Our Favorite Thanksgiving Tailgate Party Ideas

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 14 of the biscuits into a "+" shape in a 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. You should have 4 equal quadrants. (Reserve the remaining biscuits for another use.) Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the cranberry sauce: Mix together the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and cornstarch in a medium bowl until well combined and set aside.  
• For the sweet potato casserole: Place the sweet potatoes in a medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until soft and easy to mash with a fork, about 12 minutes. Add in the milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and mash with a fork or a potato masher until smooth with just a few chunks and set aside. 
• For the green bean casserole: Heat the oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and have released most of their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables then stir in the heavy cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in the green beans until well coated and set aside. 
• For the scalloped potatoes: Slice the potatoes 1/8-inch-thick and transfer to a medium microwave-safe bowl along with the heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to coat and microwave until softened, about 7 minutes. Set aside. 
• Assemble the sheet pan: Pour the cranberry mixture into one quadrant of the baking sheet and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Spread the sweet potatoes into a second quadrant and sprinkle with the marshmallows. Pour the green bean mixture into a third quadrant and sprinkle with the crispy onions. Spread the scallop potato mixture into the final quadrant and sprinkle with the Gruyere. 
• Bake until the biscuits are cooked through and golden brown, the cranberries are bubbling and bursting, the marshmallows have turned golden brown and the scalloped potatoes are cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. 

• In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey, reserve 1-2 Tablespoons. Add squash in the remaining mixture season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
• Place the acorn squash in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry to 380 degrees Fahrenheits for 7 minutes on each side or until tender, sprinkle the pecans in the last minutes to toast.
• Remove from the air fryer and serve with reserved vinegar and honey mixture.

• Pour stuffing cubes into a large mixing bowl. Mix in any of the optional ingredients you choose to use (pictured is dried cranberries and walnuts). Set aside.

Sauté the Veggies

• This step can be done on the stove, using a skillet or in the pressure cooker pot.
• Set Instant Pot to Sauté setting. To the pressure cooker pot (or skillet, if using) add butter, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften.
• Add sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly (about 30 seconds). Then add the broth and stir. Let mixture just come to a simmer, then turn off the pot/heat.

Assemble Stuffing and Pan

• Using pot holders, remove the inner liner with the broth mixture from the pressure cooker and pour the mixture carefully over the stuffing cubes in the bowl. Toss together the stuffing cubes and broth mixture until well combined.
• If you cooked veggies in the pot's inner liner: Rinse out the pressure cooker inner liner, dry it, and set it back in the pressure cooker base. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the inner liner pot.
• Transfer stuffing to a sprayed 2-quart stainless or aluminum cooking pan (metal works better than glass in this case). I use my 7"x3" Stackable Stainless pan, or my Fat Daddio's 7"x3" cake pan.
• Gently pat the stuffing into the pan. Don't pack it in too much. Spray a piece of foil and cover the pan tightly, crimping the edges.
• Set the pan on a trivet/rack with long handles and put them into the pot.

Cook the Stuffing

• Close the lid and lock into position. Set the Steam Release Knob to the Sealing position if applicable (some pots self-seal). Set to Pressure Cook for 20 minutes. High Pressure.
• After the cook cycle ends, let the pot sit and naturally release pressure for 5-10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure, either by turning the Steam Release Knob to Venting, or on the Ultra, press the button.
• When all of the pressure is out of the pot and the pin in the lid drops, open the lid and use pot holders to very carefully lift the rack and pan out of the pot.
• Set on a cooling rack and keep covered until you are ready to serve. Or, turn on your broiler to 375° F and set the pan under it for a few minutes to brown the top. You can also use your air fryer lid to brown the top.

• Heat the heavy cream, cream cheese and garlic salt in a medium cast-iron skillet over high heat. As the edges start to bubble, gently whisk the cream cheese until it is evenly incorporated into the heavy cream, about 1 minute. Allow to cook for 15 seconds so the mixture thickens. Add the Cheddar and American cheese and continue whisking. Pour the sauce over the pasta, stir and serve immediately!

• In an oversized microwave-safe mug, add all ingredients. Whisk with a small whisk until smooth.
• Place mug into microwave and cook at full power for 1 minute. Check on the pie. The edges of the pie should look cooked but the center is still uncooked.
• Cook in the microwave again at 30 second intervals. I needed to do this twice (so a total cooking time of 2 minutes for my pie), checking after every 30 seconds until the center looks cooked and edges of the pie are starting to pull away from the mug. It is okay if the surface has a few trace wet spots. That is okay as long as the center of the pie looks cooked. Be careful not to overcook your pie. Keep in mind your pie will continue to cook in the mug for a little bit after you remove it from the microwave, so the wet spots on top should disappear once the pie cools.
• Let the pie cook fully before eating. You can top with whipped cream if desired. The pie can be eaten straight out of the mug or you can also plate it. For plating tips, see post.

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Peel and slice the apples into 8-10 pieces and set them aside.
• Roll out the pastry dough on a well-floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 8 equal pieces and place 4-5 pieces of apple in the center of each. Top with a spoonful of sugar.
• Fold the dough over the apples, creating tiny pockets. Place each pie on a lined baking sheet. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and brush the tops of each pie with the whisked eggs. Sprinkle on some more sugar.
• Bake the pies at 415°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!