For 30 years I have made the same Thanksgiving meal.  Don’t get me wrong, it has changed and evolved over the years, but the components are pretty much the same.  As I prepare to make the Thanksgiving meal every year its the same old process that has adapted with time and technology.  First, it was having cutout recipes stuck in the front or back of old recipe books, as well as digging through those same cookbooks to find the recipes that I wanted to prepare.  Then, I began putting all my favorite recipes on this site somewhere around 2006.  While that was so much easier, I still find myself digging through this site like a bunch of old cookbooks.  This year I have decided to put everything in one place with reminders of what I need to do to make the meal happen without all the “google-ing” and working out the timing.  Trust me, this is more for me than anyone who might actually be reading this!

The Menu:

Appetizers/Snacks

• Smoked Cheese Ball

• Orange Balls

The Meal:

• Smoked Turkey Breast

• Cranberry Sauce

• Cornbread Dressing

• Creamy Oven BakedMashed Potatoes

• Green Bean Casserole

• Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole

• Instant Pot Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

• Savory Turkey Gravy

Dessert:

• Cranberry Peach Cobbler

• Vanilla Ice Cream (not going to lie, I buy mine at the store)

• 4 Layer Delight (AKA “Chocolate Stuff”)

Below is the timeline for making it happen beginning with the Sunday before the big day:

Sunday  - Make the Cornbread so it has a chance to stale up a bit.  (This might sound gross but trust me.)

Tuesday - Make the Cranberry Sauce, Orange Balls and the Cheese Ball (without the nuts).

Wednesday - Brine the Turkey.  Make the turkey broth for the gravy.  Put together the Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole and make the Mashed Potatoes.  The flavors are so much better if they have a chance to marry overnight.  

Thanksgiving Day -

Put the Turkey Breast on the smoker at 7AM.  

Put together the Green Bean Casserole and