30 Thanksgiving Sides and Appetizers!

Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the entire year. I am not exaggerating. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my wedding because I love turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes so much. But even I can admit, that sometimes you need to change things up. Maybe try a new stuffing or a different dinner roll. Or add something newin to the old lineup.

Appetizers:
1. Cream Cheese Ragoons


2. Jalapeno Popper Wontons


3. Spinach Balls with Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce (one of our all time favs)


4. Snowflake Tortilla Chips (really fun for kids)


5. Parsnip Chips (if you're looking for something healthy)


6. Cheese Puffs for Cheese Lovers


7. Cheesy Twists


8. Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip


9. Sugared Nuts


10. Chocolate Covered Cranberries (I wish I could eat these all year long)


11. Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip (This has become my go-to for holiday potlucks. It's always a hit!)


12. Apple Pie Salsa



Breads:
13. Pull Apart Spinach and Cheese Bread


14. Soft and Chewy French Bread


15. Sour Cream Dinner Rolls


16. Homemade Breadsticks


17. French Fried Onion Rolls (my husband and FIL's fav)



Side Dishes:
18. Butternut Squash Soup


19. Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon


20. Roasted Potatoes, Sausage, and Peppers


21. Savory Baked Apples stuffed with Sausage and Sage


22. Alfredo Green Bean Casserole


23. Bacon Barbecue Green Bean Casserole


24. Simply the Best Mac and Cheese (from scratch)


25. How to Make Boxed Mac and Cheese Taste Homemade (if you're looking for something really simple and yummy)


26. Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes


27. Ranch, Cheddar, and Bacon Potatoes


28. Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes


29. Cranberry Sauce Three Ways


30. Sourdough Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon


Enjoy!

Crockpot: Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese

My mom bought Arya a reindeer outfit.

This past Christmas was not only the first Christmas dinner I hosted, but also our first Christmas as a married couple, our first Christmas with Arya, and our first Christmas in our new place. So it was a pretty exciting holiday for us. But I don't want to talk about any of that. I want to talk about how freaking amazing this mac and cheese is. It's the best I've ever had; it tops any restuarant, store bought, or homemade version I've ever tried. It's that good. Even Eric and his dad, neither big on mac and cheese, both loved it. My mom and mother-in-law asked for the recipe. And the fact that it's made in the crockpot, all the much better! On Christmas day it was a life saver when everything else had to go in the oven.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 8-ounce bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat)
1 10.75-ounce can of condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Bread Topping:
2 tablespoon butter, melted
3 pieces of sandwich bread, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 tablespoon McCormick Crusting Blend Garlic, Lemon, and Rosemary (or you can use garlic powder, basil, thyme, rosemary, whatever your favorite herbs are)

Directions:

Boil macaroni in water for 7 minutes. Drain.

Place all of the ingredients except the pasta, thyme, and optional bread topping in your crockpot and stir. Add pasta and stir again.* 

Cook for 2 hours on low. Stir in thyme.

Optional: After mac and cheese has cooked, transfer to a casserole dish. In a bowl toss together melted butter, bread, and spices. Top the mac and cheese with the bread and place under the broiler until the bread browns, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

*Since I was making this for Christmas dinner (and for the first time!) and didn't want to screw it up, I did not add the pasta to the crockpot. I made the sauce in the crockpot and add the pasta afterwards. However, I read many, many reviews on this recipe and none of them talked about the pasta becoming mushy. Next time I make this, I'll add the pasta right in.

Now, because I was so busy cooking and entertaining on Christmas day, I kinda sorta forgot to take a picture. But I did take a couple of pictures of some reheated leftovers (oh, it reheats very well) sans bread topping.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Crockpot Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Orange Chicken
Pumpkin Butter 
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken