Thanksgiving Recipes

[PugslyCat]

For decades, Thanksgiving dinner in my family has meant dried out turkey served with mashed potatoes from a box, canned cranberry jelly, canned yams baked with marshmallows on top, green bean casserole from the recipe on the soup can and a Mrs. Smith's pumpkin pie for dessert. For reasons which escape my father and sister, I've been determined to improve upon that. My family doesn't do well with rapid change, and I'm not up to revamping the entire meal at once. I've basically been working on improving one aspect of the family feast at a time.

My efforts to make my own pumpkin pie had mixed results. I used fresh pumpkin, so the flavor was great, but the color was wrong. Apparently the commercially produced pumpkin puree has some dyes in it to make it less yellow and more brown. Dad still perfers Mrs. Smith's pies to my past efforts, but I think that's mostly due to the color. This year I'm determined to try again with canned pumpkin and do the rest from scratch.

A few years ago I started brining the turkey with an Alton Brown recipe. It does well enough that I've earned the crown of designated turkey cooker for all events. This year I'm also going to try getting some compound butter under the skin.

Real mashed potatoes were a cople of my first efforts at real cooking. They aren't that hard and you can really tell the difference between real and the packaged stuff. My most recent trick has been to make them with half russet potatoes and half yams. As my brother puts it, it really cuts down the yamminess to acceptable levels.

Packaged brown and serve rolls have pretty much been replaced by fresh bread. Using the bread machine with it's time delay I can throw everything in the machine before the rest of the cooking starts and have the bread done right at dinner time. No fuss, no muss, and no burned rolls because I wasn't watching them while making gravy and getting everything else onto the table.

I'm not sure wha to try and improve this year. Here are some of my thoughts:

I'm partial to dressing cooked outside the bird rather than stuffing the cavity. Maybe I should work on that this year? There seems to be a wealth of stuffing/dressing recipes when I check online.

Maybe change up the cranberry sauce? My family is accustomed to the jellied stuff so I would have to approximate that. They don't even like the canned cranberry sauce with whole berries.

Does anybody have a green bean casserole recipe that is made from scratch instead of canned components?

Can anybody suggest some other appropriate side dishes?

 

[Jim]

Wow you have come a long way!
My family enjoys creamed onions as a side, its a rich dish so its only a couple times a year at most. You may be able to make the cranberry "jelly" from scratch if you puree them and put it through a sieve while hot, easy enough to do ahead of time.
You may want to try cooking your turkey breast side down if you are not going to carve it at the table. It can be a game changer combined with the brining.

Good luck!

 

[PugslyCat]

The way I learned to cook a turkey was to always cook it breast down so that any drippings went into it rather than having it dry out. I also cook the turkey in a bag, which really seems to prevent drying out.

Carving the turkey at the table was never a consideration in my family as we typically never had room to do so. Back when there were more of us I figured I didn't need the pressure of the whole family watching me try to carve, so I've always just provided a platter with two neat piles of sliced turkey.

I think I found a Cranberry Jelly in a Mold recipe that should work. It's cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar and gelatin. I'll probably try and substitute Splenda for some of the sugar as my sister is diabetic. I'm not sure how that will work, so I'll probably try the substitution on a half batch that I'll cook this week.

 

[langod]

You made a good start with AB's turkey.
I don't carve in friont of the crowd anymore either. In fact, with the usual dozen or so people at our T-Day, I've started doing the meal buffet style -- that way there's enough room on the table for everyone's plates/glasses/etc, guests don't have to pass around loaded plates. and everyone is free to go get 2nds (or thirds) without asking for platters and serving dishes to be passed from all corners of the table.

The America's Test kitchen version of Green Bean Casserole is amazing.
I started making it a few years ago for our T-day gatherings and if I don't make a double size batch now, I'd be strung up.
(Yes, it's bad for you. But really, so is Thanksgiving dinner in general. And it's SO worth it compared to the cloying, can-of-soup kind.)
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-11-14-tgiving-greenbeans_x.htm

 

[Jim]

The way I learned to cook a turkey was to always cook it breast down so that any drippings went into it rather than having it dry out. I also cook the turkey in a bag, which really seems to prevent drying out.

