Atlanta Foodies Share Their Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This is a favorite holiday of many in the foodie and food blogging community. I get it. Who doesn’t love to indulge by eating all that succulent turkey with savory sides. And pie! How can I forget pie? All of the pie!

For some of us, we love this holiday even more because it is an opportunity for us to share our love of cooking with our loved ones. Whether it be a recipe passed down through the family, a spin on an old classic or a recipe we stumbled on and absolutely love, we take joy in contributing to the meal on Thanksgiving day.

I called on a few of my Atlanta foodie friends to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. There were no rules here. It could be anything really (and you’ll soon see there is definitely some yummy variety here).

Horseradish Deviled Eggs

If you have ever been in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, I am sure you have heard “When will the food be ready?” more times than you care to count. When hosting dinner on the big day I like to have small bites for my guests. The goal is to curb their appetite but not fill them up.

One of my favorite dishes to accomplish this is Horseradish Deviled Eggs. This is not one of my recipes, but it is too good not to share. Deviled eggs are a common party appetizer here in the South, but I like this twist with the addition of horseradish for a lil’ kick. And there is bacon… who doesn’t love bacon? This works well for me because you can make everything ahead of time and quickly assemble the day of so it’s doesn’t take much time away from prepping the main feast!

Roasted Garlic Macaroni & Cheese

Hannah (Formerly legourmetgal on IG) is one of my fave home cooks to follow on the ‘gram. Her posts inspire me to get in the kitchen and try new recipes. She loves this recipe for Roasted Garlic Macaroni & Cheese and has been making it for years. You can use a variety of uncooked pastas for this dish such as cavatappi, shells , or elbow macaroni. Hannah likes to use rigatoni for this dish. It is a staple and she brings it to every Thanksgiving.

Side note: I am definitely going to try this because roasted garlic. Need I say more?

Ube Champorado with Crunchy Fried Dilis

For those that do not know, I am half Filipino on my mother’s side. I was actually born in the Philippines and lived there for some years before we permanently moved to the U.S. in the early 90s. The reason I am sharing this is so that you can understand my excitement for this next recipe.

Delish Daily is coming to the Thanksgiving table with her Fresh Ube (purple yam) Champorado with Crunchy Fried Dilis. I have had this dish made by Kim herself and it is a crowd pleaser every single time! She didn’t invent this recipe. It is one she found and has been developing to make it her own for years since ube became mainstream in the U.S. She has tried to make this using different forms of ube (powdered, frozen and extract), but finds this fresh ube version is the winner. This is one of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes because:

• It’s Filipino, her heritage cuisine.
• It’s a feast to the senses.
• It’s the dish friends always ask for (truer words have never been spoken lol)

You can find the full recipe for this ube champorado here.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

We have all had some sort of variation of cranberry sauce, but I bet you haven’t had it like this! Foodcation Forever‘s coming at us with a cranberry sauce that uses JELL-O. Yep- you heard that right. J-E-L-L-O. Viv isn’t sure where her mom got his recipe but she is guessing it’s from 1970’s Betty Crocker cookbook. Her mom made this every year until she moved back to Korea 5 years ago. Viv has never had a Thanksgiving without it if she can help it.

The recipe for this retro side dish can be found here.

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

This classic dessert is coming to us courtesy of Rodney (@realrbinsta on IG). This is a recipe he got from his grandmother’s church cookbook. The page has her handwritten recipe alterations regarding temperature. He even crimps the edges of the pie crust with a fork like she told him to (this gives me all the feels!).

Rodney loves this recipe because it is nostalgia for him. It is one of the few recipes that is specific to his grandmother. “She made the pecan pie. She fried the chicken. She made the cookies. Nobody else did these things while she was alive. And when I left home for college and then on thru the remaining years of her life, when I came to visit she had a pecan pie waiting JUST FOR ME. Wouldn’t let anyone else have any before I got a slice. That’s a Grandma that loves you.” (I’m not crying… you’re crying *sniff sniff*)

Pumpkin Roll

Desserts at Thanksgiving are just as important as the turkey and side dishes. Alex (@roldinginthe_eats on IG) usually tries something new every year but this pumpkin roll recipe has always been his favorite thing to make. “It’s relatively simple, but looks so intricate and professional.”

Alex is that “all pumpkin everything” person but that isn’t the reason he likes this recipe. This pumpkin roll has all the right holiday flavors that enhance any meal with friends and family. This is why he finds it to be the perfect dessert to round out Thanksgiving.

Did someone say vino??

Kelly aka A Cork in the Road is coming to Thanksgiving with all of the wine. Well, not ALL of the wine but wine that will compliment your Turkey Day Feast. Honestly, I expected nothing less. Instead of a recipe, Kelly is offering 3 wine recommendations. Let’s face it- not every one is a cook or sometimes folks don’t have the time to get in the kitchen on this holiday. That’s okay! You can win over your friends and family with one (or all) of these wine options.

Kelly notes: “As an overarching general rule, lighter, livelier, and lower-alcohol wines will go better with the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. It’s also important to have a a variety of options available in order to please a crowd that will likely have diverse preferences.”

• Sparkling Rosé – bubbles not only get everyone in a celebratory mood, they also pair well with salty, cheesy dishes. A dryer rosé version will also bring a tart strawberry component on the palate to play off anything that touches the cranberry sauce. EXAMPLE: 2018 Domaine Saint-Cyr Pet Nat Rosé (Perrine’s Wine Shop)
• Gamay – Kelly’s go-to pairing for turkey, these light and dry reds have fresh, fruity flavors and can be served slightly chilled. Bursts of cherries and raspberries shine through with floral aromas and some slightly earthy notes on the palate. Great with classic Thanksgiving herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme. EXAMPLE: 2016 Jean-François Mérieau “Le Bois Jaceau” (3 Parks Wine Shop)
• Chenin Blanc – A great option for both red and white wine drinkers, Chenin can provide a textured mouthfeel with high acidity along with white floral aromas and hints of peaches and apples on the palate. These flavors pair well with autumn spices in things like squash casserole and pumpkin pie. EXAMPLE: 2017 Lang & Reed Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley (Murphy’s Wine Shop)

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If you try any of these recipes or wine recommendations I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message. A big THANK YOU to all of my wonderful and awesome friends for sharing their recipes with us! These are some of my favorite people to follow on social media (you should as well!), and I am glad they collaborated with me on this post.

Whether you are cooking, dining out, ordering takeout, or attending Thanksgiving as someone’s guest, I wish you a lovely holiday. If you can’t be with family, I hope you are with friends. Food has a way of bringing people together in a way that can be magical. *raises imaginary champagne glass* Here’s to hoping your Thanksgiving is just that… MAGICAL!