Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to get together. We all have our favorite foods that we hope to see for turkey dinner, and we wanted to share some of our favorites with you!

Kate

After I married my husband, we moved away to Vandenburg, California, for his training. There, we spent our first Thanksgiving together in our tiny apartment. Before this, I had never cooked a turkey in my life; my mom always did, and she always used this pre-bought brine that was expensive and nowhere to be found, so I stumbled upon this Apple Cider Turkey Brine recipe. It’s a bit of work, but it is totally worth it! It is the best to make your turkey, moist, delicious, and flavorful. I’ve been using it for over 15 years now, but it is still my tried and true brine recipe.

Lasonja – No Thanksgiving is complete without this delicious Mac & Cheese Recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup 2 ounces shredded mild Cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup 2 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup 2 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup 8 ounces Velveeta, cut into small cubes
  • ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set it aside.
  2. Combine Cheddar cheese and Monterey jack in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Then, prepare your elbow macaroni.
  4. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook. Drain the noodles and add the drained noodles to a large bowl.
  5. Pour melted butter over the noodles and stir into the macaroni.
  6. Then add the half-and-half eggs, half the shredded cheese, Velveeta cheese, the seasoned salt, and pepper to the noodles, and stir to thoroughly combine.
  7. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese mixture.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling. Serve hot and enjoy.

Jenn

Oh, my YUM! We tend to put on a good-sized spread when Thanksgiving rolls around, as you can see! I have crockpots all lined up in varying shapes and sizes. The day is about the 5 F’s…family, friends, food, fellowship, and, of course, football! We have a grand time together and hope you do too! (Wanna know a family secret? We like doing Thanksgiving at supper time, so then NOBODY has to be up early to worry about the meal!)

Having said all of that…my mom makes the absolute BEST Dressing around (notice it is closest to the camera)! So, I wanted to share the recipe with you! She has been making it this way since before I became a military spouse…That’s A LOT of years ago! We have always tried to make time at Thanksgiving to be together, which we were blessed to be able to do for the majority of his military career.

Cassi

We really love Smothered Green Beans! It is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients:

  • 3 (15 oz) cans drained green beans
  • 1/2 lb of cooked bacon chopped
  • 2/3 cup of your favorite brown sugar substitute or brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup if melted butter
  • 1/4 cup of coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce if you prefer
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Cook bacon until almost done. Remove from skillet and drain. Chop.
  • Add green beans to 9×13 inch pan
  • Stir together brown sugar substitute, melted butter, coconut aminos, and garlic powder.
  • Pour mixture over green beans.
  • Bake for 40 minutes
  • Enjoy!

Then, while pumpkin pie is the norm when it comes to dessert, my picky eaters ask for seconds when I make these Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars!

Kristyn

Of course we have mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner, but we also really enjoy the Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole! It’s the perfect mix of sweet & savory that I want on turkey day!

My kiddos don’t love pumpkin pie like we do, so we moved to a less traditional dessert for our Thanksgiving meal!

Crockpot Apple or Cherry Cobbler

Ingredients:

  • 1 can pie filling
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • 1 Boxed Cake Mix

Directions:

  • Place pie filling into crockpot.
  • Mix butter and cake mix – texture will be crumbly.
  • Place cake mix mixture in crockpot over pie filling.
  • Cook on low for 2-3 hours.
  • Serve with a scoop of ice cream & Enjoy!

Rachel

I really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, but my favorite is making a delicious leftover meal!

Ingredients:

  • 1 sub roll or sandwich bread
  • 1/2 tablespoon low-fat mayo
  • 2 1/2 ounces leftover turkey breast shredded
  • 1/8 cup leftover stuffing
  • 1 tablespoon leftover cranberry sauce

Directions:

  • Spread your mayo onto your bread.
  • Layer on the turkey and stuffing.
  • Top with cranberry sauce.

This can be served warmed or cold. If you prefer warm, then heat the stuffing and turkey separately before placing on the bread.

Lily

So, this is not a traditional Thanksgiving day food, but we still bring it every year! It’s guacamole! Yep, you read that right! Guacamole! It’s the crowd favorite to munch on while we wait for dinner to be ready! Plus, Lily is part Mexican, so it is great to share her culture during Friendsgiving!

What are your favorite foods when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner? Share with us in the comments!

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