Carving the turkey at the table was never a consideration in my family as we typically never had room to do so. Back when there were more of us I figured I didn't need the pressure of the whole family watching me try to carve, so I've always just provided a platter with two neat piles of sliced turkey.

I think I found a Cranberry Jelly in a Mold recipe that should work. It's cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar and gelatin. I'll probably try and substitute Splenda for some of the sugar as my sister is diabetic. I'm not sure how that will work, so I'll probably try the substitution on a half batch that I'll cook this week.

There is a recipe on the bags of whole cranberries that my bride uses and she does it 100% with splenda.

 

[guerreit2]

I've been making this sweet potato pie for years and people are always asking for the recipe and there never seems to be any leftover..
Every once in awhile I'll take some marshmellows and place on top and broil/melt down at the end as well...

http://www.marthastewart.com/316561/sweet-potato-pie

 

[Capt]

It seems like I am on shift every Thanksgiving, and this is a favorite at the firehouse. You can thank me later......

White Castle stuffing:

10 White Castle hamburgers,
Pickle removed
1 1/2 c Celery, diced
1 1/4 ts Ground thyme
1 1/2 ts Ground sage
3/4 ts Coarse ground black pepper
1/4 c Chicken broth

In a large mixing bowl, tear the White Castle
hamburgers into pieces and add diced celery and
seasonings. Toss and add chicken broth. Toss well.
Makes about 9 cups (enough for 10-12 lb bird).
NOTE: Allow 1 White Castle hamburger for each pound of
turkey, which will be the equivilent of 3/4 cup
stuffing per pound.

Some stuff the turkey, I do not. I put in an oven proof dish and bake at 350.

 

[gearchow]

I remember when my dad stood at the head of the table carving the turkey. Then I remember when he stopped doing that, he was much happier. I went straight for the happiness.

As far as stuffing goes, I'm now a fan of outside the cavity cooking. With a proper amount of wonderful turkey gravy, there isn't much reason (for me!) to going that extra step. One year, my daughter brought over a dressing she made - nuts and fruit in it. It was good, but sage or oyster dressing makes me happy.


-jim

 

[PugslyCat]

There is a recipe on the bags of whole cranberries that my bride uses and she does it 100% with splenda.

I was concerned that the cranberries wouldn't macerate correctly without at least some sugar instead of straight Splenda. We've run into that with some artificial sweeteners on berries in the summer. Maybe Splenda is different or else the cranberries are?

 

[guerreit2]

Another tip for turkeys.
I've been turned on to this for the past ten years after a family friend said she does this. I always brine the turkey. It makes it so juicy and succulent, but still nice and crispy on the outside. I'll never roast a whole turkey without brining it now.

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup salt (3/4 cup Kosher or coarse salt)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 quarts cold water

Preparation:

In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and herbs over a medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the salt is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add cold water.Place turkey in a large plastic container. Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate. Brine for 1 hour per pound.
Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey



​

 

[PugslyCat]

The America's Test kitchen version of Green Bean Casserole is amazing.

I think this is going to be a definite upgrade to our holiday feast!

I've been making this sweet potato pie for years and people are always asking for the recipe and there never seems to be any leftover..

Sounds good. I can definitely do a pie crust better than Danny Glover did while recording that. I think we're going to stick with the pumpkin, though. I think the canned pumpkin will give me the correct color, which is what was off on my prior attempt. I gotta remember this one for other family meals, though.

It seems like I am on shift every Thanksgiving, and this is a favorite at the firehouse. You can thank me later......

White Castle stuffing:

Tempting, but Iowa seems to be a White Castle free zone. The closest we have are the frozen ones, which just isn't the same thing.

Some stuff the turkey, I do not. I put in an oven proof dish and bake at 350.

