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As we get closer to my favorite holiday, I thought I’d share some of my favorite semi-homemade dishes for Thanksgiving. 2020 has been full of surprises and change, so we will be having a small dinner within our household.

Since this means the majority of the cooking will be done by your truly, I will be looking for the most convenient, semi-homemade recipes I can find. I’ll also be making sure that my toddlers have plenty of activities to keep them busy and out of the kitchen.

My diet is primarily pescatarian but I will enjoy some meat and poultry on the holidays. This includes the turkey, which has never been my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. That is until I discovered the Willey Bird.

Willie Bird Smoked Turkey

There is definitely a reason that the Willie Bird is always sold out well before Thanksgiving. That’s because it’s hands down the most delicious, moist, smoked turkey I have ever tried.

Located in Northern California, Willie Bird Turkeys use the highest quality poultry. Their smoked products are fully cooked, immediately cooled, and vacuum-sealed.

Outside of it’s exceptional taste, it is extremely convenient. Preparing it is as easy as unwrapping it from the plastic, placing it on a sealed roaster pan (or wrapped in foil) , then heating it in the oven for 10-15 minutes per pound at 325F.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Another one of my favorite semi-homemade dishes for Thanksgiving are garlic mashed potatoes. You can buy mashed potatoes pre-packaged at the grocery store or from the deli counter and then add to it.

First, heat butter and a little oil in a sauté pan then add minced garlic until it becomes aromatic. In a separate pot heat the pre-packaged mashed potatoes then pour the butter, oil, and garlic in. Lastly, stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh herbs.

Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

It’s always important that I have some green vegetables on the table to balance out the heaviness of the other dishes. Green beans with slivered almonds are the perfect dish for that.

To make this as easy as possible, purchase packaged, precut green beans and slivered almonds. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for a few minutes and in the meantime, sauté garlic and the slivered almonds in oil. Drain the green beans then transfer them to the sauté pan with the slivered almonds and oil. Add salt and pepper then use tongs to toss the beans with the oil mixture.

Now that you know some of my favorite semi-homemade dishes for Thanksgiving, I’d love to hear yours. Share your favorite recipes below in the comments.

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