Easy Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner & Shortcuts

Easy Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner & Store-Bought Shortcuts. For planning Thanksgiving dinner this year, I want to say you don't have to make it complicated.

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Whether this is your first time hosting Thanksgiving or you've been doing it for years, I think the best Thanksgiving meals are the ones where you can't wait to eat!

But honestly? Pick the foods your family loves, make a plan, and don't be afraid to take a few shortcuts. Before I get into the food, let's talk about why the United States celebrates Thanksgiving.

Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, traditionally centered on gratitude, family, food, and community. The holiday's history is connected to harvest celebrations in colonial New England.

A famous 1621 harvest gathering in Plymouth, Massachusetts, involving English colonists and members of the Wampanoag people is often described as an early Thanksgiving. Over time, Thanksgiving developed into a broader American tradition of gathering with family and friends, sharing a meal, and giving thanks.

In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be observed in November. Congress later established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. Today, people celebrate Thanksgiving in many different ways. For some families, it's deeply connected to tradition and religion, and also a time to spend time with loved ones and enjoy a really good meal.

Planning Your Thanksgiving Dinner

I know planning a Thanksgiving feast can feel overwhelming. You have to figure out how much of a whole turkey to buy, what side dishes to make, when everything needs to go into the oven, and how you're going to fit it all together. But most of all, in our day and time, the cost of the meal. Will it break the bank? 

My best advice is to keep it simple. Start with your Thanksgiving menu and make a grocery list. That will make it easy to figure out how much the meal will cost. I use my grocery stores' Publix app and BJ's and Whole Foods apps to see what's on sale and where to buy what for the best price, but let's not eliminate Dollar General. They have some of the same items from the grocery store at a much cheaper cost.

We stay home for Thanksgiving because of the dogs. It's too expensive to board and too much trouble to travel with one of my problem-child dogs. I feel like the holidays are to give thanks to God for what we are about to receive. Not to stress myself to death so that I forget what these days mean to me and my family. Ever since I have done this, they have been the best holidays by far.  Then I meet up with my neighbor, and we go for a long walk till the sun goes down; my husband is usually napping or watching football.

If you're cooking for a smaller group, you don't need to make every single traditional dish. We have also ordered out on some of the Thanksgiving dinners, and that has been interesting, but this year, with prices so high at restaurants. We will be making it at home.

Thanksgiving Turkey

For many families, roast turkey is the main event. For a long time, I would try to cook a turkey, but I have to say, for one, it's not my favorite thing to do. I live in Florida, and having a turkey cook for 4 hours just makes the house super hot. Keep in mind, where you live determines how easy it is to cook. There is also the fried turkey method, but I don't like the taste. 

 A Thanksgiving turkey needs time to thaw, season, roast, and rest before carving. So the time that you need just to cook the bird is enough to make me bonkers. So here is the best way that I do it: I buy turkey in pieces and cook it like I would chicken. This is perfect when you're cooking for 4 people, or maybe it's just you and your partner. This has been a game changer and much easier to handle. It comes out delicious and juicy. Trust me, nobody wants to be frantically carving a turkey while everyone else is waiting for dinner!

If you're having a larger group, there are plenty of turkey recipes, but I have turned to Honey Baked Ham for my Thanksgiving turkey. They have, in my opinion, the best turkey and ham. It may cost more, but what a relief it is when all you are doing is side dishes and pies. You get plenty of delicious turkey without cooking an enormous bird in the home. Stores near you >

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Let's be honest, the turkey may be the main course, but the Thanksgiving sides are what I get really excited about. Here are some of the classic sides put on my Thanksgiving table.

• Mashed potatoes: Creamy, buttery, and perfect with gravy.
• Green beans: A  favorite of mine; just boil, and a little butter with bacon bits is the perfect side.
• Sweet potato casserole: This is my version without brown sugar and maple syrup. My husband is a diabetic.
• Stuffing: I buy it in a box, and it is none other than Stove Top
• Cranberry Sauce: I make one from a very old recipe that is called Cranberry Salad, very different from sauce but much tastier.
• Brussels sprouts: I roast them until they're golden brown and crispy. With olive oil, salt, and that is it.
• Dinner rolls: my favorite recipe is coming soon!
• Fresh salad with butternut squash: A simple salad gives everyone something fresh and light alongside the richer dishes.
• Mac & Cheese: My mother's recipe that my husband loves!

You don't have to make all of these. Pick your favorites! That's one of the things I love about Thanksgiving. Every family has those favorite dishes that absolutely have to be on the table.

Thanksgiving Pies

Whether you bought them or made them from scratch, pies are part of the Thanksgiving meal! In upstate New York, there is a place that my husband's family went to for years called Grandma's Pie & Restaurant, but it unfortunately closed in Upstate New York.

That is what his mom did because she felt that was the thing she could buy. There is always a pie place in every town in America that makes pies, so don't feel like you need to make pie. But if you do, here are some of my favorites that I have made over the years, and I prefer an apple pie and southern pecan pie on that day. As for my husband, I make fruit pies with seasonal fruit that I have frozen during the summer. This has become a tradition, and strawberry pie is by far my husband's favorite.

And please don't feel like you have to make everything from scratch. If making homemade pie crust is going to make your Thanksgiving stressful, buy one. Seriously. I buy mine during this time because I prefer to focus on making bread that day.

Cranberry Walnut Bread with Sourdough Discard

To me, there is nothing better than fresh bread with butter on top for any holiday season.

Thanksgivings Leftovers

Personally, I think leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. There's leftover turkey for sandwiches, turkey soup, casseroles, salads, and all kinds of easy recipes.

Save some of those mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, and turkey for the next day and turn them into something completely different. You might even find that you enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers almost as much as the original meal!

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Recipes

I may not make my pumpkin pie, but I do make pumpkin recipes. These are quick and easy, perfect for pasta and desserts where you can fill pumpkin flavor not just for Thanksgiving but for the whole holiday season.

What people will remember is sitting around the holiday table, laughing, talking, eating their favorite dishes, and spending time together. So make the Thanksgiving feast you actually want to make. Choose easy Thanksgiving recipes when you need them. Buy the pie if you're short on time. Let people bring a dish. Thanksgiving can be a lot of work if you let it, so take a new twist and buy some of the items. After all these years that I have made Thanksgiving dinner or visited family, it used to be so stressful until I figured out what worked for me. Until next time, my beautiful friends, as my quest for the perfect bite continues. As they say in America, "Happy Thanksgiving."