As far as stuffing goes, I'm now a fan of outside the cavity cooking. With a proper amount of wonderful turkey gravy, there isn't much reason (for me!) to going that extra step. One year, my daughter brought over a dressing she made - nuts and fruit in it. It was good, but sage or oyster dressing makes me happy.

I'm not a fan of stuffing the bird either. The turkey recipe that I follow has me put other things in the cavity to flavor the bird, so no room for stuffing. Back in the day my mother would bake dressing in a casserole dish, but that changed to boxed stuffing when she became disabled and my father and I took over most of the cooking.

I'm thinking that a good stuffing recipe might make a considerable improvement in our holiday feast, so I'm seeing what I can find along those lines that isn't an oyster stuffing. Oysters aren't a big thing here in the midwest.

 

[Elderbury]

A few years ago I started doing a wild rice "stuffing", which I cooked outside the bird. It's pretty easy, and I find it very tasty:

Ingredients
· 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
· 1 chopped yellow onion
· 4 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
· 2 boxes of the wild rice/long grain rice blend
· 1 6-ounce package dried apricots, coarsely chopped
· 1 cup dried tart cherries
· 1 cup dried cranberries
· 1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

Preparation
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Bring 4 1/2 cups broth to boil in large saucepan. Add wild rice blend; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed.
3. Stir dried apricots, dried cherries, cranberries and seasoning packets into rice mixture; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Stir pearl onions and remaining 4 tablespoons butter into rice. Mix in pecans. Season generously with salt and pepper as needed.

To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

 

[Hinano_Paul]

I have never really been a fan of a "stuffed" bird, so for the last five'ish years I have beel filling the cavity with the normal bundle of sage, rosemary and thyme but I wanted to "up" the flavor of the turkey so I have been stuffing with oranges, lemons, and limes cut in half. It has been a huge success seems to have aided in keeping the meat moist and adding a subtle citrus essence to the meat as well.

Last year I also kicked it up a notch and added a smoked hamhock to the mix, did add a bit of smokiness to the meat but not quite the desired effect. Back to the drawing board this year!

Another favorite around here is roasted acorn squash mashed with a little maple syrup, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Kind of like warm pumpkin pie filling but not as sweet.

 

[PugslyCat]

I think I found a Cranberry Jelly in a Mold recipe that should work. It's cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar and gelatin. I'll probably try and substitute Splenda for some of the sugar as my sister is diabetic.

OK, I've got what I need for the cranberry jelly. I'm considering using a saved can as the mold just to minimize the shock.

The green beans and mushrooms for the casserole have a pretty short shelf life, so I won't get those until next Wednesday.

Tonight's project is making the vegetable stock for brining for the turkey.

The upgrades to the cranberry sauce and green bean casserole are probably the big improvements for this year. I am still thinking about baking a simple stuffing rather than the instant stuff, mostly because the local grocery store bakery has quite a deal on croutons. Dad doesn't handle change well, so maybe it's best to tweak just a thing or two each year.

 

[gearchow]

I think I found a Cranberry Jelly in a Mold recipe that should work. It's cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar and gelatin. I'll probably try and substitute Splenda for some of the sugar as my sister is diabetic./QUOTE]
OK, I've got what I need for the cranberry jelly. I'm considering using a saved can as the mold just to minimize the shock.

The green beans and mushrooms for the casserole have a pretty short shelf life, so I won't get those until next Wednesday.

Tonight's project is making the vegetable stock for brining for the turkey.

The upgrades to the cranberry sauce and green bean casserole are probably the big improvements for this year. I am still thinking about baking a simple stuffing rather than the instant stuff, mostly because the local grocery store bakery has quite a deal on croutons. Dad doesn't handle change well, so maybe it's best to tweak just a thing or two each year.

I would like to hear other opinions on this regarding vegetable stock for brining. I did it one time but felt that it added too much "vegetable-ness" to the gravy and thereafter, I've only done brines that use plain water. I also felt like it was a kind of a waste of good stock - not that vegetable stock is expensive or difficult to make.

