Thanksgiving recipes?

[shabbychick]

I'm going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year (since the day before is one of my furlough days this year, I figured I might as well spend it in the kitchen). I'll be cooking a turkey, stuffing, some sort of sweet potato dish, and probably a salad. My sister will bring the mashed potatoes and dessert, and I imagine my other guest will bring some kind of green bean dish. I'm looking for some other dishes I can make ahead of time and serve at room temperature. I know there's a roasted root vegetables recipe you can make ahead, but I'm wondering if you know of anything else that would be good. I have a small oven that can really only handle one dish at a time, and the turkey will be in it during the hours before dinner. If I can get a batch of rolls in there to bake before the turkey gets cold, I'll consider myself lucky. I'd like to serve some more unusual dishes, but I don't have much inspiration. What do the rest of you do? I can't be the only cook with an oven the size of a postage stamp.

[allen820]

Shabby, I don't know what kind of grill person you are, but I always cook our turkey on the outdoor gas grill. Just rub the whole bird in olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, add some rosemary if you feel adventuresome, and stick it in a covered grill (Webber, or other good quality grill) for a couple hours. I use an alumimum pan and always get one of the turkeys with the little pop up thing that tells you when it's done. Just cook it on medium "indirect heat," and you will like the results. The turkey is moist and tastey, and you have freed your oven for whatever else you want.

At least that's what I do.

Allen

[shabbychick]

Thanks, Allen. I've heard that both grilled and smoked turkeys are delicious. I gave away my grill this summer, though, so I think I'm skunked on that. I might replace it next year, though, so then I can give this a try. Have you ever done the side dishes on the grill?

[vintage girl]

Here are some recipes I found online that you can do on the stove top, and they sound delicious.

Pumpkin Soup
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pumpkin-soup-with-chili-cran-apple-relish-recipe/index.html

Cornbread Salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cornbread-panzanella-salad-recipe/index.html

Bacon and Brussel Sprout Hash
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/bacon-and-brussels-sprout-hash-recipe/index.html

Fried Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fried-brussels-sprouts-with-walnuts-and-capers-recipe/index.html

Spinach, Orange and Almond Salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spinach-orange-and-almond-salad-recipe/index.html

We are going to fry our turkey this year and I will have the traditional sides, plus might try some of the ones I have listed here. I normally buy the dinner from Polly's or Mimi's. I really do not cook a good turkey at all. But hubs got a fryer and wants to try it out. I have heard that the fried turkeys are delicious, so we shall see. Our expectations are not too high, as we normally have some sort of mishap for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, or both. But our food mishaps are always hilarious, so we have a good time no matter what. Last year I tried a new recipe for Christmas and it turned out horrible. My sister is a vegitarian, so I made veggie enchiladas. I make amazing cheese enchiladas, so not sure why I just did not stick with my normal recipe:confused: I tried a recipe for veggie enchiladas with whole wheat tortillas, and this disgusting organic cheese. ICK ICK ICK. They were horrible and weighed about 10 pounds each. Of course the cook may have had something to do with it, rather than the receipe;) It was hysterical, even the dogs would not eat them. Than there was the year hubs was carving the turkey, he slipped and it flew across the room, bounced off the wall and landed on the floor. Before we could get to it, the dogs got it. Luckily it was just us and no in-laws. We got in our car and went out for Chinese:D One year I caught the oven on fire when I baked a pie in a paper bag. I followed the recipe perfectly, but something went very very wrong. It is never boring at our house:p

[allen820]

Shabby, aside from grilled veggies, I just cook the sides in the kitchen. I had a grill once with a side burner, but that seemed like a lot of trouble, so I never used it.

And, Beverely, not saying you are accident-prone! Just be careful with the fryer. Those things can catch on fire, or involve serious burns from the hot grease. I hear a deep fried turkey is great -- just please be careful!

Allen

[mac78]

I made a really good pumpkin dessert yesterday for a party. It was easy and can be made ahead of time, it is actually better on day 2. ;) If you want it let me know.

[vintage girl]

I am going to let hubs fry the Turkey. He is not accident-prone like me:eek: Of course he has to carve it when it is done, so we shall see;):p:D

[ChapterTwo]

Are you making homemade (whole berry) cranberry sauce? It's so easy and you can make it a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge. Recipe's on the bag of cranberries.

My family likes all the "standards" (mashed potatoes, string beans, carrots) and I make rutabagas too - my mother used to mash them but I serve them in chunks. I cook them ahead (a little salt/pepper, and a bit of butter) and then heat in the microwave when it's time to serve.

Same thing with the dinner rolls - I make them ahead of time and just heat them for seconds in the micro, until they're nice and hot. They don't lose their crispness so long as you don't overdo it.

[shabbychick]

Hey you guys, thanks for all the recipes and ideas. Marie, I would like to see the pumpkin dessert recipe. There was a recipe for a cranberry apple salad (a jello-type salad) in Country Living that I think I might use, too. The November Martha Stewart has arrived, so I suppose there will be some recipes in there I'll want to try. I'd like to find a stuffing recipe that's really different this year from the regular old sage and onion I usually make. I'm not fond of sausage or fruit in my stuffing, though, and so many recipes call for one or another of those (or both!).

I received my December C&B today, but I still have never received my November issue. I guess I'll have to try to remember to call tomorrow and see what happened to it.

[mac78]

I made this and it was really good.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pumpkin-dessert/detail.aspx

EASY PUMPKIN DESSERT

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Set aside 1 cup of cake mix. Combine remaining cake mix with melted butter and 1 egg and mix until well blended; spread mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, 3 eggs and pumpkin pie spice; mix well and pour this mixture over cake mix mixture in baking dish.

