Share your Thanksgiving menus/recipes for 2006

[Lynnie]

I know there is one from last year in the saved posts, but thought it might be helpful to start a new one for this year too.

What is everyone planning to serve ??

So far, I have:

-Turkey (not sure if I'll try to brine it)
-Stuffing -with sausage and onion & celery
-Sweet potatoe casserole
-Cranberry orange sauce/relish
-corn pudding - like a flan, custardy thing. DH LOVES it
-corn casserole - the cornbread one
-crudite plate

-some kind of potato, I hate mashed, so may try the patrician potatoes from last year

-something green. I bought brussell sprouts remembering the recipes from last year, but haven't figured out which to try. I have never eaten a brussell sprout.

-a meyers rum chocolate pecan pie

- some other dessert

-possibly rolls. (I probably should...)

I might also try to find some bean and rice congri type dish, since my kids hate turkey and love beans and rice. (I wish I had the kind of kids who would eat anything, but I don't)

[Jo..]

I would LOVE the recipe for the chocolate pecan pie. I had some once at a restaurant, and have been craving it ever since!

[Lynnie]

Sure ! I'll post it when I get home from work.

I actually haven't made it yet - I used to work at CPK (california pizza kitchen) before law school, and ate it there all the time, and it is from their cook book. So, I can't promise it'll turn out as good as theirs is, but I think it is worth a try ! And, since half the time my moms regular pecan pie recipe never gels and remains pecan soup, I don't want to use her recipe for my first attempt at pecan pie !

[elephantmeg]

I just posted one in the pecan pie posting :)

[Lynnie]

sorry took so long. never tried it, hope its good. darn, forgot to buy hot fudge... grrr - good hot fudge recipe, anyone ??

Pie Crust:
- frozen 9 inch pie deep dish pie crust
- 1 T veggie oil
- 1 T all purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk lightly beaten

Pie filling:
- 1 1/3 c dark corn syrup
- 1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1T plus 1 t Meyer's rum
- 2 T pure vanilla
- 1/8 T salt
- 1/3 c good quality jarred hot fudge (or homemade), room temperature
- 5 T unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 eggs beaten just until smooth
- 1 C shelled pecan halves

to "make" pie crust:
1) preheat oven to 350

2) remove frozen pie shell carefully from pan. with pastry brush, coat inside surface of tin with oil. lightly but evenly flour surface, return pie crust to pan.

3) let crust thaw to room temperature, repair any cracks in pastry. dip pastry brush in egg yolk, brush inside of shell, avouding upper rim, but making sure to brush any cracks inside the shell. Bake unfilled shell for 8 minutes, then set aside, leaving oven on.

Pie Filling:
4) In medium saucepan over M-H heat, use wooden spoon to stir togehter corn syrup, brown sugar, rum, vanilla extract, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and stir in hot fudge sauce. Let mixture cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the butter cubes until they have melted and thouroughly blend in. Beating vigorously with wooden spoon, add the eggs. continue beating until they are thouroughly incorporated.

5) pour the pie filling into the pre-baked pie shell. neatly arrange the pecan halves, flat sides down on top of the filling. put the pie in the oven and bake until the filling is set and springs back lightly when carefully touched with a finger, about 45 minutes.

6) remove pie from oven, place it on a wire cooling rack, and let sit at least 30 mintues before cutting into wedges and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

[s7714]

We're going with a pretty standard menu.

Apple-Cider Brined Turkey
Gravy (no giblets here; I'm not a fan of chunky gravy!)
Dressing (with onion chopped up so fine my picky DH can't detect it... :P )
Sweet Potato casserole
Cranberry sauce (chunky style, admittedly straight from the can!)
Steamed Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes w/sour cream and onion mixed in
Rolls

Apple pie for dessert and maybe something else if my ILs bring something along.

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Antsy-Pants 6/05

Calling fellow BBB SoCal moms...we'd love to meet you!
(100 posts & BBB member for 3 months req'd)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babybargainssocal/

[Jo..]

That sounds really terrific, thank you SO MUCH for sharing!

[Lynnie]

it does sound good, doesn't it ! Hope it turns out ok, though. And, I like the part about buying already made pie crust !! heh heh.

[anamika]

sorry no caps....baby sleeping on me

cranberry chutney with indian spices(i made this already and dh and i were licking the bowl - so good!!)
sweet potato curried, with coconut milk
green beans something (whatever i feel like doing tomorrow)
nan/chappathi
corn pulao
pumpkin halva
ginger cheesecake with mango lime sauce

maybe spicy butternut squash soup if i have time.

this is my first attempt at cooking for thanksgiving. i tried to incorporate all the typical elements, with an indian twist :)

[Corie]

I have never had Indian food but your menu sounds absolutely
delicious!! Would you mind sharing your recipes???

Thank you!! :)

[anamika]

Hi Corie,
I'm so glad you asked :) I love cooking and I had so much fun researching and putting together the menu.
We just finished dinner - and everything was a big hit :)
Here are the recipes that I got online. I have a bad habit of tweaking *every* recipe so I have added notes where appropriate. I will type out the others later. Enjoy!
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Pumpkin Pak Halva

A rich Indian dessert with ricotta, or paneer, and pumpkin.

¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup pumpkin pulp (canned or from freshly steamed or baked pumpkin)
½ cup or less sugar or other sweetener
a few pinches of cinnamon, or cardamom, or a pinch of nutmeg
a tablespoon of grated coconut, slivered almonds, or crushed pistachio nuts for garnish

This halva is richer than the suji halva. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the ricotta cheese. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pumpkin pulp, raise the heat to medium, and continue to stir for 10 to 15 minutes more. Then add the sugar and mix well. The mixture will be thin, but it will firm up as it cooks more. Stir the halva constantly for 10 minutes or longer until it forms a lump. Spread on a platter and smooth the surface. Top with your choice of nuts, and cover. After a few minutes, the halva will be firm enough to cut into wedges or squares. It can be served warm, or chilled and served later.
To make a nice presentation, I pressed a raisin into each square (since we are nut-free)
Notes - I added less butter and also doubled the recipe. This was the most time-consuming recipe by far - took a good 45 mins of stirring to get the right consistency. If the mixture does not firm up enough, try putting it in the fridge. Or it tastes great with a spoon and some icecream on top ;)

Source - http://tinyurl.com/ya4web
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Cranberry Apple Chutney
(From Wild oats web site with my own modifications)
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Makes: About 2 1/2 cups

1 c. Organic Orange Juice
2/3 c. raw organic sugar
1 (12 oz.) package fresh organic cranberries
1 c. organic apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c. organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/4 -1/2 tsp each ground cloves, cardamom and cayenne pepper

Combine juice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Add cranberries, apples, vinegar, raisins and spices. Return to boil, the turn to a simmer, stirring often. Cook for 20 minutes. Pour in serving bowl, and cool to room temperature. Remove star anise and cinnamon before serving.
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Ginger Cheesecake with Mango Lime Sauce (from Wild oats web site)
Prep Time: 40 minutes, Cook Time: 60 minutes, Serves 12

Crust
3 c. gingersnap cookie crumbs (I used TJ's triple ginger cookies - so yummy)
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbsp. Wild Oats Organic Unsalted Butter, melted

Filling
3 (8-oz.) packages Wild Oats Organic Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 c. evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp. cardamom, ground
1 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp. cloves, ground
4 Wild Oats Large Eggs, room temperature

Topping
1 1/2 c. organic sour cream
1/2 c. organic confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ginger, ground

Sauce
3 c. Wild Oats Organic Frozen Mango, thawed (I used 3/4 of a pack of frozen mangoes from TJ's)
1/2 c. water
Juice and zest of one lime
1/4 c. evaporated cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Place cookie crumbs in a bowl. Stir in cinnamon and melted butter. Press on bottom and up sides of pan. Chill crust.

Blend cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and eggs in processor until smooth. Pour filling into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking dish. Fill baking dish with one inch of water. Carefully place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover springform pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes longer. Transfer to cooling rack. Remove foil, allow to cool for 20 minutes.

While cake bakes, whisk together topping ingredients. Refrigerate until needed. Combine mango, water, lime juice, lime zest and cane sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mango breaks down into a sauce, about 25 minutes. If mango does not break down, place sauce in blender and pulse until smooth. When the cake is cool, spread sour cream topping over the cake, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Top individual slices with sauce, or swirl it on the plate and place each slice on the sauce.
(Note - I omitted the sour cream topping and it was still very rich and delicious. The mango sauce was the real star here. I also coarsely chopped some crystallized ginger and stirred it into the sauce - some people didn't like the chunky feel, but others loved it)
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Curried Yams in Coconut Milk

Here’s what you need:
1 lb yams
1 Tbsp. salt
2 inch, fresh ginger root
1 Garlic clove
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 whole green cardamom pods
1 Bay leaf
4 Peppercorns
1 Inch stick cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garam marsala (optional)
To taste - salt
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used TJ's reduced fat coconut milk)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Here’s what you do:

1. Peel the yams, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Steam the potatoes for 10 minutes, until just barely soft.

2. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, ginger and garlic. Heat the cooking pan over a moderate flame, add the cumin seed, and cook until they begin to splutter. Add the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is a rich golden color. Add all the spices and season with salt to taste. Let this cook while you continue as below.

3. Heat the oil and sauté the already steamed yam cubes, until golden brown. Drain on absorbent

4. Add the coconut milk and bring to a healthy simmer. Let it roil for a few minutes, then add the yam cubes and onion spice mixture, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or until nearly dry, but still moist. Let the coconut milk be the sweet binder, taking the place of both brown sugar for sweetness and yogurt for viscosity.

5. Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander sprinkled on top. If you have any lime left over, this dish might benefit from a squeeze of lime as well.
Source: Michael Sherwood – Sub Rosa. The recipe is derived and adapted from one in ‘The Hamlyn Curry Cookbook’, by Meera Taneja

(Note - I found that the lime juice was crucial to providing a nicely balanced taste)
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Hmmmm, I tried attaching a pic of all my finished dishes but it's not letting me... Oh well!
HTH,

[alexsmommy]

Wow - thanks! DH had never had Indian food before dating me and I'm slowly bringing him to the dark side of yet another ethnic food we love. I'm trying to cut down on eating out and Indian that doesn't come from a prepacked jar has been beyond me. I'm going to try these over the next few weeks.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03

[Corie]

Usha,

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for me!!
I really appreciate it! :)