Turkey Day First Timer

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already only a week away, but that's what the calendar says. At some point I managed to volunteer myself for Thanksgiving dinner-making duty, and I mean, I'm pretty excited about it.

But I'm also nervous and a little freaked out about it. Don't get me wrong, I have a good amount of confidence in my cooking skills, but I am not so great at the whole getting-everything-to-be-ready-at-the-same-time thing... And cooking meat wigs me out a bit. I hate how slimy it is, blehh...

But I'm mostly nervous about whether or not picky boyfriend and boyfriend's picky family will like everything... Fingers crossed that these recipes will do the trick!:

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy by Rachel Ray

I am honestly not a big Rachel Ray fan, but all these herbs stuffed under the skin of this turkey sounds AMAZING. And totally doable for a turkey novice. 

Cranberry-Pear Sauce by Skinnytaste

I cannot lie to you, folks. I have always preferred the jellied cranberries to the real deal. What can I say?? But boyfriend prefers the real stuff, so I've decided to try my hand at a low-cal recipe from Skinnytaste that incorporates both tart cranberries and sweet pears!

Double Bread Stuffing with Bacon, Brown-Butter, and Sage by How Sweet It Is

Now, my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving is the stuffing. But I have admittedly never made it from scratch. This recipe from How Sweet It Is sounds AH-mazing, using both sourdough and cornbread... AND sneaking in bacon and brown-butter? Nom nom nom... 

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans by Skinnytaste

My stepmother used to try and feed me green beans and they were THE WORST. They were from a can and made me gag without fail. I late discovered the joy of fresh, crispy green beans and have never looked back. This recipe from Skinnytaste is supposed to turn out perfectly crisped beans sprinkled with savory parmesan cheese, yum! {Boyfriend won't eat them because they're, ya know, vegetables... But everyone else will!}

Lightened-Up Sweet Potato Casserole by How Sweet It Is

Sweet potatoes are my other favorite Thanksgiving side dish. They cater to my sweet tooth perfectly, and when they're topped with an oatmeal coconut pecan crumble and mini marshmallows? Heaven. Just heaven, folks. 

Chunky Mashed Potatoes by Budget Bytes

I am not a "creamy mashed potatoes" kind of girl. They are just not my style. I like the know that my mashed potatoes came from actual potatoes at some point, and for that reason, I dig some texture. Consider this recipe a starting point; I will likely add more herbs and definitely some garlic. 

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Bars by Steph's Bite by Bite

Boyfriend wanted me to make both a pumpkin and a pecan pie for dessert... I wanted him to pick one. Thankfully, the wonderfully talented and ingenious Stephanie of Steph's Bite by Bite already dreamt up a solution to this quandary. 

Mmm mm mm, now I just have to figure out when I can actually make all these things... I'm also serving some Zingerman's bread, making homemade cornbread for the stuffing, and helping hunt down homemade ice cream recipes for my mom and stepdad's shindig. Oh boy, oh boy...

What are you all doing for Thanksgiving? Anybody else out there daunted by the task of cooking the whole meal? Anybody call dibs on our leftovers? :) 

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