Help with Turkey Day please!

Well, I make sweet potato crunch, 7 layer salad, hashbrown casserole, green bean casserole. Would you be interested in any of those recipes?

(I've got them all stored on the computer downstairs, it'd be no problem to post them up sometime this week-not tonight I'm almost asleep)

A big dinner salad would be entirely appropriate. And sweet potatoes, easily and simply prepared. My favorite is just to peel and cube them up into bite-sized chunks, toss a little lemon juice on them (both for flavor and to prevent discoloration), sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, and bake until tender. You may want to add some butter and honey, too. This actually works well in the microwave, too.

Cornbread or corn muffins, with some berries (blueberries, cranberries), works really well, too.

Thanksgiving, in my view, both doesn't need to be, and shouldn't be, heavily elaborate. Simple works just fine, and is a nod to the original tradition, too.

caw

I am asked to make this citrus turkey every year. It also makes an amazing stew the next day.

Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus Recipe courtesy
Giada De Laurentiis

(Herbes de Provence if your store does not carry it like mine does not.)
3 tablespoons oregano leaves
3 tablespoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon sage leaves
3 tablespoons savory
2 tablespoons lavender flowers
1 teaspoon rosemary

1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
6 fresh rosemary sprigs
6 fresh sage sprigs
6 fresh oregano sprigs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
To make the turkey: Position the rack in the lowest third of the
oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey
on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange and
lemon wedges, onion, and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main
turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the
turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil,
and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan
over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture
all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin.
Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be
prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let
stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)

Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups
of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the
bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the
pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to
350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of
broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat
thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers
165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when
the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting
occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer.
Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30
minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting
pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard
the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough
chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4
cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually
whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly,
whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve
the turkey with the gravy.

Ham is a great variation. They want me to make a turkey and a ham this year. Pumpkin rolls like jelly rolls are always widely popular. I love starting out with a veggie tray/ green salad. It helps keep you from overfilling and feeling yucky afterward. Potatoes, corn, stuffing, turkey/ham for the main meal is what we usually do, I realize this is extremely traditional. Afterward, way afterward, is the cheeseballs with crackers, the veggie trays again, and desserts. Pies, pumpkin rolls, things like that.

If you really want to mix it up make a pumpkin stew that is cook inside an actual pumpkin. I haven't tried it myself but I've heard people rave about them. Someday I'll try it. You could do individual stews with smaller pumpkins, that would add a nice touch. Another thing I sometimes serve.

You take oranges and creatively cut the tops off so the lids fit. scoop out all the guts and throw them in a bowl, make a thing of orange jello, after it's set break it up into small chunks. Add in mandarin oranges, the guts of the oranges, marshmallows, and whipped topping/heavy whipped cream. It's a nice light citrusy touch to a good dinner.

ETA you can also bake cakes in the oranges for individual servings, again you scoop out the insides, prepare your batter fill it 1/3 full then bake, cupcake pans are great for helping them stand up through the cooking process, or baking sheets are fine if they'll hold still.

For excitement, you could do this variation on the Turkey...

Here is a turkey recipe that includes popcorn as a stuffing ingredient, imagine that.. When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect for people like me, who just are not sure how to tell when poultry is thoroughly cooked but not dried out. Give this a try.
8 - 15 lb. Turkey

1 cup melted butter
1 pkg. stuffing mix (Pepperidge Farm or Stove Top is good, as are the store
brands.)
1 cup uncooked popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's low fat works well)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush turkey well with melted butter, sprinkle
with salt and pepper. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Mix uncooked popcorn with the stuffing mix. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn.
Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven.

Listen for the popping sounds. When the turkey's butt blows the oven door
open and the bird flies across the room, it's done.

Yes! That's a joke!

4 cups torn lettuce (Iceberg, romaine, leaf, bibb, or spinach)
1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms, broccoli flowerettes, or peas
1 cup shredded carrot
2-6 hardboiled eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled
¾ cup Shredded cheese (Swiss, chaddar, or American)
2 green onions, sliced
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon dried dillweed(optional)

Place lettuce or spinach in the bottom of a bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
Layer mushrooms, broccoli, or peas on top.
Then layer carrots.
Arrange egg slices and bacon over vegetables.
Top with cheese and green onions.

For the dressing, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and dillweed.
Spread over the top of the salad, sealing to edge of bowl.

Sprinkle with cheese and onion if desired.

Cover and chill 2-24 hours.

Before serving, toss to coat the vegetables.

Makes 6-8 side-dish servings.
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1 (2lb) Bag Frozen Hashbrown Potatoes (thawed)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup chopped onions
1 (10 ¾ oz) can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pt sour cream
2 cups grated taco cheese
½ cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients.
Spray 3 quart casserole dish with Pam.
Pour ingredients in,
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
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For potatoes:
6 cups sweet potatoes-mashed
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 stick margarine

Peel, cut and boil sweet potatoes
Mix all ingredients until fluffy. Remove strings from potatoes, if any.
Pour in greased baking dish and cover with topping.


