Post your favorite T-day family recipes.......I could use ideas

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masondoggy

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We’re having dinner at my house this year. I am such a pitiful cook.:o

DH will be frying a turkey. His family is pretty picky about their holiday meals and I’m tired of the same old thing. They won’t eat homemade stuffing, it has to be stove-top. :mad:

So anyway…I’d like to do something different with the green beans or maybe some other side dishes. (preferably something to do in the crockpot…baby nursing every hour this is going to be a busy chore)

Ideas…or just share your favorite family recipe for T-day.
 
Here are some recipes I think are pretty easy.

For a veggie, I’d just slice zucchini and yellow squash and saute in a little butter until soft.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

1 pkg frozen shredded hash browns
1 c shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 c shredded swiss cheese
1 lg onion, minced
1 t garlic, minced
1 ½ c milk
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
½ c beef broth
2 T butter, melted
1 ½ t salt
½ t pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together milk & next 5 ingredients, pour over hash brown mixture. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9 in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden.

Fettucine Salad

8 oz. Fettuccine
1/2 C. Mayo
1/2 C. Frozen Corn
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Fresh Cracked Pepper
Salt to taste

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Mix pasta and corn in a bowl. Mix together the mayo, cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Combine the pasta, and sauce, and mix well. Salt to taste. This is best if refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving.

Apple Butter

(serve with cornbread or biscuits/rolls)

2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Pinch ginger
Pinch cloves
Instructions
In a saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool. Serve as a spread.
 
find out what their traditional family recipes are and make them. If you deviate even once from tradition on this day it can cause scars that last for years. I don’t know why families get so emotional about TG foods, but they do. I told the roast duck and wild rice stuffing story here once before, too sad to go into again.

better yet, you’re the one with the new baby, use that as your excuse and say, since DH is doing the turkey, you will do the decorating and table setting, and provide the bread and relish tray, ask them to bring the side dishes and desserts (unless you enjoy making dessert, Sam’s has great pies).
 
I will post some of the ones that I use every year. If they are picky eaters though, I would run any “new” ideas past them or make enough old favorites that they will be happy. There is no point in working hard to make dishes that no one else is interested in even trying.

The other trick to Thanksgiving is to start cooking a couple of days beforehand. It makes it so much easier to spread it out over a couple days time. Plus that, some things actually taste better if they have had a day or two to let the flavors intensify.
 
Title: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Description:
There are a lot of recipes for garlic mashed
potaotes out there, but this is by far the most
decadent and delicious version I’ve ever tried.
My family makes this every year at
Thanksgiving. The flavor is even more intense
the next day when you are eating the leftovers.

Ingredients:
5 lbs. russet potatoes
1 cup peeled garlic cloves
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream or half & half
3 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper

Directions:
  1. Peel potatoes & cut into quarters. Place in
    large pot with enough water to cover. Cover
    pan and bring to a boil over high heat, then
    simmer until potatoes are tender when
    pierced, 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small pan over low heat
    combine garlic, cream, and butter. Cover and
    simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.
    Cook until garlic is tender when pierced, about
    10 minutes.
  3. In a blender or food processor, puree garlic
    mixture.
  4. Drain potatoes, return to pan, and add garlic
    puree. Mash with a potato masher or mixer
    until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.
 
Refrigerator Yeast Rolls

Description:
This is an easy way to have nice homemade
rolls for Thanksgiving. You can actually make
the dough up to 2 days before baking.

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
About 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pkgs active dry yeast (or 2 tablespoons)
3 large eggs
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:
  1. In a small saucepan, warm 1 cup milk over
    high heat until small bubbles appear at
    edges. Add 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and salt.
    Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
  2. Soften yeast in 1/4 c. warm water for about 5
    minutes, till yeast is bubbly.
  3. In a bowl, combine milk mixture and yeast.
    Add 2 eggs and beat to blend . Add 2 cups
    flour. Beat at low speed to moisten. Then
    beat at high speed until dough is stretchy, 6 to
    10 minutes.
  4. On low speed (or with a spoon), mix in 1
    1/2 c. flour until well blended. Then gradually
    stir in as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of
    flour as dough will absorb. Dough should still
    be soft and slightly sticky. Cover with plastic
    wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 48
    hours.
  5. Punch down dough and divide in half. Cover
    half the dough while shaping the remainder.
  6. Butter muffin pans (with 2 1/2 inch wide
    cups). To make clover leaf rolls pich off and
    shape dough into 1 inch thick balls. Drop 3
    balls into each cup. Cover lightly with plastic
    wrap.
  7. Let rolls rise in a warm place until almost
    doubled, 30 to 45 minutes. Beat remaining
    egg to blend with 1 tablespoon milk. Brush
    rolls with egg mixture nd sprinkle with
    sesame seeds.
  8. Bake rolls in 400 oven 8 to 10 minutes, until
    golden. Serve warm or cool.
Number Of Servings:2 dozen rolls
 
Bourbon sweet potato casserole

Ingredients:
6 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chinese 5 spice
1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:
  1. Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Drain. Let
    cool. Peel and mash.
  2. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, brown
    sugar, and next 5 ingredients in a large mixing
    bowl, beat at med speed til smooth. Spoon
    into buttered casserole.
  3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, sprinkle with
    marshmallows and bake another 5 minutes til
    golden brown.
 
Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork sausage
4 stalks celery, diced
2 med onions, diced
2/3 cups pecans, chopped
1 pan day old cornbread, broken into large
crumbs
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups potato bread cubes, toasted
lots and lots of sage
pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
  1. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet
    over medium heat until sausage is browned
    and vegetables are tender, stirring until
    sausage crumbles. Add pecans toward the
    end and season liberally with sage. Drain.
  2. Combine Sausage mixture, cornbread
    crumbs, and remaining ingredients. Season
    liberally with freshly ground pepper and the
    sage (again! - you can never have to much
    sage)
  3. You can either use to stuff your turkey or
    spoon into a greased casserole dish and
    bake uncovered at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.
 
Mine is for the leftovers the day after: Turkey in White Sauce

I always make Turkey in White Sause and put it over biscuits. The only other things I add are peas, mushrooms, and a little pepper. How much turkey you have will tell you how much white sauce to make.

Here is the recipe for the White Sauce. (Per cup of milk)

4 tbs of flour
4 tbs of butter
1 cup of 2% or whole milk (skim don’t work)

On the flour and butter, you can go up to 6 tbs on each to make it thicker, but keep the 1 to 1 ratio

  1. *]Melt butter in saucepan and add flour until thoroughly mixed.
    *]Lower the temp on the stove and gradually add milk while stiring.
    *]Continue to stir until the mixure warms up and starts to thicken. Lower temps work better.
    The more turkey you have the more white sauce you will want to make.

    The rest of the recipe:

    1. *]Once the mixture starts to thicken, add turkey (thawed), mushrooms, and peas. How much of each is up to you.
      *]Add pepper to taste Continue to stir until all ingredients are warm.
      *]Serve over hot biscuits.
 
My Mom’s Mandarin Salad

Description:
This is the salad that my mom frequently
makes when she is serving a nice dinner. I
think it is a nice addition to a Thanksgiving
menu. Try making the dressing a few hours
ahead and refrigerating.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. sliced almonds (pecans work well too)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 head iceberg lettuce
1 heart of romaine
2 stalks celery. chopped
2 green onions, sliced
Sweet & Sour dressing
1 11oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Sweet & Sour Dressing:
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon sniipped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
dash red pepper sauce

Directions:
  1. Cook almonds and sugar over low heat in
    a heavy skillet, til sugar melts and coats
    almonds, but doesn’t brown.
  2. Put lettuce, romaine, celery, and green
    onions in a large ziploc bag.
  3. Pour in dressing and oranges. Zip close
    bag and shake.
  4. Add almonds and shake.
  5. Pour into salad bowl and serve
    immediately.
 
Deep Dish Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 (3oz pkgs) cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 (16 oz) bottle light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups pecan pieces (I used 4 cups pecan
halves)

Directions:
  1. Beat 1 cup butter and cream cheese at
    medium speeed of an electric mixer until
    creamy. Gradually add flour and 1/4 cup
    sugar, beating well. Shape dough into a flat
    disc; cover and chill 15 minutes. Cover the
    outside of the springform pan with aluminum
    foil to prevent leaks. Roll chilled dough to a
    13" circle; carefully transfer to a 9" springform
    pan (I rolled it out on a plastic mat, then picked
    up the mat and inverted it over the pan).
    Press dough up sides of pan. Cover and chill.
  2. Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and
    melted butter in a large bowl; stir well with a
    wire whisk. Add eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and
    salt; stir well. Stir in pecans, Pour filling into
    unbaked pastry-lined pan.
  3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then reduce
    temperature to 300 and bake 2 hours and 15
    minutes, shielding pie with aluminum foil to
    prevent excess browning, if necessary. Cool
    completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill if
    desired. Remove sides of springform pan to
    serve.
 
Skip the canned, jellied, nasty cranberries everyone avoids and try this fresh and simple Cranberry relish:

1 orange
1 apple
1tsp. orange zest
1 -12 oz. bag cranberries
1/3 c. sugar
1/8-1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. Grand Marnier or Contreau

peel + core apple. Grate orange peel, then peel orange. Add all ingredients to food processor until pureed. (If not blending smoothly, add up to 1/2 c. orange juice.) Serve chilled.
 
