Free Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

When the weather turns chilly, just about everyone’s thoughts turn to soup. There are so many different types of soup you can make. Soup is popular with many families as a side dish or even as a main meal.

When serving soup as a main meal, it needs to be hearty. You can make your soup hearty by adding lots of protein and vegetables to it. Remember that variety is especially appreciated in soup. It is actually a benefit to your soup when you have small amounts of things to add. That one extra turkey sausage in your refrigerator will go perfectly in your soup. A handful of carrots. A half can of beans. All of these are ideal ingredients for your soup.

Soup is one of those wonderful dishes that somehow only gets better with time. Make a large batch of soup and plan on sharing some with your friends and family. The second or third serving always seems to taste richer and heartier than the first. The flavors all mix together and marry each other so well. Hooray for soup weather!

Many cooks are preparing their menus for Thanksgiving dinner. But often what exhausts cooks about cooking Thanksgiving dinner is not the actual cooking, but the organization and the logistics. It seems like somehow you always wind up running out of butter or other necessary ingredients. Or someone in the family invites an additional guest at the last minute, throwing your portions out of whack. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to better organize your Thanksgiving dinner cooking.

Begin by planning your dinner menu ahead of time. The typical Thanksgiving dinner has three or even four courses. There is a salad course, the main meal and dessert. Many families also have a cheese course. Now is the time to be choosy and to select exactly what you want to serve. Pour over your cookbooks and pick out the best of the best recipes to make for Thanksgiving.

Get the majority of your Thanksgiving cooking shopping done the week before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so it comes as little surprise to most of us. Plan ahead and get to the grocery store, butcher and specialty stores the weekend before that Thursday to do the majority of your shopping. Bring a detailed list with you and cross things off as you go. This is the ideal time to get just about everything that you need. Remind family not to eat that special cheese or other items as they are for Thanksgiving!

Plan an additional grocery store trip for Tuesday evening to get last minute items. By planning for it, you can pick up milk, eggs or any perishable items you may need. This is also the best time to pick up anything you might have forgotten.

Keep your non-perishable Thanksgiving items in one place (spices, flour, etc.) all in one place so you know you have them. You shouldn’t have to hunt around for them. This will help you find them so much more easily on Thursday.

Clean your kitchen and organize it so you are ready and comfortable to cook. You should have plenty of table and counter space to put out your pumpkin and apple pies as they cool. Prepare the space for what you will need.

Thanksgiving is now less than a week away. If you love to cook this is the ideal time to show off some of your very best recipes. Now is the time to prepare for the holiday so you can truly shine.

For Thanksgiving you’ll need recipes for h’ors deourves, soup, salad, turkey, side dishes and dessert. One of the very best things about Thanksgiving is that this is a time when we most often cook “family favorite” dishes again and again. We cook Grandma’s stuffing or Aunt Bee’s mashed yams. But sometimes it is a great time to try something fresh and new. A little variety every now and then is an ideal way to find a new family favorite. A way to start a new tradition for your Thanksgiving table.

The best way to add new dishes is to not replace “family favorites” but to look to other dishes at the table. Perhaps you don’t have a family favorite dessert. Dessert can be a fun way to start something new that can be a wonderful family tradition. Or even your salad course can be a delicious course that everyone will enjoy. The perfect salad is created from a recipe.

Go through your recipes this week and get organized for Thanksgiving. What new Thanksgiving traditions will you start this year?

Let’s face it: creating an entire Thanksgiving Day feast is tough! Any smart cook will make the meal easier on themselves in any way that they possibly can. One area where you can often do some easy cooking is with your appetizers or h’ors deourvres. These little starter snacks are often little bites that people enjoy just before a meal as they visit with friends and family.

One of the most important things about serving successful appetizers is you want some variety. Try to have at least two or three appetizers available. An easy appetizer to serve that involves no cooking – but that people love – is cheese and crackers. A slab of good cheese and crackers will be very popular. Those that are health conscious will be thrilled to see veggies and/or fruit with some light dip.

There are many types of appetizers you can make. Some of the most popular are stuffed mushrooms and Swedish meatballs. These appetizers are very quick to make and cook quite fast. Your guests will love their spicy and unique taste too!

Check out these videos to learn more about making stuffed mushrooms:

Or Swedish meatballs:

Many cooks look forward to holiday time, as this is the ideal time to give loved ones the gift of your holiday baking. Cookies, cakes, pies and homemade breads are popular treats. There are so many delicious holiday treats you can give your loved ones.

When you give holiday baking, you’ll want to keep some basic things in mind. It is critical to know if any loved ones have food allergies. Someone with a nut allergy can be severely affected by anything that even comes into contact with nuts, not just an item that has nuts. There also may be loved ones that are watching their weight or have other dietary restrictions. The more information you have, the better holiday baking gifts you’ll be able to give.

Just because someone has restrictions doesn’t mean you can’t bake for them. You simply need to have clear guidelines for them. In the case of nut allergies, you may want to ask someone for suggestions on how you can bake safely for them other than not using nuts – they may suggest you get a new cookie sheet that hasn’t been touched by nuts ever. This is an inexpensive sacrifice to make for the health of a loved one! If someone has dietary restrictions, ask them what they can and cannot eat and any suggestions on what they love to eat now. That can help you discover new recipes for them.

Many people are watching their weight and appreciate healthy style treats. Appropriate portions and treats that keep your waistline in mind will be welcome in any home. Attaching the recipe and an idea of how many calories are in the cookies or baked good is a wonderful idea.

Baked goods are a terrific gift. Don’t just drop a calorie laden, sugar filled treat that people can’t enjoy at their doorsteps and be surprised when they can’t eat it. Remember that people with dietary restrictions need to respect their needs year round to stay healthy. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and delicious treats!