Kick-Off Your Thanksgiving Countdown With This Checklist (And These Recipes Adored By The Internet)
They were the most talked about, the most pinned, the most searched, the Thanksgiving recipes so popular that they earned the top place in Google’s mysterious algorithm and got a ton of clicks.
And judging by the number of positive reviews and upvotes, the eating was pretty fantastic as well. So chances are, your entire family will love them too.
From casserole dishes to comfort food favorites, we’re rounding up the most popular Thanksgiving recipes from the Internet. Be sure to add them to your Thanksgiving Countdown Checklist (click here to jump to the list!)! They are sure to make a holiday meal that is delicious and vetted by home chefs everywhere.
Plan Your Thanksgiving Countdown Using These Tried, Tested, and True Recipes
Thanksgiving Turkey
Cooking the turkey is one of those things that many people find intimidating. There’s the defrosting, the removal of the innards, and the fact that not doing all of these things correctly can either lead to undercooked turkey or overcooked turkey. Neither is a pleasant proposition, especially after hours of work and many hungry tummies seated at the table.
It is perhaps, for this reason, that Tastes Better From Scratch’s recipe for Thanksgiving turkey is so popular. With over 5k pins on Pinterest and almost a whopping 200k monthly visits. Why? Perhaps it’s because the writer speaks straight to the reader’s fears of creating a Thanksgiving disaster, and step by step breaks down those fears one by one.
Most Popular Mashed Potato Recipe
Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes, preferably covered in delicious gravy handmade from all of those delectable drippings you should have leftover after completing the turkey.
But while mashed potatoes are a lot of people’s favorite dish, they aren’t as simple as they seem. You’ve got to choose the right potatoes, mash them at precisely the right temperature, and not overdo it on the butter and the dairy.
This mashed potato recipe from Gimme Some Oven asks for a blend of potatoes, which makes it stand out from other recipes. And with the simple tips on common mistakes people make when making mashed potatoes, your favorite side dish is sure to be a hit.
Most Popular Stuffing Recipe
Being a Chef, at times, causes one to think thought-provoking, highly philosophical questions. For example, we’d like to know who it was that thought to themselves, what would it taste like if we took a bunch of bread and seasonings and cooked them inside a dead turkey?
We’ll never know. What we DO know is that a Thanksgiving without stuffing is practically a sin.
This recipe for stuffing from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice is so popular that even Kitchn magazine featured it. With over 41000 pins on Pinterest, it far exceeds just about anything else you can imagine in the stuffing popularity pageant. And perhaps this is for a good reason. The recipe is simple enough that anyone can do it, but the additional sausage adds a bit of that fancy feeling. What’s not to like?
Candied Yams
Rosie Mayes’ blog is about soul food recipes, and her baked candied yams recipes don’t disappoint. What makes her recipe stand out is partly that she uses garnet yams, which are not only sweet and flavorful but bake up moist very nicely. Her spice mix includes ones you might expect (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), but it might be the pure vanilla extract that takes her recipe over the top. And with over 15k pins and nearly 100k monthly visits, it seems home chefs agree.
Green Bean Casserole
Campbell’s green bean casserole recipe might get over 400k monthly views because of its pure simplicity. It requires only 5 ingredients: green beans, cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s, of course!), milk, crispy fried onions, and here’s the kicker: soy sauce. Easy enough, right?
But the fact that it is a classic side dish that the whole family finds tasty is perhaps why this recipe gets so many good reviews. And according to their website, the recipe gets a mind-boggling 4 million views each Thanksgiving Day! Since Campbell’s pretty much invented this side dish, it’s only fair they get the popular vote, right?
Most Popular Pumpkin Pie Recipe
From figuring out which is better, white or brown sugar, to whether or not to use ginger, there’s a lot that goes into making a perfect pumpkin pie.
Sally’s Baking Addiction proclaims her pumpkin pie recipe to be the result of a lot of trial and error, and we believe her. But while her recipe is the result of countless hours of tinkering with ingredients, it is perhaps her secret ingredient that truly makes her recipe stand out: black pepper. With nearly 300k monthly visits from your pumpkin lovers out there, it is definitely something you should try out for yourself. Check out the full pumpkin pie recipe here.
The Thanksgiving countdown has begun, and time’s a tickin’. But these recipes are all you need to put together a Thanksgiving feast that is worthy of a memorable family gathering (and a very long nap afterward). Need help organizing everything? Check out our Thanksgiving countdown cheat sheet below:
Thanksgiving Countdown Cheat Sheet
4 weeks ahead:
- Call friends and family to make sure your guest list is final. You need to know the number of people you can expect.
- Make a list of all the dishes you want to serve. You should include drinks such as wine, beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages.
- You can either print or bookmark recipes after you plan the menu. This will help you with your shopping list.
3 Weeks Ahead:
- Take a look at all of the recipes and figure out how much of each ingredient you need to feed your guests.
- Get your order in now to ensure you get the best turkey you can buy.
- If you have to buy extra place settings, décor, or cooking equipment, you can place those orders now as well.
2 Weeks Ahead:
- Make room in the fridge, freezer, pantry for turkey, and all the things you’ll prepare in advance.
- Start shopping for the food you’ll cook this week. For example, you can prepare pie crusts, homemade stock, and rolls and keep them in the freezer.
- Get Cooking! Begin your first round of cooking, and freeze foods in airtight containers. It’s a good idea to label each item.
1 Week Ahead:
- Buy items for any recipes you plan to cook and freeze this week. Finish your shopping for canned goods, frozen veggies, paper towels, and beverages.
- Pick up the turkey if you ordered it, and be sure to give yourself plenty of time. It will take a few days to thaw and brine it if the turkey is frozen.
- Create a beautifully dressed table now. You can make it look festive by using gourds, cloth napkins, and candles.
The Week Of:
- You can buy perishables 3-4 days in advance.
- Finish Cooking: Defrost crusts and assemble pies. Blanch vegetables, boil potatoes, arrange appetizer platters, and keep plugging away at your recipes.
- On the big day, stuff and roast the turkey, toss salads and reheat all your pre-made dishes. (The last-minute details will depend on your menu.)
- After all your hard work, it’s time to sit and eat. And remember to toast to the host!
Now that you’ve done all that work for Thanksgiving, would you rather not do the cooking for the rest of the holiday season? The Austin Artisan has you covered, but you have to move fast–private caterings are booking up quickly. Check out our dinner party page, or give us a call at (737) 307-2250 to reserve your preferred date before it gets snatched up!
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