Thanksgiving is Almost Here!

Can you believe it? It's less than one week away!  Tony and I have a busy week coming up, which involves seeing a relative from out of state, attending a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with some cousins I haven't seen in years, and traveling down to San Diego to spend time with family and spend Thanksgiving Day.

Since I probably won't be hosting anything this year, therefore not making any Thanksgiving dishes of my own (which makes me a little sad!), I figured I'd just highlight a few of my absolute favorites, in case you're still unsure about what to put on your menu.  

First up, the number one most favored, most important Thanksgiving side dish of all time:  my mom's Bacon Rice Stuffing!

Sorry for the poor picture quality!  This was from WAY back when, before I had a fancy camera on my phone or knew anything about good lighting.

If you haven't tried this one yet, YOU MUST.  This is my mom's no fail recipe that I often make and take with me when we attend other Thanksgiving get-togethers.  Everyone always loves it...and who wouldn't when it has the perfect trio of celery, onions, and BACON?  The flavors in this dish mix so perfectly with the turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes.  I kid you not, pretty much every time I take this somewhere, at least one person asks me for the recipe. So, if you make this, you will not be disappointed!

The second dish that is high on my list is:  Cranberry Blackberry Sauce

Photo credit:  Annie's Eats

The fact that I think so highly about this recipe says a lot, because growing up, I was never much of a cranberry sauce fan.  It didn't matter if it was sauce or jellied (which we always served because my sis was crazy about it), I could take it or leave it.  I happened to come across this recipe while scouring my favorite blog, Annie's Eats, for a cranberry sauce recipe since we were hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner that year.  I think it probably appealed to me because of the fact that it used another type of berry instead of just cranberries, so I figured it might change my mind about cranberry sauce.  Well, obviously, it did, and it's now a must make dish for Thanksgiving!  The blackberries really lend a nice sweetness to the sauce, and balance out the tartness of the cranberries.  This, in my opinion,  is the perfect cranberry sauce.  (Oddly, the original link to the recipe via Annie's Eats is no longer working [see here], so I've linked above to another site with the same exact recipe).

The third must-have dish for Thanksgiving is green bean casserole, but not just any green bean casserole.  This homemade version from Annie's Eats is to die for!

Photo credit:  Annie's Eats

Growing up. I was always a huge fan of green bean casserole.  Honestly, I could care less if it was made with a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and packaged French fried onions.  I would devour every bite.  But of course, I got older and wiser and started caring more about what I was eating, so I searched for the best homemade version of this dish.  Well, I didn't have to search far, because Annie's Eats saved the day again.  This green bean casserole is everything I could ever dream of.  With homemade crispy onions, fresh sautéed mushrooms, and a from-scratch creamy mushroom base, it is absolutely amazing.  If you don't mind the extra effort, I highly recommend this recipe (although if you take a shortcut and use the packaged French fried onions, that's okay, I won't tell)! 

With these three dishes at your side, I truly believe it would be an amazing Thanksgiving meal.  Who knows, if I'm still sad about not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year, I might just end up making these for Christmas.  

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!