If you haven’t watched this video from Tante Marie’s in San Francisco, stop whatever you are doing right now and watch it from start to finish. Not only is it hilarious, it’s full of good information about cooking a basic Thanksgiving dinner.

In my family, we don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. We spend Thanksgiving day at whatever Sonoma winery happens to be open (though, since it will likely be raining this year, I think we’ll just be having a boozy indoors picnic). On Friday, however, we throw a huge party with traditional Thanksgiving food (and much of the non-traditional variety) at my parents’ house. My mother takes care of the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes (she puts so much bourbon on them that they smell like fraternity pledges) and pies and I handle the appetizers, a few sides and an additional dessert. Friends and extended family bring a few extras to add to the table. My dad selects the wine and my brother makes phenomenal martinis. It’s my favorite day of the year.

In terms of food specifics, appetizers-wise, this year I’m responsible for Vietnamese Vegetable Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce as a starter (for additional appetizers, we’ll also have a cheese plate, veggies and dip and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, courtesy of my roommate Kristina). For the meal, I’ll be making a quadruple batch of the deluxe version of my Brown Butter-Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. My mom will be brining and roasting an enormous turkey and also making fresh stuffing, the aforementioned bourbon sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts with apples, bacon and gorgonzola and sweet dinner rolls. Friends are bringing green beans, salad and more wine. For dessert, my friend Holly will be whipping up the most unbelievable coconut bars (basically butter, coconut and heaven mixed together and served in bar form), Mom will be serving pies and I’ll be hopping up from the table at the last minute to fry up about 100 Brown Sugar-Banana Spring Rolls. I’ll serve them sliced in half with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

That’s what we’re having this year but if you’re in need of a few other dish suggestions for a high-class, low-budget Thanksgiving, why not add some of the following to your roasted turkey?

Appetizers
Crostini 3 Ways
Bacon and Parmesan-Stuffed Mushrooms
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Chicken-Apple Meatballs with Honey and Sage

Sides
Bacon-Persimmon Stuffing
Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Shallots and Sage
Savory Sweet Potato Gratin
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon

Desserts
Banana Cake with Cinnamon Swirl
Pear-Caramel Bread Pudding
Pear Spice Cake with Molasses-Cream Cheese Icing
Salted Fudge Brownies

It’s been a wonderful year in BrokeAss Gourmet Land, and for that (to unintentionally quote Daniel Tosh) I thank you. Thank you for your readership, your feedback and your support. I hope your holiday is warm, happy and full of people you love. Happy Thanksgiving.

Brown Butter-Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is probably my best-known recipe, thanks to its rich texture (despite the comparatively-minimal amount of cheese called for) and unique pumpkin flavor. It makes for a great side dish or vegetarian main year-round, but on Thanksgiving, I like to make it a little extra-decadently. I add sweet caramelized onions, extra cheese, use half-and-half instead of milk and give the whole thing a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Every year it’s a unanimous favorite at my Thanksgiving table—I hope this year you’ll share it at yours.

Inspired by the popularity of chicken-apple sausages on menus everywhere, these easy meatballs provide the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Serve them with toothpicks as a pre-Thanksgiving appetizer, or make a meal of them with roasted sweet potatoes and a green salad. Turkey or even pork can be subbed for the chicken and thyme or rosemary would be nice in place of the sage. They can also be flattened, pan-fried in olive oil and served as breakfast sausages!

Technically this is a side dish, but honestly, I would just as soon eat it on its own for my dinner, maybe with a green salad. The filling is a gorgeous combination of sweet and savory and the skins turn crisp and lightly candied.

This is a warm, comforting dish, particularly in the cold weather descending on San Francisco these days. Feel free to experiment with the cheeses and greens you make them with—I’m anxious to try them with creamy goat cheese.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty picture here—this buttery autumn chicken dish is incredibly easy to make. As a bonus, you get to pound the chicken with all your might (and I get to write the phrase “pound the chicken”). Make sure you use a nice, sharp cheddar and serve this over sauteed spinach or kale.

• ingredients
• 3 tbsp butter, divided $1 for a stick
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
• 2 medium apples (any kind), cored and diced $1
• about 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $4
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients: $11

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large, oven-proof frying pan (cast iron works well) over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and apple. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown. Stir in sage and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a plate. Spread out on the plate and place in the refrigerator to cool for 5 minutes.

While mixture cools, place a chicken breast between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten chicken to about 1/2” thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast.

To assemble the chicken, spread half of the apple mixture and half of the cheddar on one half of a chicken breast. Roll up from the filled end, securing with toothpicks. Repeat with the second chicken breast and remaining apple mixture.

Heat the remaining butter over medium heat in the same frying pan you cooked the apple filling in and place stuffed chicken breasts, seam-side down, in the hot butter. Cook chicken breasts for 7-8 minutes on each side (be gentle when you flip them), until golden-brown. Transfer pan to the pre-heated oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is fully-cooked. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in half and serving.

Serves 4.