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Everything for the big holiday meals in one place. For Thanksgiving there is a herb-roasted turkey with a simple brine, a gravy you can make days ahead, classic bread stuffing and the make-ahead sides that free up the oven on the day.
Free cookbook: Holiday Dinners 55 holiday recipes in one printable book.
Download the cookbookHoliday guides: Thanksgiving dinner guide (menu, turkey size, thawing and roasting times, timeline) · Feast of the Seven Fishes · Swedish Christmas julbord · New Year's Eve dinner · Super Bowl party · Passover seder · Easter dinner · Fourth of July BBQ
For Christmas and New Year there are showpiece roasts, beef Wellington, prime rib and a brown sugar glazed ham, and the Italian-American Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, with salt cod salad, fried smelts and more of our seafood favorites.
A whole turkey rubbed under the skin with garlic herb butter, roasted on a bed of onions until golden and juicy, and rested before carving. Serves 10 to 12.
A simple wet brine of salt, brown sugar, orange, peppercorns, bay and rosemary that seasons the turkey all the way through and keeps the breast juicy. For a 12 to 16 pound turkey.
Rich, smooth turkey gravy made days ahead from roasted turkey wings and a butter-flour roux, finished on the day with pan drippings. Makes about 4 cups.
Toasted bread cubes tossed with butter-softened onion and celery, fresh sage, thyme and parsley, moistened with broth and egg and baked with a crisp golden top. Serves 10 to 12.
Creamy mashed Yukon Gold potatoes enriched with cream cheese, sour cream and butter, made up to two days ahead and baked until hot with a golden top. Serves 10 to 12.
Fresh green beans in a creamy homemade mushroom sauce, topped with crisp fried onions and baked until bubbly. The Thanksgiving classic without the can. Serves 8.
Halved Brussels sprouts roasted at high heat with crisp bacon until deeply caramelized, then finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serves 6 to 8.
A bone-in turkey breast rubbed with sage, thyme and garlic butter and roasted at 325°F until juicy. A holiday-worthy main for a smaller crowd; serves 6 to 8.
A cooked cranberry relish of fresh cranberries simmered in sugar syrup until most of the berries burst, finished with cinnamon and orange marmalade.
Sweet potatoes baked in a glaze of orange juice, dark brown sugar, maple syrup and butter, topped with orange slices, at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Layers of sweet potatoes, apricots, bananas and cranberry sauce baked with a buttery apricot syrup and topped with toasted coconut.
Mashed sweet potatoes blended with fresh orange and optional crushed pineapple, piled into hollowed orange halves, topped with a marshmallow and baked at 350°F.
Thinly sliced McIntosh apples in cinnamon sugar under a buttery crumb topping, baked at 400°F for 40 minutes.
Spaghetti and leftover turkey baked in a creamy mushroom and Parmesan sauce with peas under a golden crumb topping. The best use for the day-after turkey. Serves 8.
Crumbled cornbread and white bread baked with onion, celery, sage, broth and eggs until golden on top and moist inside. The Southern Thanksgiving dressing; serves 12.
Toasted bread cubes with browned Italian sausage, sweet apples, onion, celery, sage and broth, baked until crisp on top. A savory holiday favorite; serves 10.
Silky gravy made in minutes from the turkey roasting pan: the drippings, a flour roux and turkey or chicken broth, whisked until smooth. Makes about 4 cups.
A rich, savory vegetarian gravy of browned mushrooms, onion, thyme and vegetable broth, thickened with a butter and flour roux. Makes about 3 cups.
A thin, savory sauce made from the prime rib roasting pan with shallot, red wine and beef broth, simmered and strained. Makes about 2 cups.
Sour cream and prepared horseradish with Dijon, lemon and chives: the sharp, cool sauce for prime rib, beef tenderloin and roast beef sandwiches. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
Tall, crisp, airy popovers baked in hot beef drippings in a muffin tin: the British partner for roast beef and prime rib. Makes 12.
Whole cranberries simmered with sugar, orange juice and zest until they burst into a glossy, tangy sauce. Ten minutes on the stove; makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Black-eyed peas simmered with smoked ham hock or bacon, onion, celery and pepper, served over rice. The Southern New Year's Day dish for good luck; serves 6.
An overnight egg casserole of sausage, bread cubes, cheddar and green onions, assembled the night before and baked Christmas morning. Serves 10.
A small gingerbread house built from homemade gingerbread, held together with royal icing glue and decorated with frosting, cereal, pretzels and candies. Makes 1 house, about 5 inches wide.
Seared beef tenderloin brushed with mustard, wrapped in mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, encased in puff pastry and baked golden with a rosy center. Serves 6 to 8.
A bone-in standing rib roast rubbed with garlic, herbs and salt, started at 450°F for a browned crust and finished at 325°F to a rosy medium-rare. Serves 6 to 8.
A whole trimmed and tied beef tenderloin, seared in hot oil and roasted at 450°F for 17 to 19 minutes, from very rare to medium-rare. Serves 10 to 12.
A spiral-cut ham warmed slowly and brushed with a glossy brown sugar, Dijon, orange and clove glaze until caramelized. Serves 12 to 16.
A pan-seared filet mignon topped with garlic herb butter and a broiled butterflied lobster tail, served with drawn butter, lemon and asparagus. A steakhouse dinner for two.
Two holiday eggnogs: a from-scratch party batch of egg yolks, sugar, milk, rum and whipped cream that serves 24, and a quick version with store-bought eggnog that serves 12.
A party punch of ginger ale, champagne, apricot brandy and rainbow sherbet, served with a frozen fruit ice mold that won't dilute it.
Soaked and gently poached salt cod flaked and tossed with celery, black olives, roasted red peppers, parsley, garlic, lemon and olive oil. A Christmas Eve classic. Serves 8.
Whole small smelts dredged in seasoned flour and fried until golden and crisp, eaten bones and all with lemon. A Feast of the Seven Fishes favorite. Serves 6.
Tender squid rings and tentacles soaked in buttermilk, tossed in seasoned flour and fried crisp and golden in under two minutes. Served with marinara and lemon. Serves 4.
Fresh littleneck clams steamed open in garlic, white wine and olive oil, tossed with linguine, parsley and a pinch of red pepper. A classic Italian seafood pasta; serves 4.
A light shrimp scampi: shrimp poached in a garlic, shallot and parsley chicken broth and served over angel-hair pasta with the broth spooned on top.
Fillets of sole rolled around a stuffing of Ritz cracker crumbs, sharp Cheddar, parsley and sauteed garlic and onion, dotted with butter and baked at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
The Italian-American fisherman's stew of San Francisco: clams, mussels, shrimp and firm white fish simmered in a garlicky tomato and white wine broth. Serve with sourdough. Serves 6.
For Lent and Good Friday: Fish Friday recipes.
Holiday baking: Christmas cookies and candy, with a bake-ahead plan. And for February: Valentine's dinner at home.
