Thanksgiving menus?

[kijip]

The Zofran must be working (did not when I tried it earlier in the pregnancy at all) because I have been taking it since Friday and today I have a real appetite for the first time in MONTHS. When I pulled some pork ribs out of the freezer I noticed the 3 frozen turkeys in there. Thanksgiving is around the corner. Heck, even if I do throw it up I want the good food. ;)

What is on your menu? Links to good recipes?

We got our favorite ever stuffing recipe from a link here last year (thanks Marisa, where ever you are!)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Italian-Sausage-and-Bread-Stuffing-240559

We did roasted parsnips and carrots last year but are thinking of pureed sunchokes, potato and carrots with roasted garlic this year. We have a pile of sunchokes from the CSA and I think I can cook and freeze them for a few weeks.

We are doing a turkey this year (last year we did prime rib) and I am going to cook it upside down with bacon, herbs and garlic in the cavity.

[Twoboos]

Seeing the title of this post my very first thought was Italian Sausage & Bread Stuffing!! My fam is still raving about it!

I was loving the roasted carrots & parsnips too. I want those again.

In other words, I have nothing to add, but I would totally do those again if we were hosting again this year! I may insist on making them at MIL's. :)

[alexsmommy]

I've pretty much finally put together our "keeper" menu over the last five years. It includes Lana's sweet potato casserole (a little modified) and green beans suggested here (french green beans sauteed in butter, mushrooms, garlic and asiago cheese), Alton Browns roasted turkey (brined overnight) and really fattening corn casserole. This is the first year my mom has abdicated all responsibility except the dressing to me. So, anyone have a fabulous apple pie recipe?

[kijip]

So, anyone have a fabulous apple pie recipe?

Do you want to make a classic pie with a top crust or lattice OR do you want my dad's recipe for apple tarte tatin with carmel type sauce?

For classic pie, I do cinnamon, black pepper, sugar and a bit of balsamic vinegar. I would have to measure it out the next time I make it because it's just a till it looks about right sort of recipe for me. I do a lattice top, though I have been thinking about figuring out how to do a dutch style crumble top.

For the Apple Tarte Tatin

Puff pastry (store bought or shortcut recipe here: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/rough_puff_pastry.aspx)
5-6 Romas or Granny Smiths, peeled and sliced
Stick butter
Brown Sugar
Carmel Sauce (store bought or recipe below)
Creme Fraiche or Whipped Cream (optional)


Pre heat oven to 350

In a cast iron skillet, brown the sugar and butter

Remove pan from heat and arrange apple slices in a decorative pattern

Cook apples at a simmer for 10-15 minutes

Push puff pastry over apples, tucking the edges of the pastry dough into the pan

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes

Let cool for 5 minutes and then place pie plate over the pan and flip tarte out of the pan, on to the plate

Carmel Sauce-

1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water on high until amber
remove from stove, allow to slightly harden in pan
then put 1 and 1/2 cups of cream or half and half in and reheat

Pour carmel sauce onto plate and then put tarte slice on top. Serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream if you like.

[egoldber]

My fav apple pie is this one I got from Martha Stewart almost 10 years ago. I love her pie crust too (the link is in the apple pie recipe):

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marthas-ultimate-thanksgiving-menu-spiced-apple-pie-with-fluted-round-cutouts?lnc=a63ddc53f03ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRC RD&rsc=collage_food_pie

We are probabky having a small Thanksgiving this year with just us. Our menu will probably be:

turkey (usually just a simple one with herb butter under and on the skin)
cranberry sauce (I sort of make it up every yera which drives DH nuts....)
baked sweet potatoes
challah
cornbread and sausage dressing
apple pie with ice cream

[hannah]

Here's our menu:
turkey
gravy
mashed pots
orange butternut squash
spicy carrots
cranberry relish
peas
stuffing
dinner rolls
pie & ice cream for desert (pumpkin & apple pies)

[bnme]

I'd love your recipe for orange butternut squash. I am not cooking for Thanksgiving but I am planning ahead for Christmas.

[alexsmommy]

Thanks for the apple pie recipies guys.
Katie, I am a caramel JUNKIE so even if I don't make your recipe for T-day, I'm sure I'll be looking this thread up in the future for Sunday desert.

