View Full Version : Easy Thanksgiving recipes
jgenie
11-10-2009, 02:07 PM
DH has always cooked Thanksgiving dinner for us. This year he's only going to be off on Thursday so I feel bad having him cook all day on Thursday. I'm thinking of doing the cooking this year, but I am NOT a natural cook. Please share any simple recipes you have. I'm thinking of just doing turkey, ham, sweet potatoes and a green veggie maybe asparagus but I'm open to other inspiration. TIA :)
Jen841
11-11-2009, 09:46 AM
Nothing is difficult, and a lot you can make in advance.
Here is our menu
Turkey http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-with-herbes-de-provence-and-citrus-recipe2/index.html
Potatoes - MIL will make
Stuffing - will make a random recipe
Cranberry Sauce - MIL will make - saw an easy recipe in Real Simple
Green Bean Casserole - the one on the Campbell's can
Cranberry Sauce (can)
Relish Tray (olives, pickles, etc.)
Applesauce
Applesauce Jello - recipe from my Grandma
Vegetable - something steamed or a salad
Butter
Rolls
Sweet Potatoes http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whipped-Sweet-Potatoes-with-Brown-Sugar-Pecan-Topping-4668
Gravy
Apple Cranberry Pie - Previously posted here
Pumpkin Pie - not sure if I will make, buy or outsource to family
Ice Cream
Whipped Cream
ThreeofUs
11-11-2009, 10:30 AM
I always go to the NYTimes page on this:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/thanksgiving_day/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=Thanksgiving%20recipes&st=cse
I don't know if you have to be a member (it's free) to get to the page, but they have the simplest, best recipes I've ever found - plus a GREAT tutorial on carving the turkey.
Tondi G
11-14-2009, 02:47 PM
Our menu is
Roasted Turkey we stuff the bird (use a stuffing bag (or cheese cloth) so you can easily remove it. My mom has always used the Mrs Cubbison's Dressing in the box adding broth, butter, carrots and celery (chopped fine in the food processor)
Mashed potatoes (my mom often puts them in the crock pot to stay warm and get them off the stove earlier)
gravy was made with turkey drippings while the turkey rested. My mom uses a gravy mix called Bisto from the UK!
Sweet potatoes (my mom makes them mashed with the marshmallows on top, I make them candied for my DH... involves pre cooking in the microwave, then slicing and layering in a pyrex with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and a little apple cider or juice.... then pop in the oven to get it all sweet and bubbling (joy of cooking recipie).
green beans ... not casserole... just steamed or boiled with butter and a little salt.
corn (we buy the frozen organic corn from trader joes) again heat and add a little butter and salt
fresh cranberry sauce
we buy a Honeybaked Ham
we've made Grands Biscuits a couple of years
we typically have pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. My sisters friend used to make a chocolate chunk bread pudding when she came for holiday meals that was so yummy.
Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a huge intricate meal!!! Hope yours turns out fabulous!
SnuggleBuggles
11-21-2009, 06:48 PM
I am going to add some sort of interesting side still but our menu is:
turkey, brined with a kit from Whole Foods
mashed potatoes made from Yukon Gold potatoes (creamier than other varieties, imo)
stuffing (traditional bread, celery, onion, butter, chicken stock and poultry seasoning)
cranberry relish http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521668
sweet potatoes, usually mashed with applesauce and cinnamon
rolls (ILs bring them)
baked squash
pies and homemade whipped cream
gravy (I have a back up jar of Whole Foods gravy just in case we have a gravy snafu!)
asparagus
homemade applesauce
homemade butter (those last 2 are ds1's job)
corn pudding- I got the recipe here last year and it is to die for!!! Literally and figuratively if you look at the ingredient list. :)
4c corn, thawed
4 eggs
1c whipping cream
1/2c whole milk
6T sugar
1/4c butter, softened
2T flour
1t salt
2t baking powder
mix together, bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until center is firm (closer to an hour at times, iirc)
Beth
jgenie
11-22-2009, 02:38 PM
Thanks for all the recipes - I totally chickened out. I was in Whole Foods a week ago and picked up one of their Thanksgiving menu booklets to look at while waiting in line. I brought it home and showed it to DH and we decided to order from Whole Foods. We're buying a raw, brined turkey for DH to cook. DH will be baking a pumpkin pie, cooking a small ham and making the sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows other than that everything else will be prepared by WF. We figure we'll keep it low key this year. :)
vludmilla
11-22-2009, 03:43 PM
Thanks for all the recipes - I totally chickened out. I was in Whole Foods a week ago and picked up one of their Thanksgiving menu booklets to look at while waiting in line. I brought it home and showed it to DH and we decided to order from Whole Foods. We're buying a raw, brined turkey for DH to cook. DH will be baking a pumpkin pie, cooking a small ham and making the sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows other than that everything else will be prepared by WF. We figure we'll keep it low key this year. :)
Seems like you/DH will be cooking the bulk of the dinner, not WF!
SnuggleBuggles
11-22-2009, 04:05 PM
Yeah, I thought you meant that you bought the dinner for X meals. I admit, I have been tempted by those before!! I picked up the WF booklet last week and thought hard about it, in fact!
Beth
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