BUMPED 11/23/22
Because less than great just doesn’t cut it for Thanksgiving! In our family, Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday of all. We go to the same brother’s house every year, almost an hour’s drive out to the country. My husband comes from a family of eight siblings, and most of them have grandkids now, one even has a great grandchild.
As many of us as possible gather together since we will all be with our immediate families on Christmas. Usually, one or two people at least snag a friend who has no one nearby to celebrate with. Until a few years ago, there were four generations of us gathered to give thanks, but my husband’s paternal aunt died a few years ago. She was the last of his father’s siblings, although we often have a beloved aunt by marriage who still comes with her son and granddaughter.
There are often close to 20 kids, so my sister-in-law came up with the idea of a bouncy house years ago. It is the greatest idea in the world for a little peace and tranquility in the house as we gather and get ready.
Best of all, we never even discuss the menu. We’ve been doing it so long that it isn’t necessary. Certain people bring certain things, and yeah, you can maybe not bring green beans but have a new Brussels sprouts dish, but if you are depended upon for sweet potato casserole (that would be one of my responsibilities) or the turkeys, hams, or banana pudding, you’d best not disappoint.
No day of the year is as fun, and full of great food and family as this one. Every year we see people we haven’t seen since the last Thanksgiving meal. And every year we do give thanks for many things, most especially a huge, noisy, boisterous and growing family, who by God’s grace are still able to gather round all the tables and share our lives.
I hope you’ll share the best of the best of your own family traditions and recipes. I say this almost every year, I know. I so enjoy getting all the different recipes that are popular in different parts of our huge country. Here in the remnants of the Old South, tradition reigns at most tables on holidays, and we are slow to turn loose of Grandmother’s rolls and Mother’s dressing. But sometimes a few new excellent dishes turn out to be the hit of the day.
Here’s my casserole, but you have to wing it. I long ago lost the actual recipe. You’ll find similar ones online, but if you get one that tells you to add flour to the topping, just don’t. It ruins it.
Not my actual photo!
Boil 8-10 medium sweet potatoes until just tender. Mash with a cup of sugar, a few spoons of vanilla, half a stick of butter, a tablespoon or so of salt, three eggs, and whole milk or cream, just enough to get a thick consistency on the mixture, just like you’d want your mashed potatoes to be.
For the topping mix a about 3/4 stick of chopped butter, four cups of chopped pecans, and 1.5 to 2 cups of brown sugar until well mixed and crumbly. This is never a fixed ingredient deal. You have to eyeball how large your casserole is, and also how much of the topping you like. We pile it on. If you’re unsure, start with about half of these amounts and add until quantity and consistency work, then add the topping and cook at 400 degrees until browned.
Sounds close to my family.
My Dad’s side had 11 surviving children, Mom’s was 9 children, so a large number of years we averaged 100 attendees on my Dad’s side. Mom’s side was close but they didn’t gather for the Holidays as much as they did just odd times “whenever”.
The 100 at Dad’s Mom’s, usually included about 5 assorted of a couple of friends, and a couple of fiancés, and a few 2nd or 3rd cousins – My dad’s First cousins and maybe one or 2 of their kids with them. Rest are the direct children of my grandparents and their families..
So for a few decades, at least half gathered for a week, so we could help eachother do the main brunt of the Fresh cooking and everyone all brought a huge load of the other things that would travel well, cakes, pies, cookies, candies, homemade breads and everything.
It Was so Wonderful. All my dad’s generation is gone, now, and a whole lot of my 1st cousins, too. Miss them – but I know where they are- and THEY are having a HUGE Party up THERE! With lots of banana pudding and homemade Ice cream and my uncle’s fried catfish, my dad’s bar-b-q, and my grandmother’s Turkey and Dressing. Hams and tons more.
Thankful Turkey Meatloaf for those on a budget.
I box of Stovetop Stuffing. Make per box instructions and set aside
I pound ground turkey
I small can cranberry sauce.
