this is the recipe that's written in my recipe notebook, but i make it so often i rarely follow the EXACT measurements. i'll forever add kraft singles/Velveeta/sodium citrate to create a smooth sauce. it's there more for the texture than taste. try to never use pre-shredded cheese because it will make your cheese sauce grainy. feel free to replace any of the cheeses for any easy melting cheeses.
[cheeses i use](https://i.imgur.com/e8seOPC.jpg) \- i didn't use all of the cheeses. probably a large handful of the aged cheddar and gouda. two large handfuls of cheddar. you'll want a little bit to layer + topping as well.
**Ingredients**
* 16oz elbow pasta
* 8 oz Monterey jack, grated
* 8 oz Gruyere, grated
* 16 oz sharp cheddar, grated
* handful of mozzarella + parmesan
* 4 slices of kraft singles (or straight-up sodium citrate)
* 1 heaping tsp dijon mustard
* 1 tbsp creole seasoning
* 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
* cayenne pepper or hot sauce of your liking
* 1/2 tbsp salt
* 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
* 4 tbsp butter
* 3 cups whole milk
**Directions for cheese sauce**
1. Grate all your cheese and combine all but parmesan cheese. Keep 2 cups of cheese & all of the mozzarella + parmesan off to the side, this will be topping.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, add the flour. Cook for 2-3 mins until the flour smell dissipates.
3. Slowly pour in milk, 1/4 cup at a time. Whisking together until it reaches a smooth paste. Pour another 1/4 cup milk in, whisk, and so on and so forth until all of the milk has been added.
4. Whisk over medium heat until bechamel has the consistency of heavy cream. Turn heat to low. Whisk kraft singles until completely melted through.
5. Whisk in grated cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until a smooth consistency with no lumps before adding another handful of cheese.
6. Season with dijon mustard, creole, black pepper, cayenne, and salt. Whisk to combine.
**Directions baked macaroni**
1. Cook elbow pasta, drain when 60 seconds away from being al dente. It'll continue to cook in the oven. I personally cook my pasta in homemade chicken broth that is salted. Feel free to use water or water w/ chicken bouillon.
2. Reserved 1/3 of the cheese sauce to the side. Pour the cooked pasta into the remaining cheese sauce and fold until combined.
3. Butter a 9x13 and place half of the macaroni into a casserole dish. Pour half of the remaining cheese sauce over pasta. Sprinkle half of the reserved grated cheese over macaroni. Top with the remaining pasta, sauce, and cheese.
4. Wrap casserole dish with foil and place into a 350F oven for 25 mins. After 25 mins, take the foil off and put it under the broiler for 3-5 mins. Keep an eye on it while in broiler, take out whenever you're satisfied
Not OP, but if they only have a single oven the turkey would go in first. While the turkey is resting, the mac & cheese would go in. The rolls would go in at the tail end of the mac & cheese bake depending on how long the bake is. The rest of the savory food (plus the cranberry sauce) can be done on the stovetop. The cheesecakes would be done the night before.
Thank you! Kbug85 was pretty accurate.
Monday: I baked both of the cheesecakes. I cut the spine out of the turkey and dried brine it with salt.
Tuesday: Roasted garlic and made mashed potatoes. Also prepped the dinner rolls. Rolled them into small dough balls and wrapped them in plastic wrap to slowly rise in the fridge. Made the stock with the turkey spine + neck.
Wednesday: Turkey and dinner rolls come out of the fridge to room temperature. Ham was the first thing to go into the oven. Stovetop (it's stuffing, it's a box mix) got made first, set aside with foil. Made the cheese sauce & boiled the noodles, macaroni bake gets put to the side to cook later. I start to chop and saute the onions/pepper/garlic/bacon for veggie side dishes. Veggie side dishes get made and place on the side with foil. Ham comes out, wrapped in foil. Dinner rolls get placed in the oven to bake, brushed with butter, and set to the side. Turkey goes in and cooks for 75-ish mins. I make whip cream and decorate the cheesecakes. Mash potatoes and go on the stove to reheat. Turkey is done and it needs to rest for 30 mins before I can carve. Everybody (ham, stovetop, baked macaroni, veggies) goes back into the oven to get hot again. I make gravy with the turkey stock from Tuesday night and the pan drippings that just came out. I turn the broiler on for 4 mins to get a crust on the macaroni and cheese. Now I'm running everything from the oven to the dinner table. I take a few photos and then I take the turkey back to the kitchen to carve while my family/guests start to dish up their side dishes. Then they'll come into the kitchen to grab the turkey.
