This post has been updated from its original posting on October 28, 2013, when SNFD was just about a year old.

Life has changed substantially since 2013. My kids have grown up, married, and live far afield. So for the last few years, I have not hosted Thanksgiving. Blasphemy, I know. For 40 years, I hosted Thanksgiving celebrations, both big and small. Sometimes there were a dozen of us, and other times there were four dozen. Sometimes we celebrated on actual Thanksgiving, and sometimes we had fake Thanksgiving earlier in the year so I could develop Thanksgiving recipes in time to post for actual Thanksgiving.  Fake Thanksgiving had a lot of fans. There was something fun and whimsical about eating roast turkey in August or September.

Thanksgiving circa 2016 with my daughter Lauren, co-founder of SNFD

We had a ton of fun hosting those huge gatherings. All my kids, their spouses, my husband and usually a friend or two would help with the preparations. It was controlled chaos as we slaved away at our various tasks. The last few gatherings we had, everything was so dialed in that we would take a mid-day paddleboard break, which included a stop at Billy's at the Beach for one of their famous mai tais. I know, only in California!

The past few Thanksgivings we have spent with my childhood friend, Jean, her siblings, and their growing families. This family was my second family growing up, so it is always lovely to catch up with them. Jean orders the entire meal, and we spend the day hanging out, playing games, hiking, and walking. Her focus is on enjoying each other and not worrying about the cooking. I always bring dessert for the crowd, as I genuinely could not bear to go empty-handed.

The point of all this reminiscing is that I loved the Thanksgiving celebration when we were younger and do miss those days when it was easy to get everyone around the table together. But I also enjoy these new Thanksgivings, where I am no longer responsible for everything and can show up and just enjoy. I thought you might enjoy reading my younger thoughts  as well as the Thanksgiving recipes I posted way back in 2013.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Thoughts From 2013

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I love Thanksgiving because it is all about my three favorite things - Family, Friends and Food. No costumes, no gifts, no cards, just family friends and food.

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Thanksgiving - the Perfect Imperfect Meal

Thanksgiving is a big tradition in our house. I have been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for more than 30 years. That number is a little shocking, but feels like a real accomplishment. Every year we have opened our home to family, friends, neighbors, friends-of-friends, and anyone who didn't have a place to go for turkey. The numbers have waxed and waned over the years, but in general, we sit down with 12 to 20 people for a cacophonic, chaotic, and communal meal.   By the time everything is ready to serve, much of the food is cold. Sometimes the turkey is great, sometimes it is so-so. We have forgotten to serve the cranberry sauce, failed to make decent gravy, overcooked the turkey, and the first time my daughter Margo made pumpkin pies she forgot to add the sugar. No one said a thing, they just hit the apple pies extra hard. Weirdly, my nephew Parker thought it was the best pumpkin pie he had ever eaten!   And the dishes, oh my gosh, the mountains of dishes!   Yet for me, I will be deeply blessed if I have the good fortune to host another 30 Thanksgivings. Thanksgiving is the perfect, imperfect meal.

Thanksgiving tradition and a chance to try something new

There are a few Thanksgiving dishes that my family insists on every year, but we always throw in a couple new dishes to keep things interesting. In the coming weeks, I will post a series of Thanksgiving dishes, including vegetables, cranberry sauce, soups, pies, stuffing, a great turkey brine, and instructions for how to make great Thanksgiving tabletop arrangements using stemless wine glasses. For those who want to get an early start on their Thanksgiving planning, below are Something New For Dinner recipes from our archives that I personally recommend for your Thanksgiving meal.

Vegetables

Pascal's green beans

These easy beans can be made ahead of time and are meant to be served at room temperature. No worries about keeping them hot!

Beet and kale gratin

If you don't try this gorgeous gratin for Thanksgiving, be sure to serve it sometime over the holidays. Even if you are not a beet lover, this dish will convert you.

Potatoes gratin

Skip the mashed potatoes and serve these make-ahead potatoes instead. Read my method post that will show you how to make potatoes gratin variations without a recipe. This picture shows the difference between a gratin made with cream vs. one made with milk.

Cheesy corn custard

These easy corn cups make for a great Thanksgiving side dish.

Salads

Butter lettuce salad with fines herbes and walnut oil dressing

This very simple and vibrant salad is a great palate cleanser that helps lighten the Thanksgiving load. It is one of my all time favorite salads.  

Spinach pomegranate salad with basil croutons

This gorgeous salad is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make sure you read my post on how to seed pomegranates without a mess.

Orange butter lettuce salad with walnuts and feta

Light and fresh, this salad is another great palate cleanser that lightens up the Thanksgiving load.

Avocado massaged kale with oranges and toasted pumpkin seeds 

A sturdier salad, but a good choice, particularly if you have vegans or vegetarians in the crowd.

Desserts

Molasses ginger cookies

It took many years to perfect these cookies. Without overstating, I now think they are perfect. Chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside and with buttery, ginger and molasses goodness. My late daughter Margo embraced these cookies and was famous for gifting batches of these to friends and family.

Apple crumble

This quick dessert is always appreciated and much easier than pie. Take it over the top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The recipe makes enough crumble topping for two desserts. Use half and freeze half so you can whip up another crumble later in the time it takes you to prep the apples.

Pumpkin flan

This picture doesn't do this flan justice. It is amazingly creamy, not too sweet, and the cayenne-seasoned pumpkin seeds take it over the top. It is the perfect dessert for that gluten-free guest.

Hawaiian chocolate bread pudding

This bread pudding is not very Thanksgiving-ish, but if you have chocolate lovers in the crowd, this dessert always elicits oohs, ahhs and other assorted groans of satisfaction. Better yet, it takes about 10 minutes of preparation.  

Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake

I added this Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake recipe as a part of the update. It is a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie. You can make it a day or three in advance, which is always helpful on Thanksgiving.  

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey

Yes, there is a turkey under that woven bacon jacket. This was SNFD's biggest recipe ever. Everyone loved it, because what is not better with bacon? We held contests and people sent in pictures of their bacon-wrapped turkeys. It was a great centerpiece as well as center of conversations. And it was fun to make.

2 different cooks, 2 different bacon-wrapped turkeys

    Enjoy! Kim At Something New For Dinner.