Brandied Cranberries

Description:
I like this a lot better than the canned kind. It is
probably also the easiest thing I ever make for
Thanksgiving. You can make this about three
days in advance, and the flavor just intensifies.
I have a square glass dish I like to serve this
in because the cranberries are such a
beautiful shade of red that it looks like a dish
of rubies.

Ingredients:
1 12oz pkg fresh cranberries
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brandy
1 tangerine

Directions:
Sort the cranberries and discard any soft or
spoiled ones. Rinse and drain the berries.

Peel the tangerine and break apart the
sections into little pieces.

Mix the cranberries, sugar, brandy, and
tangerine pieces in an 8 or 9 inch square
baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 325
degree oven until berries are tender when
pierced and most of the liquid has evaporated,
about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve
warm or cold.
 
Giblet Gravy

Directions:
Wash thoroughly the liver, gizzard, and heart;
cover with water and cook until tender. Drain
off the water and save. Chop the giblets fine.
Pour off most of the fat in which the poultry has
been cooked, leaving about 1/4 cup of it in the
pan. Add 3 T. flours and blend well. Stir over
low heat until lightly browned. Measure the
giblet water, adding enough water to make
about 3 cups. Pour slowly into the browned
flour, cooking and stirring constantly until the
mixture thickens. Add giblets and cook for a
few minutes longer. Season with salt and
pepper to taste.
 
dulcissima said:
I will post some of the ones that I use every year. If they are picky eaters though, I would run any “new” ideas past them or make enough old favorites that they will be happy. There is no point in working hard to make dishes that no one else is interested in even trying.

The other trick to Thanksgiving is to start cooking a couple of days beforehand. It makes it so much easier to spread it out over a couple days time. Plus that, some things actually taste better if they have had a day or two to let the flavors intensify.
Click to expand...
That’s what I’d like to try…some recipes that I can make ahead of time.

I want to keep the cooking I do when MIL is here to a minimum because she makes me crazy. Feels like I’m on the scrutinizing cooking stage…
 
puzzleannie said:
find out what their traditional family recipes are and make them. If you deviate even once from tradition on this day it can cause scars that last for years. I don’t know why families get so emotional about TG foods, but they do. I told the roast duck and wild rice stuffing story here once before, too sad to go into again.

better yet, you’re the one with the new baby, use that as your excuse and say, since DH is doing the turkey, you will do the decorating and table setting, and provide the bread and relish tray, ask them to bring the side dishes and desserts (unless you enjoy making dessert, Sam’s has great pies).
Click to expand...
Ain’t this the truth!!! I had T-day with a new baby and a toddler one year. MIL was mad all day because I didn’t prepare the turkey the way she liked. She still brings it up. I cried all night after she left. It took everything I had to make that stupid turkey and stuffing. I had about 1 hour of sleep, as baby was colicky, and IMO everything turned out great. It’s my turn to have it again, and I’m trying to mentally prepare myself! In fact, I think I will call all the SILs today and tell them what they are going to bring. The only thing I am doing is the turkey/stuffing, and I’m making it the way I want.
(Sorry for the rant…😦 )
 
dulcissima said:
Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork sausage
4 stalks celery, diced
2 med onions, diced
2/3 cups pecans, chopped
1 pan day old cornbread, broken into large
crumbs
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups potato bread cubes, toasted
lots and lots of sage
pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
  1. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet
    over medium heat until sausage is browned
    and vegetables are tender, stirring until
    sausage crumbles. Add pecans toward the
    end and season liberally with sage. Drain.
  2. Combine Sausage mixture, cornbread
    crumbs, and remaining ingredients. Season
    liberally with freshly ground pepper and the
    sage (again! - you can never have to much
    sage)
  3. You can either use to stuff your turkey or
    spoon into a greased casserole dish and
    bake uncovered at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.
Click to expand...
How does this recipe taste with just regular white/wheat bread crumbs? The ILs don’t like cornbread or potato bread or any kind of bread that isn’t Wonder Bread. I love homemade stuffing, especially sausage stuffing, but no one can find my Great Grandma’s recipe…
 
this is the only way I can eat sweet potatoes, I detest canned yams, candied yams, marshmallows on yams etc.

prick the skins of the sweet potatoes (or yams, whatever your store has, the orangier ones are prettier), bake them in the microwave if you only have a couple or in the oven and 400 for 40 minutes. Put foil on the shelf under the oven to catch drips, or wrap them in foil and stick between other dishes that are in there at the same time, at whatever temp, just adjust cooking time.

split them open, skoop out the flesh with a spoon, and serve with fresh lime wedges, squeeze the lime on the flesh just before eating.

no salt, no brown sugar, no spices, no butter, just lime.
 
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