—-
Put ground turkey, 1/2 can of the cranberry sauce, made up stuffing, 1 tsp salt, 1tsp black pepper into a bowl. Squish it all together and place into a greased loaf pan. Top with rest of cranberry sauce and bake.
Serve with mashed potatoes and turkey gravy.
You can also make this as meatballs
I make something very similar.Stovetop Turkey stuffing with celery, onions and mushrooms sauted in the butter added to the stuffing.
I add sage and thyme.
I press it into a greased loaf pan and top it with raw turkey (or chicken) thighs.
Just some salt, pepper and paprika.
Cook til the bird is done and serve with cranberry sauce.
We love this.
It’s also great with Rice-A-Roni rice pilaf instead of the stuffing.
Love me some sweet potato casserole.
These recipes and pictures are spectacular….thanks
My favorite Cranberry Sauce:
~1 lb whole cranberries
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (adjust to your degree of preferred sweetness)
1/2 cup brandy or cognac
1 cup orange zest
simmer on stovetop, stir occasionally until the berries burst, about 10 0r 15 min. Let cool and chill. It is very delicious and very easy to create. Enjoy!
Just made up two Mason jars of the same recipe. It is the best cranberry sauce in the whole wide world!
Thanks! We usually just use the canned jelly stuff, but it contains corn syrup which is recently a big allergen for me. I’m going to try your recipe instead!
I usually use the cranberry, water, and sugar recipe on the back of the bag, and waterbath process a batch of half pints to mix with chicken salad throughout the yr. Leftover turkey sandwiches with mayo and cranberry sauce are wonderful.
Veteran Treepers may recognize this cole slaw recipe which I’ve posted many times in the past … It’s not only served every Thanksgiving year at our house, it’s my most-often-requested summertime picnic side dish … The recipe (which includes dried cranberries and diced green pepper) can be found online by typing in “Paula Deen Rene Slaw) … Enjoy!
This sounds so good. I’m going to try it. Thank you for sharing it!
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS
A waffle iron is a great appliance for reheating leftover stuffing/dressing … Just spray the metal surface, fill the “well” with your chilled stuffing, remove once heated and “crisped” to your liking … Position on a large plate then pile on whatever leftovers you wish to add to the stack (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, etc.).
Mmm. Never thought of that. Sounds good. Hope I can remember it!
COOKING TIP … Any side dish which tastes good as a leftover can be made 1-2 days in advance then simply warmed up on Thanksgiving Day (while you’re trying to accomplish 47 other tasks) … Candidates include mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and roasted root vegetables … For a large number of guests, I’ve also roasted two smaller turkeys instead of one large — roasting and carving one of these the day before and placing the meat in a metal or Pyrex baking dish suitable for both refrigerator and oven (for reheating).
I make mashed potatoes the night before and then heat them up in the crockpot on low on Thanksgiving, adding a little butter and cream in the last hour just to keep them fluffy and moist. SO much easier than trying to mash them just before dinner! Can do the same thing with stuffing if you don’t put it into the bird. I also make a roux with butter, flour and apple cider, along with sage and thyme a few days ahead and then just heat it up and add turkey broth from the roasting pan to make a super flavorful gravy. (I put apples, cider, and herbs into the brine that I put the turkey into so like to carry those flavors into the gravy, too!)
Great tips,ty
Gluten Free oatmeal pie crust
2 cups quick oats
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Put in food processor for 20-30 seconds
press firmly in 8 inch pie pan.
If you need baked pie crust bake it for 15 mins.
If you need unbaked bake for 5 mins.
350 degrees
BLESS YOU!! My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are gluten allergic and they’re coming for Christmas!! THANK YOU!
Some Celiacs can get away with eating gluten-free oats, and some can’t. I am a “can’t.” Saw a statistic this week that said between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 Celiacs have a reaction to even the best gluten-free oats.
Even ONE “glutening” can damage the small intestine of a person with Celiac for up to ONE YEAR! Personally, I get so sick that I am not tempted away from my no-recipes whole foods diet, and we maintain a STRICT GLUTEN-FREE home.
