Four Easy Menu Ideas for Thanksgiving

The holidays are stressful enough with all of the planning, relatives from out-of-town, and shopping. While you can't escape from your annoying Aunt Doris, you can escape from the stress of making a perfect Thanksgiving dinner. By following these easy menu ideas, you can make your guests happy, but most of all, you can enjoy your holiday feast, too!

Instead of the traditional turkey, try something different this year. One of my favorite types of turkey is the Maple Butter Turkey and it is very easy to make. For this, you will need 1 cup of butter, ½ cup of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of dried herbs, 1 lemon, and of course, 1 whole turkey. On the night before, put butter in a bowl to soften it. Once the butter has softened, add maple syrup, herbs, the zest of the lemon, and lemon juice from ½ of that lemon. Stir well and keep refrigerated overnight. On the next day, preheat the oven to 350. Clean the turkey very well and cut under the skin, but make sure not to break the skin. Using about 1/2 to 3/4 of the mixture, mash the butter mixture under the skin and cover as much of the meat as possible .Place the rest of butter mixture in with the giblet stock on the stove. Place turkey on a rack in your roasting pan. After about an hour and a half, take half of the mixture and apply it to the bird again. Once the turkey is almost done (with about 10-20 minutes left), apply the rest of the mixture. The bird will require approximately 13-15 minutes per pound total cooking time. Enjoy!

Now with the major menu idea off the list, let's focus on side dishes. Red Cabbage and Cranberries is an easy to make and tasty dish. You will need: 2 tablespoons of corn oil, 1 thinly sliced onion, 1 ½ lbs. of red cabbage (cored & thinly shredded), ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 ½ cups of rinsed cranberries, 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of pure honey, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Now that you have all that, it's time to make the dish! Place the corn oil and onion in a large skillet over a medium fire. Add the cabbage. Add the cloves, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, cranberries, pepper, zest and juice of lemon, vinegar and salt. Toss again. Cook until the cabbage wilts and the cranberries pop. (This usually takes about 10-15 minutes.) Taste for salt and serve at warm.

Another easy and fast recipe is Creamed Skillet Parmesan Corn. For this, you will need: 2 10-ounce packages of frozen corn kernels thawed, 1 cup of un-whipped whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of full-fat milk, 2 tablespoons of flour, a dash of black pepper, and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese. First, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the thawed corn, whipping cream and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the milk and flour together and add corn. Cook over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the cheese and pepper to taste.

Now that we have our main dish and two tasty side dishes, let's move on to the best part of Thanksgiving dinner, the dessert! Now, you must have the traditional pumpkin pie at your feast, but it never hurts to add something new to the mix, either. I always have pumpkin pie, but I love to serve this pecan pie, also. For the pecan pie, you will need: 2 eggs (slightly beaten), 1 tablespoon of whole-wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of maple syrup, ½ cup of honey, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1 cup of chopped pecans, 5 drops of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, and eggs. Add maple syrup, melted butter, and honey. Next, add pecans, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour into shell and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Now that you have these quick and interesting recipes, put them to good use and have a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with your loved ones.