Thanksgiving Recipes Galore!

Nothing makes me happier than making Thanksgiving for my family. I have been doing it since I was 21 years old! I was able to put together this menu for everyone and stay within my weekly budget.

I am going to put all my Thanksgiving recipes in one post to make it easier. Pictures will come after Thanksgiving. All of these recipes serve 7, plus leftovers. I have people bringing dressing, appetizers, and dessert.

Lemon Pepper Turkey Breast

We make a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey because that is all that we eat anyway. Adding the lemon slices under the skin helps keep the turkey moist and adds a great lemon flavor. I am making mine with a Rotisserie, but you can bake it according to the package directions if you don't have a Rotisserie. Using a Rotisserie gives me extra oven room for everything else I make.

Ingredients:
8 pounds of turkey breast
3 lemons, sliced thin
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic salt

After you remove the gravy packet and rinse off and dry your turkey breast, start separating the skin at the neck from the breast by working your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Separate the skin going as far back down the breast as you can.

Mix together your butter, lemon pepper, and garlic salt by mashing it together with a fork. Put about 1/3 of the mixture in between the skin and the flesh of the turkey. Then shove the sliced lemons in between the skin and the breast. If you are baking your turkey, I also stuff lemons inside the cavity...but since I am using a Rotisserie, they would fall out. Use the rest of the butter mixture to coat the outside of the bird.

Then, place the turkey onto your Rotisserie. Start checking your turkey at 1 1/2 hours. Keep cooking until the breast reaches 170 degrees. This should take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. Be sure to let your turkey rest before you slice it.

Citrus Cranberry Sauce

This is a great make-ahead recipe. I like my sauce to be more tart than sweet, so I use less sugar than the bag of cranberries recommends.

Ingredients:
1 bag of cranberries
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cap full of vanilla
3 slices of lemon peel

Dissolve the sugar and vanilla in the water over medium heat. Add the cranberries and slices of lemon peel. Bring to a simmer and cook until the cranberries start to pop open. Remove the lemon peels and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Roasted Red Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Butternut Squash

This is my super healthy dish for Thanksgiving. I use mustard to mellow out the bitterness of the cauliflower and red cabbage.

Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
8 cups of butternut squash, diced into small pieces (I buy the pre-cut kind because butternut squash is SUPER hard to cut up and peel)
Canola oil
Garlic salt, ground cumin, and brown mustard to taste
Peel of 1 lemon

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (I like these to cook fast!)

Toss your vegetables in canola oil, spices, and a healthy squirt of brown mustard. Spread evenly on a couple of cookie sheets along with the lemon peel and roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way in between. When you serve, remove the lemon peel (it only serves to add a slight citrus flavor to mellow out the bitterness).

Turkey Gravy

For goodness sake, throw away the gravy packet that comes in the turkey! It is so easy to make your own and it has so much more flavor. Plus, it gives you something to do while you are waiting for your turkey to rest before you cut it.

Ingredients:
Pan drippings from your roasted turkey
2 tablespoons flour
1  can chicken broth

Pour the pan drippings from your turkey into a large pan over medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk vigorously until the flour is absorbed and cooked. Add the can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook, while whisking, until the liquid reaches the desired thickness, about 10 minutes.

Tater Tot Casserole

This was my husband's recipe for our very first Thanksgiving together and it has replaced the need for mashed potatoes in our house! It is the farthest thing from healthy, but it is sinfully amazing.

Ingredients:
2 small bags of extra crispy tater tots
6 slices of bacon
1 pint sour cream
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Canola oil

Fry tater tots according to package directions. Slice and cook the bacon in a separate pan. Layer the tater tots, bacon, sour cream, and cheese in a casserole dish. Top with remaining sour cream and cheese. Place in the oven and bake until the cheese melts.

Ginger Carrots

Ingredients:
1 pound of carrots, peeled and sliced on a bias
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups of Ginger Ale

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and some salt and cook for a few minutes. Add the Ginger Ale and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the carrots are almost fork tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the Ginger Ale reduces to a nice sauce.