Western Style Thanksgiving featuring bold flavors and farm to table ingredients served with a rustic elegance.
Starters
It’s always good to have a few starters for your guests to enjoy before the main event. I like to have a variety of olives, crackers, cheese and a couple fancier options such as Creamy Smoked Beet Toast, Acorn Squash Soup. and Fall Salad with Pecans, Yams and Cotija.
Creamy Smoked Beet Toast with goat cheese, toasted pecans and balsamic hot honey drizzle on sourdough toast. his appetizer gets a huge amount of flavor from slow smoking a variety of beets.
Use your wood pellet smoker, such as Pit Boss or Traeger, to create an extraordinary depth of flavor. Beets are first quickly roasted then slow smoked to obtain that really smoked flavor. This step can be done a day or two ahead then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Acorn Squash Soup is warm and creamy with earthy spices like paprika, turmeric, cumin and chipotle, topped with fried sage and pepitas.
This beautifully colored soup is like a warm sweater feeling all cozy. It’s blended with spices that have a southwest vibe and topped with crispy fried sage and nutty pepitas. It really screams fall and winter, but of course you could make it any season.
Fall Salad with Pecans, Yams and Cotija celebrates the earthiness of roasted garnet yams, toasted pecans, crumbled Cotija cheese and greens.
This time of year is all about throwing a tray of vegetables in the oven and roasting until the edges are perfectly caramelized. A little salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and you have big flavor. Throw in some toasted pecans for the crunch factor and a little crumbled Cotija cheese. All the necessities to make a well rounded salad.
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Sides
Side dishes are everyone’s favorite. I could load my plate with sides and be perfectly content. We have our go to traditions, but it’s fun to add in a few new side dishes too. Our sides are coming to you straight from the farm.
From Spiced Acorn Squash and Roasted Spiced Carrots with Agave and Pepitas that provide a beautiful fall vibe to the table to fresh and flavorful Shallot Citrus Green Beans that can be served warm or chilled. Roasted Brussels Sprouts are always a favorite on our table served either as a starter or a side dish such as Bacon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts .
Spiced Acorn Squash roasted until tender, glazed with sweet agave, smoked paprika, chipotle and finished with toasted pecans.
An elegant and super easy side dish that is perfect for your holiday table. The agave drizzle with the butter and warm spices create that earthy fall flavor. I really love how the acorn squash looks when it’s cut into these cute half moon shapes. It’s a real eye catcher on the table.
An easy side dish full of flavor, Roasted Spiced Carrots with Agave and Pepitas bring rustic elegance to your table in just 20 minutes.
Side dishes like these are always good to have on hand. Roasting carrots bring out the most flavor with the least amount of effort. Adding a hint of paprika and cumin accentuates the earthiness and the agave and pepitas finish off the flavor profile with a sweet crunch.
Shallot Citrus Green Beans served cold after being quickly marinated in a light agave lime dressing with shaved shallots.
Fresh, crispy and perfect as a side dish. I like to make this recipe using fresh picked green beans. The taste is exceptional. You can use store bought, of course, but fresh is always first choice. The quick marinade coats the blanched beans and you get a perfectly coated crispy bite.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with honey whipped goat cheese, toasted pecans, dried tart cherries and hot honey drizzle.
Even the non-brussels sprouts eaters will love this recipe. Roasted with crispy edges and tossed with so much flavor. Crunch from the toasted pecans, sweetness from the dried tart cherries and a little kick from that hot honey drizzle. All over a super creamy whipped goat cheese.
Bacon-Shallot Brussels Sprouts are seared in bacon fat, splashed with sherry wine and seasoned with salt and pepper for a delicious side dish.
Think you don’t like brussels sprouts? Maybe you’ve had the sogged out, boring, mushy kind with no flavor. I’m going to be willing to say these brussels sprouts will change your mind! They are anything but boring with crispy bacon pieces and lots of flavor because they’re fried in bacon fat!
