Thanksgiving Dinner!

We have traditions in our family but Thanksgiving was never one of those holidays that we were fanatic about. We always had a turkey dinner, but sometimes it was at our house, sometimes we went to other relatives or friends, we have even gone out to dinner for Thanksgiving on occasion. When I moved out and had my own place, I invited my parents over to the very first Thanksgiving dinner that I ever made all by myself and it was yummy. Over the years I have made Thanksgiving many times, sometimes I would stick to more traditional dishes that I grew up with and sometimes I would branch out and try something new. There are a few recipes however that I will always pull out when it is my turn to host Thanksgiving or to bring a dish to a friends Thanksgiving feast. If you are an 11th hour cook, take a look and see if anything sounds good to whip up for Thursday, if not, keep them in mind for next year.

I will start with the turkey since most everyone does turkey on Thanksgiving and it is the center of the meal. The one thing that I don’t like about turkey is that after cooking the hell out of a 27 pound bird it can be dry, not my favorite thing, but I found a way to cook the bird (besides having 911 on speed dial and letting the men play with fire and 20 gallons of hot oil) that keeps it moist and tasty. Plus, it’s easy and you can cook it this way even if you are in the “stuffing” instead of the “dressing” camp.

Turkey in Foil

Grease heavy duty foil with butter. Double wrap turkey completely in foil. Place in roasting pan breast side up. Roast at 450 degrees F according to the pound/time table below. Uncover breast of turkey last 20 min. to crisp.
7-9 lbs. 2-2 1/2 hrs.
10-13 lbs. 2 3/4 to 3 hrs.
14-17 lbs. 2 to 3 1/4 hrs.
18-21 lbs. 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 hrs.

The side dishes that I grew up with I have no recipes for, we just know how to make them; stuffing, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc. I am not a sweet potato or yam fan so I always skip them and cranberry mush isn’t a favorite either, so it comes out of a can. I do have recipes for the alternatives that I have found that I have liked over the years though.

Stuffing or Dressing, whatever you want to call it…

Corn Bread, Sausage, and Onion Stuffing

14 cups corn bread cubes
1 package ( 16 ounces ) sweet Italian style turkey sausage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups celery
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh sage or 2 1/2 tablespoons dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 can ( 13 3/4 ounces ) chicken broth

Put corn bread cubes into a very large bowl or pot. Cook sausage in a deep skillet over medium high heat, breaking up chunks, until browned. Add sausage with drippings to corn bread. Add oil to skillet, then onions and celery. Cook vegetables over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes until crisp tender. Stir in parsley, sage, salt, pepper. Add to corn bread sausage mixture. Toss gently to mix. Sprinkle with broth. Mix again. Stuff neck and body cavities of turkey or spoon stuffing into a covered greased baking dish and bake it 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered until golden brown. Makes about 18 cups, enough to stuff an 18 to 20 pound bird.

I know some people will cry foul if there are no mashed potatoes to smother in gravy on the table but these are good…

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

6 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9×11 inch casserole dish. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. In a large-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Mix in the flour and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour half the cheese sauce over half the potatoes, sprinkle with ½ cup of the remaining cheese, add the rest of the potatoes and cheese sauce and top with the rest of the shredded cheese, and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Remove the foil the last few minutes to brown the top.

For the more traditionalist…

Parmesan Potato Casserole

12 medium size potatoes ( 4 pounds ) peeled and quartered
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a shallow 3 quart baking dish. Cook potatoes in water to cover 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well. Add butter to potatoes and mash until butter melts. Add milk, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Spoon into prepared dish. Can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking. Bake uncovered 45 to 50 minutes until puffed and golden. Makes 10 cups, 12 servings.

And the veggies…

Green Beans with Shallot Butter

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup thinly sliced shallots or white part of scallions
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
3 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt 1/4 cup butter with the oil in a small skillet. Add shallots and cook 7 to 9 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender. Stir in remaining butter, the salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cook green beans uncovered in a large pot of water 5 to 7 minutes until crisp tender. Drain well. Add shallot butter and parsley. Toss to mix and coat. Makes 15 servings.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles

30 medium asparagus stalks, trimmed
10 slices peppered bacon
extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Separate asparagus into bundles of 3 stalks each. Carefully wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle, starting about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tip; secure with a toothpick if needed. Transfer bundles to a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with pepper if desired. Roast, flipping halfway through, until asparagus begin to wilt and bacon is brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer bundles to a platter; remove toothpicks and serve.

And now for dessert. I know everyone is supposed to have pumpkin pie but I have never been a pie eater, cake is another story however, and this makes a nice change from pumpkin pie, or at least a nice alternative.

Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake With Brown Sugar Frosting

Cake
2 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 – 16 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
2 cups brown sugar packed
1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9 inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper. Grease paper.

Cake: mix flour, cocoa, spice, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until mixture looks like mayonnaise. With mixer on low speed. Beat in pumpkin, milk , and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula 2 or 3 times. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until pick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert on racks, remove from pans, peel off waxed paper and let cakes cool completely.

Frosting: Put brown sugar, butter, and milk in a medium size sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir until butter melts, sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Immediately place 1 cake layer upside down on a serving plate. Spread with with warm frosting (If frosting cools it will set and a crust will form on the surface. Beat again until smooth.) Place other layer right side up over bottom layer. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top. Cover. Serves 12.

Whatever you decide to make or where ever you decide to go for dinner I hope you have a fabulous dinner and a Happy Thanksgiving!