So maybe you have your menu solidified now (we do finally!) and you want to put it on a pretty menu for your guests? We’ve got you covered. Megan put together a beautiful menu for you – you can click below to download the menu to print for your Thanksgiving table!

In other news, I hope to get you a kitchen update this week, but in the meantime check back on Thursday for a live blog of the day!

Hey kiddos! This was supposed to go up on Thursday, but as you know I am currently living in a construction zone, and sometimes that means things get delayed because you’re at Home Depot in the evenings picking out paint colors.

Anyways, Thanksgiving is less than a week from now, and I thought I would put together a menu for you. Confession: by this time, I would normally already have a menu put together for myself, but I am only doing the turkey and mashed potatoes this year, so I haven’t yet, so we’re going into this together.

First of all, here are the foods I suggest you have at your meal:

Turkey & Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
2-3 vegetables sides, including Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Macaroni and Cheese – this may sound weird and out of place, but we somehow got in the habit of having it, and I must say it’s always a crowd pleaser – use a slow cooker to free up your oven and stove tops
Rolls or bread (we have garlic bread and it’s always bomb)
Pies – pumpkin, apple, pecan…you get the idea
Cider and Wine for drinking (not together…or together in delicious Sangria!)

But now, for the nitty gritty – the actual recipes. Here is what I think I am using this year:

Turkey – this is our turkey from 2012. Pardon it’s insane appearance. I like to keep it simple – I ordered my turkey, and will most likely stuff it with onions, lemon, and some thyme, then line the roasting pan with the neck (gross, I know, but it makes for delicious gravy!) and celery, onions, and rosemary and sage. I will rub the bird with butter before she goes in, and I will cook it on 425 the whole time because I am a rebel. Here’s a handy chart for how long you should roast your turkey depending on how big it is.

Mashed Potatoes – these are usually so easy we don’t even make a recipe, but it occurred to me that means we don’t even have one on the site for you, so this year I will remedy that. I plan on doing something similar to this recipe from Bon Appetit.

For stuffing, we tested two recipes last year – a Cornbread Sausage Stuffing and a Pear and Fennel Stuffing. We used cornbread for both, since we have a few gluten-free people at our table, but the cornbread is delicious and soaks up gravy like you wouldn’t believe.

For veggies sides, I have a lot of feelings. First of all, you definitely need Brussels sprouts somewhere. And, preferably, pomegranate. Then, I like other hearty veggies – root veggies, a mash of parsnips or sweet potatoes, you get the idea. Here is a handful of our fave recipes:

Brussels with Bacon Hash
Spiced Roasted Brussels 
Rosemary Roasted Veggies
Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Sauce
Paleo Parsnip Mash
Roasted Broccoli with Lemon
Herb Crusted Veggie Mash

I have to confess, I never really liked Cranberry Sauce but my mother-in-law made some simple cranberry sauce this year at our Thanksgiving (I know, be jealous, we get to celebrate twice this year) and it was really, really good. Luckily this year a friend is bringing her world-famous Cranberry Sauce so I don’t need to make it – but this recipe looks amazing.

I know it seems weird…but Macaroni and Cheese is a great addition to Thanksgiving. I promise. Just trust us. And for rolls? We recommend these Parker House Rolls or this Baked Herb Garlic Bread.

Now, for dessert – I love pies but other people bring them to us on the holiday. So I recommend this Pear Crisp as a crowd pleaser. Ice cream or mascarpone cheese with it is a must.  Other faves include PW’s Flat Apple Pie or of course, a Classic Pumpkin Pie.

We hope this helps you plan your menu for Thanksgiving, and we hope you’re as excited as we are for this week! Happy Most Wonderful Time of the Year, y’all!

And then it was half way through November – you guys, we can’t believe it! Here’s what’s on tap for this month’s November produce:

Beets
Carrots
Delicata Squash
Green Beans
Kale
Onions
Potatoes
Turnips

Here are some of our fave November recipes…

This Roasted Veggie & Arugula Salad is to die for. It incorporates a bunch of great fall root veggies, including beets – use golden ones if you’re worried about staining things.

Noticing a theme? These Roasted Carrots & Quinoa Salad is another great fall melody of veggies galore – try it with purple carrots or even parsnips!

This Kale Caesar Mendo Copycat is a really great after-vacation (or Thanksgiving) recipe to get you back on the healthy eating train. Without sacrificing too much, of course. You can even use leftover turkey instead of chicken, if you desire!

This Caramelized Onion and Gouda Grilled Cheese is great alongside a chili or other soup on these chilly winter nights…or just throw the caramelized onion directly into ANY soup for a treat!

What is your fave thing to cook in November?

Hey chickens! Another week, another breakfast in bread post I did for Joie de Vivre Hotels! This week’s recipe is all about brain food, inspired by the smartest hotel I know of: The Epiphany Hotel in downtown Palo Alto.

It’s flush with user-friendly tech and the kind of futuristic amenities you never knew you always wanted—and still, it remembers its roots, with design elements made with natural materials and guest rooms that look out toward the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Now, Silicon Valley is known for its ambition and its genius, its power players and game changers. But none of that can come about on an empty stomach. So, first: breakfast. Enter this power bowl, chock-full of fruit and calcium-rich yogurt, with superfood açai juice poured in for good measure. Paired with a cup of turmeric tea, it’s a fresh, healthy start for movers and shakers—whether your schedule includes pitching your startup to the world, or just picnicking in the California sunshine.

For the full recipe, check out JDV’s blog, Joyride, here!

In case you didn’t know, we’re mid-renovation on our house, which means no kitchen. No matter, since I’m headed east this weekend for a wedding and to see some of my family, but in the wake of reno and travel comes a pang for Thanksgiving prep. So I hope you’ll enjoy this repost from last season – this is one of our fave holiday recipes, and we think it’ll quickly become a staple at your Thanksgiving.

*****

The month of Thanksgiving is here, and many of you already know that it’s our favorite holiday. If your typical Thanksgiving is anything like ours, it’s a group effort. What is better than a potluck style meal? But technology has changed – now invitations come via email, and sometimes those emails go to your junk box. Suddenly you’re RSVPing to your Thanksgiving dinner a few days after everyone else…and someone is already signed up to make your signature dish.

So, what do you do? You don’t want to have four green bean casseroles at your meal, but Thanksgiving isn’t the time to be trying out new recipes and seeing if people like them. Thanksgiving is about the classics done right, about pies so famous that they are lusted after year round. So what do you do?

You make a new classic. And that’s where we come in – we’re here to save you from the woes of being stuck bringing the canned cranberry sauce or – God forbid – the dessert plates.

This Brussels Sprout Hash with Bacon will give any Green Bean Casserole a run for its money. It’s full of chard and Brussels sprouts, but the bacon gives it some flavor power – making it one of our fave things.

Add this to your arsenal for the big day. You won’t regret it. What are you guys cookin’ up for the holiday this year?