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Thanksgiving Drink Pairings

Thanksgiving Day

For my family, means a family holiday with food, fun and drinks.  I’ve recently discovered the importance of pairing food with drinks and it’s changed how I enjoy a meal.  This year, I really wanted to elevate our meal by creating the a delicious drink menu around our food menu.  I’ve paired different drinks from 5 categories including wine, beer, cocktails, mocktails and other beverages with a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Traditional Thanksgiving Day meal includes items such as turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and rolls. I’ve used those flavor profiles to pair these drinks.

Let’s start with my favorite drink, beer.  Oh how I love a good beer.  Here are the best beers to pair with your Thanksgiving meals.

  • Saison
  • Farmhouse Ale
  • Brown Ale
  • Lager
  • Porter
  • Stout

But I can also enjoy a great glass of wine, so I spent some time finding the best wines to pair with Thanksgiving dinner and here’s what I found.

  • Zinfandel
  • Syrah
  • Riesling
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • dry sparkling rose

Cocktails are a great way to enjoy a drink as well. The best spirit to enjoy with a traditional thanksgiving meal appears to be gin, making a Gin & Tonic a no brainer. But if gin isn’t your jam, no problem.  Here’s some other cocktails that pair great with turkey!

  • Vodka Collins
  • Old Fashion
  • Amaretto Sour
  • Hot Spiced Rum Cider

If spiked drinks are not your thing, I totally understand.  Thanksgiving can feel a little indulgent, therefore, I’ve complied a list of yummy mocktails that will leave you satisfied without the booze.

  • Hot Chocolate
  • Beet Spritzer-Ginger Beer and beet juice
  • Mulled Cider
  • Chai Tea

I hope you love these drinks and choose to elevate your meal with one of my suggestions!

 

Enjoy,

 

xoxo

Jenna

 

 

 

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Recipes

Grapefruit Gin Fizz

Friday August 13 is National Prosecco Day.

Honestly, any day to celebrate and make cocktails works for me 🙌🏻.

I’m obsessed with this yummy drink.

The juicy grapefruit mixed with the woodsy notes from the rosemary simple syrup make it the perfect transition drink from summer patio drink, to fall evenings. And who doesn’t like a good fizzy on top???

Recipe: (serves 2)
3 oz gin
1 oz Rosemary simple syrup
1/2 c grapefruit juice
Top with Prosecco

Shake and serve over ice with a rosemary sprig and grapefruit twist.

Rosemary simple syrup
Equal parts sugar and water
1 sprig rosemary
Summer until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened to syrup consistency. Strain rosemary.

Want to save this recipe, pin it to your “Favorite Drinks” board in Pinterest

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Recipes

Homemade French Fries

french fries

We call Friday’s Free Fry Friday in our house for a silly reason.  When my 2 big kids were little, we made it through those LONG winter days by going to play at open gym on Friday afternoons.  Afterwards, we always stopped and grabbed free fries from McDonalds.  I have no clue why, but they offered a free medium fry with the purchase of a $1 drink so obviously we made it part of our routine.  The name for Friday’s has stuck and always makes me yearn for those simpler days.

 

Anyways, that story has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe, but it seemed like a good intro, so it’s what you get.  This recipe was born when I was craving a burger and fries.  There is a restaurant in town that makes the BEST burgers, which is really what I wanted but decided to try it at home instead. Burgers turned out so good, but the fries were even better!  I’ve read a bunch of recipes, all a bit different but the two things they had in common, was to be sure to soak the potatoes before making them and double fry them.  Since I wanted to make these healthier, I knew I was going to be utilizing my air fryer.

Here’s how I made them

First, slice the potatoes into equal size pieces.  Honestly, using a french fry maker, would be 100% easier than cutting them by hand, but I don’t own one, though may invest soon :-).


Next, soak the potatoes in cold water in a bowl for 20-30 minutes.  Do not salt the water! I’ve read several recipes that say if you soak them longer, the fries will turn out crispier.  I soaked mine for 20 minutes and they came out just fine!  If I had more time, or planned ahead, I would absolutely try to soak them longer. After they were done soaking, I rinsed them well in cold water and patted them dry.

Then, I arranged them on a cookie sheet, and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I baked them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown and soft.  I finished them off in the air fryer, 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

 

Seriously, these are SO good!  Fresh from the fryer fries and definitely healthier than fast food!

french fries

 

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Recipes

Cranberry Christmas Spritz Cocktail

cranberry spritz cocktail ingredietns

Cranberries, you either love them or hate them.  They are everywhere around the holidays and make everything feel so festive.  When I discovered one of my favorite vodkas came in cranberry, I knew I had to try it!  That’s how this cocktail was born.