Stuffing & Potatoes
Who’s ready for stuffing? I know I am. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, we have so many flavorful options. Chanterelle Sage Stuffing combines foraged chanterelles with sage for a vegetarian favorite and Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing kicks it up a notch with a little heat from the chorizo. Sourdough makers will love this Sourdough Stuffing with Roasted Garlic, it’s my personal favorite and your house will smell amazing!
Of course we love the traditional mashed potatoes, but why not try something with a little more kick to it like Serrano & Potato Gratin. It is golden delicious and can be served in the cast iron pan it’s cooked in. If spicy isn’t your thing, Classic Potato Gratin is what you what.
Earthy chanterelle mushrooms, sage and leeks come together with toasted bread cubes in this rustic Out West Chanterelle Sage Stuffing.
Chanterelle mushrooms are sautéed in butter with sliced leeks then combined with seasoned toasted bread cubes in this Chanterelle Sage Stuffing, perfect for your vegetarian Thanksgiving guests. You won’t miss the meat in this dish. The chanterelle mushrooms provide a meaty alternative and make this a signature Out West Food & Lifestyle dish.
This Thanksgiving head Out West with this Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing packed full of sliced apple, pecan and celery with rustic bread cubes.
The seasoned toasted bread cubes in this Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing combined with the crumbled cornbread adds the perfect nooks and crannies for all that goodness to nestle in.
Sourdough Stuffing with Roasted Garlic is a flavorful addition to your table with smoky bacon, greens and pockets of melted Swiss cheese.
This is hands down my favorite stuffing. Packed full of roasted garlic pieces, smoky bacon, sautéed leeks, greens and pockets of melted Swiss cheese. All of this goodness mixed in with fennel seasoned and toasted sourdough cubes. I could eat this for dinner once a week through winter season. It’s that good.
Serrano & Potato Gratin combines the creaminess of traditional gratin with red potatoes and an added kick of spicy serrano peppers.
Serrano peppers are just a tad bit hotter than your jalapeno pepper and in this dish, they pair perfectly with the creamy, mild flavor of traditional gratin. Control the level of heat by removing the seeds. While the layers of thinly sliced potatoes, creamy cheese sauce and serrano peppers bake to perfection, the heat from the serrano peppers gracefully permeate the dish.
This Classic Potato Gratin can be tailored to fit your taste. I love adding fresh picked thyme leaves for an ultra-classic French taste. With my Citrus Chipotle Ham, I like to keep it simple because of the intense glaze on the ham. The recipe calls for two cups cheese and this time I used Monterrey Jack cheese because it’s mild and creamy.
The Main Event
The main dish on your Thanksgiving Day table sets the stage for all the supporting side dishes. Guajillo, New Mexico and Chile de Arbol combine with earthy cumin, cinnamon and notes of agave and orange juice in this Chile Rubbed Smoked Turkey.
The best thing about smoked turkey, aside from the delicious smoked flavor, is that it’s already cooked, which means you have more oven time for other dishes to cook. This 10 pound smoked turkey takes less than two hours to warm in the oven and comes out juicy enough to make gravy out of the drippings.
Dessert Table
Save room for dessert, seriously I’m eating dessert even if there’s no room left. The best pie you’ll ever eat is Nona’s Apple Pie with All Butter Crust, but if you lean towards traditional pumpkin pie try our Pumpkin Cream Bars, you won’t be disappointed.
Nona’s Apple Pie with All Butter Crust combines layers of tart Granny Smith apples tossed in a cinnamon sugar mixture and a super flaky crust.
I’m a firm believer in real butter and always use it in my pie crusts. After experimenting with butter vs. shortening vs. a mix, I decided I prefer butter. The crust always comes out light and flaky. You’ll be sure to get all the complements when you make this crust! Make sure to keep it super cold and protect it while baking with a pie crust shield.
Pumpkin Cream Bars with Chili Lime Pepitas combines the flavors of traditional pumpkin pie with lime zested whipped cream topping and chili lime pepitas in a graham cracker crust.
Wanna step up your pumpkin game? These Pumpkin Cream Bars are a little pumpkin pie and a little chili lime packed into a bite size bar. The best thing? They require zero baking. – Just a little time to chill in the fridge.
