I’ll admit I’m not a huge Thanksgiving person. It’s not my favorite menu, I don’t understand why it’s mid-week, and it always feels so forced. For the last two years we’ve left town for Thanksgiving. Last year we went to Washington DC and this year we’re headed to New Orleans.

But I know loads of people love this holiday and all of the foods that go with it. So I’ve assembled my own versions of everything that’s good for the holiday and left off the gross stuff. Have a great holiday, however you choose to celebrate and check @Ali.hedin on Instagram if you want to see how I spend my random Thursday dinner in November.

Thanksgiving for two!

Rosemary Turkey Breast

an old school favorite

Vintage Cranberry Jello Salad

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

Cranberry Bliss Cookies

Cin cin

The perfect cocktail for the holiday

Set the kid’s table

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I’ve been making this cake for so long I was shocked that it wasn’t on the blog already! Whoops. This is going to be your new favorite cake. I like it for dinner parties because it’s not super heavy. But with the whipped cream and caramel, it’s EPIC.

I use the Salted Caramel in a squeeze from Whole Foods. You can make your own or use your favorite, but it’s the simplest way to impress at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any dinner party.

Pear Caramel Cake

serves 4-6

½ cup butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sour cream

1 cup sliced pear

¼ cup turbinado sugar

caramel sauce for serving

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9” round pan. Cream together butter and white sugar until light and fluffy.

            ½ cup butter

            1 cup white sugar

STEP 2

Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined.

            2 eggs

            1 teaspoon vanilla

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.

            1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

            1 teaspoon baking powder

            ¼ teaspoon salt

STEP 4

Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream starting and ending with dry ingredients.  Add the flour in two batches with the sour cream added in between.  Gently fold in fruit.  

            ½ cup sour cream

          1 cup sliced pears

STEP 5

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top.  Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.  

To serve, top with whipped cream or ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.

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Have you ever had the Cranberry Bliss Bar at Starbucks? I resisted for years because it did not look delicious, but oh boy was I wrong. Cranberry Bliss Bars are SO GOOD. It’s dried cranberries, white chocolate, cream cheese and a cookie layer which meant it was perfect to turn into a cookie!

I made these and ate quite a few immediately. Then I froze a bunch of them to see what happened. They were perfect! Which means you can make these cookies today - freeze them - and defrost them in time for Thanksgiving. Or Christmas. Or a Tuesday board meeting - which is what I will take them too :)

Cranberry Bliss Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

12 ounces white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together shortening and sugars. Whip in eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth and fluffy.

STEP 2

Combine all dry ingredients and add them to the stand mixer. Blend them together slightly.

STEP 3

Pour in the chocolate and cranberries and blend until the batter is totally mixed. Scoop on baking sheets and bake 12 minutes until browned. Let cool on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.

STEP 4

Warm cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds until soft. Whisk in powdered sugar. Drizzle the top of cooled cookies.

Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to one week.

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If you’ve had happy hour at Jak’s bar, then you know all about the crispy brussels sprouts with bacon. These are an epic recreation of those. Being able to make them at home is a blessing (brussels sprouts are healthy!) and a curse (you will eat them all the time).

This is the perfect Thanksgiving side. The oven will already be hot so all you need to do is make the bacon and pop them in the oven. Literally, it’s a half hour tops and they’re done.

Crispy Bacon Brussels Sprouts

1 pound brussels sprouts, sliced thin

4 slices bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Balsamic glaze for serving

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large cast iron skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and set on a paper towel to cool.

STEP 2

Toss the brussels sprouts with olive oil and corn starch until coated. Pour them into the cast iron skillet and toss in the bacon grease gently.

STEP 3

Pop the pan into the hot oven and let roast in one thin layer for about 15 minutes. When they are starting to get brown and crispy, toss and give it another 5 minutes in the oven.

STEP 4

Chop the bacon and toss with the sprouts. Drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the sprouts and serve hot!

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It’s an epic debate in every household - canned cranberries or fresh? Our house does both and we get made fun of by the fresh contingent that we love our jellied cranberries. Those of us that love the canned berries can’t believe you’d choose cranberries over a vintage, retro, delicious jello dish!

Making your own canned cranberries is maybe the best of both worlds. It’s jello. But it’s also homemade. You can add any flavors you prefer into this. I like the brightness of the lemon and the texture of the pineapple. Jello salad with no texture is just a giant jello jiggler.

Cranberry Jello Mold

4 cups 100% cranberry juice, divided

4 envelopes plain gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

8 ounces crushed pineapple

STEP 1

Pour one cup of cranberry juice in a bowl and sprinkle the top with the gelatin. Try to get all of it touching the liquid. Let it sit until the gelatin looks like it’s absorbed the liquid.

STEP 2

Bring the remaining juice to a simmer on the stove with the sugar. Pour the hot juice over the gelatin and whisk until combined. Stir in the pineapple and lemon zest.

STEP 3

Spray down a bundt pan, a jello mold, or a circular bowl with spray oil. Pour in the cranberry mixture and carefully transfer to the fridge. Let sit for 24 hours.

STEP 4

To unmold the jello, fill a large bowl or a small sink with hot water - just three to four inches deep with water. Dip the mold into the water to warm up the jello. Invert the jello onto a plate and serve!

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This cocktail is the equivalent of an apple picking adventure at a pumpkin patch while riding on a hay ride. It’s all fall. There can’t possibly be flavors that more embody fall than fresh apple cider and bourbon.

