you who don’t know, I basically married the boy next door. Both sets of my parents and my husbands parents live within a 2 mile radius. This means that seeing all sets of parents for every holiday is possible, and believe me, it’s wonderful to be so blessed with family close by. But… sometimes, on Thanksgiving or Christmas, I just want to have one too many drinks, un-button the top button on my pants and fall asleep on the couch in my own home. I don’t even have children and I’m already paranoid about how you handle Christmas morning with kids and three sets of grandparents who want to see them! (That side bar got long, my apologies.)

Anyway, the next morning I started googling and counting and making phone calls. My mom is bringing the turkey and stuffing (over the last few years we have tweaked, tried and discovered the best way to prepare both of those items). My MIL is making pies and bringing her signature potatoes. I stumbled across the Whole Foods image above and it was instant relief. Sorta like, oh yea… I got this. So, really, I’m making appetizers, a cocktail and a couple of sides. I have totally got this.

I’ve taken the day before Thanksgiving off, I will spend it at my mom’s prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s perhaps my favorite day of the year. Yes, the day before Thanksgiving. I grew up on homemade meals, and everything being made with love and my mom is just the best cook. We watch the food network, sip cocktails and prep everything. The kitchen gets hot, and my step dad gets sent to the grocery store at least twice, and it’s just … love.

As of today, here are some of the things I’m thinking about making:

My mom’s famous stuffing - recipe here.

My signature cocktail - recipe here.

Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto - recipe here.

Healthier Green Bean Casserole - recipe here.

Cinnamon and Vanilla Bean Applesauce - recipe here.

Dinner rolls (affectionately referred to as butt crack rolls in our home) - Rhodes Rolls.