Today I’m sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in case you haven’t finalized your menu or are still trying to come up with a side dish to take to your family or friend’s house. For me, Thanksgiving has always been more about the side dishes and less about the turkey. And, of course, there are plenty of delicious dessert options!

Appetizers

Southwest Cheesecake

This baked cream cheese spread includes green chiles, taco seasoning and salsa. It’s always a hit at parties!

Ranch House Cheese Spread

This creamy cheese has a touch of horseradish, which gives it an addicting kick.

Curried Cashews

These can easily be made a couple of days in advance and also make great hostess gifts when put inside a pretty package for the holidays.

Parmesan Truffle Popcorn

We usually double this recipe when making it because it always disappears so quickly!

Creamy Pimento Cheese Spread

This is a thicker version of a traditional pimento cheese spread, which tastes amazing on pretty much everything.

Creamy Curry Chip Dip

This may be one of the most simple, yet most popular appetizers I make. There’s something about the combination of curry powder and cream cheese that is absolutely delicious!

Side Dishes

Lightened-up Corn Casserole

Traditional corn casserole gets lightened up with the help of egg whites and Greek yogurt. The result is a delicious, rich side dish that tastes just as good as the original.

Cheesy Garlic Kale

This cheesy garlic kale is sautéed on the stovetop, leaving precious oven space open for other holiday dishes. It takes only ten minutes to throw together!

Grandma’s Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

This is my absolute favorite holiday dish. My grandmother’s recipe is a spin on classic green bean casserole, with the addition of cheese and homemade croutons. For me, it tastes like home.

Honey Oat Bread

My dad made this bread frequently when I was growing up and I love the chewy texture the oats give it, along with the slight sweetness from the honey. While rolls or biscuits are common on many Thanksgiving tables, your family or friends will gobble this loaf up!

Everyday Salad With Homemade Croutons

I always like to have some veggies that aren’t drenched in butter or cheese for our holiday meals. It’s all about balance, right? This salad is so easy to throw together but delicious.

Desserts

Maple-Walnut Cranberry Pie with Whiskey Whipped Cream

This is my all-time favorite pie! It’s like a grown-up version of pecan pie that uses walnuts instead. The cranberries and whiskey whipped cream provide the perfect, tart balance to the maple syrup, making for a delicious dessert that isn’t overly sweet.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars have a yellow cake crust and a creamy, pumpkin filling. They’re the perfect cross between cake and pie — who says you have to have one or the other?!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are super soft and full of the best fall flavors. Hints of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon make them a delicious seasonal treat.

Pumpkin Ale Ice Cream

If you have some pumpkin beer hiding in the back of your fridge, this is the best way to use it. This ice cream needs to be made at least one day in advance, but it’s so worth the extra effort!

White Texas Sheet Cake

If you’re pressed for time but trying to feed a crowd, this is the perfect dessert. The cake is frosted while warm, which means you can have this out of the oven and at your Thanksgiving feast in under an hour.

Coconut-citrus Upside Down Cake

If you really want to impress people with the beauty and taste of a dessert, this upside down cake won’t disappoint. While it doesn’t include traditional Thanksgiving flavors, it’s a welcome, light dessert compared to some of the heavier, traditional holiday foods.

The post Thanksgiving Recipes appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Our holiday weekend kicked off early when James’ parents came to town Thursday night. We took them to their first IU game of the season and had an absolute blast. It was fun to see how excited they got with every basket. You can’t beat the atmosphere inside Assembly Hall!

My parents got to town on Christmas Eve and we spent much of the day relaxing and preparing for my favorite holiday tradition, our annual appetizer buffet. Every year on Christmas Eve everyone makes a couple of appetizers to contribute and we have so much fun sampling finger foods and dips.

Our spread was quite impressive for just the six of us! We served a couple of old standbys, including two-ingredient creamy salsa dip, lightened-up jalapeno poppers and crockpot turkey meatballs.