This is a version of a Manhattan cocktail, only adding in fresh apple cider. Get it, the Big Apple?!? I know, corny. But so totally no the nose, you can’t help but love it. The bourbon, vermouth and bitters are the so good with the fresh cider.

Fresh cider is critical here. You can find it almost anywhere - even Tree Top juice makes a version of a fresh cider that’s worthy of this cocktail. Just please don’t use apple juice. Gross.

The Big Apple

2 ounces apple cider

1 ounce bourbon (or rye)

1/2 ounce red vermouth

a dash of bitters

STEP 1

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake!

STEP 2

Strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice and serve with a wedge of apple. Cin cin!

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Mr Hedin and I went on an anniversary trip a few years ago to a darling little mountain town where the winter is filled with cross country skiing and the summer is full of hiking. We went in April. There was neither snow nor warmth. It was not the best time to go to say the least. The highlight of the trip was the food. It was really our only great takeaway. And there was a hilarious interaction at the bar between a couple sitting across from us who clearly didn’t like each other - but loved their cans of beer. (The restaurant was fancy - not a “canned beer” kind of place)

These muffins were the star of breakfast. I try to eat something healthy for breakfast and these have fit the bill. They aren’t “health food” but they are a healthier option than almost anything else.

I don’t eat eggs, so I make them with an egg replacement - you can use store bought or apple sauce. But the eggs are a nice amount of protein for the morning.

Good Morning Muffins

Makes 18

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 shredded carrots

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup flaked coconut

½ cup apple, shredded

3 eggs

½ cup coconut oil

1 8oz can crushed pineapple

2 teaspoons vanilla

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 12 liners (or two with 18 total).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 2

Add to the dry ingredients the carrots, raisins, walnuts, coconut and apple.  Mix gently to coat the dry ingredients over everything.

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, pineapple and vanilla.

STEP 4

Gently pour in the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.  Don’t over mix!

STEP 5

Bake muffins in lined muffin tin for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Store in an air tight container for up to one week.

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I know most people think Pumpkin Spice is THE fall flavor. But they’re wrong because that’s disgusting. The flavor of fall is this molasses cookie. Before you say they aren’t, bake them first! I promise it will change your mind.

These have the perfect flavor - they stay chewy - which is mandatory for a molasses cookie. I stick them in the kid’s lunches during these early months of fall - and then make sure there are enough left over for you to have one in the morning with coffee. I cannot recommend them enough with coffee!

Let me know if you make them and what you think. Happy fall!

The Best Molasses Cookies

makes about 2 dozen

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar + more for rolling

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars. Whip until the mixture is fluffy.

STEP 2

Whisk in the egg and molasses and whip until fluffy.

STEP 3

Add all of the dry ingredients to the mixture and combine until just mixed.

STEP 4

Scoop out cookie dough and roll in sugar to coat. Place each cookie dough ball on a lined baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet.

Store them in an airtight container for about a week.

HOT TIPS

• This dough is super sticky. It does best when chilled or baked immediately. I like to chill it so it can roll in the sugar easier.

• If your cookies start to spread too much, chill the dough.

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I love cooking bone in chicken. It doesn’t dry out like a chicken breast so you can forget a little bit and not have to worry. That’s a great thing with this dish because sometimes the potatoes aren’t quite done but if you had boneless chicken - then it would be super tough and gross when the potatoes were finally done.

Make sure you use some sweet apples for this recipe too - I prefer Honeycrisp apples because they have the best flavor of all the apples. Cosmic Crisp are a close second. I don’t recommend Granny Smith’s, they are way too bitter.

I love this for a weeknight dinner. You can get it started and help with homework while it finishes cooking. And you can let it sit too - we’ve done this dinner when we know we have ‘late plates’ for kids at activities. It’s just as delicious several hours later!

Apple Roasted Chicken

with bacon and potatoes

Serves 4

4 lb bone in chicken breasts

1 onion, sliced

4 strips bacon, chopped

2 large honeycrisp apples, sliced

2 cups chopped baby potatoes

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup white wine

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425

In a large pan, cook onion and bacon together until onions are translucent.

STEP 2

Place chicken, bone side up, in the pan and let sizzle until browned.  Flip over and season with salt & pepper.

STEP 3

Pour in white wine and top with apples, thyme, and potatoes.

STEP 4

Bake 20-25 minutes until a thermometer reads 160 when inserted into the meat.

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Fall just feels like oatmeal cookies to me. I used to make them for football games, because my mom made them for football games, so I’m sure that’s a part of the reason. This week I started to wonder how I could make them even more “fall” feeling. So I swapped out the raisins for craisins and added butterscotch chips (which are literally what fall tastes like). I think they are a pretty epic fall cookie. What do you think?

Fall Oatmeal Cookies

makes about two dozen

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup quick oats

2 cus butter scotch chips

1 cup craisins

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy.

STEP 2

Combine together the flour, baking powder and oats - then blend into the stand mixer. Blend until just barely combined.

STEP 3

Toss in butterscotch chips and craisins and blend until totally incorporated.

STEP 4

Scoop on to a baking sheet and bake 12 minutes until browned on the edges. Let cool on a wire rack and keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

These go perfectly with a cup of hot apple cider. 😉

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Apple Cider Cocktail

4 ounces fresh apple cider

2 ounces bourbon

1/2 ounce allspice dram

Fill two cocktail glasses with ice. In a pitcher, stir together all ingredients. Pour the cocktail over the ice dividing it equally between both glasses

Cin cin!