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2024 Thanksgiving Menu and Meal Prep Timeline

* image These past few months have been busy for our family, especially since our oldest joined a local swim team. Between juggling our work schedules and balancing school with practices... we're all pretty wiped out. Although it's a lot of work, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Preparing the holiday meal for our family fills my heart with joy, and I can't wait to get started. To make things easier for me, I don't deviate much from  our first Thanksgiving  as a family. The dishes I make are familiar ones, and the recipes for them live at my fingertips. Keeping the same menu year after year means I don't have to spend time researching recipes or planning a new one. Here are my tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes, as well as my prep timeline for the big day!

Melon Ball Cocktails

Made with melon liqueur, this classic cocktail is the perfect choice for melon lovers.

Melon Ball Cocktails

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You can't hear it, but I'm giggling to myself right now because what I'm about to tell you is going to sound really silly. Since there's no other way to say it than to just say it, here it goes...

The smell of honeydew melon makes me think of college.

Granted, many smells take me back to my college days, but none of them get me there as quickly as the smell of honeydew. Partly because I went through a HUGE cucumber melon phase during my freshman and sophomore years (thanks to this) and partly because my friends and I were HUGE fans of cocktails featuring Midori (especially this one).

Melon Baller and Honeydew Melon | Taste As You Go

So... it shouldn't really come as a big surprise that this time of year always makes me nostalgic for that period in my life when it didn't require massive amounts of planning or rearranging of schedules (multiple times) to spend time with my closest friends.

Bowl of Honeydew Melon Balls | Taste As You Go

Thankfully, this is also the time of year that I'm able to reunite with a bunch of those friends since so many of us still head back to campus to tailgate before the football games. The first home game of the season is coming up this Saturday, and in honor of the occasion, I thought it would be fun to mix up some Melon Ball Cocktails to get us in the spirit of things... even if these cocktails aren't necessarily something you'd serve at tailgates.

Unless, of course, you tailgate like we do and pick a theme for each week. If your theme is melon or, um, balls... then these cocktails would fit in perfectly.

Making Melon Ball Cocktails | Taste As You Go

To kick things off, fill your glasses with ice.

Making Melon Ball Cocktails | Taste As You Go

Pour in your Midori...

Making Melon Ball Cocktails | Taste As You Go

Then add your vodka...

Melon Ball Cocktails | Taste As You Go

And top off with orange juice.

Ta da!

You could serve up the cocktails like this, but why stop there? Remember those honeydew melon balls from earlier?

Not only do they make an addictive snack, but they also make an impressive-looking garnish. Just skewer them onto toothpicks and...

Melon Ball Cocktails | Taste As You Go

Voila!

Cocktails are served.

Since Melon Ball Cocktails are on the sweeter side, try serving them alongside a bowl of assorted nuts or even a platter of prosciutto-wrapped melon. The saltiness of the snacks will help balance everything out.

Is there a particular smell that reminds you of college? Let me know in the comments!


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One year agoMaxim's 22 - Easton, PA
Five years agoDinner with Dad at Bentara
Seven years agoOverlook Lounge

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