Thanksgiving – one of my favorite holidays is just a few days away. Yay!!!
I took over hosting Thanksgiving from my mom for years now. We’re both pretty happy about the arrangement. I love to cook and she loves to help! She’s in charge of making the turkey so I get everything ready for her and she comes over in the morning to get it done. We’re not one of those families that starts cooking in the middle of the night to have Thanksgiving at noon. We still eat at regular dinner time so there’s not as much of a rush.
We’re home cooking and watching the parade usually with the help of my younger daughter while my older one goes to the city to see the parade either with friends or my husband. When they get back we have butternut squash soup for lunch and then it’s all hands on deck with cleaning and setting up the table.
If you’re like me and still haven’t shopped yet, you may be feeling overwhelmed especially if this is your first time hosting Thanksgiving. I’m sharing a few easy recipes that I usually make that you’ll definitely be able to pull off. I posted them on my old blog a while ago but still continue to make them with slight variations since my daughter decided to go vegan a couple of years back.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
If you think you don’t like brussels sprouts it’s because you haven’t roasted them! They’re so good! No changes here and it’s also vegan.
Garlic String Beans
Also vegan, super easy and healthier than the traditional green bean casserole. I never got into that one!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
As I mentioned we eat this for lunch but you can definitely add this to your dinner menu. To make this one vegan omit the butter, swap out chicken broth for vegetable broth and eliminate the heavy cream or use a plant based milk. Sometimes along with the scallions I also garnish with crispy fried shallots. I like the crunchy texture!
Potato Puffs
To make things easier I just make this in one pan rather than the individual puffs but you can decide how you want to make it. To veganize this one I use canola oil instead of butter to saute the onions. I don’t even put milk or an egg in anymore but you can def use a plant based milk if you want. I find the sauteed onion with the oil adds enough moisture to mash the potatoes.
Let me know if you make any of these or if you have any questions about the recipes.
I also wanted to give you some photo tips for capturing this special day.
Document, Don’t Direct
This isn’t the time to try and get things perfect. These are personal family photos to capture memories, not professional images for a client. It’s more about documenting the day from start to finish and watching how it unfolds. You can use your DSLR if you have one but honestly your phone is probably a lot easier.
Start a Tradition
One of our traditions is to get a group shot at the table right before we eat. They always complain about it because at this point they’re really hungry but afterward they always like to look at it. Get your camera or phone set up ahead of time so you can do it quickly. Everyone tries to sit where they sat the previous year so it’s always fun to look back to see how the kids have grown and to remember the other guests that came previous years.
Use a Self Timer
For years I would be the one to take the photo but guess what – I was never in the picture! It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I could set up my tripod and put it on a self timer so I could actually be in it!
Delegate
If you’ll be in the kitchen all day keep your phone or camera nearby so you can take pics as you go along but better yet, why not delegate it to one of your other family members?!? I mean the kids love being on the phone anyway so it shouldn’t be too much to ask. With other people taking pictures this will ensure you’ll be in some!
Food, food and more food!
We all know what the star of this holiday is, right?!? We all love food photos but these are more for a purpose. I like to take pictures of the food because I don’t always remember what I’ve made from year to year! (Like these Rice Krispie drumsticks from a few years back – completely forgot!)
This helps me when I plan the menu. Most things stay the same but I like to try at least one new dish each year. This year my older daughter is requesting mac n cheese which I know isn’t new for Thanksgiving but it is for our family! I’m looking for a new veggie recipe as well so if you have one that you love, do tell!
I remember I had this photo cheat sheet I created a while back. I updated it a bit and now you can download it here if you want other ideas for documenting your own Thanksgiving. Click the image to download and print.
I upload all of my personal photos to Amazon Prime so I have them all in one place to easily look back on from year to year.
Do you have any special traditions or favorite recipes for your Thanksgiving?
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