True story of how easy it is to cross-contaminate – especially for those who are not used to cooking gluten-free:
Years ago, for Thanksgiving, I hosted family who could eat gluten, so I made different versions of everything. One for me without gluten and one for those who can eat gluten.
I got sick as a dog after the meal. After playing detective, I realized that my mistake had been stirring the giblet gravies with the same wooden spoon! (By the way, once you have gluten on a wooden surface, it can never be adequately removed!)
The teenaged son of a doctor I know liked to make pies with graham cracker crusts. He was careful because his mom, the doctor, had Celiac.
Long story short, she got sick, and they traced the problem to a few graham cracker crumbs along the border of the countertop.
My Celiac mother who was not diagnosed until she was around 70, and who did not have the opportunity to learn the rules like we do now, died after a quadruple bypass because her body had been using her heart for protein!
The difference between Celiac and gluten-intolerance is that Celiac is a life-long auto-immune disease that damages your body when you ingest wheat, rye, or barley products. Gluten-intolerance can make you sick, but it does NOT damage your body!
Please consider the above comment as having been written with the best of intentions from someone who used to help people navigate the often-complicated road to living with Celiac.
My heart goes out to those with Celiac especially during the holidays – and especially the children!
I want to wish all my fellow Treepers a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for this! My MIL has not been able to eat anything with flour since her last Covid vaccine. ( She’s had so many health problems since then, I won’t even go there!) I’m going to make her a pie!
Years ago on a TV cooking show, an Italian guy named Nick provided a simple turkey recipe that yielded the best turkey I’ve ever tasted.
8 T chopped garlic, 4 T fresh rosemary, 4 T fresh sage, 1 T salt, 1 T pepper
Combine and chop until moist and well blended. Loosen turkey skin over breast and thoroughly coat breast with herb mixture. Brush turkey skin all over with olive oil and rub remaining herb mixture over skin. Stuff and roast.
When we were carving, I tasted a bit of the meat and my eyes popped open, it was so delicious. I gave a piece to my niece, and her eyes did the same thing.
Unfortunately, we go to my sister-in-law’s house every Thanksgiving, where the turkey is nice but not crazy delicious. I do bring homemade wild rice rolls, which have become a tradition.
What a bright spot this is! xoxo
Over the years as our tribe has grown in numbers we also have experienced grandkids growing up and getting married and having other family obligations and so we’ve had to adjust our head count from year to year. Sometimes 30 sometimes 6 but we always have our traditional feast. I have always been the turkey/dressing gravy cook. It does get harder every year so I expect I might be passing that torch in the not distant future. My long time favorite dessert has been a tradition for 50 years. The original recipe was called Dump Cake but I sort of renamed it Holiday Cobbler. Easy sneezy.
One box vanilla cake mix
Two cans pineapple tidbits
Two cans cherry pie filling
1 stick of butter
Pour the pineapple tidbits, juice and all, in an 8X10 baking dish. Cover that with the cherry pie filling. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the cherry mix. Dot the top with the butter cut into small pieces. Bake at 350˚ until the top starts to brown – about 20-25 minutes. You can add chopped pecans too but my oldest son would make a face. You can also add coconut. When I take a bite I can taste the memories.
Cherry Dump Cake. Oh yeah, I have made plenty of those in my day, and out of all the dump cakes it is the best. 2nd favorite is the pumpkin, it comes in second because it isn’t a true dump cake.
This is fabulous but double up the cherries and onions in the stuffing!
Beautiful & Delicious, my guests always ask for the recipe. Just as good cold on a buffet or reheated the day after. Really not hard to make either!
Turkey Ballotine with sausage/sour cherry stuffing
Stuffed Turkey Breast Recipe | Martha Stewart
Sausage and Sour-Cherry Stuffing Recipe | Martha Stewart
Turducken
Traditionally the turducken is roasted in the oven. I prefer to smoke mine. Feel free to roast to an internal temp of 160-ish
(Fahrenheit).
