Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Description

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • A few grinds black pepper
  • 4 slices center cut bacon or pancetta
Directions
  1. Preheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.
  2. Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
  3. To grill, place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender.
  4. For oven preparation, place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.
  5. Recipe from Food Network

Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread

Description

Ingredients
  • 1 crusty loaf , preferably sourdough or Vienna
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)
  • 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter , softened
  • 2 large garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Combine butter, garlic, parsley, and salt. Stir thoroughly
  3. Cut the bread on a diagonal into 1" diamonds but do not cut all the way through the bread.
  4. Use your fingers or a knife to pry open each crack and spread in butter and stuff in a pinch of cheese.
  5. Wrap with foil and put in fridge or freezer until ready to bake (or bake right away)
  6. Thaw and then bake for 20 minutes until the cheese has mostly melted, then unwrap and bake for 5 - 10 minutes more to make the bread nice and crusty.
  7. Serve immediately.
  8. Recipe from recipetineats

Cherry Pie

Description

Ingredients
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 tablespoon almond extract (optional)
  • Your favorite pie crust or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, to dot
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle
Directions
  1. Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
  4. Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
  5. Recipe from Food Network

Cornbread Stuffing

Description

This stuffing has so few ingredients but it is so delicious! The brown butter and sage flavors come through very strongly. You can use store-bought cornbread, make it from scratch, or use a box mix. I used a box mix this time and it turned out great!

Ingredients
  • 6 cups cornbread (cubed and crumbled)
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 6 tbs butter
  • 12 large fresh sage leaves, stems removed
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (or water to make it vegetarian)
  • salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. In a large skillet melt 2 tbs butter over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned about 8 minutes.
  3. Put cornbread in a large bowl. Melt 6 tbs butter in a small pan over medium heat and cook until it starts to brown. As soon as the butter starts to brown add the sage leaves and fry in the butter for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour the butter and sage mixture over the cornbread.
  4. Add the cooked onions to the cornbread. Add the eggs and mix. Season further with salt and pepper.
  5. Add chicken stock or water until mixture is evenly moistened but not soggy.
  6. Pour the dressing into an 8x8 pan and bake for ~30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the dressing is set in the middle.

Cranberry, Apple, Turkey Sausage Stuffing

Description

You can use this stuffing to actually stuff a turkey or bake it on its own. It’s extremely flavorful and delicious!

Ingredients
  • 8 cups cubed bread (white or wheat or sourdough)
  • 1.2 lbs ground turkey sausage
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 6 large fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stem
  • 5 springs fresh thyme, leave stripped from stem
  • 2 apples, chopped 1/2 or smaller chunks (I used granny smith)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 6 tbs melted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Spread cubed bread on large baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes until toasted. Transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Cook sausage and onions over medium heat in a skillet, stirring until onions are browned and sausage is cooked through.
  4. Add celery and fresh herbs to skillet with onions and sausage and cook for 2 more minutes.
  5. Pour sausage mixture over the bread. Mix in the apples and dried cranberries. Drizzle the melted butter and chicken stock over the bread mixture and stir to mix everything.
  6. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake for 30 minutes until heated through and top layer starts to brown.

Cranberry Sauce

Description

Ingredients
  • 12 ounces cranberries
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice
Directions
  1. In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Description

Ingredients
  • 5 pounds russet potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (divided)
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • ½ cup half and Half
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Directions
  1. Start by washing and peeling potatoes.
  2. Dice peeled potatoes and add to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain your potatoes and then return them to the pot.
  3. Return pot with potatoes to the stove on low heat. Add 5 tbsp of butter and cream cheese to the pot and start mashing.
  4. Once creamy slowly add half and half and milk. Make sure to add just a little at a time until you get the consistency that you want.
  5. Keep mashing then add seasoning salt and pepper. Stir and place in a casserole dish.
  6. Add remaining 3 tbsp of butter to the top and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until butter is melted and potatoes are warm.
  7. You can prepare these and place in casserole dish the day before then next day add your butter to the top and bake.

Gravy from Turkey Stock

Description

Ingredients
  • Liquid can be meat or poultry stock, vegetable stock, milk or milk alternative.
  • Fat can be bacon grease, butter, turkey drippings, poultry drippings, meat drippings...
  • Flour is the thickener of choice. I use all-purpose flour for this.
  • Salt and Pepper are necessary for flavor. I like plenty of black pepper in my gravy.
  • Other Seasonings can be added like sage, poultry seasoning, herbes de Provence, rosemary, or whatever.
Directions
  1. Cover the neck and giblets and heart with water.
  2. Add 1 onion, peeled and cut in half as well as 1 peeled carrot, 1 stem of fresh rosemary, and 2 stalks of celery.
  3. Simmer covered until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
  4. Remove the vegetables and strain the stock to remove meat and vegetable matter - some people like to just blend the vegetables up with the broth for a heartier gravy. Others chop the cooked giblets, heart, and neck meat up and add it to the gravy. You've got options.
  5. Use for the liquid as directed in the recipe below.
  7. Heat bacon grease, butter, or oil in a skillet.
  8. Add the flour.
  9. Stir to blend - it will be bumpy.
  10. Cook and whisk for 2 minutes.
  11. Whisk in the milk.
  12. Stir until smooth.
  13. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  15. Recipe from Restless Chipotle

My Go-To Stuffing

Description

My favorite stuffing recipe. A mix of cornbread and white bread.

