[Kacie]

Okay, so this is only the second year where I have actually been in charge of cooking for Thanksgiving. Since my family lives 500 miles away, we will be staying home for Thanksgiving and celebrating with several of our friends who are in grad school with me and also can't make it to their hometowns for the holiday. Last year my friend made the turkey for all of us and it was wonderful - so she will do that again. That leaves me in charge of a bunch of sides and dessert. I know the traditionals such as green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, etc. but I would love to hear your family's favorite recipe for Thanksgiving dinner! I'm hoping to throw in a few different things this year. Thanks for sharing!

Forgot to say that there will probably be about 8 of us at the dinner.

[KellyChron]

GG's Potatoes

1 onion (diced)
1 stick Butter
1 16 oz container Sour Cream
1 package homestyle hash browns
1 lb Velveeta cubed

Saute onion and butter in a skillet.
add to other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Put in a well greased 13x9x2 casserole dish and bake @ 350 for 40 minutes.

[anna]

Instead of the traditional sweet potatoes, DH makes a really fabulous Sweet Potato soup that he serves as a first course. I'll see if I can find the recipe.

Okay, here it is:

2 medium sized onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 TBSP unsalted butter
2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 4), peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 quart chicken broth
2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely chopped
3 poblano chilies, roasted, peeled (after roasting, cover with plastic wrap and let them sit for a few minutes - they'll be easier to peel), chopped
1/2 cup corn oil
4 corn tortillas, cut into 1 x 1/4 inch strips
juice of 1 or 2 limes (to taste)
salt and pepper
3 TBSP finely chopped cilantro
2 TBSP olive oil
3/4 cups sour cream

Soup:
Cook the onions and galic in butter until the onions are translucent
add the sweet potatoes and broth, bring to a simmer.
cover the pot and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft and easy to mush, about 20 minutes
add the jalapeno and poblano chilies, cover, simmer 5 more minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender.
Stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper

Corn chips:
Heat the corn oil on high heat
turn heat down to medium low, fry tortilla strips for about 1 minute.
drain on paper towels

Garnish:
Mix olive oil and cilantro

Dish soup into bowls, drizzle sour cream and olive oil/cilantro on top, and put some homemade corn chips on top.

Typing this has made me hungry for Thanksgiving...wonder if I could convince him to make it before then.

[Sara Arell]

This is not just for Thanksgiving but we love it all winter long: and it is so simple to make.

PUMPKIN SOUP
PLACE:
3 cups canned pumpkin or 2 lbs. fresh cooked pumpkin
IN:
3 cups scalded milk
ADD:
2 T butter
1-2 T brown sugar
Little salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
A very, very small pinch of saffron

Heat just to boiling - do not let boil though.
Serve at once

Makes about 4 cups!

[bikeneday]

We all love this corn recipe from Paula Deen (ok, it is definitely NOT healthy, but face it, the holidays are a time to indulge):

Mama's Fried Cream Corn
serves 4

12 ear fresh corn, shucked & ready to go
4 slices thick slab bacon
1/2 stick butter
Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the corn from the cob & mash the kernels a little. Slice the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Cook bacon til brown in a large skillet. Remove bacon & add butter to bacon grease. Over medium high heat, pour in the corn. Fry in skillet 1-2 min. Lower heat & cook for 5 min, then simmer til corn is done, 10-15 min. Add black pepper to taste. If corn seems dry, add a bit of milk or water. Can be doubled.

We have used frozen corn, thaw the bag before adding to skillet.

[Sara Arell]

Oh, gosh, Sue - that is so much like my Mom's recipe and I make that too - it is soooo good -

[Smiles]

If you live near a Trader Joe's, and if they are carrying it this year, their frozen pumpkin mousse cake is fabulous. Even people who don't like pumpkin pie love it. It's pre cut in pieces (separated by wax-type paper), serves 14, I think, and you take out only the pieces you plan to serve and place on individual plates just before you serve dinner. It's not a rich, "heavy" dessert, either.
It's better than anything I could make, and really cuts down on preparation. Plus, everyone in our family loves it.

Some years they also carry a bite sized pecan pie tart - just enough to satisfy, when a whole piece of pecan pie is way too much.

[sunnie2004]

I use to make bake beans homemade every thanksgiving and christmas and easter I use a bean crock and cook them for hours in the oven and just stir and add some water:

2 large jars of beans (will come back tommorrow with the name I forget)
1 fresh med container or squeeze jar of Heinz ketchup
1-1/2 pounds of bacon cut up very small and fried till almost crispy
1 or 2 small onions cut up small and fried when the bacon is almost done so it don't get black in the same pan
1 pound bag of dark brown sugar (I like the brand new bags every time so it is fresh and easy to judge)
salt and pepper

toss anything amount of beans from jar that will fit in a ceramic or pottery container that can be baked in, (or crock) toss in lots and lots of ketchup
use all the bacon you don't eat when finished cooking (even the grease) with the onions put that on top with heapings of dark brown sugar stir and toss in oven as it cooks down add the remainers of any ingredients including the grease and most of the ketchup till it is nice and dark so to speak and add water some more broqwn sugar to sweeten it up. and stir till so yummy you have to eat as it is almost done!!

Enjoy!!!

can post pictures of mine if you want!!

Ps I have to get back to school!! opps shhhhhhhh

[BarbaraC1977]

My Cornbread - Sausage - Pecan Stuffing. Recipe is on two cards, at http://scrapgirls.co...mages&img=87853 and http://scrapgirls.co...ages&img=87852.

Much of it can be done ahead--enjoy!

p.s. There's a link on my profile page to the high-resolution images, if you have any desire to print a copy for yourself.

