Tag: thanksgiving recipes

Five Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

What do all of these things have in common: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football scrimmages in the front yard, and lots of laughter?

That’s right, it’s finally Thanksgiving!

Whether you’re having the entire family over, are keeping it small, or having your annual Friendsgiving, these recipes from the Food Network are must-haves for every Thanksgiving Day celebration.

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish
  • 3 to 4 large sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Special equipment: a 2-quart baking dish

For the sweet potatoes: Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the sweet potatoes.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

For the topping:

  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup half-and-half

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Bobby Flay’s Parker House Rolls Thanksgiving Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving.

Ree Drummond’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes Perfect for Thanksgiving

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes
  • 1 1/2 sticks softened butter, plus more for baking
  • 1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Milk, if needed, for thinning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the potatoes and rinse them in cold water. Chop the potatoes in fourths. Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, and then return them to the pan. With the burner on low heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher; the more steam that’s released while you mash, the better. Mash for about 5 minutes. Turn off the burner.

Add the butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, and seasonings. Stir to combine, and if the mixture needs thinning, add milk. Check the seasonings, adding salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the mashed potatoes into a large casserole pan. Dot the surface with butter. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Sunny Anderson’s Cheesy Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole 

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for casserole dish
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 pound shiitake or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey blend
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Special equipment: 1 1/8-quart oval casserole dish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Butter casserole dish. In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter and flour over medium heat until golden in color to make a quick roux. The roux should resemble the color of peanut butter.

Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, heavy cream and chicken stock. Add broccoli, 1 cup of the cheese and rice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into buttered dish and top with remaining shredded Cheddar.

Bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 20 minutes.

For more delicious recipes that you can use for Thanksgiving, click here.

 

 

From-Scratch Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving: the one time a year for many that they will make delicious food from scratch and veer from the usual “fast and easy” style cooking.  Thankfully, if you’re ready to ditch the cans and boxes and tackle a truly homemade Thanksgiving day supper, below is just the menu you need.

The Turkey

Pasture-raised birds tend toward toughness, both because they have the freedom to exercise their muscles more and because they’re culled at an older age than birds that are raised conventionally.   There’s really only one reliable way to produce particularly tender results when it comes to cooking pastured poultry, and that’s with long cooking times and low temperatures. That might mean that you simmer birds in water, for bone broth and soups, or that you braise it, or that you slow roast it.

Those long cooking times and low temperatures give the proteins in the bird’s meat an opportunity to break down, and for the fat to melt into meat which also helps it to become tender; moreover, pasture-raised birds tend to have high amounts of collagen within their skin, joints and bones, and slow-roasting facilitates the breakdown of that collagen which then melts into the meat and leaves it impossibly tender.

Slow-roasting is a pretty easy, hands-off approach.  Begin by preparing an herb butter, and then slipping that softened, flavored butter between the skin and flesh of the breast.  As it roasts, the butter melts into the bird’s meat, and not only helps to make it tender, but also infuses it with the vibrant flavor of fresh herbs.  Stuffing the bird’s cavity with lemon, onions and herbs also helps to keep it moist while it roasts.

Beyond that, you just need to pop it in the oven, baste it occasionally with pan juices when you check on it.  It’s a fabulous way to cook a turkey overnight, in a low and slow oven, while you sleep. We usually serve Thanksgiving dinner around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, which means that we stay up late the night before drinking hot spiced cider, place the bird in the oven to bake, and then baste it when we wake up.  When the bird is done, pull it from the oven and allow it to rest, then carve it where it falls apart into utterly tender pieces.

Slathered with butter, dressed with thyme and stuffed with onions and lemons, this slow-roasted turkey is rich with flavor, succulent and wonderfully easy to make. Slow roasting is a long process with a rewarding result, make sure to plan in advance.

