Another successful Thanksgiving Dinner 2020!

Every year I come up with new designs and new recipes. It’s the perfect opportunity to let my artistic juices flow. I hope you will enjoy this new batch of Holiday recipes!

What a year it has been!

And… it’s not over just yet. Maybe Aliens will land, LOL

At this point anything is possible!

Hmm… just maybe I need to do “welcome aliens theme?” Ney… too much trouble.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2020 VIDEO

This year I have decided to forgo my usual tablecloth covering the table and let the beauty of the reflective glass add to the mood of the setup. My family loved it and I did as well.

I never know exactly what I will cook and do during the holidays. I just let the artistic wind carry me from one project to the next.

My list is always long to begin with, and then I adjust it depending on the time, energy, and products that I have on hand already.

Unfortunately, I do not have the exact measurements for some of these recipes since I do not cook from recipes during holidays. I come up with brand new ones, depending on what I have on hand, and where my impulsive nature takes me.

But you should have no problem improvising since most of these ingredients you probably already have.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2020

Salads

Asian Cabbage Salad
Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
Shrimp Scampi and Arugula salad with Edamame
Russian Vinaigrette Salad (Vinegret, Винегрет)
Salami/Cheese plate
Colorful tomatoes plate

Main Dishes

Smoked Turkey (Costco) with sliced oranges, grapefruit, sage leaves, and pomegranate seeds
Potstickers with onions, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes

Sides

Mashed Potatoes
Cheesy Cauliflower Broccoli Bake
Tomato Eggplant Bake with Pesto Farmers cheese
Green Beans with caramelized onions, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, and toasted pine nuts.
Pumpkin stuffed with Pearlized Couscous, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce

Dessert

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Cake
Homemade Chocolate Truffles
Nuts and Candy bowl
Fruit plate

Asian Cabbage Salad

How to make Asian Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

red cabbage, thinly sliced
carrots, julienned
green onions, sliced
red pepper, thinly sliced
sesame seeds
toasted pine nuts
edamame

Dressing:

Honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and lemon juice. Combine and adjust to taste.

Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad

How to make Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg colorful cheese tortellini (cooked according to the instructions on the package)
red onion, diced
cucumber, chopped
colorful tomatoes, sliced
olives
feta cheese
basil leaves, minced

Dressing:

Extra Virgin Olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, lemon juice, a splash of wine vinegar, salt/pepper to taste.

You can make this salad ahead of time so the flavors blend better.

Shrimp Scampi and Arugula salad with Edamame

How to make Shrimp Scampi and Arugula salad with Edamame

Shrimp Scampi recipe
baby arugula
1 avocado diced
edamame
extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice
salt/pepper

I have served shrimp on top of arugula salad, but you can mix it together. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Russian Vinaigrette Salad (Vinegret, Винегрет)

Russian Vinaigrette Salad (Vinegret, Винегрет) with Feta cheese, olives and parsley!

Smoked Turkey with sliced oranges, grapefruit, sage leaves, and pomegranate seeds

We loved this Costco’s Smoked Turkey last Thanksgiving and I have decided to buy it again this year.

For us, it’s absolutely perfect, smoked, and not salty at all!

You can eat it cold or reheat Smoked Turkey in the oven.

It says on the package to reheat 12 minutes per pound. Mine was 10 pounds, so it’s 2 hours reheating time.

I have placed the turkey in a large roasting pan, basted it well with melted butter and spices (garlic powder, paprika, Italian spices…). You can use your favorite spices.

Covered the turkey well with heavy-duty foil and roasted it 1 1/2 hours in the preheated at 350F oven.

Opened it up, drained liquids, and basted again with more butter and spices. Cooked it opened for another 30 minutes.

It comes out Perfectly looking, as you can see! The key to this gorgeous color is Melted Butter and Paprika!

Potstickers with onions, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes

I’ve used Bibigo Organic Potstickers, Chicken, and Vegetable from Costco and added caramelized onions, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes.

BTW, I have used caramelized onions and mushrooms in many of these recipes. That’s how you can save on time. Just prepare the items that you will use in advance.

Mashed Potatoes

HOW TO MAKE BEST CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

3 Large Baking potatoes
½ Cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp cream cheese
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper

Instructions

Peel, wash, and cut potatoes into smaller pieces. Place potatoes into a medium saucepan. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Turn the heat on to high, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft. Drain water.

