2021 thanksgiving menu
Finally sharing our 2021 thanksgiving menu with you guys, and we could not be more excited. We are only days aways from my favorite holiday of the year, who’s ready?! This years menu consists of both the classics that have been apart of our thanksgiving traditions since I can remember and some new dishes that we are also super excited about. We have you covered on just about everything from the Italian classics, to the elegant wine pairings, to the cocktails, and even down to the decadent desserts. There is so much deliciousness packed into this years menu.
Thanksgiving has always been and always will be my favorite holiday of the year. I love thanksgiving for a lot of reasons aside from the fact that I love cooking. Thanksgiving in our house has always been about traditions, and Italians have plenty of traditions around the holidays. I am biiiig into our holiday traditions, so we are so excited to be sharing these traditions with you guys in our 2021 menu.
This year we are having thanksgiving with close family. It’s usually a smaller gathering for our thanksgiving dinners and there is always way too much food. But it’s always a special day for me, and I love celebrating with such close family that share the same traditions as we do.
We are little late on sharing this years menu even though we have literally been planning it since the middle of October. We photographed everything this past weekend. It was the test run to thanksgiving dinner, and I will say I am never upset about having two thanksgiving dinners.
We really hope you guys like this years menu as much as we do. We have pulled in all the classics that you will see year after year on our menu, as well as some new dishes that we cannot wait to share with you guys. We will be sharing some of our new creations throughout the week, so keep an eye out for them!
There is a wide selection of dishes this year, as well as cocktails and wine. We tried to include something for everyone whether it be a classic or a creative new addition. Let us know what you think or if you try any of these recipes because we love to see your creations as well!
Breakfast
Yes, breakfast on thanksgiving is still a must. While it can be tempting to skip breakfast on thanksgiving in order to save room for the rest of the day, you definitely don’t want to skip a little something in the morning. It will keep you from overeating at lunch/happy hour, and thanksgiving eve is always a big bar night so you might need a little hangover food ;) And if it’s as good as this dish you definitely won’t want to skip !
Cocktails
Thanksgiving cocktails and wines are pretty much just as important as the food. So make sure the bar is stocked and the festive cocktails recipes are on hand!
Pomegranate Martinis (Coming Soon)
Let’s talk wines while we’re at it. This year our wine selection is brought to you by Bella Union. They have carefully selected these wines from Napa Valley to pair perfectly with our menu.
Antipasto
If you aren’t having an antipasto board on thanksgiving, are you even Italian? The answer is definitely no…because Italians are alllllll about antipasto on thanksgiving. It is basically our version of brunch/appetizers. It’s the perfect thing to serve for snacking all day with a cocktail or a mimosa. And I love how creative you can be with antipasto boards especially around the holidays…so here’s the spread!
Cheeses: When it comes to the cheese…stick to the favorites. You always need a variety of cheese, but we like to stick to what we know because it never disappoints. We love a burrata or mozzarella….those are two classics when it comes to antipasto. There is nothing better than crusty bread topped with some burrata or mozzarella and drizzled with olive oil. It’s a simple but perfect snack. We also like to go for a creamy cheese like brie. Some other classics to include are an herby goat cheese or a Humboldt Fog. And don’t forget a blue cheese and maybe a hard cheese like a cruculo or a molitierno.
Meats: Stick to the classics for meats too. We usually go for San Daniele Prosciutto and Mortadella. We also love to throw in some pepperoni for something a little simpler. But when it comes to the meats it’s as simple and easy as that.
Fruits: When it’s the holiday season, you need fruits in your antipasto spread. We love to use fresh figs, pomegranates, blood oranges, and pears. These are all super seasonal and very festive for this time of year.
Bread/Crackers: Antipasto boards need breads and crackers for all that dipping, dunking, and topping. We are all about crusty, fresh breads. But we like to throw in a variety of crackers as well. Homemade breads are our go-to, but we also love breads from the Italian Market in Philly.
Nuts/Spreads/Olives/etc.: Every year we have a variety of nuts on thanksgiving. I don’t know why, but that is one thing I can always remember growing up on thanksgiving…lots of nuts included with the antipasto spread. Some of our favorite festive nuts are hazelnuts, pistachios, and Marcona Almonds. For spreads I am all about a fig spread. In one of my recent cheese boards I included a chili fig spread. It was the perfect combination of sweet and savory, and I am totally adding it to my thanksgiving antipasto board. For olives, I love a stuffed blue cheese olive and my mom and brother love a good selection of black olives.
Extras: Finally for extras we always serve fried cubanelle pepper. The pepper oil is amazing for dunking bread. We also like to serve sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. They all pair perfectly with the cheeses and some bread.
Appetizers
I know you probably are thinking that our antipasto spread is pretty decadent…because well it is. But we still do appetizers because you’ve got to space out all that food…you know? Our tradition as Italians is starting out with an escarole soup with chicken meatballs. This has been a tradition that has been in our family for as long as I can remember. Rolling the mini meatballs for the soup the week of thanksgiving has always been a memory my mom and I will never forget. But we also have some new appetizer ideas to share with you guys as well!
Mains
We have always had a very specific tradition with our turkey. For the past couple of years we have gone with our family friends to pick up a 20 pound turkey from the local Amish market. It never mattered if we were 4 people eating or 20, it was always going to be a big turkey as that is tradition. And of course we are throwing in a vegetarian option…the Butternut Squash & Crispy Sage White Lasagna. Which if I am being honest, I think I like the lasagna more than the turkey!
Herby Butter Roasted Turkey
Sides
If you guys know anything about me and thanksgiving, it is that I am all about the sides. The more sides the better. They are my favorite part of the dinner and I am super excited about what we have come up with this year. There is so much delicious goodness in these dishes and definitely something for everyone to choose from.
And if you’re tempted to skip dessert, you have to save room for just one bite…at least. And trust me with these pies you definitely won’t want to skip. Pies are our thanksgiving dessert tradition even though we are all usually too full to eat them. They are still just as important as the dinner!
day-by-by thanksgiving prep
Sunday:
make the chicken stock for the escarole soup; refrigerate
make your shopping list and get organized
Monday:
make the mini chicken meatballs for the escarole soup
make and freeze dinner rolls
Tuesday:
shop for the big day: get all the ingredients you need, pick up the turkey, purchase your wines and spirits
Wednesday:
start prepping
chop the vegetables
wash and chop escarole for soup
prep the sweet potato stacks, brussels sprouts, and mushroom pie
make the cranberry sauce
make the pies
set the table
Thursday Morning:
craft the antipasto board
make the fried brie
prep the turkey
make the gravy
make the mashed potatoes and spaghetti squash
Whether you’re cooking, relaxing with a drink, or appreciating some time off don’t forget to enjoy thanksgiving! After all, thanksgiving is a time to relax with friends and family and take a break from everyday life, so don’t forget to enjoy it this year. It is well-deserved for everyone!!
