I’m Thankful for you! And these people. 
And for all the food we’re making and having today and tomorrow and for leftovers and next week and through December and into 2019.
You get it. …
thanksgiving
Leftover Cranberry Turkey Salad
YUM YUM YUM. 
I’ve said it a gazillion times, but turkey is definitely not my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Appetizers and casseroles and wine are. Clearly.
I think that’s because turkey can be underwhelming, or dry, and it DEFINITELY doesn’t hold up as well in terms of leftovers like, say, some kind of buttery cheesy casserole does. Leftover turkey can be chewy and tough and just bland, but I’m NOT here to celebrate food waste, ever. So we had to do something wonderful with leftover turkey.
Add mayo, obviously was the answer. This turkey salad is so different from roast turkey from Thanksgiving day, and the addition of cranberries livens up the flavor for such a fun different twist. This would be so yummy for a brunch sometime this weekend, or on crackers/with greens for lunch or a snack. Plus: it’s pink!…
2018 Thanksgiving Menu
OMG OMG OMG. 
In a real world we probably can’t have all of these things for one meal. Or shouldn’t, at the very least. ButIwanttosobadseriously.
…
5-Minute Broiled Asparagus {vegan}
What do you do for your Thanksgiving re: green things or health considerations? 
Some people are all balance every day and some are more just casseroles is fine, thanks. We fall somewhere in the middle with a lot of “we do this every year” and me trying to shove new things into the mix. One thing that is normal for us is that my dad always does a “plain” green veg. Something free of bacon or cheese or condensed xx of yy soup, and it works so well with some of the heavier flavors we have on Thanksgiving.
This is that! A super simple, mostly pure veg. Lemon juice and olive oil and salt go so well with asparagus, and you can broil this right at the end of your meal prep right after you carve the turkey – seriously last minute stuff, even after the casseroles are reheated. The result is a charred lemon flavor that adds a ton to the asparagus without overpowering it, and the health benefits of, you know, anything green.
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5-Ingredient Baked Smashed Potatoes
Ok so we agree that the weather firmly dictates what we desire to eat, right? 
Because today it is pouring rain and freezing and dark AND it’s my first day alone with both kids, and is it too early to plan on making myself mashed potatoes for lunch? Or ordering a burger that costs $5 to be delivered for a 50% upcharge?
I’m not above it, is my point. Send funny memes.
Onward, though, in our Thanksgiving planning! We have about ten days to go, and these potatoes should a thousand percent be on your menu. They have very few ingredients and are ridiculously delicious thanks to a few tricks. The first trick is to boil the potatoes whole. This takes a bit (ok, a lot) longer, but the flavor of the potatoes stays IN them instead of floating out into the water, and the resulting texture is closer to a smashed baked potato, which I adore. The second “trick” is…a lot of butter and salt. I don’t know a different way to say that, but butter and salt make potatoes taste amazing, so we use a lot of it here.
For make-ahead purposes, these could be made easily on Monday or Tuesday of next week, and then baked right before you eat on Thursday. Starchy sides hold up so well in the fridge, and I love them for that reason – anything I can make in its entirety before the day of the big meal is a huge win. …