Festive Autumn Recipes: Thanksgiving Edition

Written by: Gabrielle Christensen

 

Photo Courtesy of Unsplash

 

It’s that time of year! Get out your scarfs and put on your jackets, November is finally here! It’s an occasion for spending time with family, hanging with friends, and of course eating all the delicious food. And with it being the season of giving, we thought we’d share our some our favorite festive fall recipes.  In honor of Turkey Day, here are our favorite, easy to make, creative takes on classic Thanksgiving dishes.

 

Pumpkin Pie to Pumpkin Cookies

 

Photo Courtesy of Lovely Little Kitchen

 

Obviously there is going to be pumpkin pie at thanksgiving, but one can only eat so much pie. So try something new! Pumpkin pie in cookie form. These soft cookies give that traditional pumpkin taste are and the ideal size for after a Thanksgiving feast.

 

Pumpkin Cookies

 

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Bake Time: 15 Minutes Total Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon (1 tsp for mix and 1 tsp for icing)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened


1 cup pure pumpkin


1 egg


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 cup powdered sugar

 

Instructions:

 

1. To begin, spray a baking sheet down with baking spray.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients into medium sized bowl.
3. In a large bowl beat together the sugar and butter. Once combined, mix in the vanilla, egg and pumpkin.
4. Gradually add in all of the dry ingredients into the sugar-butter mixture you’ve just made.
5. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or freeze and use on a later date.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll your dough out until a couple of centimeters thick. Use stencils to cut the cookies out or roll the dough into a ball to make puffier looking cookies.
7. Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoons of cinnamon. Dust the dough cut outs.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes.
9. Remove the cookies and allow to cool. Enjoy!

 

Stuffing to Cranberry Apple Relish

 

 

Photo Courtesy of Nourished Kitchen

 

Instead of traditional stuffing, try switching things up with Nourished Kitchen’s version of this Cranberry Apple Relish! This is relish is sweet, made with three different kinds of fruit. It’s sure to bring the perfect balance of sweet and savory when added to your salty turkey.

 



Cranberry Apple Relish

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Bake Time: N/A Total Time: 20 Minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

12 oz bag of cranberries

2 apples (of your choice, we recommend Fuji)

2 oranges

1 can of pineapple

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of pecans

 

Instructions:

 

1. First, wash the cranberries, apples, and oranges and dry.
2. Cut up the apples and oranges into chunks.
3. Combine the cranberries, apples, oranges, and pineapple, into a food processor and chop.
4. Put the mixture in a serving bowl.
5. Chop the pecans in the food processor and add to the serving bowl.
6. Stir all ingredients together and serve or refrigerate.

 

 

Sweet Potato Casserole to Savory Sweet Potato Boats

 

Photo Courtesy of Chez Us

 

Sweet potato casserole is a hit or miss for a lot of people, especially when it comes to the heaps of marshmallows piled on top. So in order to shake up the overwhelming presence of sweets during Thanksgiving, this sweet potato recipe from Chez Us brings a little spice to the mixture.

 



Savory Sweet Potato Boats

 

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Bake Time: 60 Minutes Total Time: 80 Minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

3 lb of sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of salt

1 package of Portobello mushrooms

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 white onion

1 8 oz container of sour cream

1 package of shredded Mexican cheese

 

Instructions:

 

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash the potatoes and cut into halves. Then core out the middle of each half.
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the sweet potatoes onto the tray.
4. Sprinkle the halves with a dash of salt and pepper, then drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto them.
5. Cover the halves with foil and place them in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the foil from the halves. Turn up the oven to 425 and bake the halves for an additional 10-15 minutes.
7. While the halves are baking, chop up the mushrooms, peppers, and onions into small pieces.
8. Combine the chopped mushrooms, peppers, and onions with the sour cream, creating a fluffy mixture.
9. Spoon a hefty spoonful mixture into the middle of the sweet potato halves.
10. Top the halves off with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and enjoy!