Holiday meals require lavish preparation. A festive table should be set with friends who feel like family gathered around, saying grace before diving into a tasty feast.
From mushroom leek bread pudding to delicious desserts, we have an impressive collection of Thanksgiving recipes and tips to help plan a festive Thanksgiving dinner.
1. Snoop Dogg’s Turkey and Gravy
Thanksgiving for many of us is all about the food. While some may stick with tradition every year, others may try something a bit different and be inspired by celebrities’ favorite Thanksgiving recipes from years gone by – who knows – maybe one or two will catch your fancy this year!
Snoop Dogg is known for his passion for cooking. He’s made appearances on multiple cooking shows with Martha Stewart including their Emmy-nominated show Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party and recently published a cookbook called From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen.
Snoop’s Herbed Turkey is one of the recipes featured in his cookbook. This dish requires lots of butter – which Snoop considers essential – as well as a compound herb butter made of garlic, orange zest, rosemary and thyme; tasters claim this results in juicy yet flavorful turkey meat.
Snoop serves his turkey with an easy gravy made by browning turkey drippings with onions before adding stock, salt and pepper – it’s simple but tasters rave that its delicious gravy stands up well against more traditional varieties!
Snoop also shares his recipe for sweet potato-based pumpkin pie as an option, providing an interesting way to spice up Thanksgiving without abandoning family traditions. This sweet treat could make a delicious change this year without completely forgoing tradition!
Zooey Deschanel of Real Housewives fame has also shared her favorite Thanksgiving dishes on The Rachael Ray Show. One such recipe for pecan pie made by her mom is one she raves about; anyone looking to expand their Thanksgiving cuisine should give this a try! She noted it requires some prep, but is definitely worth the effort!
2. Tennis Ball Sugar Cookies
Tennis-themed cookies make an exciting dessert spread! To create this treat, combine butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until creamy before gradually adding eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Separately whisk flours and baking powder then combine both mixtures. On a floured surface shape dough into balls about the size of tennis balls before placing onto a parchment-lined baking sheet leaving at least 1/4″ between cookies on baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
While your cookies cool, create the rackets using 10 second consistency black royal icing with tip #1.5 and 10 second consistency white icing (saving any remaining white icing for later). To tint remaining frosting “tennis ball” color add three big squeezes of yellow food coloring along with one drop of green food coloring – pipe two curved lines across each cookie to resemble seams of a tennis racket and pipe on two curved lines across them for the seams of a tennis racket!
3. Tennis Ball Crackers
Tennis fans are sure to love these delectable treats shaped like their game! Made with spinach and frosting, these healthy alternatives to traditional sugar cookies make great sweet treats! Simply blend all of the ingredients and form into a circle before chilling before pipe-lining lines on for that classic tennis ball texture!
Serve this delicious savoury snack alongside an impressive platter of classic English cheeses such as Double Gloucester and Wensleydale for maximum effect. To further elevate this delectable savory bite, line the serving board with Reynolds Cut-Rite(r) Wax Paper for easy clean up after this mouthwatering treat!
Add something extra special to your tennis tailgate spread with a fries bar! Instead of offering standard French Fries, offer up a selection of different dipping sauces such as ketchup, mayo or salsa to meet everyone’s individual taste preferences.
Aspiring bakers may wish to create this tennis court cake featuring a net and two small tennis rackets on either side. To create it, roll small amounts of fondant into balls the shape of tennis balls and stick them on top of cakes; spoon the leftover royal icing into piping bags equipped with number 3 writing nozzles; pipe out an outline of a tennis court on each green fondant leaving an approximate 2cm/ 3/4in gap around its perimeters.
Once the icing has set, trim each cake to remove gaps before transferring them to a serving board. Finally, using a fine paintbrush, apply white food colour gel over any tennis ball lines that remain. Enjoy and serve! For an informal treat that shows your support of your favorite player or just adds some Wimbledon spirit into your day, try these tennis ball cookies – they make great snacks to bring to parties or events!
4. Tennis Ball Cheesecake
There’s always room for traditional Thanksgiving spreads, but why not create an outstanding tennis-inspired meal this year? From pitchers of Pimm’s to showstopping cakes – we have all of the recipe inspiration you need for an ace Thanksgiving spread! For an ideal tennis ball cheesecake: trace side seam guides using a scribe on an icing layer (step 1) before outlining and flooding sides using yellow/green 15 second consistency icing (steps 2-3), leaving white section unadorned.