A Tried and Tasty Thanksgiving

I love this time of year, not only for the food {although that is definitely one of the perks}, but also because the focus is centered around thankfulness. I try to keep a heart of gratitude all year long, but especially around the holidays I reflect on so much that I’m thankful for. This year I had the pleasure of hosting Thanksgiving. Do you have any idea how much work that is? For those of you that have done it before or have done it for years – you know what I’m talking about. For those that haven’t, but plan to put together a holiday meal, I strongly urge you to rest up well before. I was on my feet all day long! The funny thing is, the meal takes hours upon hours to prepare and in a matter of just a few moments the meal is over. Thankfully on Thanksgiving there are typically several rounds. I know I usually like to have seconds and a couple of hours later even thirds sometimes!

I’m so excited to share with you my Thanksgiving feast! Watch for several of these recipes in the coming week, while some of them are already up for you to check out. The meal came together wonderfully and was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. My favorites are always the same: the macaroni and cheese, the rolls, and the mashed potatoes. Sometimes we have a ham along with the turkey, this year we didn’t. Which means we will for sure have one for our Christmas dinner. Let’s take a walk around the table shall we?

This Honey Glazed Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole is not something you want to miss out on. I’m a sweet potato fan anyway, but paired with the apple it has been taken to a whole new level. It’s a little different than your brown sugar/pecan crusted sweet potato mash, but different is good!

Panko Crusted Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms | Creamy Sweet Corn | Creamy Mashed Potatoes | Homemade Mac & Cheese

I’m in love with this Butternut Squash * Quinoa * Kale Stuffing. Although, I realized at the last minute that I didn’t have any cooked quinoa in the fridge (we usually always have some on hand), so I just left it out. It’s more for nutritional value than flavor. It soaks up the flavor of the entire dish and you don’t really know that it’s there anyway. I also was able to use a healthier wheat bread this time around, which I didn’t last time. Didn’t really make a change in the flavor. Still as excellent!

Holiday Dinner Rolls | Raspberry Honey Butter | Oven Roasted Turkey | Turkey Gravy

Nothing compliments your holiday meal quite like Martinelli’s does! We always make sure to pick up a few bottles to enjoy. Adds a nice special touch to the table.  My favorite flavor is the peach mango. Mmmm!

My parent’s this year headed south for Thanksgiving hosted by my Aunt, but I wasn’t able to get the time off from work before or after the big day (which is why I decided to undertake this huge task, normally my extended family all contributes). In the end it was worth all of the time, energy, preparation, and hard work!

There is so much to be thankful for. I don’t generally get too personal on here, but I will share a little bit with you. The last couple of months have been quite the whirlwind in our family. We’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster and slowly things are beginning to settle down. Now more than ever I am thankful for both my immediate family and my in-laws. Family has always been important to me, but this year it’s even more special and close to my heart. I’m thankful for the close bond we all have, I’m thankful for wonderful in-laws who treat me as if I’m one of their own, and I’m thankful for the love we have for each other.

The list of things I am grateful for could go on and on forever. Amongst many other things I’m grateful for Tried and Tasty and the ability to share my passion with so many around me. I’m thankful for the support that I feel day in and day out from readers who help motivate me to keep plugging along at this little dream of mine. Wishing you the happiest of holidays filled with much love, delicious food, and many blessings!