I am really skewed towards turkey gravy that tastes like turkey, so take my experience with a cup of salt and some sugar.

-jim

 

[Jim]

I would only use a salt brine with a pinch of sugar and some herbs for turkey. KISS is best with a flavorful bird.

 

[mretzloff]

You could make some small changes too. For example, try butternut squash in place of the yams. Make the mashed potatoes yourself. I suggest using a more mealy potato, such as russet or Idaho. They fall apart more easily and absorb more moisture (makes it creamier). Add plenty of liquid. Heavy cream is preferable, but half-and-half or whole milk do. Then, add something like roasted garlic or browned onions. Use a potatoes press to mash the potatoes and then a hand mixer to mix everything together. I prefer a very creamy, almost too liquidy, mashed potato.

Make sure not to forget about desert. Take a look at my thread for some pie ideas. If you make pumpkin, try making it without the canned stuff (Google "butternut squash pie", and just use pumpkin in place of butternut squash).

Good luck!

 

[PugslyCat]

I would like to hear other opinions on this regarding vegetable stock for brining. I did it one time but felt that it added too much "vegetable-ness" to the gravy and thereafter, I've only done brines that use plain water. I also felt like it was a kind of a waste of good stock - not that vegetable stock is expensive or difficult to make.

I would only use a salt brine with a pinch of sugar and some herbs for turkey. KISS is best with a flavorful bird.

I'm going to follow the recipe that specifies vegetable stock and adjust accordingly. Last year I used chicken stock in the brine and it worked OK. For next year I'm hoping to have a few quarts of turkey stock made from the remains of this bird and another one that I picked up cheap.

 

[PugslyCat]

You could make some small changes too. For example, try butternut squash in place of the yams. Make the mashed potatoes yourself. I suggest using a more mealy potato, such as russet or Idaho. They fall apart more easily and absorb more moisture (makes it creamier). Add plenty of liquid. Heavy cream is preferable, but half-and-half or whole milk do. Then, add something like roasted garlic or browned onions. Use a potatoes press to mash the potatoes and then a hand mixer to mix everything together. I prefer a very creamy, almost too liquidy, mashed potato.

Yea, I started with some small, simple changes a few years ago. 2011 was when I first tried using a mix of yams and russet potatoes in home made mashed potatoes which seems to work pretty well.

Make sure not to forget about desert. Take a look at my thread for some pie ideas. If you make pumpkin, try making it without the canned stuff (Google "butternut squash pie", and just use pumpkin in place of butternut squash).

I've done the pumpkin pies from scratch in the past using garden grown pumpkin. They tasted great, but were just way too pale to be appetizing.

 

[MrBurns]

I'm partial to dressing cooked outside the bird rather than stuffing the cavity. Maybe I should work on that this year? There seems to be a wealth of stuffing/dressing recipes when I check online.

I suggest putting a good fist-sized amount of stuffing in the chest cavity, the part where the breasts join and make a big dip, under the skin. This way the breast doesn't get dry.

Maybe change up the cranberry sauce? My family is accustomed to the jellied stuff so I would have to approximate that. They don't even like the canned cranberry sauce with whole berries.

The cranberries sauce is so idiotically simple that you will never buy the canned goop again! Recipes on the packaging call for too much sugar. I use about half the amount of sugar that the recipe says, leaves the sauce slightly tangy.
It turns out so, sooooooo, soooooooooooooo good ... last Christmas, I ate a whole batch the day before.. had to go get another bag of cranberries! 2 bags should be good for 6 people.

With the turkey, brine is a great option. I use a big 5-gallon pail from the hardware store. I cook the turkey standing up, beer-can-chicken style, this way the fat renders and runs off it and gives me a good, crisp skin!

My brine recipe is: salt, sugar, onion and garlic powder (or fresh), thyme, lemon, celery leaves, pepper.... yeah, whatever... I don't use broth or stock. After brining, make sure to stand the gobbler up to let the excess water run off.