Whether you’re a Thanksgiving novice or an old pro, it’s always nice to have a few new recipes to inspire you for this traditional feast. Here’s a few cookbooks that have helped me:

Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers

Thanksgiving 101 is a practical guide to creating this iconic meal. Cooking teacher and author Rick Rodgers (also known as “Mr. Thanksgiving”) has put together a collection of his favorite traditional recipes, organizational tips and menus. No photos.

Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining

This complete Thanksgiving guide is sure to inspire you with it’s beautiful color photographs, recipes, menus, and detailed work plans to help you get organized. Also included are ideas and step-by-step instructions for decorating your home and table.

The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

Oregon cookbook author and cooking teacher Diane Morgan has filled this cookbook with delicious recipes, menus, pretty photos, and organizational tips to help you create a memorable Thanksgiving meal.

Tags: cookbooks, menus, Recipes, table decorations, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers, The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan, Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining

Sometimes I crave a good vegetable soup. I made this one recently when I had a boat load of broccoli in the fridge and all the other ingredients called for in the recipe. This simple soup is not only tasty but it’s also high in vitamin C and fiber.

While sauteing the onion, I decided to add in some chopped celery because I love the fragrance of onions and celery cooking together. The soup took a bit longer to cook since I was using fresh broccoli (about 7 cups broccoli florets); I let it simmer until the florets were tender. I then used an immersion blender to puree the soup and garnished each serving with some grated sharp cheddar cheese. Yumm!

Broccoli Soup
-Recipe from foodnetwork.com

4 to 6 servings.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
Pinch dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
2 to 4 tablespoons cream or half-and-half, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional toppings: shaved Parmesan, shredded cheddar or crumbled bacon

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potato, thyme, salt, and broth and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered until the potato is fork tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and simmer for 3 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return soup to the pot and add the cream. Bring to a simmer, taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with optional toppings.

These smoky-flavored beef tacos are extremely easy and sooo good! I’ve made this recipe several times and no matter how much beef I cook up, we always wish I’d made more. The beef simmers for two hours in a chipotle-tomato sauce and emerges from the oven tender and delicious. Once you shred the meat, mix in some of the sauce it baked in (to keep the meat moist). The garnishes are easy to make and really compliment the beef so I suggest making all of them. The shredded beef would also be great in enchiladas.

Smoky Beef Tacos
-recipe from marthastewart.com

These slow-simmered beef tacos have just the right amount of spice. Serves 8.

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 cup ketchup
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds), excess fat trimmed
16 corn tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted

To garnish (recipes below):
Avocado-Red Onion Relish
Corn-and-Tomato Salsa
Cilantro-Lime Crema

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil; transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks; moisten with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve beef with tortillas and desired toppings.

Avocado-Red Onion Relish
Top off our Smoky Beef Tacos with this relish. Makes 3 cups

2 diced avocados
1 finely chopped medium red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

Combine avocados, red onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Corn-and-Tomato Salsa
Makes 3 cups.

1 10-ounce box thawed frozen corn
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Combine corn, grape tomatoes, vegetable oil, and red-wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Cilantro-Lime Crema
Makes 2 cups.

16 ounces reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Stir together sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Tags: Beef, chipotle peppers, smoky beef tacos