Thanksgiving Dinner

views the best pictures

This post is the grand finale of all my planned thanksgiving recipes. The complete list. This year everything is made from scratch with whole foods. No preservatives, nothing artificial. Oh, and no Gluten either. This would not be the first time I attempted this made from scratch dinner, but the first time that I'm a stay at home mom and have the time to do it right.

I expect a visit from my mother right after Thanksgiving so I've been making extras of things to serve when she was here (see potato week post). Make ahead mashed potatoes, Gnocchi, twice baked sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, cream soup to use for cooking. This goes along with all my usual make ahead things (meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers, chicken pieces (2 cup portions), ground beef base.

So here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for. The complete list of recipes:

• Thanksgiving Turkey
• Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Carrot Souffle
• Candied Yams
• Green Bean Casserole
• Buttered Corn
• Cranberry Sauce
• Turkey Gravy
• Pumpkin Bread

Dessert:

• Chocolate Mousse Pie with Pecan Crust
• Amazing Chocolate Pecan Pie
• New York Style Cheesecake

All of my recipes this year are budget friendly. Turkey we secured for free though hubby's work. Stuffing I'm making from scratch so the cost of the flour ($3 for my specialty flour). Potatoes were $2.99 for 20 lb bag last week. I got about 10 make ahead dishes out of those 20 pounds. so thats $.60 cents for two trays for Thanksgiving dinner. Carrots were $.99 cents for a 2 lb bag on manager special. Yams were 4 x $.25. each. The green beans and corn I secured for $.50 a bag at the big veggie event at Kroger. Making my own French fried onions. Cranberries were super duper expensive ~ lol ~ $2.50 a bag. Can of DOLE pineapple was free from Kroger event. Turkey gravy free from drippings and can of pumpkin with coupon, about $.50 cents. I had coupons for Domino sugar ($1 off 2) and Kroger also had them $10 for 10 so even this ingredient was cheap. Including other various inredients (milk, butter, sour cream, sugars, etc) I spent about 15 dollars this year.

I don't think I have ever managed to do Thanksgiving for such little money. We used to budget $300 dollars for Thanksgiving food. Maybe next year I still should and donate the rest to shelters (turkeys). Because in my opinion, if you have turkey you have thanksgiving dinner.

Being Gluten Free I dont use canned gravy. I like having home made fresh gravy in my freezer stash anyway. So when my sister makes the two turkeys in her oven she typically throws the bones away. I'm going over her house after to take the bones off her hands and make myself more stock.