What To Make With...

You'll never want to prep it any other way.

Find *everything* you need to know to safely fry the crispiest, most delicious holiday turkey at home.

In addition to keeping a jar stashed in the pantry, I love to make a big pot of applesauce after a day of apple picking — there’s something just so satisfying about its simplicity. However, after a few days of eating it from a bowl, dusted with cinnamon, I tend to grow tired of the snack. Luckily applesauce is good for so much more than just snacking. There are loads of sweet and savory recipes using applesauce, where it serves as a useful ingredient (especially when baking!

What food is a purer comfort than hashbrown casserole? You’ve got tender, creamy shredded potatoes floating in a rich sauce, all hidden under a golden crust of hot cheese. It walks a delicious line between breakfast and side dish. There are many kinds of potato casseroles, but for pure yumminess the crown goes to Cracker Barrel’s hashbrown version.It’s so good, in fact, that I set out to make my own version at home.

The secret ingredient: instant mashed potatoes.

It's not Thanksgiving without them.

Crispy on the outside, buttery and tender on the inside.

I’ll be honest: I don’t often get creative with my salads. If you come over for a weeknight dinner, I’ll likely be serving a big bowl of greens tossed with a basic vinaigrette. You could either call me a purist or boring; I like to think it’s the former. When I want to glam it up without really trying, I make this spinach salad. This is the kind of salad you make once and never have to look at the recipe again after that.

Sweet and tangy.

No holiday table is complete without sweet potatoes. Some people like theirs mashed and marshmallow-ed, while others serve theirs for dessert, but me? I prefer mine souffléd. In this sweet potato soufflé, sweet potatoes are puréed until silky-smooth, topped with a candied pecan crumble, then baked until light and puffed. They’re elegant yet rich and always hit the spot — and it’s high time they made an appearance on your spread.

Every year as the holidays approach, I eagerly anticipate holiday baking and decorating sugar cookies. And every year, they don’t exactly turn out as planned. That’s because decorating cookies is a lot easier said than done — especially if you’re a perfectionist like me who likes straight lines and clean edges. But this year, I’m prepared. I recently got to work developing a simple royal icing recipe that makes cookie decorating as stress-free (and mess-free!

Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.“Southern as sweet potato pie” is a saying I didn’t learn until I moved to Georgia over 10 years ago, but long before I ever came to the South I had fallen in love with sweet potato pie.

Start with the honey-garlic salmon.

Make it while the turkey’s resting.

I grew up thinking the only way to eat butternut squash was to mash it with lots of butter, milk, and brown sugar. Although that’s a delicious way to enjoy it (it’s still one of my favorites!), I’ve learned there are many more possibilities when it comes to preparing this vegetable. You can add butternut squash to creamy risotto, blend it into soup, or turn it into fritters.

Everyone will demand seconds.

Broccoli is a great vegetable to keep on hand. It’s hearty and delicious, and an easy way to round out a meal with something green. If you find yourself avoiding fresh broccoli in the store because you’re worried it will go bad before you can get to it, the frozen stuff is just as healthy, and there are easy ways to make it taste great. (In fact, frozen broccoli is great for bulking up a skillet meal, pairing with protein in a stir-fry, or adding to soup in a flash.

We tried every method out there to come up with the very best.

We can’t stop making them.

You’ll want to make them all winter.

It’s ready in under 30 minutes.

If your vegetable drawer is still stuffed with squash after you’ve already grilled it, made gratin, or packed it into a quick bread, it’s time to take a cue from Southern potlucks and holiday spreads, and make a cheesy yellow squash casserole. Squash casserole is a classic meat-and-three side dish in which mild yellow squash is baked in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce, and topped with a buttery cracker topping.

Eat your greens.

A bowl of warm rice pudding is like a comforting hug on a dark, dreary day. It’s fragrant, creamy but not too rich, subtly sweet, and easily adaptable to your taste, whether you feel like a sprinkling of cinnamon or some plump, chewy raisins. And it truly is one of the easiest puddings you can ever make, starting with a short ingredient list of kitchen staples with infinite customization possibilities.

Freeze it now, enjoy great lasagna later.

A creamy, dreamy mac & cheese that you can prep days ahead of time and just pop in the oven.

A fast and fancy at-home cocktail you can serve all year long. Egg white included!

They’re both iconic.

Quick and easy.

Easy and impressive.

I married into a family that believes pretty much everything is made better with cheese. I can’t say I blame them, because these potatoes are so decadent and showstopping that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back to the original. What’s more is that these mashed potatoes are the ideal make-ahead side dish.

The most delicious leftover sandwich starts here.

Here’s how you make a pan-fried pork chop that can truly rival a great steak at home: Brine it with brown sugar, pan-fry it, and then baste it with butter. If that sounds a lot like how you cook a steak at home, you’re right — this is basically pork chop steak!

Wait for the praise.

Mashed potatoes are a requirement on most Thanksgiving tables, and we set a high bar. They must be lush and creamy with enough flavor to stand on their own, but not so assertive that they clash with the turkey gravy. I don’t like to brag, but I think this is the ultimate potato side dish you’re looking for. It’s the perfect make-ahead side dish.