This Thanksgiving, Bella and I decided to take on the responsibility of making 100% of the meal. Truthfully, it was much simpler than either of us thought, and we got high marks from both of our families, which is a lot more than we expected. Or our families expected tbh. I think everyone was pretty nervous going into this that we were going to screw up the food of a holiday dedicated to eating, and yet somehow we were given command of the kitchen. Here’s what we made:

Maple glazed yams w/ orange and cranberries
• 4 3/4 lb yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup Pure maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
• 6 Tbsp dried cranberries
Preparation Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook yams in large pot of boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain and transfer into 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish.
3. Blend syrup, butter and peel in small bowl. Pour over yams.
(make a little extra to use during cooking). Sprinkle with salt and pepper: toss to coat.
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Bake yams uncovered until just tender, stirring and basting occasionally, about 30 minutes.
5. Mix in cranberries and continue baking until yams are very tender and juices from thick glaze, about 15 minutes longer.

So honestly, Bella didn’t even try this dish. But this is without a doubt my favorite of all dishes on all holidays all year. So it was important to me that we nailed it. No worries my dudes, we did.

Orange Jello Salad
• 1 (6 oz) pkg Orange Jello
• 2 cups Boiling Water
• 1 small can Frozen Orange Juice
• 2 small can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 large can crushed Pineapple, packed in pineapple juice
• 1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
Preparation Steps
1. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add oj, oranges and crushed pineapple with juice. Mix and put into oblong dish and chill until solid.
2. Mix pudding and milk. Fold in cool whip. Spread on top of gelatin.
3. Top with nuts.
4. Store covered in refrigerator.

Now this one is tricky. Upon reading the name of it, it sounds like a dessert and honestly it probably is. Not in the Manley house. We line this baby up with the potatoes and the turkey. No regrets.

Green beans with Pine Nuts & Basil
• 3 1/2 lb Green Beans, trimmed and halved diagonally
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
• 3/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
Preparation Steps
1. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender (about 6 minutes). Drain and then place beans in large bowl of ice water to cool quickly. Drain and dry beans well. (Can prepare this step 1 day in advance. Wrap beans in paper towels, then place in plastic bags and chill in refrigerator).
2. Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir for 10-15 seconds
3. Add beans and sauté until heated through, about 8 minutes.
4. Add pine nuts and basil, stir fry 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

This was by far the worst dish to make. In case you didn’t know, 3 ½ lbs of green beans is roughly the size of a small baby, and snapping them is simultaneously mind numbing and hurts more than giving birth. Probably.

Cranberry-pineapple Relish
• 1- 20 oz can Crushed pineapple , in its own juice
• 24 oz pkg Fresh cranberries
• 1 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 to 1 cup Chopped Walnuts
• 1 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
Preparation Steps
1. Drain pineapple thoroughly in sieve set over large measuring cup. Add enough water to juice in cup to measure 2 cups liquid. Place liquid in large non aluminum saucepan.
2. Add cranberries and sugar to saucepan with liquid and stir over high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil.
3. Reduce heat and continue to boil until most berries burst and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Mix in drained pineapple, walnuts, lemon juice and cloves. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate uncover until cold, about 2 hours. Cover and keep in fridge until ready to serve.
5. Can be prepared up to a week ahead. Keep refrigerated

Bella made this dish and nailed it. But if you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: don’t eat raw cranberries. You have been warned.

Turkey
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 fresh turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 whole lemon, halved
1 Spanish onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Preparation Steps
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
3.Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
4.Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
5.Slice the turkey and serve.

The turkey was surprisingly simple, minus cleaning it. Did you know they put all sorts of random turkey body parts inside of it that you have to take out? Yeah, gross, I know. Overall, Thanksgiving was a success. Bella and I highly recommend it to anyone willing to take a chance in the kitchen.

We slay the pies and Bella slays Karen. Photo Credit: Param Mahal

Even though Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, cooking is always a great thing to do with your best friend. It isn’t free, but your parents will probably be willing to spring for ingredients if you promise to feed everyone dinner. Cooking is a useful skill to learn, unless you plan to live on ramen through college. No judgement.