1. Prepare your smoker as normal.
2. Smoke the turducken using apple or cherry wood as you would normally for the weight and type of smoker you are using.
Turtle Soup à la Monteleone
1. In a large pot on medium heat sauté the onions and celery for a minute or two until soft.
2. Add the flour and cook stirring constantly until the roux is lightly browned.
3. Add the stock to the pot and mix well.
4. Add the tomato sauce, egg, and lemon and blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a separate pan, brown the turtle meat and drain if necessary.
6. Add the turtle meat to the pot and simmer covered for two hours or more.
6. Add the turtle meat to the pot and simmer covered for two hours or more.
7. To serve, ladle into a bowl and add a healthy splash of sherry on top but do not stir into the soup.
Maque Choux
Pronounce Mak Cho, this is a traditional Cajun corn dish, but I have added cream to make it more Creole in nature.
1. Cook the bacon in a large pan until the bacon is starting to crisp
2. Add the corn, onion, pepper, jalapeño (if using), and the seasoning to the pan and mix well.
3. Turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes until the veggies are cooked through.
4. Stir in the cream and simmer an additional 3 or so minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and serve. This will thicken up as it cools.
Cranberry Sauce
You’ll need a 9×13 baking dish.
1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Place the cranberries in the 9×13 baking dish.
3. Cover with the sugar and cinnamon and cover with foil.
4. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and stir.
5. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and stir in the pecans, lemon juice, and orange marmalade.
7. Allow to cool. Maybe even pop in in the fridge for a bit.
Charlene’s Cheesecake
You’ll need a 9” springform for this, and you should make this the night before.
This cheesecake has rules. One, actually. If you pass this recipe along you have to call it Charlene’s Cheesecake and make sure they know the rule. I got this recipe from my grandmother 30 years ago. I have no idea who Charlene is or even if my grandmotherknew her. But I was told the rule. Her name lives on.
Crust
• 1/3 package graham crackers, crushed and crumbed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
1. Place the crumbs in the springform mold.
2. Add the butter and mix well with your hands.
3. Form an even crust on the bottom of the pan using your fingers.
The Cake
• 2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 4 eggs
1. Heat oven to 250F.
2. Blend all the ingredients in a large bowl until even and creamy. If a little more vanilla falls in to the bowl you won’t be
disappointed. I find it easier to put all the ingredients in then mash with a potato masher to get it more or less mixed then use a hand blender to make it nice and creamy.
3. Pour the cake into the springform mold with prepared crust
4. Place in oven for at least 1 hour.
5. Check on cheesecake and keep cooking until the cake has almost risen except a dimple in the center. That said, some like a more moist cake so don’t let it rise too much. Some like it dry so let it rise all the way across until it slightly splits on the top. Over the years I have found leaving a 2-3” circular depression in the center is best. It may take well over 2 hours so just keep checking on it from time to time.
6. When done, remove, set the oven to 400F, and add the topping.
Side note: Depending on your springform, butter from the crust may leak out during cooking. Place a sheet of aluminum on the rack below the cheesecake or you will have a smoky mess if the butter leaks out.
Topping
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tbs sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
1. Mix all ingredient with a spoon. Mix well.
2. Spread over the top of the cake.
3. Place in the oven at 400F.
4. Remove after 5 minutes.
5. Allow to cool COMPLETELY and then place in the fridge to cool for at least 5 hours.
Options: After the cake cools a bit add kiwi, cherries, raspberries, or strawberries. Or not. This cake stands on its own.
That corn dish sounds great. And Charlene, wherever you are, Bless you!
In my family, we call them “cloggers.” I can attest that they work. Guests eat all the cloggers before they eat the turkey, true story.
So what are “cloggers”? 5 lbs of peeled potatoes. Add to hot water along with a hand palm, full of salt. Cook til potatoes are tender enough to mash. Drain water and immediately Add two pounds of melted butter and add three 8oz sticks of Phil cream cheese. Mash them up. You shouldn’t need to add any milk. Stick your finger in them and taste it. Best with turkey or a rib roast. Mushroom gravy is the best for me
Happy turkey day treeps!
