I was the host for this year's Thanksgiving. I finally have an actual dining room and told the family this year was my year. 

To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed. I have never hosted a sit-down dinner party, let alone Thanksgiving dinner. So it was really important to me to make everything easy. I didn't want to have five dishes coming together at the same time so I looked for recipes that used different parts of my kitchen and different tools. For example, instead of a turkey, I prepared a maple-glazed pork loin with the use of my slow cooker. I made a rice dish that was done the day before and simply garnished before it hit the table. I asked my Mom to deal with bread and my Mother-in-law to bring a side dish with some sort of veggie. 

I think my plan worked really well. The food turned out really great and I had time to actually interact with my guests which was very important to me. Here was my menu:

My favorite dish was Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples. I pre-peeled and pre-chopped the potatoes and apples and just threw them in the oven to roast before dinner. That along with garnishing my rice dish which I mentioned above were the only things I had to do in the hour before dinner - very simple. 

I have included the recipe for the Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples below since it was my favorite.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES RECIPE

(From Sunset Magazine)

3  pounds orange-flesh sweet potatoes (often labeled yams)
3  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2  Fuji apples, peeled and cut into 1-in. chunks
2  Golden Delicious, peeled and cut into 1-in. chunks
2  Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1-in. chunks
1/4  cup  maple syrup ( I actually used sugar free syrup to reduce some calories - while this takes away some sweetness, I found the result equally as delicious)
Finely shredded zest of 1 lemon
1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs
About 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes, oil, apples, syrup, lemon zest and juice, chopped thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and pepper until coated.

Spread mixture in a single layer in 2 large, oiled, rimmed baking pans. Roast until sweet potatoes are browned and tender when pierced, 40 minutes, turning chunks every 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter, add more salt to taste, and garnish with thyme sprigs.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day; chill. Reheat, drizzled with a little olive oil, in a 425° oven in 2 baking pans, until hot, 20 minutes.