 

I am not a sweet drink lover,  I tend to prefer crisp more tart drinks, and it’s no different when it comes to cocktails.  So using juice as a base for a cocktail doesn’t usually appeal to me, even with cut with soda water.  I discovered that Deep Eddy made a cranberry flavored vodka and had to try it.  This drink is SO incredibly easy, using only 2 ingredients (3, if you include cranberries as a garnish).  It’s definitely not overly sweet either.

cranberry spritz cocktail ingredietns

Here’s the recipe

cranberry cocktail recipe

Serve over ice in a festive glass and you’re set!  Hope you enjoy it.  If you do, be sure to comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see 🙂

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Recipes

Homemade Caramel Corn

caramel corn in cookie tins with printable tag

I LOVE handmade/homemade/crafted gifts.  When someone takes the time to make me something, I feel so cared about, honored and loved, may be that’s my love language.  As a kid, my mom has been making and gifting homemade caramel corn with rave reviews.  She only ever made it at Christmas time but each year, she’d gift it our teachers, pediatrician, neighbors and friends.  People truly looked forward to getting this as a gift from my mom.  As an adult, I’ve continued the tradition, gifting this delicious stuff to anyone special enough to get it ;-).  

I’ve decided to SHARE this recipe with you all and show you how to make it into a beautiful gift for just about anyone.  I usually gift this to teachers, neighbors, our pediatrician, my OB, hairdresser, or anyone else that deserves a handcrafted gift.   Making the caramel corn has definitely become a family tradition that I’ve carried with me to my own children.  They know it’s almost Christmas when I get out the caramel corn ingredients. 

If you want to make it at home, here’s what you’ll need.   Large saucepan or pot for the stovetop, roasting pan, cookie sheets for cooling.  

caramel corn in cookie tins with printable tag

Ingredients include:

1 8oz bag of butter Oke-Doke popcorn  This is a VERY specific item but it truly makes the BEST caramel corn.  If you’re in a pinch or can’t find it at your store, make 8oz of air popped popcorn and spray with butter flavored cooking spray.  If you cannot or do not want to go through that much trouble, try to find some kind of butter popcorn in the store, do NOT be tempted to by movie theatre popcorn, this will NOT work.  You need it have butter flavor, but not be greasy.

2 c. LIGHT brown sugar.  I’ve used dark brown sugar in a pinch, but it’s not the same

1 c. butter, I’ve used salted and unsalted without much difference in taste

1/2 c. light Karo syrup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

And here’s how you throw it all together. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees while you gather your ingredients. Empty bag of popcorn into large roaster.

 

In large saucepan or pot, combine butter, sugar, Karo syrup and salt over low heat.

Allow to melt together and bring to a boil.  Boil together for 5 minutes, yep, set a timer and stir occasionally. 

Because you are making caramel sauce, you need to keep an eye on it.  It can go from okay to burned, it like 2 seconds.  Once it has boiled together for 5 minutes, add baking soda and stir vigorously for 1 minutes. Pour caramel sauce over popcorn and gently stir to combine. 

 

   

Bake in oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  

 

 

 To give as a gift, add to a decorative tin and wrap with ribbon or twine.  Add a cute holiday tag (free printable here) and you’re set!

caramel corn in cookie tins with printable tag

 

To print, open this FREE Printable and print onto cardstock!  Cut out, punch a hole using a hole punch and add to your gift.  

 

  If you decide to gift, please tag me on Instagram so I can see!!  

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Recipes

Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Turkey Bone Broth Soup

I truly did have the most leftovers ever this year so I had to get creative when it came to using up all the leftovers!  Here are my 5 favorite recipes created!

Bone Broth and Turkey Noodle Soup

Here I will show you how to make your own bone broth and then turn it into soul-satisfying, family friendly, yummy turkey noodle soup that will warm you from the inside out!

Turkey noodle soup

 

Leftover Turkey Thai Green Curry

This turned into a crowd pleasing favorite at my home.  What’s even better, it was a 10 minute meal, when I left my Instantpot and rice cooker do all the work for me!

Thai green curry with turkey

 

2 Ingredient Sweet potato pancakes

These sweet potato panacakes made for a delicious and filling breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.

 

Leftover turkey green enchiladas

It got to Taco Tuesday and I still had turkey to use up.  I whipped up these delicious turkey enchiladas the whole family loved!

 

Let me know if you try any of these recipes by commenting or tagging me on IG!

 

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Recipes

Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Enchiladias

I literally had bags and bags of leftover turkey this year and had to find ways to use it up.  I made bone broth, turkey noodle soup, even turkey Thai green curry.

 

Tuesday rolled around and I knew I wanted a Mexican theme, for taco Tuesday so I created these enchiladas.  I made my gluten and dairy free, so I’ll share how I did both.

 

Here’s what I used

1 28oz can of green chile enchilada sauce 

1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes with chiles 

3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (left it out of the dairy free portion)

1 c. diced leftover turkey

4 flour tortillas

4 corn tortillas

 

Combine 1/4 can of the enchilada sauce to a bowl.  Add in whole can of tomatoes with diced chilies (do not drain), cheese, and turkey. Stir to combine.  Add 3-4 tablespoons of this mixture to each tortilla.  Gently roll and place seam side down in 9×13 greased pan.  Cover with the rest of the can of sauce, top with cheese, if desired.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

 

Enjoy!

