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.

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.

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

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Thanksgiving Food - Turkey Recipe

Yield: serves 6-8

This Thanksgiving turkey gets its flavor from 2-days in a dry brine, and then an easy butter coating and white wine basting sauce.

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Ingredients

• 1 14-16 pound fresh or frozen Shady Brook Farms whole turkey
• ¼ cup butter, melted

Dry Brine

• 3 Tablespoons Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• ½ teaspoon each of dry rosemary, thyme, sage
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper

Butter Rub

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• Fresh grated rind from 1 large lemon
• 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary needles

Aromatics

• 7 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 2 onions, cut into wedges
• 2 rosemary sprigs

Basting Sauce

• 2 cups dry white wine, like chardonnay
• 1 cup orange juice
• needles from 2 rosemary sprigs

Instructions

1. Make sure to thaw turkey for 3-4 days if frozen. Once thawed, remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse and pat dry. 
2. Combine dry brine ingredients together and rub into the turkey getting underneath the skin, inside the cavity, and on top of skin. Let sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. 

TIP: Letting the turkey sit uncovered helps to dry it out and give a crisper skin. 

1. When ready to prepare turkey, combine butter rub ingredients together and rub into turkey underneath skin and on top of skin. Place aromatic ingredients inside the hollow turkey cavity.
2. Place turkey on a baking rack placed inside a large roasting pan, breast side up and tuck wings underneath turkey.
3. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Baste with melted butter and bake for 30 more minutes.
4. Combine Basting sauce ingredients and pour into the roasting pan. Cook about 3 more hours stopping every 30 minutes to baste turkey with pan juices.
5. If turkey starts to over-brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Turkey is done when thigh temperature reaches 180 degrees.
6. Remove turkey to a serving platter, cover with foil and let sit for 20 minutes. Skim fat from pan drippings and serve with turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes if desired.
   

Notes

Freeze pan drippings in ice trays for later use in soups or to help flavor rice, couscous, quinoa, etc.

Did you make this recipe?

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