2025 Thanksgiving Guide

Recipes, prep plan & tablescapes for a classic & chic Thanksgiving

Welcome! You’re At Isabelle’s—home to all things tasteful and tasty.

Let’s talk Thanksgiving. Somehow it’s already mid-November and the week of my annual Friendsgiving. Which means I’ve been eating more than my fair share of turkey, squash, and potatoes while recipe testing for this month’s dinner party.

Thanksgiving is THE hosting/cooking holiday. Christmas is big, but Thanksgiving is the one that’s all about the food. Typically, I find myself scrambling a bit before a dinner party to nail down the menu, but the beauty of Thanksgiving is that it’s mostly spelled out for you. It can feel like a daunting meal because there are quite a few components, but each dish isn’t too complicated and the menu is quite make-ahead-friendly.

If you are a keener, you can trickle in prepping some elements the whole week leading up (pie crust, turkey stock, cranberry sauce, etc.). But over two days, you can also comfortably execute the traditional spread without too much stress. Here’s how I like to break it down:

What to Serve:

Now, I debated rolling out a full Thanksgiving menu for you all. But honestly, recipe development takes a lot of time and the fall has FLOWN BY. If you are going to spend the time and funds to cook one of my recipes, I want to make sure it is fully tested for you! So here are the recipes that I think would be an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving table:

Apple Cider mimosas: No recipe because it’s literally just sparkling wine and fresh apple cider. Perfect low ABV drink to sip on while cooking and SO GOOD IT’S SILLY.

Buttermilk Brined Roasted Turkey Legs: A great option if the whole turkey is a bit too much for your family/friends. Makes for THE BEST leftovers, I was happily eating leftover turkey meat out of the deli container for days.

Apple Cider Braised Chicken with Garlic & Sage Crisp: If you are looking for a non-turkey but still festive poultry moment. Also FULLY make ahead!

Roasted Honeynut Squash with Smoky Seeded Salsa Macha: I love something smoky on a Thanksgiving table. Not only is this one of my favs but one of my friends still brings up this dish over a year later. Easy, special, and prep-ahead-friendly.

Mustard Butter Mashed Potatoes: RECIPE COMING THIS WEEK it just needs one more test!

Fennel-Apple Salad with Pancetta, Pecorino and Pepitas: Crunchy and bright! The palate cleanser you need at the table and it may steal the show from the other Thanksgiving sides.

Apple Phyllo Custard Pie: Apple strudel meets bread pudding. A showstopper if you want to hit that apple pie note but with something a little different.

Biscoff Chai Goats Cheese Cheesecake: If pie duty is already covered, or if you are craving something a little different. Chai filling for that warming spice note, Biscoff cookie crust, and a little je ne sais quoi from the addition of goat’s cheese to the filling.

How to make the table feel Thanksgiving-y:

My goal for Thanksgiving is always for the table to feel homey and lived-in. Like your grandmother’s dishes met your Pinterest board in the best way. This is the time to lean into mismatched pieces, the “nice” dishes you save for special occasions, and anything with a bit of history. Borrow from your mom, your grandmother, or make a fun thrift trip out of it.

Some elements to consider:

• Doilies or lace runners

• Crystal glassware

• Plates with patterns, designs, or embossing

• Anything turkey-shaped (obviously)

• Beeswax candles

• Oil lamps (I hunted for these this year. They can be pretty pricey at antique stores, so they didn’t make my tablescape, but a girl can dream)

• Plaid or gingham linens in autumnal tones

• Gourds (the more oddly shaped, the better)

• Dried flowers

Color Palettes:

I have two favourite Thanksgiving colour palettes. One is inspired by gourds, and the other by dried hydrangeas. Let’s start with the classic gourd moment.

My 2024 Friendsgiving tablescape

I love gourds, the wartier and more awkwardly shaped, the better. For last year’s Friendsgiving tablescape, I leaned into creams, oranges, and golden tones. I scattered gourds down the centre of the table, kept some whole, and carved little holes into others to use as candlestick holders. Then I swapped standard white tapers for yellow beeswax candles, which instantly made everything feel warmer and more intentional. Little details like this do a lot of heavy lifting for the overall mood.

For the rest of the table, I used my go-to rattan placemats from IKEA and a mix of thrifted pieces from over the years: fruit-embossed white dishes and crystal coupes that feel extra fancy.

PSA: if you don’t own a white tablecloth (I didn’t last year), a thrifted white curtain works beautifully in a pinch, just give it a good wash first.

Sneak peak at my 2025 Friendsgiving

This year, I wanted to mix it up. Something you might not know about me is I hate spending money on flowers. I just get so bummed at how quickly they die off. Even though my garden is basically done for the season, I did have some beautiful dried hydrangeas, which happen to be the perfect trio of colours: dusty pink, cream and green. To prevent it from leaning too spring-y, I also layered in darker greens, rich wood tones, and bits of shiny silver.

For some more specifics - I split the dried flowers among lots of different little vases and pitchers to sprinkle across the room, and one larger arrangement in my favourite wicker basket. On the table itself, I layered my dark green table runner over a crisp white tablecloth. Then I brought in darker brown tones from wooden chargers, tortoiseshell glassware, and autumnal napkins. The goal here was to feel kind of rustic but very chic, so I also added in my nicest silver cutlery and tall taper candles.

I’ll be posting all my 2025 Friendsgiving content this week, so keep an eye on Instagram and TikTok for all the behind-the-scenes cooking, decorating, hosting, and inevitable chaos!

That’s all for now! See you next time At Isabelle’s.