What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? Usually we host Thanksgiving at our place, but since we’re, um, “between residences” (read: living with KC’s parents), Alexis is hosting this year. I have to admit, it’s kind of nice to not have to tackle hosting this year, given that I have a very wiggly and demanding 6 month old to look after. I will be helping Alexis prep for the day though, and contributing the pumpkin pie I make every year for KC (it’s his favorite) as well as some to-die-for mashed potatoes.

Last year I discovered that I could make mashed potatoes ahead of time and reheat them the day-of in the crock pot. Which, um, is like, life-changing when you’re hosting Thanksgiving. There’s a lot that you can do ahead of time to make the day run smoothly, but you’re still going to be cooking a lot on the actual day-of (like, the turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and biscuits, just to name a few). So anything you can prep before Thanksgiving actually arrives is pretty amazing.

Not to mention that my most productive hours tend to be post Prim’s 7pm bedtime.

So in case you’re wondering what I’ll be doing on Wednesday night, or if you’re looking for an especially delicious pumpkin pie or mashed potato recipe — here are the links to the recipes I use:

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crunch Topping and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream and Make-Ahead Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

PS: I use half the cream cheese those potatoes call for, and if the egg whites weird you out, you can probably omit them without any issues. And if you’re looking for other Thanksgiving recipes, here’s the list of what I usually make when I’m hosting.