My mom and I also decided to test out a couple of new dishes this year. She made a warm reuben dip and the best pimento cheese spread. Dips are always my weakness, which is why I never make them when it’s just James and me — we could knock out an entire bowl by ourselves. The dips definitely stole the show, but I was also a big fan of the Chinese chicken salad I made from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings cookbook. It made a giant batch and the leftovers are great!

Of course, there was also festive beer included in the meal. We got another growler of Krampus from Bloomington Brewing for my dad to finally try and he was a big fan. We’re hoping to grab more before we head down to Nashville to visit my brother and sister-in-law this weekend.

After stuffing ourselves with multiple plates of delicious food, we all opened presents before James’ parents hit the road. Growing up we always opened presents from family on Christmas Eve and did stockings and gifts from “Santa” on Christmas morning. This year we decided to open everything on Christmas Eve. James and I have just done stocking stuffers for each other the past few years, but last year he went over the top by sneaking a Fitbit in there. I had to get him back this year and got a Nest thermostat that he’d been eyeing for awhile. It was installed less than 24 hours later!

Opening presents Christmas Eve made for a relaxing Christmas morning. I prepped egg casserole and skinny french toast casserole the night before, so I just popped them both in the oven when I woke up. We watched Gilmore Girls while waiting on breakfast and I’m pretty sure I got my parents hooked on the show. My mom kept asking to watch more episodes. We enjoyed breakfast and sipped coffee for a while before heading out to see the latest Star Wars movie. We’ve been going to movies on Christmas since I was a kid and it’s another tradition that’s become a favorite over the years!

My parents left town yesterday just as some of our friends were arriving for a quick reunion. Now our house is empty and we are exhausted! I head back to work for a couple of days tomorrow and then we’re back on the road to continue our holiday celebrations with the rest of our family. I hope your weekend was equally amazing and that you’re finding time to rest amidst the holiday madness!

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Our weekend was spent preparing for and hosting our annual Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange, which has become our favorite event of the year. The tradition started with just a few girlfriends when I was living in South Bend and keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. It’s a great way to unwind and spend time with friends during the hectic holiday season.

Here’s how it works: everyone brings either a six-pack of craft beer or a dozen cookies to share. We spend the night sampling everyone’s creations and the person who baked the crowd favorite takes home a small prize.

We stocked our fridge with a variety of my dad’s homebrew, New Belgium and Upland beers before everyone arrived. We also got a growler of Krampus from Bloomington Brewing Company, which is our favorite seasonal beer. We had to make a beer run halfway through the party last year, so we wanted to make sure we had more than enough beer in case most guests decided to bring cookies. But, most people actually brought both! We still have dozens of beers in our fridge leftover from the party. Luckily, there’s no such thing as too much beer.

I made Doubletree cookies, Oreo truffles, pretzel cookies and almond cut-out cookies for the party. I also put out a cheese plate and some salty snacks to help balance out all of the sugar. That table quickly became covered in cookies when guests arrived. I think we’re going to need a bigger one for next year’s party!

There seriously wasn’t enough room for all of the delicious cookies people brought. What’s so fun about the party is somehow no two people ever bring the same cookies. We had everything from classic spritz cookies to ombre cookies. I only sampled a couple because I was so busy mingling — and I didn’t want an awful stomach ache this morning.

There were lots of favorites, but our friend Stacy won the cookie competition this year. She brought two kinds that were delicious, but the salted caramel cookies were the biggest hit. I also loved the coffee cheesecake tartlets and Snickers-stuffed snickerdoodles other friends brought. We tried to send everyone off with bags of cookies, but we still somehow ended up with the majority of the leftovers. I threw them in the freezer so we won’t be tempted to eat ourselves into cookie comas!

The party was an absolute blast and I’m kind of sad it’s already over. It’s become one of our favorite holiday traditions and it was especially fun being able to throw it in a home of our own this year. I’m already dreaming up cookie recipes for next year’s party!

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Chime in by posting a comment below!