[hannah]

Makes 4-6 servings
(I have no idea where this recipe came from)

1 large (3-4 pounds) butternut squash
olive oil for brushing
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/3 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash lengthwise in half. Use a spoon to scoop out seeds/stringy stuff. Brush the cut sides lightly with oil. Place in baking dish cut side up. Roast 30-40 min or until the pulp is soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

Use a spoon to scoop out pulp into a mixing bowl or food processor. Add butter, 1 T oil and ginger or nutmeg and pinch of salt. Mash mixture adding orange juice slowly until you have desired consistency. The mixture can be as thick as mashed potatoes or as smooth as polenta. Serve warm.

To make ahead: Refrigerate pureed mixture until ready to serve. reheat in microwave until heated through. Or bake in oven at 325 degrees until heated through. Top with a little butter or drizzle with a little olive oil before serving. I think I made this 2 days before thanksgiving and it was fine on thanksgiving.

[Corie]

I've pretty much finally put together our "keeper" menu over the last five years. It includes Lana's sweet potato casserole (a little modified) and green beans suggested here (french green beans sauteed in butter, mushrooms, garlic and asiago cheese), Alton Browns roasted turkey (brined overnight) and really fattening corn casserole. This is the first year my mom has abdicated all responsibility except the dressing to me. So, anyone have a fabulous apple pie recipe?


Alexsmommy,

When you have a chance, I would love a few of your recipes!

Lana's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Corn Casserole


Thanks so much!! :)

[alexsmommy]

Alexsmommy,

When you have a chance, I would love a few of your recipes!

Lana's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Corn Casserole


Thanks so much!! :)



Lana's (crayonblue) responsible for the casseroles so I want to give her full credit.

Sweet Potato Casserole
3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pecans
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Mix and put in 2 quart baking dish.

Make crumb crust and spread on top:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

Put 1 package of mini marshmellows on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 degree for 35 minutes.

That is her original recipe. I keep the main part the same, but for the topping I double the ingredients (and leave out the pecans and marshmallows). Yum

Corn Casserole

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 T. sugar
2 eggs
2 sticks melted butter
1 15 oz. creamed corn
1 15 oz. canned corn with juice
1 cup sour cream

Mix and bake at 350 for 45 minutes in 9x13 pan.

Green Beans
This one was from a suggestion from juliasmom05 (Marci)
I eyeball amounts. Saute thinly sliced onions with chopped garlic until onions are tender in butter and olive oil mix. When tender add green beans (I usually use the french style "harcots verts" for T-day because they look so nice, but regular works too), turn on low/medium heat and cover. Stir occasionally until green beans are tender/crisp. Remove from heat and toss with grated Asiago cheese. Yummy. I'm betting if you like bacon that would work well with this recipe as well.

[specialp]

Our Thanksgiving Day is a very small group and are trying to keep it lighter (b/c we're TTC), so it is very simple:


Creamy Acorn Squash - instead of potatoes. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Acorn-Squash/Detail.aspx
Atlon Brown's Turkey - love it but does smoke the house that first hour. Not sure how to cut that out.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html
Dressing - DH makes it with stale cornbread. His own recipe.
Fresh Green Beans or Asparagus - sauteed with mushrooms & carrots.

We normally do an apple pie, but will be doing the Weight Watchers Double Apple Strudel which is wonderful. http://www.joycesfinecooking.com/WeightWatchers/applestrudel.htm

[bnme]

Thanks for all the recipes. I am going to try some of these out.

alexsmommy - what is the corn casserole like? Is it like a bread? The only veg my DHs family eats (practically) is cream corn - would this be something they may like? Trying to jazz up canned cream corn for the holiday table is not easy. Grean Giant used to have a frozen one that was nicer. But I can't find it anymore. I am all about easy (esp. on the holidays) but something bothers me about serving canned veggies then.

[alexsmommy]

Thanks for all the recipes. I am going to try some of these out.

alexsmommy - what is the corn casserole like? Is it like a bread? The only veg my DHs family eats (practically) is cream corn - would this be something they may like? Trying to jazz up canned cream corn for the holiday table is not easy. Grean Giant used to have a frozen one that was nicer. But I can't find it anymore. I am all about easy (esp. on the holidays) but something bothers me about serving canned veggies then.

Yep, it's like slightly firm jazzed up cream corn. You could probably even just use two cans of cream corn. My kids eat it and they are not big on veggies. Or google "corn pudding" for recipies without the Jiffy - that is really like jazzed up cream corn. One I've done before is...

5 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
2 (14.75 ounce) cans cream-style corn



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add melted butter, sugar, and milk. Whisk in cornstarch. Stir in corn and creamed corn. Blend well. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
Bake for 1 hour

HTH

[alexsmommy]

I realized I never gave the full menu...

