The harvest festival is known as Thanksgiving Day. It is commonly celebrated in the United States and Canada. It is the day, when gratitude and appreciation is expressed to God, along with family and friends. The traditional meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the harvest. The Thanksgiving day is celebrated on different days in the United States and in Canada. The fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving day in the United States, while the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving also means lunch and dinner with the close and extended family. There are certain recipes, which are called Thanksgiving recipes, as they are normally made on Thanksgiving and normally not made on other days of the year. Many of these recipes are elaborate and may take long to make, along with a long list of ingredients. Therefore, a lot of people deter from making these recipes. However, in this write-up, we will see some easy recipes, which will ensure that you get to spend some time with family and friends rather than just in the kitchen. Having said that let's turn towards Thanksgiving dinner ideas, which can also be converted into lunch ideas. Thanksgiving Food Ideas with Recipes Every Thanksgiving most of us start looking for Thanksgiving menu ideas, which we can use to whip up some interesting meal for our loved ones. I have divided the recipes into soup recipes, appetizer recipes, main course recipes and desserts recipes. Thanksgiving Soup Recipe Pumpkin is a part of the Thanksgiving feast. How can soups be left out from there? You may want to convert this recipe into vegetarian recipe as well. We will now see the recipe to make pumpkin soup. Pumpkin Soup: On 4 slices of brown bread, spread butter on one side. Place the buttered side up on a baking tray and bake the slices for about 8 to 10 minutes, till they are crisp at 400º Fahrenheit. Cut the slices into squares, so that the croutons for soup are ready. Now saute one cup onion in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon brown sugar, chicken (vegetable) broth, pumpkin puree, ginger, allspice, black pepper and cinnamon to the onions and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. At last add whipping cream and serve with croutons on top. For more recipes, you may want to take a look at Thanksgiving Soup Ideas. Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipe There are a number of appetizer recipes, which are a part of Thanksgiving spread. However, one can choose a healthy recipe to make some healthy appetizers as well. We will see one such relatively easy recipe here. Deviled Eggs: Boil and cut 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks gently and keep them aside. Mash yolks and add 1 tbsp of mayonnaise, 1 to 1 ½ tbsp of pickle of your choice, 1 tsp mustard sauce, salt and pepper according to taste. Make small balls with the yolks and place them evenly in the egg whites. Use paprika, pimentos and pickles to garnish. Cover and place them in the refrigerator for some time, before you serve this easy to make appetizer. For some more recipes and ideas for appetizers, you may want to refer to

• Thanksgiving Appetizer Ideas
• Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes
• Thanksgiving Side Dishes Recipes

Thanksgiving Main Course Recipe The main course for Thanksgiving necessarily has to include some turkey recipes, without which Thanksgiving will not be Thanksgiving. Roasted Turkey: You may have come across a number of Thanksgiving stuffing recipes for turkey. However, this is one of the most simplest of recipes. Preheat the oven to 450º Fahrenheit. Till the oven heats up clean the turkey and remove the skin from the breast. Combine chives, tarragon, thyme, marjoram, dill and rosemary with olive oil. Rub this mixture on the turkey. You can either add salt and pepper to the herbs mixture or sprinkle it on the turkey after rubbing the mixture. You either choose to put stuffing of your choice in the turkey or use orange, apple and onion chunks along with herb springs in the cavity. Make sure the wing tips are covered with foil. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes and then loosely cover turkey with foil and roast it at 325º Fahrenheit for 3 ½ to 4 hours, till the thermometer reads 165º in the thickest part of the thigh. No doubt, this traditional dish will be savored by one and all at the table. Let it stand for some time before you carve the turkey and serve this special dinner recipe. If it is just the two of you, then you may want help for choosing the Thanksgiving spread. Take a look at the following for some ideas.

• Easy Thanksgiving Dinner for Two

If you are health conscious or suffer from diabetes, etc. then you may want to take a look at:

• Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
• Thanksgiving Recipes for Diabetics

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes Naturally after the main course, the meal has to be rounded up with some mouth-watering desserts. You can choose from a wide range of Thanksgiving desserts. Apple Pie: This is one of the easy Thanksgiving desserts, as a matter of fact it is always a part of the Southern Thanksgiving menu. In a sauce pan melt butter. Add 3 tbsp of all-purpose flour and mix to make a paste. Then add half cup white and half cup brown sugar along with a quarter cup of water. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Place the pastry double crust pie in a pan. Peel, core and slice 8 apples and place them on the pastry crust. Cover it with lattice work of crust. Then pour the sugar liquid on the crust and bake at 425º Fahrenheit for 15 to 18 minutes. After which continue to bake the pie at 350º Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes, before you serve it. For some more interesting Thanksgiving dessert ideas, you may want to take a look at

• Sugar Free Thanksgiving Desserts
• Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes for Kids

Now that you have a number of easy recipes, whipping up a delicious Thanksgiving meal should not be a big problem for you. You will be able to plan an easy Thanksgiving dinner. Just a tip before you start with the preparation, if possible you may want to opt for dessert recipes, which you can make beforehand, so that you are not pressed for time.