I hadn’t originally planned for this to be a two parter, but a friend and reader, Jody B., begged for my recipes so I will indulge her! If you’re dying to read part 1, go here! Disclaimer: I am not a chef and actually am not even a very good cook. But I do a killer Thanksgiving dinner and am committed to it being easy and delicious, so that is my credential. That and I’ve been doing it pretty consistently for almost 25 years. People keep coming back for more so I must be doing something right;).

Here are the recipes for the food you will ALWAYS find on our holiday table:

This is what Food Network says my turkey will look like. I hope they’re right!

Turkey – this year I’m using Tricia Yearwood’s recipe. Hoping it’s actually as good and easy as she says! I’ve done it all – brined, not brined, cooked it breast side down at first and flipped it, you name it. I’m leaning towards this one because once you put it in the oven you leave it alone!

I ALWAYS buy a fresh, not frozen, turkey. They cost a little more but are always worth it! And if you’re serving a huge crowd, consider doing two smaller turkeys instead of one huge one. 18 pound turkeys may be large and pretty, but people tell me the flavor isn’t as good and they’re tough to handle. Uh, and don’t forget, there’s typically stuff for you to take out of the cavity AND the neck. It will be in a bag and won’t be too gross, but you have to take this stuff out and then rinse the whole bird. Dry it thoroughly with paper towels. I know way too much about this for someone that doesn’t eat meat.

Mashed potatoes – this is the easiest thing EVER.

Ingredients:

1 bag yukon gold potatoes (or as many as you can fit in your largest pot to boil!)
whole milk
butter
salt and pepper

DO NOT skin the potatoes. Just scrub clean and then cut them in halves or quarters (depending on how big they are) and boil until easy to poke with a fork. Mix them in your mixer with a whole stick of butter and a little bit of whole milk (these are feast days, remember;). Start with less liquid and add more to get the consistency you like. Add a whole bunch of salt and pepper to taste. The end.

*do these whenever and stick them in the crock pot on warm. They will stay moist and hot and ready to eat whenever you are. Timing is everything when making Thanksgiving! Oh, and if you have rubber tipped beaters on your hand mixer like I do, you can mix them right in the crock pot. Yay for fewer dishes to wash!

Deviled Eggs – again, traditional recipe. Very simple. I don’t mess with the classics.

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs (THAT ARE AT LEAST A WEEK OLD! Super fresh eggs do not peel well).
Mayonaise
Mustard
Salt
Paprika

Bring the eggs to a boil and then turn off the heat and keep them on the burner. Leave them alone until they cool completely. Peel them and rinse them off, pat dry.

Slice them long ways and take out the yoke and put in a separate bowl. Mash the egg yoke with about 2 T of mayonnaise and a couple squirts of mustard (this is not rocket science use more or less mayo or mustard to taste). Add salt until it tastes good to you.

Spoon the mixture back into the halved eggs, and sprinkle a touch of paprika on the top of each one. The red makes them festive! (these can stink a little so if you’re making them in advance, invest in a covered egg dish for the fridge:).

This pic is from Wikipedia but this is truly what mine look like.

My Mom’s Apple Pie is always on the list and you can find that recipe in a post I wrote here. A tip I didn’t include in that post is to get the pie ready to go into the oven and then stick it in when you take the turkey out. It will be done about the same time as you’re done eating, and the aroma of the apple pie cooking is AMAZING.

I also cheat A LOT. Here’s the list of stuff I buy either completely done or sort of done:

• dressing mix (love Mrs. Cuthbertson’s or Pepperidge Farm)
• pie crust (buy Pillsbury refrigerated)
• rolls (made my own one year to be impressive. Nobody could tell. Not worth it. Also buy extras because your family will want extra rolls with leftovers)
• pumpkin pie – my friend and fellow blogger, Victoria, makes this AMAZINGLY well so I buy from her.
• Gravy – OK, I know, but seriously it’s a stretch for a vegetarian to make a turkey at all. I buy it in a jar and stick it on the stove to warm it up. Again, tried to make it myself once and it totally stressed me out. And don’t comment how easy gravy is and why can’t I figure it out. I just can’t.

Finally, just a few tips on this and that. Keep one side of your sink half way filled with soapy water. As you dirty dishes, stick them in there. It will keep stuff from drying and being impossible to clean off later.

Run the dishwasher and empty it before you sit down to eat. When you finish, having an empty dishwasher is huge for fast clean up! Also have plenty of clean dish towels on hand for the pieces that need hand washing.

Buy some throw away plastic ware for leftovers. Great for you and for guests who can take stuff home with them!

I also always make a point of stopping prep work a couple hours before the meal and getting myself ready (this is a great time to run the dishwasher). Showering and getting dressed up make me feel like it’s a special occasion AND IT IS!

Oh, and I always run Thanksgiving morning. I may only have time for a few miles, but it starts my day off right and the endorphins keep me in a good mood. Nobody wants a cranky cook on Thanksgiving! Also, it may be the only quiet time I’ll have all day to reflect and think about all the things I’m grateful for! When I get home I’ll stick cinnamon rolls in the oven for the boys (packaged not from scratch;) and we’ll watch the parade.

I hope you and your family have the best Thanksgiving ever. I really can’t wait. God bless!

Jen