Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that sometimes flies under the radar but NEVER goes unnoticed. While we are all grateful for a lot of things – family, children, friends, careers, etc – we are also really grateful for food. It’s the one thing that brings us all together.

We are sharing some of our favorite and most requested Thanksgiving recipes with you including THREE Northern Nevada Mom exclusives!

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Thanksgiving Recipes: Appetizers

Stuffed Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms are an NNM exclusive that my family has been making for YEARS! We make it at several family events throughout the year and they are seriously SO easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Whole Fresh Mushrooms (try to pick larger ones that can be stuffed)
• Italian Sausage (I prefer the hot, but mild works too)
• Parmesan Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese

Steps:

1. Wash the mushrooms and remove the inside stem as much as possible.
2. Stuff the mushrooms with sausage.
3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. When almost done top with mozzarella cheese and pop it back in the oven to melt and finish cooking the mushroom.

Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Jalapeno Peppers

Jalapeno peppers are a classic appetizer and there are so many ways to switch them up.  You really can’t go wrong adding these to your Thanksgiving menu and they are almost always one of the first things to get eaten up.

Thanksgiving Recipes: Main Courses & Side Dishes

Oil-less Fried Turkey

A NNM exclusive – my husband made this for the first time last year and it was so delicious! This recipe does have a little kick to it, so if you aren’t a spice lover, tone down the amount of chili flakes you use.

If you’ve never fried a turkey before, you’ll need a fryer! We use this turkey fryer and love it because it is oil-less, super easy to clean, and inexpensive. We’ve used it a few times now and haven’t had any problems.

Remember, that turkey ingredient quantity is based on the size of your turkey and we use the “to taste” method.

Ingredients:

• Turkey
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili Flakes
• Thyme

Steps:

1. Gut your turkey.
2. Combine all dry ingredients to create a dry run for your turkey. The rub should be to your tasting palette. Do NOT stuff the inside of your turkey.
3. Follow the instructions for your turkey fryer based on the weight to fry it! You will not need oven bags, ties, etc for this one.
4. The skin will be a little bit crispier than an oven baked turkey. Because ours is oil-less, we don’t add butter or oil (for obvious reasons), so this is definitely a preference since we have an oven baked turkey as well. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a great turkey knife, this electric carving knife is our favorite. And it is on sale for more than 50% off.

Oven Baked Turkey

Another NNM Exclusive – our annual Friendsgiving consists either the above turkey or this one, sometimes both! This recipe is very moist and flavorful. I think the inside with the lemons and apple really bring this recipe together, so don’t skip any ingredients. I prefer the fresh herbs for the inside versus just dry herbs but wanted to include both in case you wanted to switch them out.

Remember, that turkey ingredient quantity is based on the size of your turkey and we use the “to taste” method.

Ingredients:

• Salted Butter
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Lemons
• Apple
• Onions
• Fresh Thyme (optional)
• Fresh Oregano (optional)

Steps:

1. Gut your turkey.
2. Place your turkey in your turkey oven bags prior to the next steps. This will make it much easier to handle.
3. Combine the salted butter, oregano, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Ensure you have enough to cover your entire turkey.
4. Lather the turkey with the above combination. I recommend getting this mixture in between the turkey skin and flaps for extra flavor.
5. Stuff the inside of your turkey with whole lemons, an apple, whole onions, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano. We stuff that turkey as much as possible.
6. Tie the legs. This is the turkey pan we use for our oven and it is going strong for the last 3+ years.
7. Cook in the oven until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160°. As a rule of thumb allot 15 minutes in the oven per pound of turkey and an extra 15-30 minutes if it is stuffed. Turkey cooking times:

Turkey Weight with Giblets	Bake at	Bake Time
10-13 lb	350°	1.5-2.25 hours
14-23 lb	325°	2-3 hours
24-27 lb	325°	3-3.75 hours
28-30 lb	325°	3.5-4.5 hours

If you are looking for a great turkey knife, this electric carving knife is our favorite. And it is on sale for more than 50% off.

Green Bean Casserole

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! Every year, it is a tradition to use this recipe for our green bean casserole and it never disappoints! A couple tips:

• Always use FRESH green beans if possible
• When you drain your green beans, save the chicken broth! Use it to make soup or another dish.
• If you love fried onion rings and mushrooms, add a little extra as they are both by preference.

Leftover casserole is just as delicious and I will usually top the leftovers with some more fried onion rings the next day. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Recipes: Dessert

Cranberry Cake

This cranberry cake is a favorite! I always end up making this several times during the holiday season and it is by far my most requested item I make.  It is super simple and can be made into a variety of ways. If you are nut free just switch the almond extract for imitation almond extract and leave off the pecan topping and I promise you it is still delicious.  Also, If I remember in time I often soak my cranberries overnight in sugar water before baking. I love this cranberry cake for Thanksgiving because it can be a twist on the normal Holiday dessert. A couple tips on this “cake”:

• After you add the butter, it may have some lumps, which is okay, but try to get what you can out.
• Once you fold in the flour, it will be THICK like almost cookie dough thick.
• If you have a springform pan, use it. It can be sometimes difficult to get out of the pan if you are transferring it OR line your pan with parchment paper for easy transfer as it can stick.
• Time to cook will vary for everyone. It takes Kacey a total of 60 minutes and at the 40 mark she covers with foil. It takes Leanna a total of 80-90 minutes and at the 60-70 mark she covers it. Cover it once you start noticing the top browning a little bit so it doesn’t get burnt.

There are so many delicious recipes out there and these are just a few of our favorites that are heavily requested each year. Do you have any famous or annual tradition recipes that you make for Thanksgiving? We’d love to hear them below.