What do people who cook for a living eat for Thanksgiving dinner? Food Blogs Star Jessica Gavin of the amazing JessicaGavin.com site shares what she will be cooking for this holiday! (Get Thanksgiving recipes and more from all of the Food Blogs Stars here.)
What Jessica will be doing this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year, when family and friends come together and eat!
As a culinary scientist, I love to geek out in the kitchen, and I can’t live without my cooking tools. (My trusty instant-read thermometer follows me wherever I go. I’m like the food-safety enforcer in the house!) I want my guests leaving well fed, happy and assured that their food has been prepared and served properly.
When I’m planning my menu for our holiday feast, I like to mix classic tried-and-true recipes with some new, healthy items for balance. My honey-cornbread muffins baked to golden perfection are must-haves, along with a homemade cranberry-orange sauce that’s incredibly easy to make — and, of course, pumpkin pie!
Side dishes are my favorite to make, because I can get creative with flavor combinations. This year’s meal will have a colorful farro salad with roasted root vegetables, honey orange-glazed Brussels sprouts, crunchy citrus green beans, and some fresh whole-wheat dinner rolls.
The best part of the day is the hustle and bustle of the kitchen as everyone works together to cook a beautiful hot meal together. I love to have festive holiday music playing to get energized and excited.
This Thanksgiving is extra-special for our family with the recent arrival of our daughter, Olivia, who will be six weeks old. I’m also thankful that my three-year-old son James is already being a caring big brother: He likes to help place the pacifier in Olivia’s mouth when it falls out.
My extended family will be joining us this year, and I plan to have a bottle of chilled sparkling apple cider for the kids and champagne for the adults as we go around the table sharing what we’re all thankful for before we dig in. I look forward to continuing this tradition each year!
Jessica’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes
- Farro salad with roasted root vegetables
- Whole-wheat cloverleaf dinner rolls
- Honey orange-glazed Brussels sprouts
- Green beans with citrus and almonds
- Honey-cornbread muffins
- Homemade orange-cranberry sauce
- Classic pumpkin pie