Ingredients
  • 6 cups cubed white bread
  • 6 cups cubed cornbread (saltier kind less sweet, I buy one of those mixes where you just add water)
  • 2 medium onions
  • 8 stalks celery
  • 4 pieces bacon
  • Thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, sage
  • Chicken stock (I use better than boullion)
Directions
  1. Cook bacon in pan until crispy
  2. Cook onions and celery in bacon grease after cooking bacon
  3. Add thyme rosemary salt pepper and sage leaves (8) to onions while cooking. Crumble and add bacon.
  4. Mix with bread and 3-4 cups chicken stock till damp not soggy.
  5. Put in 9x13 pan
  6. Cook at 350 for 30min-1hr depending on how thick stacked.
  7. Can make this up night before in pan and store sealed and refrigerated and then cook the next day

Pumpkin Pie

Description

Decorate with cream cheese frosting and pecans

Ingredients
Directions

Sweet Potato Casserole

Description

This sweet potato casserole always goes over well with everyone! We usually serve it as a side dish but it’s pretty much as sweet as dessert. It has a delicious sugary pecan crust on top of the mashed sweet potato layer.

Ingredients
  • 5 cups cubed sweet potato
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 tbs butter, softened
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Put sweet potatoes in a pan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender. Drain and mash (I mash potatoes in my stand mixer)
  3. Mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and spices. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.
  4. Mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
  5. Bake in the preheated over for 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.
  6. You can prepare this the day before or earlier in the day and bake right before serving. This also reheats well as a leftover.

Turkey Apple Tarts

Description

Follow any apple tart recipe as desired. Decorate with thin slices of different colors of apples, more dough for the body and face, and raisins for the eyes

Ingredients
Directions

Turkey Cheeseball Appetizer

Description

Ingredients
  • Cheeseball
  • 2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 1oz package ranch-style dressing mix
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • Decorations
  • Whole pecans
  • Bread slices
  • Colored cream cheese
  • Bell pepper
  • Crackers for serving with
Directions

Turkey in Electric Roaster

Description

Ingredients
  • 1 whole turkey, thawed up to 20 lbs
  • 1/4 butter
  • seasoning salt
  • poultry seasoning
  • pepper
Directions
  1. Take the insert pan out of the roaster and pre-heat the roaster to its highest setting (450-500)
  2. Sprinkle salt in the cavities.
  3. Rub the entire bird with butter. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper (or whatever you want)
  4. Use a wired thermometer so you can watch the temperature without lifting the lid. Your turkey will be done much earlier than the estimated cook time, so keep a sharp eye on that thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, those little pop-ups stick sometimes so you should really use two of them.
  5. Put the rack into the insert pan and make sure the handles are up, not tucked below. Put the bird in the insert pan on top of the rack. Put the insert pan back into the roasting pan. Cover.
  6. Roast at highest setting for 30 minutes. The butter seasonings and the searing time will make the skin beautifully browned and perfect!
  7. After 30 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 325.
  8. The turkey will self-baste if you do not lift the lid, so you don't have to baste it every 20 minutes like you do in your conventional oven. DO NOT LIFT LID during cooking time! Lifting the lid will increase cooking time because roaster ovens lose their heat unlike regular ovens
  9. Figure your total cooking time from the time you first put the bird in the roaster. The Butterball website has a great calculator:
  10. http://www.butterball.com/calculators-and-conversions.
  11. FINAL TEMPERATURE FOR SAFETY AND DONENESS IS: 180 DEGREES IN THIGH AND 165 DEGREES IN BREAST AND STUFFING. Juices should be clear, not pink.
  12. Check your turkey EARLY. Really start watching the temp an hour before it's supposed to be done. Your turkey will almost certainly be done before the suggested cooking time. Watch your wired meat thermometer. If using a pop-up turkey plug type thermometer, check by lifting the lid quickly so the oven doesn’t lose its heat. If necessary, check after another 30 minutes, but I doubt you'll have to do that. I say check after 30 minutes because it's really OK to let the bird roast a little extra - you won't dry it out using my method if you let it go for 1/2 hour.
  13. When done, remove the turkey from the roaster, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. This allows the juices to really seep into the meat, so they say.
  14. Recipe from Food.com