Thanksgiving Recipes with Local Flavor

No matter where you're celebrating Thanksgiving, let the flavors of Middleton take center stage at your dinner table with these local recipes.

A late Thanksgiving means more time to craft the perfect feast. No matter where you're celebrating, let the flavors of Middleton take center stage at your dinner table. We've compiled a list of delicious recipes from local restaurants and stores featuring the ingredients that give Middleton its distinctive charm. Explore these culinary creations and bring a taste of our city's rich flavor to your holiday spread.

National Mustard Museum

Spice up those side dishes this year with – you guessed it – MUSTARD!

It sounds crazy, zany, and maybe a little bit spicy, and the National Mustard Museum houses thousands of mustards on display and hundreds for sale to satisfy every taste. Patti Bridges, the owner of the upstairs gift shop, knows her stuff, and she's passing that knowledge along to you. While their website has dozens of recipes to inspire your Thanksgiving meal, here are a few side dishes for Thanksgiving, and our staff had the pleasure of giving them a try.

While the National Mustard Museum does offer online shopping and shipping, stopping by their store in Downtown Middleton has the advantage of their tasting bar and finding the perfect fit for your flavor.

Deviled Eggs

A plate of deviled eggs topped with bacon and garnished with herbs.

Do you have difficulty not filling up on the pre-meal relish tray? Well, sorry, it just got harder. Mustard is at the heart of what makes up the best-deviled egg. While the Mustard Museum offers hundreds of different mustards for you to choose from, we've narrowed it down to three.

Praline Sweet Potato Casserole

a square dish of food on a table

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without the sweet potato casserole. This dish complements the natural sweetness of the potatoes and takes it to a new level with the addition of Dr. Pete's Praline Mustard Glaze.

Curried Chicken/Turkey Salad

A lettuce leaf topped with a chicken salad mixture including chopped pecans, celery, and onion on a dark plate.

Take a break from hearty dishes with a bite of refreshing chicken salad. With Daddy Cook's Exotic Ginger Curry Mustard, this light dish cleanses the palate and offers a slight kick to wake you up for a second helping. Substitute chicken for turkey for the perfect solution for leftover turkey.

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, which opened in January 2024, is celebrating its first Thanksgiving in Middleton. If you're searching for a fall cocktail to enjoy during or after your Thanksgiving meal, they offer several recipes, complete with how-to videos, to help you create the perfect drink pairing. You can choose from their selection of over 60 handcrafted wines, which are available for sampling and purchase in the restaurant’s tasting room.

If you want to skip cooking altogether, Cooper's Hawk will be open on Thanksgiving Day and offering a complete Thanksgiving dinner in the restaurant. Or, if you're looking for restaurant-quality flavor in the comfort of your home, they are also providing a convenient heat-and-serve take-home package.

A glass filled with a light-colored drink, ice cubes, orange slices, and apple pieces. A bottle and more fruit slices are in the background.

Raise a glass to gratitude with this festive sangria, blending winter white wine, apple cider, and fresh fruit for a refreshing fall twist.

Spiced Cranberry Hot Toddy

A hand holds a glass mug filled with dark liquid, garnished with an orange peel studded with cloves. The mug sits on a wooden surface, surrounded by star anise and cinnamon sticks.

Infused with cinnamon, cloves, and cranberry wine, this spiced cranberry hot toddy is the ideal drink to warm you up on a cold November day.

Falling Leaves

A person pours liquid from a bottle into a jigger above a metal cocktail shaker. Nearby are a Cooper's Hawk Riesling bottle and a Cointreau bottle, with spices on the table.

Celebrate the season with the Falling Leaves cocktail—an elegant mix of Riesling, pear brandy, and aromatic bitters for the perfect fall sip.

Hubbard Avenue Diner

Hubbard Avenue Diner, a beloved staple in Middleton, is famous for its pies. Now, you can bring that deliciousness to your dinner table! As part of Pie Palooza in 2010, a fundraiser for a local food non-profit, Hubbard made its delectable sweet potato pecan pie recipe available to the public.

Not confident in your baking skills? No problem! You can pre-order one (or more) of seven different pie flavors by Nov. 22. Or, fool your guests with take-and-bake options, including apple, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, and cherry.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

A pecan pie with whipped cream dollops on top, placed on a dark countertop with a red checkered cloth and a pie server beside it. Logo reads "Hubbard Avenue Diner and Bakery.

This Sweet Potato Pecan Pie is the perfect fusion of two Thanksgiving classics—sweet potato pie and pecan pie—baked into one decadent dessert. With a creamy, spiced sweet potato layer topped with crunchy, caramelized pecans, it’s the kind of treat that will make your holiday table truly unforgettable. Warm, rich, and full of flavor, this pie is sure to be a new family favorite.

Hidden Cave Cidery

Founded by a Wisconsinite with a passion for supporting local agriculture, Hidden Cave Cidery’s Walker Fanning is committed to crafting high-quality beverages using locally sourced ingredients.

Check out some of his favorite recipes that incorporate their delicious cider as an ingredient.

Late Harvest Vinaigrette

A plate of mixed salad with lettuce, cucumber slices, and tomato wedges on a white dish.
Add tangy, sweet flavor to any salad, thanks to a perfect blend of Dijon mustard, honey, and reduced late-harvest dry hard cider. Drizzle it over greens for a light, refreshing dressing that enhances your holiday meal.
A glass bowl filled with creamy tuna dip garnished with chopped herbs. A cracker is partially submerged in the dip.

This dip blends the rich flavors of caramelized onions with the delicate notes of Rose Hip Rosemary hard cider for a unique twist on a classic appetizer that's an ideal pairing for crackers or fresh veggies.

A jar with ice, an orange slice, and a label reading "Cheeselandia." Nearby, there are cheese slices and a bowl with a spread, surrounded by flowers.
Aromatic ginger, cloves, and the floral notes of Hibiscus Juniper Hard Cider come together with rum, cranberry juice, and simple syrup to create a vibrant, holiday-ready punch. Serve with orange slices for an extra burst of flavor.

Modified November 25, 2024