Last year, we were thrilled to host our first Thanksgiving back in our apartment in San Francisco for family and out-of-town guests, with T cooking the entire meal. It was extra special because it was the first Thanksgiving our friends from England had ever experienced and we wanted everything to be perfect!. This year we are headed back to San Francisco and, while we won’t be cooking the entire meal ourselves, we still wanted to contribute with the planning, as well as a few dishes. I also asked Thomas to share some of his tried and true tips for cooking a delicious and successful Thanksgiving.

• Plan out your day of cooking. Try to have some dishes that can be cooked ahead of time or in the early morning. Plan-out the utilization of all of your cooking devices too. Stovetop, oven, microwaves, hotplates and slow cookers are all useful on Thanksgiving. Things can get crazy as serving time nears.
• Have a trusted sous chef to help keep you on track and on schedule, run out for last minute items, entertain guests, clean up dishes, and everything else in between.
• Shop a day or two in advance for groceries. Thanksgiving morning at the supermarket can be absolutely crazy. Buying things early and taking stock of your inventory in advance means you’ll have time to run back to the store should you forget anything.
• Print recipes on paper so that you don’t have to constantly reference computers, tablets or phones.
• Serve at least one, preferably two appetizers to keep people entertained and more importantly, out of your way in the kitchen.
• My list of Thanksgiving essentials include: a kitchen timer (I actually use my Amazon Echo), Potato Ricer, Slow Cooker (1 big, 1 small), kitchen thermometer (I love my Thermapen) and a good apron (so you don’t have to change clothes after cooking).

Beer Brined Turkey – If you’ve never brined a turkey before, then you are seriously missing out. T and I first tried this recipe six years ago and we’ve made it every year since. The brining maintains the moisture in the turkey throughout the entire time it cooks. It’s so good that we get rave reviews every time.

Vegan Mashed Potatoes – Picking the right type of potato is the most important thing for fluffy mashed potatoes. Yukon Golds are the best. Using a Potato Ricer makes them so creamy and smooth that you hardly need to add anything else.

Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes – It’s always great to have a sweet potato dish at Thanksgiving. Too often though, people make sweet potato dishes that are way too sweet. Roasting the sweet potatoes properly will emphasize the natural sweetness. If you have a Potato Ricer, use it on your Sweet Potatoes too. You’ll end-up with velvet-smooth sweet potatoes without the need of any cream.

Brussel Sprouts – We’ve made Brussels every which way, since they are one of my favorites. My absolute favorite recipe is the simplest, involving only quartered or halved brussel sprouts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them evenly on a sheet pan and pop them in the oven at 425° F for 25-35 minutes depending on how crisp you like them. After 20 minutes, start checking them every few minutes so you know when to pull them out.

Dinner Rolls – We almost never cook our own. Instead, we get the Hawaiian Dinner Rolls, which have a nice sweetness to them.

Winter Salad (similar to this) – While T cooks most of the dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner, I always make the salad. Normally, I’ll go with something that’s really crunchy like dino kale, and I’ll add in nuts (walnut, pecans or almonds), red onion, dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds, and a great dressing, such as a lemon or balsamic vinaigrette.

Vegan Stuffing and GF Version – There are lots of methods and ingredients to use when making stuffing. We prefer to make our stuffing in a slow cooker. Try not to over stir when cooking, as the bread cubes can disintegrate, turning the stuffing too mushy. You can easily make this non-gluten-free by using regular bread cubes.

Vegan & GF Gravy – Two years ago, Thomas made two gravies; the traditional with turkey drippings and a vegan and gluten-free one for me. As it turns out, the vegan one was so good everyone (including meatatarians) ate it before I could go back for seconds. So, last year we quadrupled the recipe and only served vegan gravy. Not a single person complained (not even my meat-loving brother!).

Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup – We made this awesome soup a few weeks back and it turned out wonderful. We might make a big crock pot of it this year to serve as an appetizer…if there’s any spare crockpots left, that is.

Ok, now I’m getting really hungry! What are your favorite Thanksgiving tried and true recipes?

Image Credit: One, Two, Three, Four, Five