Let me know if you love this recipe by commenting below or follow me on Instagram.

 

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Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Curry

Thai green curry with turkey

I did NOT mean to make a 22lbs turkey this year for my family but I guess I don’t know how to read tags on turkeys, so here we are.  Day of 7 of leftover turkey.

 

This recipe was ABSOLUTELY delicious and might have been one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made.  And beside the rice, everything I used to make this was leftover from Thanksgiving.  Here’s what you need.

Thai green curry with turkey

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced

1 onion

2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth-here’s my recipe for turkey bone broth)

3-4 tablespoons Thai green curry paste

Leftover turkey

Cooked rice (I always make jasmine rice in my rice cooker)

I made this recipe in my Instantpot  which made this insanely easy.

 

Instructions

Add diced sweet potato and onion to instantpot with broth.  Stir in 3-4 tablespoons of thai curry paste.   Set Instantpot to high pressure to 8 minutes.  Allow to release pressure naturally.

Stir in turkey.  Serve over cooked rice.  Literally, that’s it!  So yummy and so easy.

 

If you love this recipe, tag me on Instagram.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey noodle soup

This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through these links earns me a small commission at no cost to you.  

 

This year, Thanksgiving looked a little different for everyone.  We planned a small Thanksgiving with just my parents.  I thought I bought a 12lbs turkey and found myself quite confused as to why it didn’t thaw in the 4 days like it was supposed to.  Turns out it was a 22lb bird….whoops!  So we all laughed at my small error and got to cooking.  Luckily, I was able to get it properly cooked in the 4 hours I had before we had planned to eat!  Turns out, it was the most delicious turkey ever.  BUT, because it was a huge bird and only 4 adults and 3 small kids, we have TONS of leftovers.  I knew I wanted to make bone broth with my left over turkey bones and skin and I knew I wanted to do it in my Instantpot since that is the easiest, mess free option.

 

Turkey Bone Broth Soup

 

To make bone broth

Simply add leftover bones, meat and skin to the Instantpot. Add in celery, onion, carrot and 10 cups of water. Cook on high for 2 hours and let the steam release naturally.

 

Bone broth soup     

 

Easy storage tip

 

Once the broth has cooled, I freeze in 4c. portions, measuring with measuring cup before adding to freezer bag.

Pro tips for freezing broth:
1️⃣ Label the bag
2️⃣ Let alll the air out
3️⃣ Lay flay on a cookie sheet, place in the freezer for a few hours to make it a heck of a lot easier to store!

 

turkey bone broth

 

Who wants the turkey noodle soup recipe that my kids DEVOURED?!? 🙋🏼‍♀️

 

Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey noodle soup

2 peeled carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

4c bone broth (see above for recipe)

1-2c. chopped left over turkey

2 c. dry pasta of your choice

1 tsp poultry seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Add chopped carrots, celery and onion to the Instantpot 

Add  4c. of your homemade broth

Cook on high for 3 minutes, allow steam to release naturally

Change setting to sauté and add turkey and noodles. Boil until noodles are soft. Salt and pepper to taste!

 

Omg so good!
.
Drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram with your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers recipe.

 

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Recipes

2 Ingredient Sweet Potato Pancakes

Since embarking on a health journey after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I have found myself being more creative with my food.

This morning, all I could think about was pancakes but I really did not want to use pancake mix, despite the fact that I’ve found and used, a good gluten free mix, I just do not feel that the flour alternatives really keep me on the path to reduce inflammation in my body.  So I needed to find something else.

I’ve seen and tried the 2 ingredient pancakes made with banana. And I’ve TRIED to like them, even adding oatmeal to see if that is better.  But I just do not like banana.  I can’t do banana anything.  I just hate the flavor, like hate it and just can’t, no matter how good they are for me.

Luckily for me, the Lord made other foods. Enter the sweet potato.  Now, unlike the banana, I’m not sure I’ve had something sweet potato that I do not like.  It’s just a delicious food.  And because they are affordable, versatile and delicious, I always have them on hand.

Now one might try to make the argument that I’m sacrificing health for taste, but check out the nutrition facts on sweet potatoes vs. banana.

Nutrition Facts

Banana – 100 g (about the size of an average banana)

100 calories

2.6g of fiber

12g of sugar

1g of protein

8.7mg Vitamin C

5mg calcium

.26 mg iron

26 ug beta-carotene

Sweet Potato-100g (about 1 cup of mashed sweet potato)

110 calories

100g of fiber

4.2g of sugar

1.6g protein

2.4mg Vitamin C

30mg Calcium

061mg ron

8509 ugBeta Carotene

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