You are welcome!!!!
Lol, 5 pounds of potatoes to 3.5 lbs of milk fat products.. what a great ratio..
I love this holiday. I love all the holidays nowadays ’cause the wife of 41 years and I don’t have to travel, they come to our house.
Holy cow, bacon wrapped Turkey! If it was up to me everything would be bacon wrapped.
“Bacon … the candy of meats!”
Please post a recipe, I love oyster dressing but have not found a recipe like I remember it.
This is my Aunt Elgie’s recipe that I enjoyed as a child when all of Mom’s family would get together at Thanksgiving in eastern NC.
1 pint oysters, 2 pkgs saltine crackers, 6-8slices white bread (like Wonder), 1/4c margarine (I use butter), salt and pepper to taste, reserved oyster broth
Heat oysters to boiling and remove from heat quickly when edges begin to curl. Chop oysters and mix with other ingredients, reserving broth to add until stuffing mix is moistened. Bake at 350F until slightly dry and browned (or stuff into turkey). Dad loved this dressing so much that I used to make it again at Christmas with roasted Cornish hens.
Sounds most excellent. I cannot imagine using margarine w/anything oyster. LOL! Butter all the way.
Cranberry sauce needs to be taken out of the can in a single solid quivering blob on a serving dish where the shape of the can can be seen.
Orange Cranberry sauce from Trader Joe’s is excellent! It’s in their refrigerated section. Make a gingersnap pie crust with crushed T.J.’s gingersnaps, melted butter, and sugar. Scoop T.J.’s pumpkin ice cream into pie plate with crust, let it soften slightly, smooth top and freeze. Easy peasy.
So funny. I can remember baking a small turkey and stuffing to make this Holiday memorable for just the two of us. My son was about six.
He got dressed early in his Denver Bronco uniform and went outside to play with his small football.
The cranberry sauce was as Boogywstew described, basically jellied candy.
I fixed a nice hot plate of sliced turkey, gravy, bread stuffing and the cranberry sauce from the can.
He had to be coaxed to come inside for the Thanksgiving Day meal. After he ate the cranberry sauce, he went out to play.
I tried to be a good single mom. He turned out just fine. The only time he thanked me is when I always had a clean baseball uniform for him to wear in tournaments.
You more than tried, you were a good mom, he turned out just fine!
bless you we all try in our own way with God’s guidance
Such a sweet memory. I love the simplicity, which is something to give thanks for!
LOL, Yes!
Oh, yeah! A must at our house. I always thought it was a hillbilly thing, but apparently not, lol!
My Sister-In-Law made what she called Dirt using Oreo cookies. It was ok but I am not an Oreo fan although it got me thinking. Peanut Butter cookies and I’ll call it Sand.
1 Jello French Vanilla Pudding made
1 8oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 container of Cool Whip
1 box of Peanut Butter Cookie (freeze for 24 hours)
Grind frozen PB cookies to powder like
Blend Pudding, Cream Cheese and Cool Whip
In a bowl layer 3/4″ high Pudding mix than a 1/4″ layer of Ground PB
Do this ’til it’s used up
I love scrapple!
Me too.
Yum! My grandmother’s eggnog is a traditional favorite but who boy it’s strong! I have to cut the liquor in half. This year it will be made with fresh milk and cream from the cow, and fresh eggs from the chickens. Below is the unmodifed, original, recipe.
Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 1/4 c sugar
1 quart Brandy
1 quart Rum
3 pints of cream
2 quarts of milk
1 cup powdered sugar
This is a huge recipe so I generally cut it in half, and then cut the amount of liquor in half again. It needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving, so you need room.