In a small saucepan, bring to heat: milk, butter, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Add hot mix to boiled potatoes and mash.

Add salt/pepper and adjust to taste.

Cheesy Cauliflower Broccoli Bake

Hubby and Mother-in-law loved this easy side dish! It tastes MUCH BETTER than it looks, trust me!

It’s very easy to reheat the next day.

How to make Cheesy Cauliflower Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 large stalks broccoli, cut into florets
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh chives (or 2 tsp dry)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
bacon bits (the amount is up to you)
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Steam cauliflower and broccoli in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix sour cream, cream cheese, chopped onion, chives, bacon bits and adjust salt/pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over broccoli and cauliflower. Bake in the preheated at 375F oven for 20 minutes.

Remove and add cheddar cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese melted.

Tip: you can prepare this dish a day in advance and just add the cheddar cheese and bake the next day.

Tomato Eggplant Bake with Pesto Farmers cheese

This was a completely spontaneous recipe that I will make again and again.

Hubby couldn’t believe there is no meat in it and how incredibly tasty this dish came out. He has been bugging me for several days now: “Do we have more of that eggplant bake?”

I didn’t measure any of the ingredients but took a picture so you could see which products I have used in this recipe.

How to make Tomato Eggplant Bake with Pesto Farmers cheese

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, sliced
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
cherry tomatoes
Farmer Cheese (you can use ricotta or cottage as well)
pesto
pasta sauce
Italian cheeses

Instructions:

Heat a large sauté pan with the olive oil and onions over medium heat. Sauté the onions until caramelized.

Add garlic and eggplant and cook until soft. Add tomatoes and a tablespoon of pasta sauce.

In a bowl, mix farmers cheese and pesto ( the amount is up to you, I’ve used 3.5 oz jar that you see above).

Add a couple of tablespoons of pasta sauce to the bottom of your baking dish and half of the eggplant mix.

Add Farmer cheese/pesto layer.

Add the rest of the eggplant mixture on top and a couple of tablespoons of pasta sauce.

You can add Italian cheese on top or skip it, both options will be very tasty.

Bake in the preheated at 350F oven for 30 minutes. Add Italian cheese at the last 10 minutes of baking so it doesn’t dry up.

Green Beans with caramelized onions, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, and toasted pine nuts.

Super simple and FULL OF FLAVOR dish!

How to make Green Beans with caramelized onions, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, and toasted pine nuts.

Heat a large pan with the olive oil. Sauté the onions until caramelized. Add mushrooms, green beans, garlic, sliced red pepper, tomatoes, and Za’atar seasoning.

Cook until desired tenderness.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and pine nuts.

Pumpkin stuffed with Pearlized Couscous, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes

This dish looks and tastes amazing! It’s the perfect addition to any THANKSGIVING TABLE!

How to make Pumpkin stuffed with Pearlized Couscous, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes

I just love all the mixes by the “Near East” brand. This Pearled Couscous mix has so much flavor and super easy to prepare.

Just prepare this according to the instructions on the package and add olive oil, caramelized onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and chopped parsley (or your favorite herbs). Adjust to taste.

Wash pumpkin; cut a circle around the top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loose fibers from inside. Place pumpkin in baking pan. Firmly pack couscous mix into the pumpkin. Add the top.

Wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil and bake at 350°F for about 1 hour until tender. Time depends on the size and type of your pumpkin.

Tip: you can prepare this dish in advance as well. Just reheat it in the oven the day of serving.

Cranberry Sauce

How to make Cranberry Sauce

cranberries
sugar
juice (used Pomegranate)

Combine and cook over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Desserts

Apple Cinamon Raisin Cake

If you love APPLE CAKES, you will love this recipe. I will make a separate post for this cake since you will want to make this again and again!

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and sliced
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
dash of salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup light olive oil or melted unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon and 2 Tbsp Flour to mix with sliced apples
Non-stick Spray

Instructions

Mix sliced apples with 2 tablespoons of flour, cinnamon, and raisins in a large bowl.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together: sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.

Mix wet and dry ingredients gently, careful not to over-mix.

Spray your baking dish with Non-Stick spray (or brush with oil) and dust with flour on the bottom.

Bake in the preheated at 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Time depends on your oven and your baking dish.

The last 5 minutes of baking are Very Important. It is best when cakes are not over-baked. Judging by the color on the edges and by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake, should come out clean.

Cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes; invert onto a cake stand to cool completely.