8 Great Sources for Easy-to-Follow Thanksgiving Recipes

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As you sift through Thanksgiving recipes online, do you find yourself squinting at the computer screen thinking, “well . . . I think I could make that”?

Yeah, me too. The instructions for a lot of recipes out there, especially ones from big databases like Cooks.com, aren’t always very clear. It doesn’t help that a lot of them don’t include pictures (or at least very good ones) either.

With that in mind, I put together a list of sites that feature clear, easy-to-follow holiday recipes and good explanatory photos. Make sure to take a peek as you plan your Thanksgiving menus.

1) Good Life Eats

Sample recipe: Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping

2) The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Sample recipe: Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

3) Cooking with My Kid 

Sample recipe: Make-Ahead Asparagus

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Posted by Lacey

Make Holiday Meals Easier by Customizing Store-Bought Side Dishes: 6 Mini Recipes

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Hello, everyone! I’m back from vacation and already planning ahead for next month. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is fast approaching? To get ready I’ve been thinking about ways to make holiday meals fun and easy.

One way to minimize stress and cooking time but still serve the special foods that make the holidays memorable is to customize store-bought side dishes. These quick stir-in suggestions and mini-recipes make it easy to whip up the dishes you look forward to every year:

1) Add praline pecan or marshmallows topping to store-bought mashed sweet potatoes. Directions: heat mashed sweet potatoes according to package directions and then transfer to a casserole or glass baking dish.

For praline pecan topping: stir 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans together in a bowl and then sprinkle over the sweet potatoes; bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

For marshmallow topping (AKA candied yams): sprinkle mini-marshmallows evenly over sweet potatoes, and then bake at 350°F until marshmallows are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

2) Stir diced dried tropical fruit, chopped fresh orange segments, or thawed frozen blueberries to store-bought cranberry sauce or cranberry relish. Directions: roughly chop fruit and thaw if necessary. Stir into cranberry sauce or relish. If desired, heat in a heavy saucepan over low to medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

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Posted by Lacey

Ten Fall Foods in Season Now + Easy Autumn Recipes

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When you think of fall, what kinds of foods come to mind? Apples and pumpkins are iconic autumn ingredients, but many other delicious fruits and vegetables in season now, too—some you may not have even tried before! Enjoy the many flavors of fall with these easy recipes for in-season produce:

1) Quince

Quinces are too tart to be eaten raw but cooking makes them mellow & delicious. For baked quinces, slice the fruit in half, scoop out the seeds, and place in a baking dish cut-side-up. Cover each quince half with 1-2 tablespoons of butter, sprinkle generously with sugar, and then add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla pudding.

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2) Chanterelle mushrooms

Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms; next, add a tablespoon of butter to a pan and heat over medium/medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 10-12 minutes. Stir the cooked mushrooms into store-bought stuffing or serve over meat dishes like grilled steak and braised chicken.

3) Parsnips

A relative to the carrot, parsnips are sweeter than their orange cousins but can be substituted for them in most recipes. For basic cooked parsnips, wash, peel, and dice; then steam or boil until tender, about ten minutes. You can also add them to soups and stews–just wait until near the end of the cooking time so they don’t get mushy.

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Posted by Lacey

How to Make Cooking not Feel like a Chore: 7 Tips

Does the thought of fixing dinner make you heave a deep sigh? It’s understandable: we all have a lot on our plates, and even if you normally love cooking it’s easy to fall into a rut from time to time. When cooking feels like a chore, try these tips for making it more enjoyable:

2: Anticipate

Research has shown that anticipating something gives you a happiness boost. Meanwhile, a recent study by The Richards Group that said “at 4:00 PM each say, 80% of Americans don’t know what they’re having for dinner.” To enjoy cooking more, try planning out what you’re going to have for dinner each evening so you can look forward to it throughout the day. (Personally, I like to hang a list of meals for the week on the fridge—it also saves me from having to answer “what’s for dinner?” all the time.)

2: Downsize

Give yourself official permission to make dinners that are good enough—you shouldn’t feel like you have to cook elaborate meals perfectly and from scratch. The pressure of feeling like you must follow a recipe exactly and measure, chop, and prepare everything perfectly can be exhausting at the end of a long day. To combat this, look for shortcuts like five-ingredient recipes, easy ingredients like pre-chopped veggies and ready-made side dishes, and try customizing store-bought salads.

3: Experiment

The chemistry and physical processes of cooking are surprisingly fascinating, and many websites and books provide interesting “experimental” recipes you can try for yourself. Check out The Science of Cooking: Kitchen Lab or some of Alton Brown’s books, like I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking.

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Posted by Lacey