Thanksgiving Menu

After much deliberation, many pins pinned and emails back and forth between my aunt and mom, here's the final menu for Saturday's Thanksgiving.

Appetizers

Spinach balls
I found these when I was looking for appetizers and they were perfect because I have a lot of spinach that I need to use before it goes bad.  I'm going to make them today or tomorrow and see how they taste.  The blog suggested using them as an after Thanksgiving dinner snack when everyone is lingering around.  My question is, does anyone actually feel like eating AFTER the big meal???  I definitely don't.  Instead, I'll use them as a somewhat healthy appetizer.

Cheddar and Cranberry Cheeseball and Crackers
Because I am a huge cheese fan and don't believe in appetizers without some sort of cheese.

We're also debating on a veggie or fruit tray, but we're waiting to see how many people we're going to have.  Part of me says the more food the better, but the other part says people will be full before the actual meal.


Main Course

Turkey
Mike is in charge of everything having to do with the turkey, from the cooking to the carving.  Mike is following Alton Brown's recipe for roasting the turkey.  Neither of us have any experience in roasting a turkey and our oven is SUPER small, so this is going to be f-u-n.

Stuffing/Dressing
Oh, the great stuffing vs. dressing debate.  I've always called it stuffing, even if it wasn't stuffed in the actual bird, but as I was looking for recipes, I found that there is a whole group of people who feel very passionately about calling it dressing.  Whatever it is, we're having it.

Gravy
We're buying it.  Sorry not sorry.

Cranberry sauce
Because it's a must, even though nobody really likes it.  Again, we're buying it. Sorry, not sorry.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
I grew up having this at Thanksgiving, mainly because I think it was our family's way of getting us kids to eat broccoli.  As we got older and became bigger vegetable fans, this dish still made an appearance. I'm pretty sure if we got rid of it, there would be some Russo cousin who would make a complaint.  My aunt sent me a very easy recipe that she's been using for years and I'm all about easy and traditional!

Bourbon Maple-Glazed Carrots
In attempts to have something remotely healthy on our menu, I found these carrots.  I've recently become a fan of cooked carrots (well, really cooked vegetables) and the combination of the sweet maple syrup and bourbon made my mouth water.

Rolls
Mike says there are bakeries around here that sell them.  I haven't seen any.  I'm not opposed to Sister Shubert rolls from the commissary, so that will be our backup plan.

Mashed Potatoes
You can't have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes!  I love this recipe from my mom because you make them the day before and then just bake them right before the big meal!


Dessert

Pumpkin Pie
Of course!  It wouldn't be Thanksgiving about pumpkin pie!

Phil's Cheesecake
Mike's family always had cheesecake on Thanksgiving because he doesn't like pie, so we're having cheesecake, as well.  My dad makes THE MOST INCREDIBLE cheesecake, so it's definitely making an appearance at this Thanksgiving.

So, there it is, our Thanksgiving menu. The only thing missing is candied yams/sweet potatoes, mainly because I have yet to see a sweet potato in Turkey.  I'm sure it's way too much food, but that's what Thanksgiving is all about, right? Ha! Just kidding.  Seriously though, I'm sure this is way too much food, but we wanted it to include all sorts of Thanksgiving staples.  Hopefully, we'll be able to overcome our food coma and remember that we have lots to be thankful for.

Today, I am thankful for Hulu.  As I'm writing this blogpost, I'm also watching Scandal.  I am not a huge TV person compared to some people, but there are a few shows that I make sure to catch every week.