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It’s been years since there’s been a baby in the family, so we all had a blast playing with Sarah Anne. She is an absolute angel and didn’t mind being picked up by complete strangers. We spent some time babysitting so my cousins could enjoy some rare time out on the town just the two of them.

It was also great to spend time playing with our niece and nephew, although they were more interested in spending time with their cousins than hanging out with James and me. The older we get, the less cool we become!

My dad’s birthday was the day before Thanksgiving, so we kicked off our visit celebrating his 66th year. Most of the gifts were, of course, Cubs themed. James and I also brought home a few special birthday beers for my dad, including Alpha Klaus. It’s one of our favorite seasonal brews! We also got to try his latest home brew creation, a Tank 7 clone. It was so good and my dad was nice enough to send us home with a few bottles.

We prepped as much of our Thanksgiving feast as we could the day before in order to make life easier on the actual holiday. I was in charge of the sweet potato rolls, corn casserole and maple-walnut cranberry pie. My sister brought an amazing cheese plate and salad, and my mom somehow made the rest of the meal: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pies and — my favorite — green bean casserole. My niece and nephew made all of us adorable place cards for the second year in a row.

After we had seconds (ok, maybe it was thirds …), my parents broke out my grandparents’ old slides and projector. I spent many weekends at my grandparents’ house in LaSalle growing up and I loved when they would get out their slides. It was so fun to hear them talk about my dad’s childhood and all of the amazing experiences their family had. This time my dad was the narrator and he had us laughing nonstop with his commentary. It was really neat to see pictures of him as a kid, as well as some pictures of my sister and cousin Peter at my grandparents’ house in the ’80s.

After spending time with my family, we headed back to Indiana and up north for a Thanksgiving celebration with James’ family over the weekend. It was such a quick and fun trip that I didn’t take a single picture. We had a blast catching up with James’ cousins, aunts, uncle and parents. I have to get my mother-in-law’s recipe for chicken and noodles — they were my favorite part of the meal!

Now we’re trying to recuperate from the busy week and get back into our normal routine. It will be hard because December is always a ridiculously busy month. I’m hoping to score some cheap airline tickets as part of Cyber Monday. Are you taking advantage of any online sales? Chime in by posting a comment below!

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What are your plans for Labor Day weekend? Are you hosting a cookout? Hanging out with friends? Taking one last dip in the lake? Whatever’s on your weekend agenda, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite, easiest recipes to help you celebrate a summer well spent.

Appetizers

Pimento Cheese Spread

Creamy Curry Chip Dip

Ranch House Cheese Spread

Parmesan Truffle Popcorn

Game Day Salsa

Prosciutto + melon crostini

Drinks

Mint Margarita Slushie

Boozy Lemonade

Summertime Sangria

Entrees

Slow-Cooker Dry Rub Pulled Pork

Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas

Desserts

Lemon White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Grandma Cattaneo’s Oatmeal Cookies

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I love hosting friends and look for just about any excuse to throw a party. That means we’ve hosted quite a few over the years — and I’d like to think we have it down to a science. That hasn’t always been the case. When you’re trying to juggle food, drink and entertainment for a crowd, a lot can go wrong. So I’m sharing a few tips for how to host an impressive party without all of the stress.

1. Keep it simple. 

When it comes to planning a menu for a party, don’t be overly ambitious. Homemade meatballs are great for a date night at home, but no one will know you used the frozen version when you smother them in a delicious sauce and throw them on a Hawaiian roll. You can keep your menu sophisticated without having to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen. Take shortcuts if they won’t compromise the deliciousness of a dish and don’t be afraid to serve some semi-homemade or store-bought foods. Nancy’s quiche and deli spirals are staples at many of our parties because they’re absolutely delicious and effortless to prepare. I also almost always serve two-ingredient creamy salsa dip, sangria and ranch house cheese spread because they’re crowd pleasers that take hardly any time to put together.

