Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thanksgiving

I always look forward to November! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, for many reasons that I won't go into right now... but one of them is (obviously) the food! I love how Jeremy and I have to sit down weeks before Thanksgiving and plan out the menu--we have a lot of fun in the kitchen together :o) I thought it would be fun to post our menu, along with the recipes (ones in italics are links) we use, for anyone in need of some inspiration--or if you just want to try something new!

We are not gourmet people, so don't be intimidated... I admit--I use stuffing from a box, so there! Here's what we have down for this year:

  • Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey: Jeremy told me I have to mention that, to date, there are over 2300 5-star reviews of this recipe on Food Network. We have yet to be disappointed...
  • Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: I make this recipe with a few variations. I don't use pecans, and I cook the potatoes at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. It makes them smushier :o) and easier to eat, I think!
  • Mashed Potatoes: We use large red potatoes, cook them as usual, but keep the skins on and add milk, butter, sour cream, Lawry's season salt, dry ranch dressing powder, or whatever else we feel like. See what you can come up with!
  • Stuffing: We've tried different recipes over the years and haven't found anything we really love. So we keep looking! This year, I'm making Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing--I'll probably add some celery, onion, etc. but keep it simple :o)
  • Fresh Cranberry Compote: I'm usually the only that eats this--no, that's not true. Bennett eats it, too... But I just have to have it on the table! It's so pretty, and I think it tastes good :o) I don't care what anyone else says!
  • Peas and Pearl Onions: This is a tradition from my mom's family. I hated them growing up, but now I will search far and wide to find pearl onions for this recipe. I basically just cook the peas and the onions according to the directions on their respective packages, put them together in a dish and put a little bit of butter on them. They're so pretty!
  • Corn: My mom used to make this Amish sweet corn, but it took a lot of time and I haven't replicated it yet... Our friends are bringing a corn pudding this year, so I'm excited to see what it's like! Otherwise, I might just leave it off the menu (way too much starch already :o)
  • Lion House Rolls: These are Jeremy's specialty! I just stay out of his way, and prepare to enjoy the fruits of his labors at the table.
  • Apple, Craisin & Feta Salad: I have to have something fresh on the table or else I go crazy. It's the mom in me :o) And this one is so pretty, it fits just right on the table...
***Now, I must explain the number of pies... In Jeremy's family, the Thanksgiving menu is not complete until there are at least 2 pies per person, I kid you not. We have scaled things back a bit in our family, but we still have way more than we need... Tradition!
  • Apple Pie in a Paper Bag: Always a huge hit... I can't remember a Thanksgiving without it. Just make sure you've got vanilla ice cream to go along!
  • FlyLady's Pumpkin Cheesecake: I've made this one every Thanksgiving for about 5 years now. It's really easy, cheesecake-speaking, and I love how different it is from the rest of the desserts. Best with fresh whipped cream on top!
  • Janelle's Toll House Pie: Our friend Janelle brought this one last year, and it will be joining us permanently from now on. Requires ice cream as well...
  • Sopapilla Cheesecake: This one is new to the menu this year. I might try it in a pie plate, as opposed to a 9x13 as the recipe calls for... We'll see how it goes!
  • Pumpkin pie: We haven't found anything that beats Costco's--for the time it takes to make :o) Anyone have any great ideas???
I hope this is helpful to you. Let me know if you'd like clarification on anything...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

4 comments:

Andrew said...

I also like to make a fresh cranberry compote for Thanksgiving, you have Bennett, Jade is the gourmet eater in our house, she appreciates good stuff. The canned stuff just doesn't do it for me. But it's comfort food for some...

Andrew's family also goes way overboard with pies. One year, we had 20 people and over 100 pies...yeah, seriously.

Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes. My guests might die of absolute happiness after eating that amazing cheesecake...

lisa h. said...

i might have to try that turkey from alton brown. we make cornbread stuffing every year...you can try my recipe if you want, it's my fav part of the meal: i make 2 batches of this cornbread: http://lisarecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/ooh-ooh-ooh-cornbread.html

and then the stuffing (we stuff our turkey, no one has ever gotten sick, you just cook it longer, it makes the stuffing so much better when its been baked in the turkey):
http://lisarecipes.blogspot.com/2007/05/corn-bread-stuffing.html

Bundle Of Happy said...

Thanks Karen, I have talked Terry into your turkey, I am doing many of your other recipes. I am very excited! I will let you know what the family thinks. We also do the greenbean casserole but we use cheese fried onions and cream of chicken soup in ours. We do a five cup salad every year...mandarin oranges, pineapple, fruit cocktail, sour cream, mini marshmallows, and then some coconut and walnuts will be added to this years making it a 7 cup salad.

Renée said...

I'm counting on a Christmas post here...soon! Merry, merry xoxo