Hello and welcome to this thing we’re doing where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and we’ll talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people. Last week, we went gluten-free for the holidays.

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Two years ago, I invited my family to come out to Chicago for Thanksgiving, to spend the holiday with my roommates and me. I also told my roommates to invite as many friends as they wanted, despite our limited number of chairs and despite having no dining table to speak of. Because I’m totally unbalanced, I also decided I was going to go ahead and cook everything myself. I began planning my dream menu, which included multiple kinds of potato and several pounds of butter. The shopping alone took two days. I even tried to bribe my neighbors into letting me borrow their oven so I could cook twice as much at once. (They declined, probably sensing it was crucial to maintaining my sanity.)

In the end, I survived,  but not before ruining my oven mitt with turkey drippings, burning my hand on a baking dish and frantically calling my mother for reassurance that I was not going to ruin the whole trip if there weren’t enough apples in the pie. I really truly nearly lost it when one of those friends-of-friends who came showed up with a spinach artichoke dip I hadn’t planned on serving. So yeah, cooking your first Thanksgiving can be pretty daunting.

Lucky for you, I’m here to help. The following are all the recipes you could need to plan your first Thanksgiving, from the appetizers to the after-dinner drinks.


Appetizers

1. Mini Twice Baked Potatoes

Mini twice baked potatoes

2. Tomato Tortellini Soup

Tomato tortellini soup

3. Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spinach and artichoke dip

4. Beet and Apple Salad

Beet and apple salad

5. Baked Thick Cut Seasoned Oven Fries

Baked thick cut seasoned oven fries

6. Honey Butter

Honey Butter

7. Beer Battered Onion Ring and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Beer battered onion rings

8. Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Thai spiced pumpkin soup

9. Warm Herb and Jam Goat Cheese Spread

Warm herb jam and goat cheese spread

10. Broccolini Salad

Broccolini salad

Main Course

11. IPA Brined Roast Turkey

IPA brined turkey

12. Pumpkin Pot Pie

Pumpkin pot pie

13. Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Buttermilk roast chicken

14. Mom’s Roast Turkey Recipe

Mom's roast turkey recipe

15. Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings

Quinoa stuffed acorn squash rings

16. Herbed Pork Rib Roast

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17. Lemongrass Braised Turkey Legs

Lemongrass braised turkey legs

 18. Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Balsamic-Sage Brown Butter

Balsamic glazed brown butter gnocchi

19. Pork, Collard Green and Persimmon Pot Pie

Pork collard green and persimmon pot pie

20. Vegetable Lasagna Casserole

Vegetable lasagna casserole

21. Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Garlic herb roasted chicken

Sides

22. Double Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce

23. Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Black bean and tomato quinoa

24. Crispy Sweet Potato Roast

Crispy sweet potato roast

25. Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta

Balsamic braised Brussels sprouts

26. Mushroom and Mash

Mushroom and mash

27. The Best Cranberry Sauce

Best Cranberry Sauce

28. Sweet Potato Bake

Sweet potato bake

29. Gruyere, Cheddar and Leek Macaroni and Cheese

Gruyere Cheddar Melted Leek mac and cheese

30. 30 Minute Rolls

Thirty minute rolls

31. Taterless Parmesan Zucchini Tots

Parmesan zucchini tots

32. Lemongrass Stuffing

Lemongrass stuffing

33. Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Perfect mashed potatoes

Dessert

34. Apple and Cheddar Scones

Apple and cheddar scones

35. Chocolate Chess Pie

Chocolate chess pie

36. Gingerbread Cookie Butter HoliGAY Cake

Gingerbread cookie butter holiGAY cake

37. Pecan Pie That’ll Make You Cry

Pecan Pie

38. Dairy Free Apple Cake

Apple cake

39. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate chocolate chip banana bread

40. Classic Pumpkin Pie With Pecan Praline Sauce

Pumpkin pie with pecan praline sauce

41. Chocolate Avocado Pudding

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42. Raspberry Coconut Girl Bait

Raspberry coconut girl bait

43. Pear and Cranberry Crumble

Pear and cranberry crumble

Drinks

44. Sparking White Cranberry Sangria

Sparking white cranberry sangria

45. Mulled Wine

Mulled wine

46. Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider

Mulled cranberry apple cider

 47. Irish Coffee

Irish coffee