Directions:
Separate the eggs so that you have 12 yolks in one bowl, and 6 whites in another bowl, the other 6 whites in a separate bowl (that’s 3 bowls). Beat the egg yolks with sugar. Add the liquor very, very slowly to the egg mixture, stirring gently, or you will curdle the eggs. Best to add liquor and stir by hand. Then, beat in the milk and 2 of the pints of cream. Separately, whip the whites of 6 eggs until stiff. Fold the egg whites carefully into the mixture. Again, do this by hand so as not to knock down the egg whites. They need to be stiff. Beat the remaining 6 egg whites in a separate bowl until very stiff, then add 1 pint of the remaining cream, and the powdered sugar to the egg whites, stir well. This last mixture will be floated on the top of the eggnog, so just pour it carefully on, and don’t mix again. Chill overnight. You can sprinkle a wee bit of nutmeg or cinnamon on top for flair.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Oh my….❣️
So Great! Thanks for sharing, everyone!
Posting another family favorite originally from my grandmother. If we’re lucky, we get it on Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Cream Cheese Pie Recipe
Filling:
12 oz of cream cheese, whipped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 C. white cane sugar
2t vanilla
2t lemon juice
Crust:
14 graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
3 1/2 T of white cane sugar
1t vanilla
Combine the filling ingredients and beat until light. Set aside.
Make the crust:
14 graham crackers finely crumbled, combined with a 1/4 cup of melted butter.
Press into a 9” pie pan to form the crust.
Pour the filling mixture into the crust. Bake at 350 for an hour. While it’s baking, make the topping. Blend 1 cup of sour cream, 3 1/2 T of sugar, 1t vanilla. Set aside.
After an hour, pull the pie out of the oven and pour the topping on. Then, bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Incredible taste.
Brussel sprouts with bacon. Delicious.
I always drain some ‘clean’ bacon fat from the frying pan to store in my freezer. I add a teaspoon of bacon fat (it freezes to a creamy texture) to flavor sautéed vegetables. You can also use it in crockpot dishes like chili and red beans and rice. YUM
My favorite holiday!
Rotisserie turkey on the charcoal weber kettle just melts in your mouth. Two small oranges spiked with cloves, fresh sage and garlic in the cavity. Orange peel zest ,fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt for the rub,along with rubbed sage. Mesquite charcoal, indirect heat. 2 to 2 1/2 hours for a 15 pound turkey. My wife and I have to get two turkeys because there’s never any leftovers for sandwiches later on!
deep fried, cajun injected turkey is what i do in an indoor fryer. handles up to a 15 lb turkey, good for two people. then some mac and cheese (with homemade cheddar cheese), green bean cass., either rice or mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce from scratch and pecan pie. tasty!
mac and cheese:
1 package (or more) elbow mac, or whatever small pasta suits you. shells, rotini, farfalle, etc.
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups shredded cheddar (preferably aged 1 year or more)
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp Sodium Citrate (can be ordered online – not expensive)
pre-cook pasta a little harder than al-dente, strain, reserving a 1/4 cup of the pasta water. in a medium pan, make a simple roux with half the butter and flour. not too long only a few minutes on medium-high heat. lower heat to lowest. add cream and sodium citrate. when smooth, add cheese. stir constantly until smooth and creamy. add pasta, mixing well. if too thick, add some pasta water a bit at a time until the consistency is right. taste for seasoning. add salt, pepper and some spiciness of your choice. mix well.
put it in a casserole dish, top with some cheese and the bread crumbs mixed with the rest of the butter. bake at 350-375 until the bread crumbs are browned to your liking.
I made Pumpkin Crunch Cake from a link Menagerie posted a few weeks back and it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. Going to be front and center of our T-giving dessert table next week. Can’t wait to scroll through some more gems here. Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!
why not share the reciepe?
https://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2008/11/22/pumpkin-crunch-cake/
Oh yah! That was the one with the cake mix that caused a bit of controversy IIRC. lol
Thank you for reposting! I’ve made it 3 times total and did reduce the added sugar by half last time as the cake mix was plenty sweet. Also doubled the amount of pecans. Trader Joes makes sea salted chopped pecan variety for those who like salty with the sweet.
why not share the recipe?
I know! Get us all excited and then leave us hanging! 🙂
Bird and bird gravy.
I generally give my better 1/2 t-shirts as stocking stuffers for Christmas. He has one that says “That’s too much bacon! …. Said no one ever.” The picture reminded me of that.
