It kind of feels like the fall season flew by so quickly and I barely had time to enjoy it! Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I’m making my grocery list, setting my table and getting ready to start making the feast at the same time I’m planning for the Christmas holiday!

We always go and get a fresh Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and this year, I’m thinking of having 2 trees…one for the children in the den, and a really fancy one in the living room…we shall see!

But…back to Thanksgiving! I kind of half did my front porch in early October and the squirrels ate so many of my pumpkins that the porch was a mess and nothing looked very nice anymore! Last weekend, I went and got more pumpkins and made these arrangements in some old urns and I’m really pleased with how they turned out, although the dang squirrels are still getting into them! If anyone has a suggestion, other than a BB gun (which I’ve seriously considered), please let me know because it’s making me crazy!

After I arranged the pumpkins, along with some real and some artificial fall leaves and magnolia, I sprayed everything with Modge Podge (thinking that would be a squirrel deterrent), and I’m really pleased with how they turned out! If I can just keep them until Friday morning, we’ll be good!

And now…on to the Brussels Sprouts Gratin recipe…

I love Brussels sprouts…raw in a salad, roasted, fried - in my opinion, these cute little round cabbage looking vegetables are delicious, but if you don’t like them, this recipe will change your mind!

Sliced leeks are sautéed in olive oil until they’re velvety and delicious and then added to very thinly sliced (shredded) Brussels. Then the fun begins…

Heavy cream, combined with Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses, nutmeg, salt and pepper make a delicious and decedent sauce that’s poured over the Brussels and then baked until bubbly and fragrant. The whole thing is topped with crispy panko breadcrumbs and popped back into the oven for just a few minutes. You must try this because it’s just soooo delicious! The recipe is below so keep scrolling!

Be sure to visit my Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet for recipes, entertaining tips and more! It’s in the dropdown menu above or you can click below!

I’m sure you all know this, but be sure to wash your leeks really well because they have so much dirt in them and you don’t want that in your gratin!

The recipe calls for one cup of panko breadcrumbs but I used extra because I love the crispy topping…just be sure to add a little more olive oil and add a bit more Parmesan if you increase the amount of panko!

Fresh thyme leaves on top of the casserole dress the dish up and make it look really pretty for serving!

This is going to be such a busy weekend filled with Thanksgiving preparation and getting the bedrooms ready for the everyone to come home! I plan to completely set my table tomorrow, so I’ll share some pictures here on Monday! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and please let me know if you make this Brussels Sprouts Gratin! Also, remember…I love your comments so please let me know what you think!

And…a boutique of fun things for anyone in your life who loves to cook!