[Sara Arell]

That sounds delicious, Barbara - I make cornbread dressing but have never put sausage or pecans in it - might just try that this year.

[Yvonne53]

I cook REALLY BIG amounts of food at Thanksgiving, but I will try to cut this down; it is so delicious that we always have to have extra to give away after dinner and to last a few days!

GRANDMA CAMPBELL'S APPLE/RAISIN STUFFING

One large loaf of bread
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg or egg beaters
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 stick of margarine
1-2 sweet apples, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup of raisins in one cup of hot water
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp celery salt
pepper
Chicken broth

~One large loaf of bread - open the bag and let it dry out anywhere from a few hours to overnight
~Put about 1/2 to 3/4 raisins into a cup of very hot water to plump...the amount you use depends on how much you like raisins and their sweet taste.

~Saute in a big frying pan - one medium onion, chopped
3 pieces of celery, chopped
1 stick of butter or margarine
Let the vegetables get translucent and then cool.

~In a big bowl or soup pot - tear the bread into pieces.
~In a small bowl beat one egg and add: 1/2 tsp celery salt, dash of pepper, 1/4 tsp sage

~Pour the celery, onion and butter mixture over the bread and stir to thoroughly mix together. Also pour the egg mixture over the bread.

~Chop 1-2 peeled apples into small pieces (again add or substract depending on how much you like apples; and I also use red delicious apples)

~Add the raisins (use a slotted spoon to take out of the water, but do not throw away the raisin water)and apples. Mix thoroughly and the next step depends on whether you put your dressing in the turkey or not...

If you put the dressing in the turkey, then add enough of the raisin water to just make sure the bread mixture is moist throughout. If you are not putting it in the bird, then you want to use some chicken broth and the raisin water together (as the chicken broth gives the same effect as the juices from the turkey would) to make the bread moist. I would use a little of each and unfortunately I cannot tell you how much because I do this by touch. When I make my stuffing, I use 5 loaves of bread, 4 eggs, 2-1/2 sticks of butter and almost a can of broth! I put part of it in the turkey and the other part in a greased casserole or tin (I also roast a 20-24 pound turkey and 2 whole turkey breasts) and make a celery/sage stuffing. But with all this delicious stuffing, my daughter needs me to make a box of Stove Top too!
I bake this for one hour at 350 degrees if in an individual tin. If in the bird, remove the stuffing after the turkey is removed from the oven and allowed to sit for 20 minutes and place in an individual dish.

If anyone tries this and needs any help, PM me...I will be making my turkey and stuffing on Wednesday night and will check my email in case you need any help! ENJOY!!!

[CRS]

My stepmother made this broccoli casserole dish last year and it became a fast family favorite with us and with my inlaws! You can find it here. If you want a high resolution copy, you can pm me with your email addy.

Also, take a look through the Recipe Swap Gallery. There are amazing recipes in there!

[Sara Arell]

Yvonne53, on 06 November 2009 - 08:25 PM, said:

I cook REALLY BIG amounts of food at Thanksgiving, but I will try to cut this down; it is so delicious that we always have to have extra to give away after dinner and to last a few days!

GRANDMA CAMPBELL'S APPLE/RAISIN STUFFING

One large loaf of bread
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg or egg beaters
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 stick of margarine
1-2 sweet apples, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup of raisins in one cup of hot water
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp celery salt
pepper
Chicken broth

~One large loaf of bread - open the bag and let it dry out anywhere from a few hours to overnight
~Put about 1/2 to 3/4 raisins into a cup of very hot water to plump...the amount you use depends on how much you like raisins and their sweet taste.

~Saute in a big frying pan - one medium onion, chopped
3 pieces of celery, chopped
1 stick of butter or margarine
Let the vegetables get translucent and then cool.

~In a big bowl or soup pot - tear the bread into pieces.
~In a small bowl beat one egg and add: 1/2 tsp celery salt, dash of pepper, 1/4 tsp sage

~Pour the celery, onion and butter mixture over the bread and stir to thoroughly mix together. Also pour the egg mixture over the bread.

~Chop 1-2 peeled apples into small pieces (again add or substract depending on how much you like apples; and I also use red delicious apples)

~Add the raisins (use a slotted spoon to take out of the water, but do not throw away the raisin water)and apples. Mix thoroughly and the next step depends on whether you put your dressing in the turkey or not...

If you put the dressing in the turkey, then add enough of the raisin water to just make sure the bread mixture is moist throughout. If you are not putting it in the bird, then you want to use some chicken broth and the raisin water together (as the chicken broth gives the same effect as the juices from the turkey would) to make the bread moist. I would use a little of each and unfortunately I cannot tell you how much because I do this by touch. When I make my stuffing, I use 5 loaves of bread, 4 eggs, 2-1/2 sticks of butter and almost a can of broth! I put part of it in the turkey and the other part in a greased casserole or tin (I also roast a 20-24 pound turkey and 2 whole turkey breasts) and make a celery/sage stuffing. But with all this delicious stuffing, my daughter needs me to make a box of Stove Top too!
I bake this for one hour at 350 degrees if in an individual tin. If in the bird, remove the stuffing after the turkey is removed from the oven and allowed to sit for 20 minutes and place in an individual dish.

If anyone tries this and needs any help, PM me...I will be making my turkey and stuffing on Wednesday night and will check my email in case you need any help! ENJOY!!!

SOUNDS YUMMY, YVONNE! Am I invited to your house for Thanksgiving? I will help cook!

[tinkerbell11]

I thought this was a great thread so I wanted to bump it to the top in case there are any other yummies peopple want to add!