What's for Dinner {Thanksgiving Wrap Up}

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already a week behind us and now we are marching full on into the Christmas season.  Confession: from October through January, I am in bliss.  The lights, the decorations, the family and friends, and of course the food.  The calendar is full of gatherings and get togethers, and it is wonderful!

Last week, we spent our Thanksgiving with my husband's family and it was full of delicious food, great conversation and fun times.  So, I thought I would take a few minutes and link you to all the delicious things I cooked up last week for Thanksgiving.  We also make a small Thanksgiving dinner for the four of us on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  It's our I had a few friends ask for the recipes, so I put them all in one place.  Also, for selfish reasons, these "What's for Dinner" posts are working great for my records when I want to go back and remake something.

Also these recipes would be great for all year round. . . so check them out, pin them, or even add them to your menu plan this week.

I signed up to bring a salad to our family potluck and could not decide on which one, so I brought two!  Both were amazing and I even made the Brussel Sprout one for our small family Thanksgiving).

Reminder:  Links are at the bottom of the page.

1.  Sprout and Bacon Salad

This one was one of my favorite new recipes!  Like I said, I made it twice.  I skipped the shaving the sprouts on my mandolin because that just sounded like a ton of time. . . those things are small!  Thankfully, at most grocery stores you can find them already shaved. . . time saver!!!  This one was super easy with only 4 ingredients and the salad dressing that you can make the night before in a mason jar, and shake it up when you need it and pour and toss.  Super easy!

2.  Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad

I am always up for a spinach salad with fresh fruit in it and this one was awesome!  I searched Pinterest (because it seriously is the best!) and found one by one of my favorite food bloggers.  This recipe, it was the Apple cider dressing that made it a winner.  (I also made it the night before and stored it in a mason jar for the next day).  I also used candied pecans from Trader Joe's that were perfect for this salad.

3.  Brown Butter Mushrooms

Roasted veggies are probably my favorite way to eat a veggie. And while mushrooms are not everybody's favorite,this one is so delicious.  I mean, brown butter makes everything better.  Honestly, if I see brown butter in a recipe, it usually becomes the one I pick.  This one was super easy to make just a bit before heading out the door.  

4.  Parker House Rolls

I've been looking for an excuse to make these parker house rolls and when I texted my sister in law to see if someone had signed up for bread, it was the perfect excuse to make these!  I've been super impressed with the Bake from Scratch magazine's bread recipes.  Everything I've made has been wonderful.  My rolls popped open, so they looked funny. . . but they were amazing.  I didn't think we were going to have any left for our feast, because Jon kept munching on them.  They were so buttery and soft.  Definitely going to make these again soon.  These were great because they made over 30 rolls, so perfect when baking for a lot of people!

5.  Crockpot Roasted Turkey Breast

I picked up a 4 pound turkey breast last week for our small family Thanksgiving this past Saturday.  I knew we were going to be busy decorating for Christmas and I knew I didn't want to spend all day in the kitchen, because I was kind of tired of cooking.  For two weeks, I think that's all I did.  So, tired may have been an understatement.  I loosely followed the recipe and added a few things. . . because I didn't want to go to the store.  I had a had some small bulbs of garlic, so I used two, used the last of my red onion and added two orange halves for my turkey to sit on.  This part is key, because the turkey juices sit at the bottom and prevent the turkey from becoming too moist. . . we didn't want shredded turkey for thanksgiving, but rather moist sliceable turkey.  I also did a dry rub instead of a wet rub, but with the same ingredients.  Super easy and it was perfect.  Also, I made gravy with the juices and it was so garlicy and delicious!  Perfect for dipping the turkey pieces in.  I might be drooling as I type!

6.  Sourdough rolls
I don't have a picture of these because they came from Food.com.  I needed to do something with my starter and so I whipped some of these up for our little Thanksgiving and the kids gobbled them down.  Perfectly sourdough and spongy! 

7. Pumpkin Cheesecake (Dairy, Gluten, and refined sugar free!)

Can we just be honest.  Dairy allergies are horrible.  All the good pies and desserts have dairy in them and I wanted so badly to be able to partake in the full festivities!  This year, I decided to make a dessert so Weston and I could enjoy.  This cheesecake was so tasty!  I would never have guessed that the crust wasn't actual graham crackers!  Dates.  Nuts.   Game changers!  Also, there was no reason to feel guilty after eating this dessert!  If you know someone who can't have dairy or gluten and want to make something yummy for them. . . make this!  It will make their day, trust me!

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