thanksgiving ideas

There's less than a week to go until Thanksgiving. Which means that at this very moment approximately 94.6% of Americans are either googling recipes for candied sweet potatoes when they're supposed to be working, trolling the aisles of the grocery store wondering whether anyone would actually miss the green bean casserole, or trying to figure out how the heck you deep fry a turkey without burning down the house. Let's take a break from all of that and focus on what really matters in terms of your Thanksgiving feast. I'm not talking about turkey or stuffing or even mashed potatoes. Oh no. What we need to worry about is cocktail hour, dessert, and what to serve for breakfast the morning after. You know, the good stuff. Here are a few favorites from the archives to get you started. 

What to serve while you're waiting for the turkey to be ready:

Spicy Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix

Cranberry Salsa

Cranberry and Orange Vodka

What to serve for the main event (obviously I'm talking about dessert here):

Brown Butter Apple Pie

Apple Upside Down Cake

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Apples & Honey Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Pie

Still hungry? What to serve the morning after:

Brown Butter Ginger and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffin

Whole Wheat Peach Muffins (substitute cranberries or apples for the peaches)

And finally, my family's hands down, wouldn't-be-Thanksgiving-without-it favorite:

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie