Thanksgiving Ideas

Wow! I can't believe Thanksgiving is coming up in a week. I wanted to re-post some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for anyone who needs some ideas. 

This turkey was so delicious! It's the most tender and moist turkey I've ever had. We're going with my husband's family this year which means we're not cooking the turkey. But I think we're still going to have turkey another day because it's so good!

Thanksgiving Turkey

This is my mother-in-law's recipe for homemade stuffing. My husband cannot have Thanksgiving without it!

Homemade Stuffing

Pretzel jello salad is always a hit at Thanksgiving, although it's more like a dessert than a salad. Maybe that's why everyone likes it so much!

Pretzel Jello Salad

 You can't forget the pie! It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without many different pies!

Chocolate Toffee Pie

Vanilla Pie Filling (you can add any topping to this!)

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Vanilla Pudding Pie Filling

This is a basic vanilla pudding recipe. You can serve it with any kind of topping or filling that you want and in any kind of pie crust. My husband made this for Thanksgiving and he topped it with Snickers candy bar. It was delicious!

Printable Recipe


Vanilla Pudding Pie Filling


1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
filling options: bananas, candy bars, cookies
pie crust (any kind)

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and milk and stir over medium heat until thickened. Stir in egg yolks. Stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool and add desired filling. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you don't want the filling mixed with the pudding, you can pour the pudding into the crust and top it with desired ingredients.

Chocolate Toffee Pie

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click the link below for the recipe

Chocolate Toffee Pie

Pretzel Jello Salad

My kids wanted to eat the pretzels and I told them they couldn't because it was for the jello. Then my 6 year old said, "Pretzels in jello! I'm not trying that." I know it sounds weird but it is seriously so good. The pretzels make the crust and with the cream layer it kind of tastes like white chocolate covered pretzels. Yum! Whenever I make this for my husband's family everyone goes crazy over it. It's my favorite jello recipe ever. It's technically a jello salad but it actually tastes more like dessert. It's perfect for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas but it's great any time of the year.

Printable Recipe

Pretzel Jello Salad


2 cups pretzels, crushed but not fine
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar, divided
8 oz cool whip
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 (3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
20 oz frozen sliced strawberries

Mix pretzels, butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Smooth out in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes. Cool for 1 hour.

Beat 1 cup sugar, cool whip, and cream cheese. Spread over cooled pretzels.

Mix boiling water with jello. Reduce heat to low and add frozen strawberries. Stir for about 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Homemade Stuffing

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click the link below for the recipe

Homemade Stuffing

Roasted Turkey

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click the link below for the recipe

Roasted Turkey

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Nothing says fall more than pumpkin pie. I absolutely love pumpkin anything. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cookies. This recipe is an easier version of pumpkin pie. It's so simple and you don't have to bake it. It's completely low maintenance. Definitely a winner in my book.

Printable Recipe

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
adapted from Kraft recipes

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp milk, divided
1 Tbsp sugar
8 oz thawed cool whip, divided
1 pre-maid graham cracker crust
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Beat cream cheese, 1 Tbsp milk, and sugar with a whisk until blended. Stir in half of cool whip. Spread into pie crust. Whisk together remaining 1 cup milk, pumpkin, pudding mixes, and spices for 2 minutes or until well blended. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve topped with remaining cool whip.

Serves 8