Turkey Day Favorites

I'm thankful for my family, my friends, the coolest boyfriend in the world aka Howie Hayden, loyal blog followers like yourself, and for the fact that America has a national holiday completely dedicated to cooking and eating with the people you're thankful for.  BEST DAY EVER.  Though many people consider cooking the all-important meal a daunting task, my mom and I have a system down pat that guarantees our dinner will be on the table by 3:30 p.m., with a little time for watching the Rockettes perform in the Macy's Parade, test tasting and maybe even a quick workout (if we're feeling extra ambitious) too.  Even if you're just in charge of bringing a single dish to the meal you're attending, these 3 sides are always some of the biggest hits at our dinner!  Happy Turkey Day!  And don't forget to use my super simple pie crust recipe if you're in charge of the pumpkin pie this year!


No Knead Dinner Rolls

Fresh homemade bread that you don't need to knead.  Do I really need to say anything else?  Oh yeah, this recipe yields 18 massive dinner rolls that fit in one 9" x 13" pan and are flavored with garlic and rosemary.  Enough said.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

So I'm kind of a weirdo: I genuinely dislike mashed potatoes.  Some people don't eat them because they're unhealthy, but I don't like the texture, the smell, the butter in them...yuck. Clearly Thanksgiving can be a difficult day for people like myself, seeing as mashed potatoes are one of the focal points of the meal.  I promise our recipe for Stuffed Sweet Potatoes is 6 times as good as any mashed potato recipe out there!  Topped with a butter-brown sugar mixture, marshmallows and pecans, it's probably 6 times as fattening too!  Holidays are cheat days in my book!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that canned cranberry sauce is basically cranberry juice with gelatin added to it.  Gross.  Our homemade version introduces granny smith apples, cinnamon, and a hint of orange to the mix, taking the Thanksgiving classic to new levels with fresh flavors!  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this recipe from last year, but I promise its a beautiful red color with a tart taste from the cranberry and an unexpected sweetness from the apples and cinnamon.  Perfection!