I have no doubt that Menagerie’s recipe is wonderful. Maybe we can all go to her house and have some? Just kidding!
looks like it socialism Democracys ideal’s.
Instead of the traditional Pumpkin Pie, we would oftentimes have Pattypan Pie — using Pattypan Squash. This pie has a lighter, more delicate taste/texture than a Pumpkin Pie — and is absolutely delicious!! (My favorite pie.)
Pattypan Pie
In Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F
Find a deep-dish, 9-10″ wide pie plate.
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 oz. (1/4 lb or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 T salted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 T cold water
Filling:
20 oz. pattypan squash (or other summer squash such as crookneck, or zucchini), peeled, seeded, and sliced
1/2 cup sugar, with 1 tsp flour mixed in
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Process
Make the crust:
Make the filling:
Bake at 375F for about an hour or until puffed, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
(If the edges are browning too much or too quickly, take a long strip of aluminum foil, fold in half, then fit it lightly around the crust. You can also reduce the temp. to 350 and extend the time by 10 minutes if necessary.)
Remove from oven. Cool on rack, then cool further in refrigerator.
Best served somewhat cool, as the pie will become more firm as it cools, and flavor will develop more.
http://www.knowwhey.com/2010/09/grange-favorites-pattypan-pie.html
Great picture
For anyone living single or in a couple and you don’t want to cook a full-sized turkey, Butterball makes an awesome boneless turkey breast. It’s all meat and provides 10 4 ounce servings. It’s small enough to fit into a countertop convection oven, too.
https://www.butterball.com/products/turkey-breast-roast/boneless-frozen-breast
Edit: and you can wrap it in bacon 🙂
Harris Teeters sold fresh turkey thighs and drumsteaks this year. That’s what I am cooking.
This isn’t an old family favorite but something I found a few years back and love it. This dessert is a simple, easy, no bake recipe. It’s light, fluffy and oh so tasty. Pumpkin Gingersnap Mousse. I use fresh whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. If you can find Ana’s Gingersnap cookies those are yummy with the mousse.
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/other-dessert/pumpkin-ginger-snap-mousse.html?r=10
So many fantastic recipes, thanks, everyone!
I have to be careful of adding anything new to the Thanksgiving Day menu because when I do it’s expected every year thereafter. My menu has grown too big so now I use new recipes on other meals.
Here’s a day after T Day recipe for those leftover turkey sandwiches:
Cranberry Pecan Mayonnaise
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. toasted finely chopped pecans
1 T. honey
Just mix it all together and slather it on your sandwich.
That photo is mouth watering!!
Praying for all to have a very happy peaceful thanksgiving. Praying for all those in need…all those still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian…that all may have abundance of faith, love and turkey smothered in bacon!
Yeah, I have been thinking about the Ian folks, but I have a feeling their spirits will find a way to make it a special T-day.
I would pay a nice piece of change to sit at the table to watch that turbacon be cut and to have a few pieces. What a beautiful photo.
Last year I used your recipe for turkey stuffing in a casserole dish and it really worked. That way there was enough for second (and third) helpings 🙂
The bacon wrap on the turkey is so tempting. Thx for the ideas.
Cook the turkey in a brown paper bag with one cup of water. Open the bag and paste as you go along. The bag will not catch on fire lol! And the white meat will be so juicy you can just squeeze juice out of it.
Cornbread and Seafood Stuffing
2 cups crumbled cornbread
1 stick butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
pick 2 or less – 1 can drained tuna (5 oz) and/or can drained salmon (5 oz) and/or 1/2 lb cooked shrimp
1/4 cup parsley
1 lemon (or 2-3 tbsp lemon juice)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp minced garlic
melt butter in heavy pan
add garlic and onion, cook on low
add seafood
add crumbled cornbread
add lemon juice and parsley
season with salt and pepper
heat through
——————-
when pairing with fish
grease large baking dish
add layer of fish
season fish with salt and pepper
spread stuffing on top
bake at 400 degrees until seafood done (about 10 minutes)
We are having twenty over for Thanksgiving this year. Yes, I need a bigger boat… lol. However, it will be cozy, considering it’s more bitter out this year in South Dakota than the previous years.
