This post is written in partnership with OXO. They provided me with the products in use here as well as the cookbook Now & Again by Julia Turshen. As always, all opinions are 100% my own and my opinion is that I really, really love OXO. #OXOBetter #NowandAgainCookbook

When you think of Thanksgiving side dishes, what comes to mind? Mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing? All true, but your mind is probably also going a million miles a minute. Do you find the holidays stressful? That’s because they are! Or at least, that’s what we make them to be.

What if you could have a no-stress Thanksgiving? What if ‘hectic’ no longer had to be associated with the holiday? Sounds pretty great, right?

Julia Turshen’s new cookbook, Now & Again, makes this a reality for you with her No-Stress Thanksgiving menu, which appears alongside many other menus for literally any situation you could find yourself in based on season. Think: Card Night Enchiladas, Simple Backpack Picnic Lunch, and Grilled Vietnamese Breakfast. Plus, you’ll find important lists like Seven Things to Do with Leftover Wine and Seven Things to Bring When You’re Invited to Dinner. 

This cookbook is literally one of my favorites and I’m just getting acquainted with it. This cookbook matches perfectly with the way my mind works, and my desire to cook an entire menu, with a main and sides for every meal. The Now & Again cookbook features go-to recipes, inspired menus and endless ideas for reinventing leftovers. 

This time around though, it’s all about Thanksgiving. For this post, I made String Beans with Toasted Almonds + Lemon, one of the dishes on the No-Stress Thanksgiving menu. The other menu items: 

• Roast Turkey Breast + Onions with Mustard + Sage
• Apple Cider Gravy
• Sheet Pan Bread Stuffing with Sausage + Spinach
• Radicchio + Roasted Squash Salad
• Maple Roasted Apples with Vanilla Ice Cream + Roasted Pecans
• Easy Pumpkin + Olive Oil Cake

See? NO-STRESS. Julia even tells you what to do when to prepare for the holiday dinner. This is the most important dinner of the year, and it’s important to use the tools (like OXO tools) that are going to make this an easier dinner to complete. 

Although I only made this recipe for now, I will be making the menu for my family’s Thanksgiving. All the guesswork is taken out and I know exactly how to plan. Some of the OXO tools I will be using:

• Mini Angled Measuring Cup: To easily measure accurately from above
• On-The-Go Lunch Container: Because there are always leftovers, right?!
• Chef’s Squeeze Bottles: Easy use with olive oil especially!
• Swivel Peeler: Not just an ordinary peeler because it peels tough-skinner fruits and vegetables
• Greensaver Herb Keeper: This herb keeper is amazing, allowing for proper airflow, controlled humidity and hydration for your herbs to thrive.

So, what does your Thanksgiving menu look like? I encourage you to cook through this menu like I will be!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO. 

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Yield: 12

String Beans with Toasted Almonds + Lemon from the Now & Again Cookbook

Green beans in garlicky oil with crunchy almonds and bright lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds string beans, topped and tailed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted almonds, roughly chopped (I used sliced almonds instead)
• Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the beans and cook, stirring, until they're bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside.
2. Put the olive oil into the largest skiller you've got and set it over medium heat. Add the garlic and almonds and cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add half of the green beans, sprinkle them with a large pinch of salt, and stir to combine with the garlicky olive oil and the almonds. Add the remaining green beans and season them with salt and give everything a good stir (this double seasoning helps to season the beans evenly, as there's a large amount of food in the pan). Cook just until the beans are warmed through, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and then transfer the beans to a serving platter. Scrape the almonds, which inevitably fall to the bottom of the skillet, over the top. Give the beans one final sprinkle of salt and serve warm or at room temperature.