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons finely ground sea salt
1 whole turkey, about 16 to 18 lbs, giblets removed and reserved for another purpose
2 large yellow onions, quartered
2 large lemons, quartered
1½ cups dry white wine

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat the butter together with thyme, sage and sea salt until well-combined.
Rinse the turkey and pat it dry. With a butter knife, loosen the skin of the turkey from the flesh of the breast. Spread the herb butter between the skin and the meat of the turkey breast, and place the seasoned turkey on a rack in your roasting pan.
Stuff the turkey’s cavity with onions and lemons. Pour wine into the pan.
Roast the turkey for 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from oven, tent it with foil, and then return it to the oven.
Turn down the heat to 225 F, and slow roast it approximately twelve hours. Baste with pan juices every 2 to 3 hours.
Increase the heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting for twenty minutes or until the skin is a rich brown and the meat has reached an internal temperature of at least 185 F.
Allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes prior to carving.

Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients
6-8 medium red potatoes halved and then quartered (gently scrub the skins to remove dirt)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 TB chopped rosemary
4-5 garlic cloves crushed, Place the garlic on a cutting board and crush them with the back of wooden spoon-this helps unlock the flavor and fragrance.
2 TB extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F–this is the secret to crispy potatoes!
Place the potatoes on a greased large sheet pan. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Add the crushed garlic and rosemary. I usually add 1-2 whole rosemary sprigs, cut in half, for the extra fragrance–this is optional. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, then toss with your hands until the potatoes are coated with oil.
Position the potatoes in a single layer so the skins are facing up (yes, some of the flesh of the potatoes will also face up since the potatoes are quartered).
Bake for roughly 30-35 minutes (keep an eye on the potatoes at the 25 minute mark), until the potatoes are soft on the inside (try piercing one with a fork) and crispy on the outside.

Veggie Side- Real Food Green Bean Casserole

So, what are the essential parts of any green bean casserole?  The green beans, the cream of mushroom soup, and the french-fried onions, right?

This beloved casserole has earned a place of honor on our Thanksgiving table each year, but up until a few years ago, it consisted of opening cans of green beans, opening cans of soup, and yup – opening a can of french-fried onions to whip up and bake to perfection.

But many families have switched to a whole foods journey over the last few years. Green Bean Casserole putting you in a conundrum?  What to do with our beloved favorite?

Now, a word to the wise – the evaporated milk takes a while to make. If you want a much quicker version, feel free to use canned evaporated milk, but preferably find a brand that doesn’t contain carrageenan if you can.

However, if you really don’t want to make your own evaporated milk and can’t find an acceptable brand, you can substitute a ratio of one part cream to three parts milk for the evaporated milk when making the cream of mushroom soup, but it won’t have quite the same texture. (It will be yummy, nonetheless!)

Really don’t want to make your own ingredients – or don’t have time? There are more and more acceptable store-bought versions available these days, which even two years ago wasn’t the case. (Yay!) So, if you’re wanting a store-bought organic cream of mushroom soup, try this one or for French-fried onions, these ones are spectacularly delicious. I’ve also seen acceptable French-fried onions at places like Trader Joe’s, so definitely look around in your area.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds green beans, snapped into 2-inch pieces
a dash of traditionally-fermented soy sauce (see where to buy traditional soy sauce)
a dash of Worcestershire sauce (see how to make a homemade version in The DIY Pantry
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups condensed cream of mushroom soup (see recipe below)
2 cups French fried onions (see recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the beans. Cook until tender but still bright green, 6-8 minutes. Drain well.
Place the beans in a large bowl and add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and the cream of mushroom soup. Mix well.
Place in a square casserole dish and bake until bubbly, 15-25 minutes (depending on whether your soup base was hot or cold). Add the French fried onions on top and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the onions are crispy and golden.

For more from-scratch Thanksgiving recipes, click here.  For general recipes, click here.

 

Baked Mac N Cheese

 

Mac N Cheese- the universal dish that is enjoyed by all. It is also often a staple recipe for your family Thanksgiving. This baked mac n cheese recipe is unlike any you have ever indulged in before- so don’t miss out on the magic it will bring to the table for your family this year.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Sweet Potato Casserole

 

As promised, we will be featuring a Thanksgiving recipe weekly until the day is here! This week we will be featuring a delicious sweet potato casserole that will be enjoyed by all – even those who swear off sweet potatoes.
This recipe can also be altered by adding extra sweet potatoes and/or baking them for one and a halt to two hours to bring out their full flavor instead of boiling them.
Try out our tips and let us know if you have any of your own!
Ingredients

• 4 cups sweet potato, cubed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.