Akram's Ideas

Holiday Menu

With Thanksgiving only a week or so away, I thought I’d share some of my favorite holiday menu recipes. Many of these both delicious and super easy. 

Let’s start with appetizers. One that I’ve been making for a while is the Baked Brie en Croรปte with Apple Compote , which is a recipe from William-Sonoma (one of my favorite stores). Basically you take puff pastry dough and fill it with brie cheese and apple pie filling, bake and serve. It’s quite rich and creamy; also it best served in small bites on top of plain water crackers.

Baked Brie en Croรปte with Apple Compote
Baked Brie en Croรปte with Apple Compote

Appetizers are meant to just hold everybody over until the meal is ready, so you don’t have to do a lot. I usually go for one wow item, like the baked brie above and then a vegetable tray, fruit bowel and cheese and crackers. Sometimes I also add a few cookies, if you find yourself out of time, I like to just use the White Fudge Oreos. This is also, probably the only time of year I let myself buy Oreos, they are so bad for you, but so good. 

White Fudge Oreos. You gotta love Oreos.
White Fudge Oreos. You gotta love Oreos.

Moving on to side dishes, I like to make a variety of items. Of course we have fried okra and corn on the cob, and yes crescent rolls. I tend to stick with the traditional dishes such as Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole, Slow Cooked Mashed Potatoes and my personal favorite Mac and Cheese.

Here are a few of my favorite sides. images courtesy of Campbells' Kitchen, Pillsbury, and Picky Plate.
Here are a few of my favorite sides. images courtesy of Campbells’ Kitchen, Pillsbury, and Picky Plate.

Of course the holidays wouldn’t be the same without deviled eggs; and I make a really good herb flavored ones. As for stuffing, I’ve never really tried to make it myself  since I really like Stove Top. During the holidays I try to get the Stove Top Stuffing Mix, Cranberry

Stove Top Cranberry Stuffing
Stove Top Cranberry Stuffing

Speaking of Cranberries, what holiday meal would be complete without cranberry sauce. I actually don’t like cranberry sauce, not the jelly kind in the can, anyways. We do have it for my hubby, but I prefer cranberry relish. My favorite cranberry relish is the William Sonoma Apple Orange Cranberry relish, it’s so good.

Apple Orange Cranberry Relish from William Sonoma
Apple Orange Cranberry Relish from William Sonoma

Aside from the Turkey (which I plan to write about in another post, so stay tuned), I cook a delicious turkey-ham. If you don’t know a turkey ham is a processed  cooked or cured turkey , formed into the shape of a ham.  Turkey ham is a great alternative for those who live by a pork free diet. Not to mention turkey alternatives are usually healthier and leaner anyways. My turkey-ham recipe is pretty easy, just a can of crushed pineapple, a jar of ham glaze, and the turkey-ham all mixed together in a slow cooker. It’s sweet and delicious, left overs also make really good sandwiches; especially if paired with King’s Hawaiian bread.

Turkey Ham with pineapple and glaze
Turkey Ham with pineapple and glaze

Now lets talk dessert. I make a lot of deserts and every year experiment with new ones. However, two that are always on our holiday menu include Pumpkin Dessert Bars and Pumpkin Pie, both are recipes call for  Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter. This tasty pumpkin mix is sold at, you guessed it, William-Sonoma.

Pecan Pumpkin Butter at William Sonoma
Pecan Pumpkin Butter at William Sonoma

Okay so that’s pretty much my Holiday menu. For a complete recipes of all these items check out my Holiday Cookbook on Yumprint or click the image below. Also feel free to follow me on Yumprint for more tasty recipes.

My Holiday Cookbook on Yumprint
My Holiday Cookbook on Yumprint

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Akram Taghavi-Burris

designer, writer, educator, tech nerd, crafter, baker, sewer and vintage collector, who Brings Creative & Crazy Ides to Life.

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