Thanksgiving is almost hereeee!

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love Thanksgiving.

Slaving away in the kitchen is actually pretty enjoyable.

Really.

And going back for fourths, er seconds is definitely acceptable behavior on this particular day.

Acceptable and even expected.

Since I do pretty much all the cooking, my parents take care of dishes!

Which my mom does not appreciate, but hey.

She insists that we put the fancy schmancy china plates to use, but those suckers aren’t even dishwasher friendly.

I say sell the fine china and book an extended vacay to the Bahamas instead.

Make that Tahiti.

With those cute little huts perched over crystal clear blue water!

And heat.

Clearly I’m already tired of wearing jackets 24/7.

Anyway.

This year I’m whipping up Pear Martinis before dinner hits because why the heck not?

I’ll try my very hardest to hold off and drink mine after pretty much all the cooking is done so I don’t accidentally burn the house down in my very peary vodka excitement.

After downing the martinis, we will be noshing on Raspberry Jell-O Salad (well not me… that stuff is not my fave but without it my sister would just be having pie and whipped cream for dinner…), Roasted Yams and Kale with a Garlicky Thyme Dressing (garlic breath ayyye),  Apple and Toasted Almond Bread Stuffing (with less narsty celery, obviously), Zesty Apricot Cranberry Sauce (just another form of sugar), Lemon Parmesan Green Beans (cheese!!), Creamy Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes with Fried Sage (browned butter is better than reg butter, clearly), Vegan Mushroom Gravy (don’t tell those mushroom haters), Classic Pumpkin Pie (will a pinch of nutmeg), Pecan Pie (corn syrup and all), plus fresh whipped cream (lick the beaters)!

Whewww.

And my mom is picking up some cooked turkey breast from the store for all the turkey eating individuals at the table.

I promise I’m done with the rambling.

Sooo I actually brought this tasty roasted delicata squash dish to a friendsgiving last weekend.

If you’re looking for an easy side this one will fit the bill.

All you have to do is roast up some delicata squash until it gets nice and tender, then toss in some juicy pomegranate, toasted pepitas, a bit of salt, and honey or maple syrup for a hit of extra sweetness, if you like.

This dish is great because you can serve it warm, room temp, or even chilled.

Easy peasy man.

P.S. I also made some cranberry sauce for friendsgiving and I have sooo much leftover. What the heck am I supposed to do? Put it in a smoothie? Sure, let’s go with that.

P.P.S. And yep I’m making homemade all-butter pie crusts. Probably the least fun part because they always crack and crumble on me no matter how much I chill and baby the ingredients. Too bad you’re not supposed to punch this kind of dough…

P.P.P.S. Technically we’re having sweet potatoes on turkey day, but “yams” sounds much more festive.

P.P.P.P.S. I got my inspo for this recipe right over here.