Turkey Day Tidbits
Coming up with the menu for Thanksgiving is pretty easy. I mean it’s mostly cannot-miss staples. Obviously, there’s turkey, though you can supplement with ham or whatever floats your boat. But generally, there is always turkey. Mashed potatoes are non-negotiable as are sweet potatoes in whatever form your choose—be it mashed, puréed, or roasted. At least in my house. The hardest part of planning the Thanksgiving meal is what to have to get you through to the main event.

Depending on when your family will make its way to the table for, it can be a struggle to figure out the other meals of the day. You know you are probably going to eat an obscene amount of food at some point so having a sustenance strategy that leaves room for the gluttony to come is key.

My general plan goes as follows.
Wake up and eat a decent breakfast. I don’t make too many alterations to what I would have normally. Lunch is where things get tricky. If I am at my mother-in-law’s I try not to eat an actual lunch because we have Thanksgiving around 2 PM. That is totally changed if I am with my family because we eat at 5 or 6 PM and no way I’m lasting without some lunch. This year, I am hosting everybody so I have had to split the difference. And, am planning on eating around 4 PM—which means we will need snacks to maintain sanity.

Being one myself, I am a big fan of cheese balls. They are easy to make and look pretty on a platter with crackers. They can be dangerous and filling, though. So, one has to pace themselves. I found a version of this recipe while doing a search for cranberry recipes that aren’t cranberry sauce. It took me about two seconds to decide that these babies will make an appearance on the pre-turkey snack tray. I did make a few adjustments to suit my taste…

Amy’s Cranberry Cheese Ball Bites
Yields 18 servings
Adapted from Delish

These tangy cheesy bites are rolled in tart cranberries for the perfect satisfying appetizer. The rosemary makes them festive!

Ingredients
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup shredded white Cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Rosemary sprigs, cut into 3″ pieces, bottom leaves removed

Directions
Make the cheese mixture
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, green onion, and pecans. Season with salt and pepper and stir until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Shape the cheese balls
Form into 18 small balls (a cookie scoop is great for this) and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

Coat the cheese balls
Roll the balls into cranberries and insert one sprig of rosemary into each ball. Serve.

Note: If you are not serving the cheese balls right away, loosely cover them with plastic wrap and return them to the fridge. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.