For topping:
2/3 stick margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
2 cups of chopped pecans

Melt margarine. Add brown sugar, flour, nuts. Mix well.
Add more melted margarine if needed.
Spread on potatoes.
Bake 35 minutes at 350.

This recipe is already doubled for Thanksgiving.
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2 cans artichokes, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
2 pinches garlic
1 cup real parmesan cheese
6 oz mozzarella cheese

Put in blender
Bake at 350 about 20 minutes or until brown on top

Serve this with Triskets or some other crackers- like wheat thins or Sociables.
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½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup margarine
1 prepared recipe Martha White Cornbread, crumbled (about 6 cups)
4 slices bread, torn into small pieces (about 2 ½ cups)
1 teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 450 F
Grease 13x9’’ baking dish or pan
In a small skillet, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until tender
In a large bowl, combine cooked celery mixture, cornbread, bread, sage, and black pepper. Mix well.
Add broth and eggs to cornbread mixture. Mix well.
Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10 servings.

I usually double this and cook in one baking dish for Thanksgiving.




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Oh I don't have the green bean casserole typed up but if you by French's Dried Onions, it's on the back of the package. Sometimes you can find it on the back of the can of green beans. You can use Cream of Chicken Soup or Cream of Mushroom Soup.

It all seems heavy and fattening, but you can buy the no fat or reduced fat versions of things, that's what I do. Have fun

Amy's Roasted Tomatoes with Goat-Cheese Filling

2 bags/boxes (or about 50) grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 4-oz package of soft goat cheese
1 bunch fresh dill, shredded
10 leaves of fresh opal basil, shredded
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
olive oil
bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything but the tomatoes, bread crumbs and oil in a bowl until completely blended. Then squeeze the tomato halves so there's room inside, and use a butter knife to fill each half with some of the cheese filling. Once they're arranged in a baking dish, sprinkle the bread crumbs and more pepper over them, then drizzle enough olive oil over them to cover them. (A Misto is best for this)

Bake for about 25 minutes at 400. They make a great appetizer or side dish.

blacbird said:

And sweet potatoes, easily and simply prepared. My favorite is just to peel and cube them up into bite-sized chunks, toss a little lemon juice on them (both for flavor and to prevent discoloration), sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, and bake until tender. You may want to add some butter and honey, too. This actually works well in the microwave, too.

Click to expand...

I add butter, but not honey. And just before I take them out of the oven, I do a really unhealthy southern twist: I throw marshmallows on top and let them brown a little.

Festive Cranberry Salad

In our family, instead of plain cranberry sauce we make a red Jello (raspberry or strawberry) and add cooked fresh cranberries or a can of whole cranberry sauce, chopped walnuts, minced celery, chopped apple, chopped fresh orange and pineapple bits.

It's a tasty dish and easy to modify using your preferred fruits and nuts.

Flavored Noodles (that's the only name I have for them)

1 package noodles (12 or 16oz) whatever shape you like
1 packet Good Seasons dressing flavor-- found in the salad dressing aisle, usually by the croutons. Comes in Garlic and Herb, Italian, and Zesty Italian flavors
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cook noodles. Drain. Return to pan. Pour packet over noodles. Add oil. Stir until evenly coated. Serve.

My favorite go-to sweet potato recipe is savory instead of sweet (although that souffle is tempting!)

sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced very thin) - I use 1 per person
olive oil -just enough to coat - maybe a tbsp or 2?
sea salt to taste
thyme leaves (strip off the stems) - I buy a bunch from the store and use about 1/2

Stir all of the above in a bowl until well mixed. Put in a greased casserole dish and bake covered at 350 degrees farenheit for about a half hour. Remove the cover and keep baking until just the edges of the sweet potatoes turn black.

The inside will be soft, the top will be caramelized and a bit crunchy.

Green beans with browned butter and toasted almonds. Easy, easy easy and very good.

Boil the green beans until crisp tender. Drain. Brown butter – (be careful though, since there's only a second or two difference between browned (nutty, fragrant, wonderful) and burnt (useless – throw away). Toast slivers of almonds in a dry pan. Just before serving, pour melted browned butter on the beans and top with almonds. Toss. Serve.

Another Jell-O salad favorite:

1 large pkg Orange Jell-O
1 can crushed pineapple
3-5 med to lg carrots, peeled
2 cans ginger ale (Vernors is the bestest if you can get it)

Make the Jell-O according to directions, except use the ginger ale instead of the cold water. Add as much of the crushed pineapple as you please. Shred carrots in. Stir gentle to distribute across the entire thing. Chill.

VERY yummy.