We ALL love a good (fill in the blank) during Thanksgiving. It’s that dish we look forward to. That fall drink only your favorite uncle can make. That Pumpkin Spice cake that is now gluten free because we had to tweak the recipe for Dad. Whatever it is, holiday food gives us a sense of nostalgia.

These terrific recipes can clearly go through Thanksgiving straight to the Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah brunch or dinner table. Why not enjoy the holiday season with great dishes that match those family movie nights or Hallmark movie moments, friend and family get togethers, and even office potlucks!

Here are some of our favorites for the Thanksgiving holiday:

A Cute Charcuterie

Charcuterie Board

Pick your favorite sweet or savory snacks and go hog wild on the charcuterie board! This Pre Thanksgiving dinner smash hit is sure to keep your early dinner eaters and snackers fully fulfilled. You can even opt to make one specific for the kids (think fruit, fruit snacks, chocolate covered pretzels, cheeses, yogurt, etc.).

Some items to add to any amazing board:

Trader Joes Assortment Crackers

Brie, Goat, Cheddar, Jalapeno, or Mozzerella Cheese

Dates

Nuts

Fruit (grapes, pears, dried fruits)

Chocolate covered or yogurt covered _________

Get creative :)

A Thanksgiving Duo

Yes, the Thanksgiving holiday brings those must have traditional combos we’ve all come to know and love to plates everywhere.  Turkey and cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy are high on the list. However, our EnCorps leader loves a good Bloody Mary and Pumpkin bread.  This kickstart to the day is best served during meal prep.

Pumpkin Quick Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 C Sugar
  • 1 C Oil
  • 4 Eggs, beaten
  • 2 C Pumpkin
  • 3 1/2 C Flour
  • 1tsp Baking Powder
  • 2tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
  • 1tsp Cinnamon
  • 1tsp Allspice
  • 1tsp Nutmeg
  • 2/3 Water

Combine sugar, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin. Sift together dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Add water and mix again. Pour into three greased and floured loaf pans. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Dressing It Up

You either love it or can live without it, but Thanksgiving dressing is an EnCorps staff favorite. The general consensus is Cornbread Stuffing for the win. Here we’ve got two winners–one recipe with sausage and one meatless. Both are delish.

Cornbread Stuffing (no meat)

  • Make Trader Joe’s Cornbread Stuffing. 
  • Saute in olive oil – onions, shallots, celery, mushrooms, cashews
  • Salt, pepper, and instead of the TJ’s seasoning, use lots of Bell’s Seasoning or substitute regular poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, pepper, nutmeg) to your taste.
  • Warmed up vegetable or chicken broth instead of water.
  • Make it early so you can sample it all day before dinner – cook’s prerogative!
  • At dinner, slather in gravy.

Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage

Ingredients

  • 1 family size 13 x 9  pan of cornbread (make it ahead of time and add ¼ cup of sugar to the recipe.)
  • 1 lb of sausage
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 celery stalks (2 cups)
  • ½ cup of butter
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning or more to taste

Pre heat oven to 350. Crumble the cornbread into small pieces then add to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Cook and crumble the sausage until cooked through and nicely browned. Drain fat. Add to the bowl of cornbread. Don’t mix. Saute onion and celery in butter  for 5 min or so on medium to medium low heat. Add veggies and butter to bowl of cornbread. Don’t mix yet.  Combine chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt and poultry seasoning in a mixing bowl then whisk till smooth. Pour broth mixture into bowl with cornbread mixture and gently stir and fold well until combined. Spray 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and spoon the mixture into the dish. Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.

*If you like red bell pepper, add to the veggie mix.

This Takes The Cake

Want a dessert that feels and looks like pumpkin cheesecake cake? Then this is your new Thanksgiving jam. Thank you Paula Deen for creating one of our staff’s favorite desserts! We’ll all be trying this one!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Cake

  • 1(18 1/4 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

  • 1(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1(15 ounce) can pumpkin
  • 3eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1(16 ounce) box powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1teaspoon nutmeg

Pat batter into a lightly greased 13×9-inch baking pan with hands into an even layer. Prepare filling.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream or cinnamon-flavored ice cream

Best Thanksgiving Collab

Chocolate and Cinnamon make for a perfect spice blend. This holiday favorite offers the collab in a treat for the taste buds. Shout out to Bon Appetit for this fantastic Babkallah Dough. 

Ingredients

  • ½cup whole milk
  • 1¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled, plus more
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more

Filling and Assembly

  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • ⅓cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • All-purpose flour (for surface)
  • ¼cup (½ stick) unsaltedbutter, room temperature
  • 1large egg yolk
  • Granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
  • Step 1- Heat milk in a small saucepan until warm. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in yeast; let sit until foamy, 5–10 minutes.
  • Step 2- Whisk in egg yolks, vanilla, and ½ cup butter. Add sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour; mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until supple, smooth, and no longer shiny, 5–10 minutes.
  • Step 3 – Transfer to a large buttered bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½–2½ hours.
  • Step 4- Mix chocolate, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • Step 5 – Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide into three portions. Shape each into a 12”-long rope. Roll out each rope to a 12×6” rectangle about ⅛” thick. Brush with butter and top with chocolate mixture, pressing gently. Roll up to form a log; pinch seam to seal.
  • Step 6 -Place logs, seam side down, side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pinch logs together at one end; braid, then pinch ends together and tuck under. Cover loosely and let sit in a warm place until 1½ times larger, 1–2 hours.
  • Step 7 – Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Brush dough with egg wash; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until top is golden brown and “Babkallah” sounds hollow when bottom is tapped, 35–45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Post Thanksgiving Favorite

Turkey sandwiches, or tacos, or omelettes…. These are just some of the things we’ve done with our leftovers from Thanksgiving. However, we’ve also opted for an all day snack like Maple Bread Pudding, which according to our EnCorps Comms leader is a winner. She took this one from Chef Anne Burrell 8 years ago and it’s been a family holiday staple ever since.

Maple Pumpkin Bread Pudding

  • 3 cups canned pumpkin puree (or one 4-pound pumpkin, preferably a sugar pumpkin)
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing
  • 1 loaf challah, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 cups)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  • ½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

[SKIP THIS STEP IF USING CANNED PUMPKIN PUREE] Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cut pumpkin into quarters, place on a baking sheet, and roast until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool (this can be done a day or two ahead). Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove the seeds, and puree flesh in a food processor. 

To make the pudding, preheat oven temperature to 325˚F.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla, and mix well.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add bread, walnuts, and cranberries and toss to combine. Pour pumpkin mixture on top and let sit 30 minutes.

Bake until custard is set, 50 to 55 minutes.