A Thanksgiving Menu from Our Favorite Food Bloggers

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and one of the things we’re thankful for is the cornucopia of tantalizing recipes that we encounter every day at work. That’s right. There are worse jobs. Unless you’re writing about roasted turkey in the morning on an empty stomach. Don’t do that.

We’ve gathered some of our favorite Thanksgiving day recipes in one place to provide you with an easy menu of surprising, delicious, and healthy dishes to serve to your guests this November.

However, it’s not just the recipes themselves that inspire us at Once Coupled. It’s also the food bloggers who take the time to create beautiful, informative posts for their readers. We’re thankful to have the opportunity to work with some of the best, and we look forward to working with even more of you in the future.

Beer Brined Turkey

Dani at The Adventure Bite offers recipes that make our mouths water, and she makes sure to explain them clearly and simply. As a mother of two, she understands that most cooks don’t have the luxury of sous chefs and gourmet kitchens (or even a lot of time) when they’re preparing meals for visiting relatives.

In her Beer Brined Turkey recipe, she provides insights based on her own experimentation, offering suggestions and her secrets for a perfect Thanksgiving Day turkey. Her writing makes it feel as if she’s a friend standing at your shoulder walking you through the process.

Gluten-Free Veggie Sage Stuffing

Sherrie at With Food and Love is a certified health coach, and that means her recipes are as healthy as they are delectable. Take this Thanksgiving 2014 Gluten-Free Veggie Sage Stuffing recipe. What a perfect compliment to the Beer Brined Turkey!

The images that accompany the post are nothing short of art, and the writing is friendly and easy to follow. One of the things we loved about this post was Sherrie’s use of a call to action within the blog post. All the With Food and Love reader had to do is leave a comment about a favorite Thanksgiving dish to qualify to win a copy of Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It was a great way to encourage readers to make a connection while also promoting a healthy lifestyle!

Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving staple, and most of us are perfectly content with the ten minute canned variety. However, Kimberly at The Daring Gourmet dares us to try a recipe that’s healthier and fresher. As a compromise, bacon is involved.

There are a lot of things to love about Kimberly’s posts, but the thing that stands out is her use of images to illustrate each step along the way. It’s more work for her, but it certainly offers encouragement and guidance to her readers. Having a picture of the finished product is wonderful, but walking us through the steps is even better.

Rainbow Harvest Roasted Vegetables

Don’t let the name fool you. Sugar Dish Me is not all about the sweets (although Heather, a Southern food blogger, does offer plenty of dessert options to choose from). In fact, this Rainbow Harvest Roasted Vegetables recipe is about as healthy as you can get while still being savory and yummy.

There’s a lot to love about this post, and bloggers-in-training could take a few notes. First, check out that photo. It’s clean, beautiful, and informative. Heather provides not only the name of the recipe in a fun array of fonts, but she also remembers to include the name of her blog. This is important when readers decide to share the post on Pinterest and other social platforms. It means new readers will be able to easily find the source of the incredible recipe easily with just a glance.

Heather’s recipe is easy to follow, and it’s also printable, which is great for readers who like to have a paper copy on hand or tucked into a favorite cookbook. And, of course, most importantly, Heather’s writing voice is charming; she’s a little sassy and very welcoming. That’s the sort of style that wins converts.

Pumpkin Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse Topped with Dark Chocolate Ganache

If you’re going to dedicate a little more time and sweat equity into a Thanksgiving Day dish, make it dessert. Am I right? And check out this Pumpkin Cheesecake from Christina’s Cucina. Wow.

I’m going to be honest with you here and say that my first thought upon seeing this photo was, “Yes, I want to eat it. No, I don’t think I can make it.” I mean, it looks like something that would take intensive labor and expertise. However, Christina offers so much encouragement and such clear instruction that by the end of the post, I felt like I could definitely prepare this cheesecake while winning friends and making enemies jealous in the process.

Like Kimberly, Christina takes time to photograph each step along the way, a huge advantage in a more complex recipe. She even shows how to make the fancy chocolate leaves! And she also lets readers know that they can contact her via Facebook if they have questions. Not only is that extremely invitational, it’s also super-savvy. Guess who wants followers on Facebook? Every blogger.

Orange Cranberry Blended Margaritas

Being the head chef on Thanksgiving Day can take a lot out of anybody, so be sure you’ve got a stiff drink on hand for when you’re finished and ready to relax. Or for when you roll out of bed and get started. Whatever helps you get through the day’s events.

This Orange Cranberry Blended Margaritas recipe by blogger Heather Christo is going to be my stand-in for cranberry sauce. After all, it is cranberry, and it is sauce, right? Heather keeps the narrative minimal and friendly, the images lush, and the recipe simple. I’ll drink to that.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving Day twist on a traditional staple?