In a small bowl with a pastry blender, or in a food processor, combine chilled butter and white sugar with reserved cake mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over all.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

[Gigi]

Oh my--- I'm drooling over all these recipes!

[shabbychick]

I bought my turkey today. It's just under 14 pounds and already brined. I bought it at Trader Joe's. I also bought their cornbread mix, some boxed condensed portabella mushroom soup, and some of their fried onions to make green bean casserole. Just before Thanksgiving, I'm going to go back and buy their chopped up ffresh vegetable and herb blend to make my stuffing. I figure an onion is an onion, and it doesn't make any difference whether I chop them or they chop them. That should make dinner prep a little easier. I bought some frozen, cubed sweet potatoes and frozen cubed butternut squash from them, too, and I'm trying to think of something semi-sweet/semi-savory I can make with them. I got a lot of groceries for not all that much money, and I should get a lot of leftovers out of that turkey. My neighbor told me I could use her oven if I wanted to, so I think this may be the year where the side dishes make it to the table before the turkey gets cold. Actually, I might go back and get some of TJ's turkey gravy, too. It's probably better than anything I could make.

[mac78]

Shabby, I am coming to your house for Thanksgiving dinner....Sounds wonderful.;)

[ChapterTwo]

Shabby - Don't you just love Trader Joe's? We are lucky enough to have two of them close by - my friend in PA doesn't even have one. So whenever they come here for a visit, I take them there, and I also fulfill a small "shopping order" for her when I go to their house. If you like Edamame (in the pods), they have frozen ones with garlic and spices for $1.69!

[mac78]

We don't have Trader Joe's here either. I never heard of them till a few months ago. I think the nearest one to me is over 100 miles away near Detroit.

[ChapterTwo]

From what I've read, they do a lot of research before they place one of their stores. They have a sister store, "Aldi's" - we just got one near here, but my friend in PA (who doesn't have a Trader's Joe's) already has one of those! It's a German based company, and there are a lot of people of German ancestry in my friend's area).

Oh, Marie, I hope you rec'd. my PM - please send me your address so I'll have it for the swap. I bought some things this weekend...;) Tnx!

[shabbychick]

I do love Trader Joe's. They have the most interesting food and their prices really can't be beat. I buy most of my cheese there, lots of my wine, and as many of my greens as possible. They have a pretty good selection of meats and breads, too. The only thing they really miss the boat on is coffee. I've never bought good coffee there.

I think I've finally finalized my menu for Thanksgiving. Here it is:

roast turkey
sage stuffing
cornbread
green bean casserole
sweet potato/butternut squash bake
roasted vegetables (my neighbor is bringing this)
potatoes and gravy (my sister is bringing this)
cherry-cranberry jello salad
mixed greens with pear-gorgonzola vinaigrette (from TJ's, of course)
pumpkin pie (supplied by my realtor from a local bakery)
and whatever my sister brings as her dessert contribution

We'll have wine, of course, and hors d'oeuvres. I found a recipe for olive and dried cherry tapenade served over bruschetta with olives and prosciutto. I'll probably make a sweet pumpkin dip with pears and apples. I'll put out some candy, nuts, and other stuff like that for people to munch on while I put the finishing touches on dinner. I've discovered, though, that if I put out too much, people aren't hungry for dinner.

I'm looking for a good (and inexpensive) champagne punch recipe as well as something non-alcoholic that the boys will like.

[mac78]

Sound Good!
We do have ALDI's here. I do go there occassionally. I have to drive 20 miles to get there. I usually stock up on stuff when I go.

[ChapterTwo]

I just started buying Trader Joe's "JOE" coffee and I really like it (especially at $4.99 a can!) ;)

The menu sounds great, Shabby! I think I might have a champagne punch in my recipe book, from days gone by...I'll check tomorrow for you.

[shabbychick]

Thanks, Chapter Two!

[vintage girl]

Menu sounds wonderful:) We decided to go with an electric fryer instead of the propane one. Uses a lot less oil and much safer. I will make the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy and before dinner snacks (olives, nuts, crackers and cheese). My mom will bring a salad and dessert, aunt will bring bread and dessert, and my friend will bring jello salad.

Hopefully turkey will turn out good, but if not, we will laugh and have a good time anyway. As my dad always use to say when he came for dinner at my house "It's not your last meal, so move one". :eek::D

[shabbychick]

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was a success. Mine was. For the first time, everything got to the table at the same time and at the correct temperature. The make-ahead side dishes turned out to be a great idea, and all I needed to put into the oven were the green beans, the stuffing, and the rolls, and they all finished cooking while the turkey rested. I found a great recipe for sweet potato soup with maple and bacon and another great one for olive-dried cherry tapenade that was a hit with the relatives. It was a productive weekend, if exhausting. I spent two days cooking and three days grading papers and planning lessons, and had to go back to work to get some rest!

[vintage girl]

So happy your day turned out wonderful! The deep fried turkey we made was incredible. Will only have turkey this way in the future. Extremely moist and tender and the flavor was incredible. We did have a funny moment when the leg clamp would not come out of the turkey. Had to use a wire cutter and pliers:eek::D And I bought a 15lb turkey, but the fryer is only supposed to go up to 13lbs max. We managed by literally stuffing that puppy in the fry basket, but next year will probably only buy a 12lb turkey. I made all my sides in the am and heated them up when everyone got there at 1pm. I made mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, hawaiian bread, green salad, cranberry sauce and salmon for my sister (she does not eat meat). Everything turned out fantastic and the food was incredible. We had dutch apple, pumpkin and chocolate cream pies. Courtesy of Pollies Pies;) The day was filled with good food and good friends:)