25 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers

Kick off your holiday feast with these easy Thanksgiving appetizers! They include fun, festive ideas like stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, and more.

If I’ve learned one thing from hosting Thanksgiving over the years, it’s this: Thanksgiving appetizers are essential. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve served a holiday meal 30 minutes or an hour (or two) later than planned because my roasted beets were still rock-hard or the water for my mashed potatoes took longer than expected to boil. In those moments, Thanksgiving appetizers save the big day. They tide over hungry guests until it’s time to sit down to dinner, keeping everyone’s spirits up and the atmosphere light. I’m sharing my 25 best Thanksgiving appetizer ideas below. They include a simple cheese…

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Best Stuffing Recipe

The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based on my family's classic recipe, it's rich and savory, made with fresh herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.

If I told you that a classic stuffing recipe was my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, would you believe me? Well, it’s true! As a kid, I fell in love with my grandma’s stuffing recipe. Made with onion, celery, and dried herbs, it was simple and delicious. It had a crisp, golden layer of bread on top, with a moist and gooey center underneath. Rich, savory flavor filled every bite. My mom still makes this homemade stuffing recipe for my family’s Thanksgiving every year. Because I love it so much, I wanted to develop my own spin to share with…

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These mashed sweet potatoes are a delicious sweet and savory side dish! Perfect for the holidays, they're easy to make with 7 simple ingredients.

If mashed sweet potatoes have never made an appearance on your dinner table, now’s the time to change that. They’re just too delicious to not have in your side dish rotation, especially in the fall. These mashed sweet potatoes have a beautifully creamy texture, and I season them with salt, pepper, and a little maple syrup to create a rich flavor that’s part savory, part sweet. But maybe best of all, this mashed sweet potato recipe is SO easy to make! It calls for 7 ingredients, and the stove takes care of most of the work for you. It’s a…

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Homemade Dinner Rolls

Try these homemade dinner rolls once, and you'll make them forever! Flaky, soft, and buttery, they're an easy, delicious addition to any meal.

These homemade dinner rolls are a perfect addition to almost any meal. Flaky, soft, and buttery, they’re delicious alongside a humble bowl of soup or a full spread of Thanksgiving recipes. We even love them on their own with honey butter or jam! My husband Jack started making these dinner rolls several years ago, and they’ve been a fixture in our rotation ever since. We keep coming back to them because they’re so simple. You only need 7 basic ingredients to make this dinner roll recipe! If you’re new to baking, don’t worry. You can totally pull off these pillowy, golden…

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Cornbread Stuffing

This cornbread stuffing recipe is a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or the holidays. Filled with fresh herbs and aromatics, it's savory and delicious.

This cornbread stuffing recipe is the holiday side dish of my dreams. It’s a delicious mashup of two of my favorite things: homemade cornbread and classic Thanksgiving stuffing. It features lightly sweet cubes of cornbread tossed with savory herbs and aromatics and baked to golden brown perfection. Tell me you’re not tempted to add it to your Thanksgiving menu! Technically, this cornbread stuffing is actually cornbread dressing because it bakes in a casserole dish, not inside the turkey. That means that it’s totally vegetarian and great for making ahead. If you’re ready for a change from classic stuffing this holiday season,…

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Baked Brie

This baked brie recipe is a perfect holiday appetizer. The rich, gooey, melty cheese is guaranteed to wow guests...but it couldn't be simpler to make!

This baked brie recipe is about to become your favorite party appetizer. Rich, gooey, and decked out with flavorful toppings, it looks impressive and tastes delicious. This baked brie will absolutely wow guests. But I’ll let you in on a secret—baked brie is quick and easy to make. It’s as simple as popping a wheel of cheese in the oven and baking until it’s melty and soft…which takes 10 minutes or less! Effortless and elegant, this baked brie recipe is perfect for the holidays or any festive occasion. Put your personal spin on it by playing with the garnishes on top.…

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Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Learn how to make the best mashed potatoes with this easy recipe! Rich, creamy, and flavorful, they're always a crowd-pleasing side dish.

I can’t share a mashed potatoes recipe without mentioning my husband Jack. He LOVES homemade mashed potatoes, specifically ones that are rich, creamy, and flavorful. I’ve made plenty that he’s liked in the past (see these garlic mashed potatoes and these Instant Pot mashed potatoes). But last year, I finally made the potatoes he’d been waiting for: ones loaded up with butter, milk, and sour cream. I’m not kidding when I say that these are the best mashed potatoes I’ve tried. They’re ultra-rich and blissfully creamy, and the sour cream gives them a delicious tangy kick. They’re easy to make…

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Oven Roasted Potatoes

These oven roasted potatoes are a delicious, easy side dish for any meal! They're crispy on the outside, creamy inside, and full of bright, bold flavor.

These oven roasted potatoes are a delicious, easy side dish. They’re simple enough to make on weeknights and flavorful enough to add to a holiday dinner. No matter when you serve them, they’ll be a hit. Here’s why: Crispy outsides. The potato skins puff and crisp up in the oven. Creamy middles. The crispy skins give way to creamy centers, so each bite of these roasted potatoes has an amazing mix of textures. A zesty dressing. While they’re still warm, I toss the potatoes with a zingy vinaigrette made with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme. It…

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50 Fall Recipes and Dinner Ideas

These healthy fall recipes will satisfy any autumn craving! They include quick fall dinner ideas, cozy desserts, side dishes, salads, and more.

Happy fall! To celebrate the start of the season, I’m sharing 50 of my favorite fall recipes below. They include cozy soups, fresh salads, decadent desserts, and everything in between. Whether you’re looking for a quick dinner, a healthy lunch, or a comforting cooking project this season, you’ll find it here. I look forward to making these recipes every year when the temperatures start dropping. I hope they become some of your fall favorites too. Our Top 5 Fall Recipes Butternut Squash Soup No collection of fall recipes would be complete without butternut squash soup! Sage, rosemary, and fresh ginger…

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50 Easy Appetizer Recipes

These easy appetizers will be a hit at your next party! They include delicious dips, fun finger foods, and other crowd-pleasing snacks that guests will love.

All our best appetizers, all in one place! If you’re hosting a party or looking for a dish to bring to one, I promise—these easy appetizer recipes will not disappoint. They range from indulgent dips to bite-sized finger foods, gorgeous snack boards, and baked treats. These appetizers are the nibbles and bites that I love to serve when I’m entertaining. They’re simple to make (and often make ahead) and easy to serve (bonus points if you don’t need utensils!). But most importantly, they’re fun and delicious. They keep the prep straightforward for you while delivering big, bold flavors for guests.…

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Roasted Carrots

Ready in under 30 minutes, these oven roasted carrots are an easy, healthy, and delicious side dish! A little honey brings out their natural sweetness.

To me, roasted carrots are the perfect veggie side dish. They’re easy to make, but they’re also amazingly flavorful. The hot oven intensifies the carrots’ natural sweetness, and it makes them soft and tender, with lightly crisp, caramelized edges. I can never resist eating some straight off the baking sheet! You’ll find my favorite roasted carrots recipe below. In addition to the olive oil, salt, and pepper I’d toss with any roasted vegetable, I use some honey here. It lightly glazes the carrots and helps them brown and caramelize in the oven. Make this recipe to round out a weeknight dinner,…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.