There’s just something special about the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen on Thanksgiving morn… It’s chaotic and crazy, but it brings back a lot of good memories.
Sadly, for most of America, Thanksgiving food = processed food. There’s green bean casserole swimming in MSG-laden cream soup, jiggly cranberry jelly from a can, and yams smothered in marshmallows. (By the way, who the heck started the whole marshmallow thing, and why oh why did it ever get so popular?) This processed version of Thanksgiving day dinner has gotta go. The boxes and cans and processed stuff is a sad substitute for the rich flavors of a from-scratch meal.
Thankfully, I have just the menu you need if you’re ready to ditch the cans and boxes and tackle a truly homemade Thanksgiving day supper.
It can be done, my friends, and you won’t regret it.
From Scratch Thanksgiving Menu
Meat Techniques and Recipes
- How to Brine a Turkey
- How to Grill a Whole Turkey
- Roasted Turkey with Herbed Butter Recipe
- How to Slow Roast Your Turkey
- Cure and Smoke Your Own Ham
- Honey Glazed Ham Recipe
Potato Recipes
- The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Rustic Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Three Cheese Au Grain Potatoes Recipe
- Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
- Steakhouse-Style Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Rosemary Potatoes Recipe
Vegetable Side Dishes
- Perfect Roasted Squash Recipe with maple syrup
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecans Recipe
- Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Coconut Sugar
- Acorn Squash Custard Recipe
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Real Food Green Bean Casserole
- Sauteed Green Beans with Mushrooms and Caramelized Leeks Recipe
Miscellaneous Sides & Stuff
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Fermented Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Cranberry Raspberry Relish Recipe
- Paleo Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Traditional Turkey Stuffing Recipe
- How to Make Butter
Bread Recipes
- Homemade French Bread Recipe
- Whole Wheat Soaked Biscuits Recipe
- Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
- Sourdough Maple Einkorn Dinner Rolls Recipe
- Cinnamon Maple Skillet Cornbread Recipe
- 30 Minute Cheesy Garlic Rolls Recipe
Desserts
- How to Easily Make Pumpkin Puree from a Whole Pumpkin
- Honey Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Double Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe
- Easy Crisco-Free Pie Crust Recipe
- Pecan Pie Recipe
- Apple Pie Recipe
- Old-Fashioned Lemon Whey Pie Recipe
- Peanut Butter Custard Pie Recipe
- Marble Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Listen to the Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast episode #46 on this topic HERE.
What a great assembly of recipes. Your time and effort to post is greatly appreciated. I look forward to updating my collection and trying some new ideas that you posted. Thank You! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Best wishes Laura
I totally agree with ditching the boxes and cans!! (Especially the marshmallows on sweet potatoes…gross!)
I’m with you on the marshmallows. Not my thing! It really doesn’t take much more effort to cook from scratch. I do use canned pumpkin, though! Happy Thanksgiving!
Jill, what a lovely post with gorgeous photos. I’m interested in what ‘happened’ to your kitchen. My husband remodeled most of the kitchens in several of our homes, but with the whole ceiling missing, I’m hoping there wasn’t a major disaster of some kind.
Congratulations on that precious baby.
Like you, I’ve also always enjoyed cooking the Thanksgiving meal through the years when we didn’t live near family. Thankfully, I’ve never been a box, can, or processed person, as growing up in PA (a long time ago) in a typical old-fashioned family, I learned canning, natural ways to preserve, and do meals from scratch. Both parents grew up on farms.
This year will be really different. My husband has cancer (not real sure what happened, but we believe it was exposure to chemicals awhile back) so we’ve been on a ”’very”’ limited diet with foods that only help heal cancer; no meat, dairy, eggs, etc. I had him on the Budwig diet, along with other protocols, and thought he was doing well, until recently. Found a Homeopathic Dr. who discovered he was getting to many oils and not enough protein, so she said he needs eggs (which he’d been missing) a ‘little’ meat, and some nuts, etc. He gets lots of veggies, but missed the healthy foods we’d been eating. Soooo, tomorrow, we’ll have a ‘little’ organic turkey and a few other items reminiscent of the traditional holiday. We cut out sugar and gluten a few years ago, and do miss the stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. I used to use a little Stevia, but don’t like using much of it either. We have a LOT to be thankful for.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
No disaster, just decided everything needed an update! 🙂
I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving– and glad you still were able to celebrate with a turkey. Prayers for you and your husband!
You had a baby!?! I didn’t even know you were pregnant! Congratulations…so happy for you!! Awesome recipes too, by the way! 🙂
Thank you for the beautiful made by scratch meal menu. I can not wait to try these delicious dishes.
I used your Turkey recipe and it was wonderful!
I have only made a turkey once before and I just bought some premade (I’m sure chemically filled) turkey baste. This was so much healthier and so much more delicious!
Thank You Thank You Thank You
I’m SO glad you liked it!!
Loads of great recipes here. Is there anyway to make it where we can download a PDF file? I have an IPad and can’t save the recipe as is.
Even though I’m 65, I want to grow up to be you! ?
Ah, thanks Deborah! I don’t have a PDF available (yet)… sorry!
Jill lots of very good recepies.
Thank you so much. I look forward to trying many of them this Thanksgiving. I love your blog you offer a get resource to us country types. Great job.
I was realy enjoying your home cured ham procedure sounds great. I was wondering what is the reason for draining the liquid from the ham pereodolicly durring the curing process?
We brine turkeys we brine pork loin to make Canadian bacon. We inject our raw – fresh hams then brine them durring the curing process. Before smoking.
Do yoy thank the dry cure is better?
Hey Gale– the ham recipe is actually a link from a different blog– I haven’t personally tried it (yet!) so can’t offer advice there!
HEY JILL THANKS FOR THOSE RECIPES I AM SHALL TRY THEM OUT THIS CHRISTMAS HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING.
Thanks to you I’ve been making pumpkin purée the way you suggested and it is so much easier! My daughter loves to make pumpkin ” everything” and she finds this technique is so much easier too! Thanks Jill! I love your recipes and I hope your kitchen turns out beautiful! Have a wonderful thanksgiving!
Thanks Wilma! Enjoy! 🙂