The holy grail of foodie holidays is coming up! Some of us wait for it all year long. It’s time to start planning for Thanksgiving!

I can hardly contain myself.

I mean, the entrees, the side dishes – the desserts! Turkey and dressing and gravy and rolls, oh my!

Not to mention the company, the feeding frenzy, the meals before and after the main meal and all the preparation that needs to go into this holiday.

It’s no wonder some people find this the most stressful time of year. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You know what takes away stress? Proper planning and foresight. So let’s do that!

Some of the best Thanksgiving tips I’ve been given are over-prepare so that no one is underwhelmed and always have food you can quickly prepare on hand.

Family and friends tend to hang around a lot at Thanksgiving time. Football games are on, people are off work and school and it’s a time to reconnect. And that’s fantastic. We all need that. But the more time they spend at your house, the more meals you’re responsible for! So be a great host and plan ahead.

I LOVE to have steaks at the ready. It’s always a beautiful meal that everyone can appreciate. Just season, grill and serve! Easy!

And if YOU happen to be the guest at Aunt Edna’s house for the week? Bring some steaks along with you. That way, you KNOW your family will be fed well and you will go down in history as the best houseguest ever. That’s just good Thanksgiving etiquette. Help a host out!

Don’t wait for Auntie to ask you to bring something specific – just do it! And make sure to bring extras because there are always people you didn’t plan for there. Always.

I’m sure you have some great Thanksgiving tips you’ve learned over the years to share – what are they?

Need something to really warm you up this time of year?

A good homemade soup will do the trick!

I like to make mine with different cuts of steak. Sirloin steak is especially good and holds up well in soup. And beef tenderloin tips are the perfect size for adding bite-sized bits of goodness to your creation.

This homemade soup recipe is exactly what I need right now.

Beef and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. package Beef Tenderloin Tips
2 onions, minced
4 cups fresh mushrooms, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 brandy or sherry
4 oz. dried shitake mushrooms
4 oz. dried morel mushrooms
3 cups, heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
6 cups beef stock
salt and pepper

Servings: 8

Directions: Bring six cups of water to a boil and pour over dried mushrooms. Let stand ten minutes. Strain mushrooms, chop and reserve liquid. In a heavy bottomed stock pot, sauté Beef Tenderloin Tips in butter, remove and reserve. Add onions and sauté. Add fresh mushrooms and cook for five minutes. Add garlic and cook for three more minutes. Add flour and cook for five minutes. Deglaze pan with brandy. Add stock a little at a time and until soup becomes smooth. Add reserved mushroom liquid and reduce by half. Puree soup in a blender or with a stick blender. Add beef, cream and reconstituted mushrooms and season to taste.

This recipe uses beef tenderloin tips and just thinking about this soup makes my mouth water!

Treat yourself and your family to a tummy-warming homemade soup!

My toes are perpetually frozen this time of year. So a hearty, beefy soup makes perfect sense right now.

I need a meal that’ll thaw me out!

This Beef and Vegetable Soup recipe uses bite-sized beef tenderloin tips made from Filet Mignon and it really does the trick.

Ingredients:                                                                
1 lb. package Beef Tenderloin Tips, minced
2 onions, minced
2 carrots, minced
3 celery stalks, minced
2 cups, diced tomatoes
1 cup barley
1/2 cup lentils
6 cups beef stock
1 tbsp. oil
salt and pepper

Directions: Sear Beef Tenderloin Tips in oil and remove from pan. Add carrot, celery and onion and sweat. Add barley and cook for three minutes. Add tomato and beef stock and bring to a simmer, cook for 30 minutes and add lentils. Continue to simmer for another 10 and add reserved beef. Cook for 10 minutes, season to taste and serve.

Servings: 8

A soup that includes bites of steak? Yes, please! This one’s a winner!