Tangy cranberry pancakes sweetened with maple syrup make getting out of bed on the weekend a little bit easier.

Cranberry Pancakes

There is something almost magical about getting out of bed as a kid and going to the kitchen in your pajamas and smelling warm pancakes. It is a thought and smell that takes me right back to being a kid again.

It is such a warm cozy feeling to see and smell that stack of pancakes or waffles. So many fond memories are why I have such a love of making pancakes for my family. Not to mention you can create so many versions and flavors, from savory to sweet they never get boring.

In all my pancake-making years though I only recently learned that many people throw away the first pancake. Do you do that? I never have and I can’t recall my mom ever throwing it away.

At first, I thought it was surely a joke or maybe that was the “chef’s treat”. But apparently, it has something to do with the temperature of the pan, the oil temp, and the cold batter. The first pancake is never right, supposedly. There is an entire Reddit thread about it.

Let’s get back to making these awesome pancakes. Cranberry buttermilk pancakes will have a thicker batter than you might be accustomed to making.

After mixing the batter and adding your cranberries, let the batter rest for a few minutes while the griddle or pan heats. Resting allows the baking powder and buttermilk to work. When you start to see popped bubbles on the surface of the batter; then you are ready to cook.

Frozen or fresh cranberries work just fine for cranberry pancakes. If using frozen let them thaw a bit before mixing them in. If you don’t you will end up with little frozen batter balls. This could create raw batter spots in your pancakes around the cranberries.

To thaw the berries I suggest pouring them onto a pan or plate on the counter when you get started, before mixing up the rest of the ingredients. That way they’ll have a bit of time to warm before adding them to the batter. It is okay if they aren’t completely thawed when you add them. The goal is to avoid frozen batter chunks.

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“The sweet heat that you can not stop eating” is the best way to describe this creamy cranberry jalapeno dip. Double it for a crowd so you don’t run out!

Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

My love of cranberries knows no bounds. So when my friend Margaret shared this recipe with me, I jumped at the chance for a new cranberry jalapeno combination.

Cranberry Pepper Jam with brie and crackers is my appetizer go-to anytime I have that jam stashed in the pantry. Sometimes I pour the jam over a simple block of cream cheese and serve it with Ritz crackers. My kids go nuts over that.

HOLY SMOKES! That is all I could say after I made it. I took it to a gathering with friends and everyone asked for the recipe. I made this for my boys and they licked the plate! No joke.

Sweetness with a little heat combined with the tart cranberries and the cool creaminess of cream cheese hits all the right notes. With salty crackers or pretzel chips on the side to dip or spread this on, it is nearly impossible to stop eating this.

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Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders

Take your Thanksgiving leftovers and combine them into the most tasty sliders! Turkey, stuffing, cheese and cranberry sauce in a mini sandwich baked in a poppy seed dressing…yummmmm!

For four years now I’ve been playing around with turkey sandwiches and I’ve for sure figured out a few leftover turkey recipes you need to try. For example, have you had a delicious roll with cream cheese, poppy seed dressing, mozzarella or havarti cheese (ohhhh or muenster!) with a nice slice of turkey? Easy and so delicious. 

But this is not about that sandwich. This is about the idea I’ve been playing with year after year and finally I just went all in and added every main ingredient, turkey, stuffing, a killer honey mustard sauce, cranberry sauce and especially melty cheese. And THEN!!!! Cover the whole thing in a butter poppy seed dressing and bake it all in the oven. 

This is the ultimate leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders recipe!  

Crisp baby spinach, spring mix lettuces, tart apples, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds, and the ultimate honey cider salad dressing are combined to create a fantastic Spinach Apple Salad.

I made this salad three times within a month the first time I made it. And in the years since then, this salad has made frequent appearances in my home.

Spinach Apple Salad

The Honey Cider Dressing is wonderfully tangy and sweet and the combination of those flavors with the rest of the Spinach Apple Salad immediately made this one of my all-time favorite salads.

And that says something because this parsley salad with oranges and the apple walnut salad with blueberries are big favorites too. There’s just something unforgettable about a fresh salad filled with fruits and tossed in a tangy sweet dressing.

I was determined to serve this with my Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. So, I played with several different ways to make the salad in advance and still keep the apples fresh.

(Like most people I know, making as many of the Thanksgiving dishes as possible in advance keeps me the happiest!)

Everything I tried initially, changed the flavor of the salad too much. Fortunately, apple cider vinegar did the trick and after 36 hours in the fridge, the salad still had apples that were crisp, white, and tasting like fresh apples.

Honey Apple Cider Vine

Turkey Pot Pie [+Video]

Turkey pot pie is all the comfort you could imagine bundled in the most perfectly golden crust. It is creamy, full of veggies and perfect for leftover turkey.

Our chicken pot pie was one of our biggest posts last year. We had so many emails around Thanksgiving about using leftover turkey instead of chicken that we decided a turkey pot pie needed it’s own place on the blog.

We are making everything from scratch. From the flaky crust to the turkey and vegetable filling, it’s all homemade and we are going to walk you through each step.

It took me a while to figure out the perfect crust for a savory pie that was hardy enough to hold up under the filling but still fall apart flaky delicious. Once I figured that out and the consistency of the filling, the best pot recipe ever came to be. Now we are doing a turkey version and you’re going to love it!

Ingredients for Turkey Pot Pie

The ingredients list for this recipe might look long at first glance, but you will probably have most them on hand already. Make a stop in the produce section and grab a few fresh veggies and herbs, and you’ll be all set! And don’t forget the turkey! I love to use the leftovers from our oven roasted turkey, but you could use whatever cooked turkey you like best.

Here is your ingredient list:

Crust

• Flour
• Butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• Ice Water

Filling

• Turkey
• Carrots
• Corn
• Peas
• Onion
• Mushrooms
• Celery
• Garlic
• Savory
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Thyme
• Chicken Broth
• Whole Milk

Egg Wash

• Egg
• Water

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