Thanksgiving Table with Food (tips & recipes)

Set a beautiful long Thanksgiving table with food for the family, this year. This traditional dinner is simple but elegant with a turkey centerpiece that’s Pinterest-worthy. Grab the Thanksgiving ideas and turkey recipe here. 

_{This post has been sponsored by Shady Brook Farms® Turkey. All thoughts and opinions are my own}

Thanksgiving table with food

This year’s Thanksgiving celebration may look a little different, a little smaller perhaps. But that’s no reason to make it any less special or delicious.

That’s why I’m sharing some simple ideas and tips for creating a Thanksgiving meal, including food presentation ideas.

The turkey is the main event on Thanksgiving, and serving up a Shady Brook Farms Turkey® roasted to perfection is a great way to start. You can find them here.

These turkeys come from independent family farmers that have a high standard for animal care, so when you buy one for Thanksgiving dinner you’ll get a wholesome product for your meal.

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Setting the Thanksgiving table with food means you can eat family-style. And you can present it in an appealing way so it adds to the decoration.

We start with a long table and place each dish down the center, making the turkey the centerpiece. Here’s what our traditional meal includes.

• Oven Roasted Turkey with white wine & orange juice baste (RECIPE BELOW)
• Wild Rice & Ciabatta Dressing
• Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
• Mashed Potatoes with fried sage leaves
• Cranberry Sauce
• Yeast Rolls
• Easy Pumpkin Pie

See how we set the scene before adding the food with these Thanksgiving tablescape ideas for the family gathering.

Thanksgiving Turkey

My basting recipe incorporates rosemary, white wine, and orange juice, so when it’s time to plate the cooked dish, use garnishes to reflect that.

Once the turkey is on the serving platter, surround it with grapes, orange slices, fresh rosemary, and bay leaves.

Dressing

Take your favorite dressing recipe to the next level by serving it in mini pumpkins for Thanksgiving dinner. Here, we serve our wild rice dressing recipe inside.

Cook the pumpkins alone and then fill them with cooked dressing. Or, you can put the prepared dressing inside the pumpkin and cook them both together.

Mashed Potatoes

Serve mashed potatoes in a bowl and add a swirl design on top. Drizzle melted butter inside the swirl and top with crispy fried sage leaves for a delicious garnish.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Make my sautéed brussels sprouts recipe and then garnish with some fresh grated lemon peel for a pop of freshness. Sprinkle on some pepitas for seasonal crunch.

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is basically a Thanksgiving condiment.  Whether you make it homemade or you open up a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, garnish it with fresh mint leaves and grated orange peel.

Dinner Rolls

How can you serve the humble dinner roll in a more appetizing way? Elevate the presentation by piling them into a rustic wood bowl and surround them with fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, or rosemary.

I hope you’ll set your family Thanksgiving table with food and incorporate these ideas this year.

And don’t forget to pick up a Shady Brook Farms fresh or frozen turkey and use my recipe to prepare it.

*For the Thanksgiving Holiday, Shady Brook Farms will be giving away 80,000 pounds of turkey to communities deeply impacted by COVID-19. In select markets, leading up to the holiday, anyone who purchases a Shady Brook Farms turkey will have the ability to vote for their local food bank, giving consumers the power to dictate where the Turkeys are delivered, advocating for their neighbors, communities and loved ones.

More Food Ideas

Here are some more side dishes and desserts to serve for Thanksgiving, alongside our turkey.

• Easy roasted carrots
• Mac n cheese
• Cornbread spoon bread
• Sweet potato casserole
• 4-layer pumpkin cake
• Thanksgiving trifle