2. Prep the day before. 

I don’t know how I hosted parties before I started embracing this tip. It makes life so much easier. No one wants to spend the entirety of their own kickass party in the kitchen, so prepare as much as you can the night before. I actually plan my menu around what types of foods can be prepared ahead of time so all I have to do the day of the party is pop a couple things in the oven and put out some plates. Crockpot recipes, chilled salads and baked dips are always popular among guests and easy on the hosts.

3. Be clear about what’s expected of guests — and vice versa. 

If people ask what they can bring to the party, be truthful. If you’re counting on guests to help stock the bar or feed the crowd, be clear about those expectations from the beginning. And let people know when they’re invited whether it’s OK for them to bring their significant others, kids or friends. This will help ensure there’s enough food and drink for everyone and will ensure you avoid the awkwardness of unexpected guests. You should also be sure to let guests know whether you’ll be serving a full meal, light appetizers, or just drinks. That way they’ll know whether to come hungry or eat before the event.

4. Have some entertainment planned. 

Most of the time our parties just involve everyone catching up, enjoying some good food and beers and a whole lot of laughing. But, we always have some entertainment planned just in case we need to help people break the ice. It can be something as simple as having card games handy or a makeshift photo booth setup.

5. Have fun!

This is the whole point of having a party, after all. While it can be easy to get caught up in all the duties of hosting, it’s important to spend lots of time mingling with guests and partaking in the festivities. If you don’t, your guests will feel awkward and you won’t want to throw another shindig anytime soon. Have a blast!

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Hey, strangers! I’m sorry I disappeared on you this week. It’s been a hectic few days, to say the least. A bad system of storms rolled through Indiana Wednesday and I headed north to Kokomo to cover the aftermath. Dozens of homes were destroyed but, miraculously, no one was seriously injured. I had a late night putting together some stories and then had another late night the next day seeing the Dixie Chicks in concert in Indy. I was exhausted, but it was so worth it! They put on an absolutely amazing show. I’ve always loved their music and have had it on repeat since seeing them live.

Now we’re spending our Saturday getting ready to host our first party in our house! We’ve been working really hard to make the place feel put together and cozy and we can’t wait to break it in by having our friends over for food and drinks. I spent last night prepping to make today a little bit easier. We’ll have lots of appetizers, pineapple mint sangria, craft beer and this boozy lemonade.

This is by no means a light drink, but it’s easy to throw together and serves a crowd. And it’s the perfect cocktail to sip on humid summer nights. My mother-in-law gave me the recipe a couple of years ago, but I completely forgot about it until this week. I have a feeling it will be a hit with our guests!

The recipe calls for a can of beer and I would highly suggest using 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon if you can. It’s the hint of watermelon takes the flavor up a notch!

This lemonade can be served two ways: on the rocks or frozen. I think it’s great both ways! If you prefer a slushie, just pull the lemonade out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving and let it sit on the counter to thaw slightly.

Boozy Lemonade

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
• 12 oz. vodka
• 12 oz. can wheat beer
• 2 liters lemon-lime soda
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Combine all ingredients in an oversized pitcher or large punch bowl. Refrigerate and serve on the rocks or freeze for boozy lemonade slushies.

[/directions]

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It was like a giant family reunion, especially for my dad’s side of my family. His cousins made the trip and I hadn’t seen most of them in decades! We also got to spend time with two of my cousins and their beautiful babies, who we hadn’t gotten a chance to meet  yet. It was wonderful to catch up and see how happy my parents were surrounded by their amazing family and friends. The afternoon was laid-back and fun, just like Ben and Lana.

My mom was the mastermind behind the entire event and she did a beautiful job making everything come together. In addition to making several homemade sweets, she had Kelly’s Bakery and Cafe cater and everyone raved about the delicious spread. My favorite dishes were the bacon-wrapped dates and ham, cheese and apple butter croissants. I plan to recreate them both soon for the blog!

