Potentially controversial opinion: Thanksgiving is wayyyy better than Christmas. Don’t @ me, hear me out. There’s family, amazing food, tons of alcohol, and none of the stress of presents. It’s not mind-numbingly cold yet and everyone’s just starting the feel the magic of holiday cheer without the following inevitable burnout. AND the focus of the day is to celebrate what we’re grateful for. To me, it’s a perfect holiday.
Growing up with two grandmother’s who LOVED to cook, it wasn’t until moving to Los Angeles a few years ago that I was faced with a very big first: Thanksgiving with just me and my husband and none of my family’s traditional cooking. Never one to back down from an attempt at perfectionism, I made my very own, first-ever Thanksgiving dinner. I had zero expectations and lots of wine. And you know what? It didn’t suck. I’ve learned a few things along the way, and of course the absolute #1 most important thing is time management. As in, get your grocery shopping done EARLY. If you’re attempting your first Thanksgiving dinner, don’t stress. This list has everything you need to make each classic Thanksgiving dish (and we listed our favorite recipes at the bottom too!):
Recipes courtesy of:
Perfect Roast Turkey via Martha Stewart
Wild Mushroom Stuffing via What’s Gaby Cooking
Classic Green Bean Casserole via Campbell’s
Candied Yams via New York Times
