6 Totally Unexpected Recipes for a Special Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving honors the very best of tradition, but it’s also a chance to pull off some culinary surprises. After all, with your closest relatives gathered in one place for a traditional, time-honored feast, isn’t it just a little bit tempting (and a little thrilling) to add something bold and interesting to the table? With that in mind, here’s a sampler of must-try recipes that will add color, beauty, and a dash of the extraordinary to your Thanksgiving feast.
A cocktail
This Wild Blueberry Bourbon Smash is a stunning, refreshing, and oh-so-delicious way to start your Thanksgiving festivities. Made with six easy ingredients, including bourbon, maple syrup, and frozen Wild Blueberries, this cocktail adds color, flavor, and a special twist to your day.
An appetizer
If you’re tasked with supplying the appetizer for Thanksgiving, here’s a winner that no human can resist. This Wild Blueberry & Rosemary Stuffed Baked Brie combines almonds, honey, chia seeds, Wild Blueberries, and brie in a warm, irresistible puffed pastry.
A stuffing
Stuffing has come a long way since the days of rehydrated bread crumbs and spices. This Butternut Squash & Wild Blueberry Stuffing combines large pearl couscous, walnuts, butternut squash, and frozen Wild Blueberries to create a tasty, colorful, and nutrient-dense stuffing for any holiday table.
A relish
White or dark turkey meat is greatly enhanced (and moistened) with a tasty relish. This delicious Wild Blueberry & Ginger Relish will compliment to your Thanksgiving table with the bursting sweet, tart, and tangy flavors of Wild Blueberries. Note that while this recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare, it should be made the day before Thanksgiving, so it has time to set.
A bread
There was a time – before marriage and childrearing – when I made all my bread from scratch, but the idea of yeast and kneading is beyond me now, especially during the holidays. That’s why this Wild Blueberry Pull-Apart Bread recipe caught my attention. It’s not only beautiful and festive looking, but at the very end of this recipe, there’s a shortcut that gets it done faster. This little hack allows you to pull piping hot bread from the oven without all the work. Now that’s a Thanksgiving blessing!
A dessert
At my house, the Thanksgiving dessert table is something truly amazing to behold. It’s also a bit of a competition over who can make the winning dessert. We usually have chocolate cake, cheesecake, spice cake, cookies, and a large number of pies, including apple and pumpkin. But why not add a national favorite Wild Blueberry Pie to your Thanksgiving table too? This classic recipe is made especially gorgeous and festive with a lattice top.
Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and I would never advocate for ham, duck, or pot roast at any Thanksgiving Dinner, but adding a few colorful, tasty surprises to the table is a recipe for success. Happy Thanksgiving!