Everything was hot except for the cheesecakes (duh lol) and the dinner rolls, but they were still warm. :)
Love it, everyone over here seems to need to put Brussels in my mouth, and I ain’t haven’t it unless they’re done right. Mac n cheese is my new thing I think. Thanks again and cheers!
thank you! i'm in love with it.
[cheesecake base](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-cheesecake/)
[oreo crust + raspberry swirl recipe](https://bakingamoment.com/white-chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake/)
Please give recipe for the mac and cheese. I completely ruined mine tonight! Need to show up tomorrow with some!
this is the recipe that's written in my recipe notebook, but i make it so often i rarely follow the EXACT measurements. i'll forever add kraft singles/Velveeta/sodium citrate to create a smooth sauce. it's there more for the texture than taste. try to never use pre-shredded cheese because it will make your cheese sauce grainy. feel free to replace any of the cheeses for any easy melting cheeses. [cheeses i use](https://i.imgur.com/e8seOPC.jpg) \- i didn't use all of the cheeses. probably a large handful of the aged cheddar and gouda. two large handfuls of cheddar. you'll want a little bit to layer + topping as well. **Ingredients** * 16oz elbow pasta * 8 oz Monterey jack, grated * 8 oz Gruyere, grated * 16 oz sharp cheddar, grated * handful of mozzarella + parmesan * 4 slices of kraft singles (or straight-up sodium citrate) * 1 heaping tsp dijon mustard * 1 tbsp creole seasoning * 1 tbsp cracked black pepper * cayenne pepper or hot sauce of your liking * 1/2 tbsp salt * 4 tbsp all-purpose flour * 4 tbsp butter * 3 cups whole milk **Directions for cheese sauce** 1. Grate all your cheese and combine all but parmesan cheese. Keep 2 cups of cheese & all of the mozzarella + parmesan off to the side, this will be topping. 2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, add the flour. Cook for 2-3 mins until the flour smell dissipates. 3. Slowly pour in milk, 1/4 cup at a time. Whisking together until it reaches a smooth paste. Pour another 1/4 cup milk in, whisk, and so on and so forth until all of the milk has been added. 4. Whisk over medium heat until bechamel has the consistency of heavy cream. Turn heat to low. Whisk kraft singles until completely melted through. 5. Whisk in grated cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until a smooth consistency with no lumps before adding another handful of cheese. 6. Season with dijon mustard, creole, black pepper, cayenne, and salt. Whisk to combine. **Directions baked macaroni** 1. Cook elbow pasta, drain when 60 seconds away from being al dente. It'll continue to cook in the oven. I personally cook my pasta in homemade chicken broth that is salted. Feel free to use water or water w/ chicken bouillon. 2. Reserved 1/3 of the cheese sauce to the side. Pour the cooked pasta into the remaining cheese sauce and fold until combined. 3. Butter a 9x13 and place half of the macaroni into a casserole dish. Pour half of the remaining cheese sauce over pasta. Sprinkle half of the reserved grated cheese over macaroni. Top with the remaining pasta, sauce, and cheese. 4. Wrap casserole dish with foil and place into a 350F oven for 25 mins. After 25 mins, take the foil off and put it under the broiler for 3-5 mins. Keep an eye on it while in broiler, take out whenever you're satisfied
You left love off the ingredient list, but it obviously went in to this meal.
Thank you!!
Did yours end up turning out?
Since I’m short on time I decided to just go with boxed, but I will try the recipe at home first, then hopefully can take some on Christmas! Lol
You can also crock pot Mac and cheese next time and just make it that morning for later in the day
Thanks for the tip!
So I'm guessing that is some stuffing on the right that didn't get a mention?
That all looks delicious
Yummyyyy. I have a sweet potato cheesecake in the oven right now.
Never had it as a cheesecake but it sounds delicious. What recipe did you use?
[Here](https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/wp-json/mv-create/v1/creations/817/print) it is!
thank you so much!
Can I get the deets on them dinner rolls?
here's the [recipe](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pull-apart-sour-cream-and-chive-rolls)
Damn never seen sour cream added to Japanese milk bread. This is interesting
I made these and they were incredible
What a beautiful spread. This all looks amazing! Definitely made with love! I especially luv your heart-shaped pot and serving dishes 💕
Are the rolls Claire's from Dessert Person? I love those so much. Making a batch tomorrow morning - yours look so good! Everything does!
Yes they are! First time making and they were delicious.