My dad, of course, was in charge of the beer. He made an amazing dry-hopped Saison for the occasion. It was fantastic. Having a dad that brews beer seriously ups his coolness factor — my friends are always asking when he’s coming to Indiana next because they love sampling his creations. Once we move later this summer I think I’ll have to have him come over and teach me how to brew!

After a month of nonstop travel, I’m definitely ready for a relaxing weekend in Bloomington. I need to get back into my cooking/workout routine, which has been seriously thrown off the past two weeks. My body has had way too much sugar and is in need of lots of fruit and veggies. Looking forward to getting back on the meal prep train this weekend!

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Cheers to the long weekend! What are your Memorial Day plans, friends? We’re heading to Illinois to spend some time with family. All that’s on our agenda is spending a lot of time outside grilling, biking and swimming. That’s what holiday weekends are meant for, right?

Anytime there’s a summer gathering, my mom and I whip up a batch of this sangria. She got the recipe from a bartender when my parents were in Spain several years ago and it’s been our go-to summer drink ever since. It’s not overly sweet, which is my big complaint with most sangria. I’ve found this is a recipe that both wine lovers and people who aren’t huge wine fans enjoy.

I like to make this the night before a party so the fruit has time to soak, allowing its flavors to really come through. We served a pitcher during a casual get together on our porch last night and there wasn’t a single drop left!

I will warn you, slip this sangria slowly. It’s so good that you’ll want to have a few glasses, but it will sneak up on you. And there’s nothing worse than starting the work week with a killer headache from a little too much indulging.

Stay safe and enjoy the extra day off!

Summertime Sangria

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 1.5 Liter bottle of Lambrusco, chilled
• 4 oz. light lemonade
• 1 oz. Cognac
• 2 oz. Cointreau
• 2 oz. Gin
• 2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1 nectarine, sliced
• 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Combine Lambrusco, lemonade, Cognac, Cointreau, Gin and sugar in a large pitcher. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Carefully pour fruit into the pitcher and stir until it’s submerged in the sangria. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

[/directions]

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When babies are the biggest life of the party, you know you’ve truly entered adulthood.

Our Valentine’s Day was packed with activities but absolutely perfect. We started the day hosting a “Palentine’s” Day brunch for our friends. It was so fun starting the day catching up with friends and munching on delicious food (Skinnytaste is my go-to blog for brunch recipes — the Creme Brûlée French Toast and Loaded Baked Omelet Muffins were a hit).

After everyone headed out in the early afternoon, James and I spent a few hours relaxing around the house and working out before getting started on dinner. Instead of going out for a fancy meal, we decided to try and recreate some of the best foods we had while in Italy.

James isn’t much of a cook, so spending time together in the kitchen is always special and so fun! He was a really good sport and has more cooking skills than he lets on.

Our meal started with some burrata, which we quickly devoured as we prepped the rest of the pasta. The main course was fettucine a limone, which we had on our last night in Rome. We followed this recipe from Kevin & Amanda but omitted the chicken. It didn’t take long to make and the results were absolutely delicious.

The pasta was very rich, which made the meal feel like a true indulgence. The recipe was a bit heavier than the version we had in Italy, so I’m going to play around to lighten it up a bit for next time. We will definitely be making this again for a special occasion!

For dessert I whipped up a batch of panna cotta, another Italian favorite. It turned out OK but wasn’t even close to the delicious versions we had in Italy. I’ll have to try a different recipe next time.

We spent the rest of the night sipping Prosecco and finally watching our full-length wedding video, which brought on so many laughs and happy tears. I can’t believe we waited so long to watch it! It was a blast to relive the day and we’ve decided to make it a tradition to pull it out every May for our anniversary. Watching our friends bust moves on the dance floor was one of the best — and most amusing — parts.

This was probably the most low-key V-Day celebration we’ve ever had and I absolutely loved it. I think we may opt for staying in and cooking dinner together every year. It was relaxing and romantic — and allowed us to quickly change into pajamas!

How was your Valentine’s/Galentine’s/Palentine’s day? I love hearing about all of the creative ways people celebrate.

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