It’s finally November and that means Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. Today I’m sharing the HBH 2018 menu with you all and I am so very excited about it. This is now the third year I’ve shared our full menu (see year one and two…lots of good tips in this post). Hands down, this year’s menu is my favorite. It’s traditional, but with twists, and I’ve really made an effort to make each recipe incredibly flavorful, but at the same time simple. If you’ve already read over my make ahead gravy post, then you know that last year’s Thanksgiving after my Nonnie’s passing was a bit of a struggle for me (in many ways). I totally messed up the gravy…ok and I maybe slightly burnt a couple of side dishes too. I took on more than I could handle for sure. But in my defense, I was cooking in my grandma’s kitchen. Which wasn’t really equipped to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for thirty plus people. It honestly makes me cringe when I think about it. Of course everyone said everything was delicious, but I don’t plan to repeat it.
Anyway, the point is that this year I knew I needed to be realistic with what I could handle. I wanted to create delicious recipes, many of which could be created ahead. Including a make ahead gravy recipe that would save me from mass amounts of last-minute stress. Happy to say that I perfected the gravy and developed a menu that I love! The recipes below are a mix of both old and new. The older recipes are some of my favorites…the ones I just have to remake every single year. The new recipes are ones that I’ll be sharing over the next couple weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. So many delicious recipes to come! Hope you all find some inspiration from our HBH menu! Happy Turkey Day planning!
Half Baked Harvest 2018 Thanksgiving Menu Every good holiday meal starts with breakfast…so don’t skip it. Extra Sticky Maple Pecan Sticky Buns These are some of my favorites. Each can be made ahead for super easy entertaining…because no one wants to play bartender all night. Cranberry Thyme Spritz Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned Harvest Apple Ginger Spritz My tip? Don’t do too many appetizers…you want to save room for the mains and all the sides! Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread Holiday Cheese Board…with a fun twist (new and coming soon) Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Twist
I always love to have a veggie option on the menu…this year’s is a new favorite. Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey (my go-to turkey recipe that never fails) Make Ahead White Wine Gravy Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna (the perfect vegetarian main) You can never have too many sides…so make them all (most can be prepared in advance)! Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa Sweet Potato Phyllo Casserole Buttery Herbed Mashed Potatoes Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad and Warm Cider Vinaigrette Sweet Potato Soup with Burrata and Sage Pesto Perfect Popovers with Cranberry Butter Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls A variety of pumpkin and chocolate…because it’s Thanksgiving and you can never have too much. Pecan Pie Cookies with Butter Pecan Frosting Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
What recipes are you most looking forward seeing in the upcoming weeks? Excited to hear your favorites!