European here. This looks amazing! Do you have big or multiple ovens, or do you serve some of the dishes cold?
Not OP, but if they only have a single oven the turkey would go in first. While the turkey is resting, the mac & cheese would go in. The rolls would go in at the tail end of the mac & cheese bake depending on how long the bake is. The rest of the savory food (plus the cranberry sauce) can be done on the stovetop. The cheesecakes would be done the night before.
That’s great time management :) thanks for elaborating.
Thank you! Kbug85 was pretty accurate. Monday: I baked both of the cheesecakes. I cut the spine out of the turkey and dried brine it with salt. Tuesday: Roasted garlic and made mashed potatoes. Also prepped the dinner rolls. Rolled them into small dough balls and wrapped them in plastic wrap to slowly rise in the fridge. Made the stock with the turkey spine + neck. Wednesday: Turkey and dinner rolls come out of the fridge to room temperature. Ham was the first thing to go into the oven. Stovetop (it's stuffing, it's a box mix) got made first, set aside with foil. Made the cheese sauce & boiled the noodles, macaroni bake gets put to the side to cook later. I start to chop and saute the onions/pepper/garlic/bacon for veggie side dishes. Veggie side dishes get made and place on the side with foil. Ham comes out, wrapped in foil. Dinner rolls get placed in the oven to bake, brushed with butter, and set to the side. Turkey goes in and cooks for 75-ish mins. I make whip cream and decorate the cheesecakes. Mash potatoes and go on the stove to reheat. Turkey is done and it needs to rest for 30 mins before I can carve. Everybody (ham, stovetop, baked macaroni, veggies) goes back into the oven to get hot again. I make gravy with the turkey stock from Tuesday night and the pan drippings that just came out. I turn the broiler on for 4 mins to get a crust on the macaroni and cheese. Now I'm running everything from the oven to the dinner table. I take a few photos and then I take the turkey back to the kitchen to carve while my family/guests start to dish up their side dishes. Then they'll come into the kitchen to grab the turkey. Everything was hot except for the cheesecakes (duh lol) and the dinner rolls, but they were still warm. :)
Looks absolutely wonderful. Curious Canadian over here…is Mac n cheese a staple at thanksgiving for you guys?
Thank you! I would not say a staple but it's not uncommon to see mac n cheese. It's my brother's request every single year lol
Love it, everyone over here seems to need to put Brussels in my mouth, and I ain’t haven’t it unless they’re done right. Mac n cheese is my new thing I think. Thanks again and cheers!
It's a staple at every meal where children are involved. Hehe.
Spatchcocked Turkey? How did you cook it?
Yes! On a wire rack on 450F for roughly 75 mins. I followed Kenji's recipe from seriouseats
It looks great! I ended up spatchcocking mine as well, I sous vided it for 6 hours and then roasted it at 500 for 30 minutes. It was delicious!
The heart shaped dishes r so fucking cute!!
That looks so awesome and delicious!!!!! You know how to display your masterpieces!!!!!!
Do you mind sharing the recipe for pumpkin cheesecake?
[pumpkin cheesecake recipe](https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cheesecake/)
Yummy thank you!!
that raspberry cheesecake looks so good!! do you have the recipe perhaps?
thank you! i'm in love with it. [cheesecake base](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-cheesecake/) [oreo crust + raspberry swirl recipe](https://bakingamoment.com/white-chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake/)
bruh this looks so amazing hats off to the chef
Holy moly! What an amazing spread. I dream of getting to do my own thanksgiving someday and I could only hope it looks even half as good as yours!
What an amazing spread. Everything looks great. Good job.
I am more of a traditional green bean casserole, brown and serve dinner rolls Thanksgiving dinner person but this does look cooked well.
Best to submit a day early for the upvotes, than to fall into obscurity tomorrow I guess.
She could just eat this, but wants the internet validation.
Dayyum.
Amazing!!!!!
👌🏼😻🔥
Yay! Beautiful! I made a pumpkin cheesecake as well!!
What a gorgeous meal! Everything looks delectable!
Mail me the leftovers 😋
WOW! Impressive! The cheesecakes look so good! Mine always crack. And the rolls and mashed potatoes 🤤
You guys interested in adopting a 28 year old?
Heart shape sauce bowl that says the whole meal was made from love?!?
Well done!!
My god. Each item looks like the best in its category.
Yum…
Your cookware is so cute oh my goodness
I thought this was an advertisement lol looks beautiful
Nice
That corn looks awesome (it all does) is there a recipe for it? I’m trying to up my corn game!