Alton Brown's Brined Turkey
Gravy
Broccoli Casserole
Corn Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Dressing (not stuffing ya'll, my relatives are from the south)
Insanely Fattening Sour Cream, Butter, Cream Cheese, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rolls
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
Apple Pie

I sort of made up the cheesecake recipe last year and it was a hit - now I'm trying to remember what I did...

[elizabethkott]

Last year was the first we were "allowed" to host Thanksgiving (apparently, I was not an "adult" until I had a child...).
We did basically the whole menu from Flylady, with the major exception being my father's unbelievable mashed potatoes... here's the recipe:

Vin's Mashed Potatoes

3-7lbs idaho potatoes (yes, that's 3-7 POUNDS!)
3 sticks of butter
whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

wash and peel potatoes. Cut up into 1/8s. Boil potatoes until they lose their firmness. Drain.

Into the same pot the potatoes were boiled in, melt three sticks of butter. Add in about a cup of whole milk. Gradually add in the potatoes, mashing as you go. DO NOT use an electric mixer! Add more milk if needed to get the consistancy you like. Potatoes should be thick, not mushy, so use the milk sparingly. :)
Add salt and pepper to taste. :)

I think what makes them good is the, I don't know, THREE STICKS of BUTTER?! And the WHOLE MILK?!?! Sigh. But it's once a year, right? :)
My dad is very insistant on the whole "use the same pot" thing. I don't know why, but he thinks it makes them taste better. IDK, but they are really awesome, so I thought I'd share!

[boolady]

Last year was the first we were "allowed" to host Thanksgiving (apparently, I was not an "adult" until I had a child...).

Congratulations! I'm still not "allowed," and DD is two years old. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I'm dying to host. No such luck.

[Corie]

Alexsmommy!

Thanks so much for the recipes!! I really appreciate it! :)

They sound delicious. What time should I be at your house
for Thanksgiving? :)

[alexsmommy]

Corie,
Here's the deal. If you'll come a day early and move all the contents of my unfinished basement back into my basement so there is actually room to expand the dining room table - AND - bring all said contents back up after thanksgiving so we can finish moving the mechanicals to one side of the room and put up some lighting so I can throw a remenant and a tv down there and label that dungeon a playroom, then

3pm wine starts flowing. Dinner at 4.

:)
Alaina

[elizabethkott]

I'm very good at moving things...
Can I come too?
I'm already dreading the passive-agressivness that is my mother...
I'll even bring *more* wine!

[ged]

Well, this is a work in progress, but the current menu plan is:

turkey (still debating which method/recipe to use...i don't want to brine this year as its too much of a hassle for me)
maple glazed yams with pecan topping (epicurious)
mashed potatoes with sage and white cheddar cheese (epicurious)
brussel sprout hash with carmalized shallots (epicurious)
artichoke parmesan sourdough stuffing (sunset magazine)
dinner rolls (probably purchase Hawaiian sweet rolls)
spiced cranberry sauce with zinfandel (epicurious)
perhaps a cranberry relish of some sort
chocolate pecan pie (ghiradelli.com), but using a oatmeal crust instead
pumpkin gingernsap tiramisu (foodandwine.com)

looking at it now, most of these are new recipes for me, but I like to test out new recipes. also, most are from epicurious.com, though one of them i actually found in a book first (the 150 best american recipes by F. McCullough and M. Stevens), but it turns out they got it from epicurious.com. The only recipe above that I have actually made before is the maple glazed yams, though I think that was a couple of years ago, and I will probably repeat a cranberry relish recipe if I don't find another one first.

also for the first time, i am going to try a make ahead gravy. i just don't make really good gravy those last 30 minutes before getting everything together, and i really love gravy, so we'll see...

recipes that i have used in the past (and like) include:
california succotash, shaved fennel and apple salad, sweet maple carrots, and ginger pecan roulade with honey-glazed pecans (all from, you guessed it, epicurious.com).

Also, last year i made "slow cooker stuffing" (from allrecipes.com). I think we all liked it, and it frees up oven space!

[alexsmommy]

also for the first time, i am going to try a make ahead gravy. i just don't make really good gravy those last 30 minutes before getting everything together, and i really love gravy, so we'll see...

I always do make ahead gravy. I hate rushing to make the gravy and trying to tweak it knowing that I only have "x" amount of time before everything needs to start coming out of the oven. I do it the weekend before and freeze. I just roast turkey parts with onions and carrots. It works well for me.

[crayonblue]

Thanks Alexsmommy! Last time I made my sweet potato casserole (which is actually my Aunt Sandy's recipe), I didn't have pecans so I left them out. I actually liked it better without them!