My husband will be doing all the cooking. My only contribution will be, making the ambrosia, my wit and charm, preventing his two Liberal family members from ruining the holiday mood, and the cleanup afterwards.
Love all the recipes, btw.
I always buy 2 deep dish pie crusts before Thanksgiving. What people don’t take home for leftovers, goes in the “pot pie”.
Everything! Meat, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy. Put another crust on top; cover with foil and into a big zip lock bag. We love pulling one of these out at times when we don’t feel like cooking.
PS. I also make 20+ casseroles in 8×8 aluminum pans all summer. Summer squash/zucchini with chicken, cheese, bread crumbs, etc. Eggplant parm ready to go too. I love pulling out my own garden casseroles from the freezer.
What a great idea!
For my pumpkin and mince pies Aldi’s ready-made pie crust is almost as good as my mom’s pie crust recipe. I have 4 boxes of them in the fridge, may try your pot pies “recipe” this year.
Oink, oink!
That’s the way I like my skin on thanksgiving…As long as it’s chicken…Sorry, not a big fan of turkey…..Just me and the missus, as our children are far away and won’t winter travel. We get out our smoker and halve a chicken and smoke with either maple or apple wood off our land…God bless America.
No party or get together is complete at my house without my Artichoke Dip.
1 cup mayo
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup shedded parmesan
1 can of cut up artichokes (not marinated)
3 cloves of garlic minced
Mix it all up and bake at 350 for about 1/2 an hour in small baking dish. I like the edges to get a bit browned. Serve with crackers or pita chips.
Love artichokes, sounds delicious!
Adding to my menu 🙂
I make a crab dip, same recipe, instead of garlic the recipe calls for scallions, and some pepper. All ya need to do is add a can, or two, of lump crab meat. It is delish. At our parties everybody would hover over that dip. Good times and good food.
Lost my husband no family and I love to cook. Last year was sad this year going to the diner and then to sleep.
🙁 Hopefully next year will be better for you, luckycin.
My deepest condolences on the loss of your husband.
Perhaps there is a place for you to teach cooking. So many do not know how–myself included.
Maybe a community center, church, or local community college? Our town library has a kitchen as it doubles as a community room for people to hold celebrations and such in the basement. Some years the kitchen is used to bake cookie platters which are sold with the profits going to the library for other programs. It is always sold out–lots of italian and germans and polish in the community–great cookie bakers all!
Maybe something similar near you.
I am so sorry for your loss lucky.
Awww. Break my heart. Big hugs to you. I haven’t decided what I am doing yet, but I will be thinking of you!
Maybe on Friday you cook yourself a green bean casserole, open a can of yams, and make a turkey from the deli sammich, weekend food.
Hugs to you dear Luckycin
So sorry. Right there with you. Lost my husband and best friend 3 years ago. I’ll never get over it. I know he is with me. Just not how I want him to be.
It sucks around holidays.
Oh, I cannot cook at all and admire you for loving to cook. Making hamburgers sends me into a panic attack so luckily I have a diner nearby.
GOD HOLD US ALL </3
My condolences.
I cook for myself! I am cooking turkey thigh, mashed potatoes, some type of sweet potato dish, gravy , peas or asparagus. I love leftovers!
Try it maybe next year. Lucky?
It’s all Russias fault, don’t you know?
I will be the first to admit I am not a baker. A couple of weeks ago, I had two recipes out. One for banana nun muffins the other for bread. On top of my other incompetence, decided to make the bread in a Bundt pan and double the recipe. I obviously got the two recipes mixed up but for some reason the sucker slipped right out of the pan with absolutely no cajolling and was moist and delicious. If only I had a good memory.
I love me some bacon.. I’m not supposed to like bacon but we all have our vices, no don’t we.. I think it needs another layer to be perfectly honest. We also need a smoker and some bourbon.. what are you drinking?