I'm a little late on the Thanksgiving post, especially as I look out my living room window at my neighbor's Christmas tree all lit up. But I still wanted to post my Thanksgiving menu and recipes. Everyone loves a yummy, new recipe!
I cooked Thanksgiving for the first time this year...small crowd, just me, Nick, and my mother-in-law for dinner and my father-in-law and his girlfriend for pre-dinner appetizers. Even though all my appliances should have been packed up for our upcoming move, I still wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner for us!
Overall it was a success...with a few minor glitches...nothing catastrophic. I ALMOST ruined the turkey, but caught it just in time and it was delicious! Nick did kinda ruin the mashed potatoes...potato puree. (sorry honey...but we laughed about it, right!?) The only thing I didn't do was use the good china that we got for our wedding. It just didn't make sense to pull it out for the 3 of us and then have to pack it all back up for the move. Next year.
Menu:
Appetizers
-Stuffed Mushrooms
-Brie & Raspberry Tarts
-Shrimp Dip
Dinner
-Turkey
-My southern (Mississippi type of south) Grandmother's cornbread dressing
-Cranberry Clementine Sauce
-Mashed Potatoes (puree style, haha)
-Lemon Garlic Green Beans
-Rolls (store bought)
-Gravy
Recipes...I did a bit of research and watched the Food Network to find what I wanted for the menu. Some I would make again and some I would not.
Giada De Laurentiis's Stuffed Mushrooms
I liked these and they were easy...simple stuffed mushroom app...nothing crazy, but good!
Ingredients
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.
3. Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom.
4. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve.
Brie & Raspberry Preserves Tarts
shared with me by my friend, Rachel...very easy, yummy and easy to eat as an appetizer. Nobody likes an appetizer that requires silverware!
Ingredients
1 package of mini phyllo cups
1 package of creamy (soft) brie
1 jar of preserves (your preference)
Directions
1. Spoon the brie into phyllo cups
2. Top with preserves
3. Heat for ~10 minutes on 350 degrees
Creamy Shrimp Dip
I would not do this again because while it was yummy, it was a little heavy for my taste. After I made it, I immediately wished I had made my sister-in-law's shrimp and avocado dip which is fresh and yummy without all the cream (and bad fats). Now you want that recipe, huh?? Ok. I'll ask her for it and post later.
tizer table. see the relish dish in the background...blum family (my mom's side) staple with pickles and olives.
Ingredients
8 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
juice from 1/2 a lemon
3/4 lb shrimp
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Directions
1. Cook & chop shrimp
2. Combine cream cheese, mayo, and lemon juice
3. Stir in shrimp, celery, and scallions
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Serve with chips or crackers
Turkey
I watched Food Network...I watched Wegmans videos online...I read turkey recipes online...looked at recipes in magazines...I HAD IT ALL GOING FOR ME. and then I forgot to tent the turkey. I hear all you experienced turkey cooks going "ohhhhh" in a "you can't forget that part" kind of way. i know, i know. But I forgot the tent. So the turkey is looking all yummy and brown, but not getting hot enough (so therefore not cooking inside!) and as it got to 2.5 hrs...it dawned on me. FOIL! A tent went on...turkey cooked...thanksgiving saved.
13lb turkey
Stuffed with fresh oranges (quartered), lemons (halfed), rosemary, sage, and thyme. Rubbed with butter and all the mentioned spices plus salt and pepper.
opps...wrong turkey! but cute enough to gobble up! Her eyes look blue in the picture, but don't be fooled...she didn't get my blue eyes, she got Nick's warm, big brown eyes. She did however get both of our chubby cheeks...which just keep getting chubbier and I LOVE THEM!
Grandmother Lib Smith's Cornbread Dressing
I looove this dressing (or stuffing if you will)...so good. Always reminds me of Thanksgiving and in fact I didn't know that there was any other kind of stuffing till I got much older and realized there was wet stuffing with sausage and all kinds of other ingredients. Not my cup of tea.
I made this for the first time this year and here is our Smith family recipe.
Ingredients
2 boxes of
JIFFY cornbread mix. Follow directions on box for bread.
10-12 pieces
of white sandwich bread. Crust removed, cut into small size cubes.
white onions
– cut up – approx 2 c.
celery – cut
up (small) – 2 c.
fresh
mushrooms , sliced into medium size pieces – 1 ½ c
4-5 clove of
garlic, minced in garlic press – more depending on your taste
Margarine
Salt & pepper
to your taste
1 can low
sodium Swanson’s chicken broth
Directions
1. Crumble
cornbread into small pieces. Put in lg bowl, add bread cubes, set aside.
2. Into a lg
fry pan/skillet melt 2-3 TBS of margarine. Saute minced garlic, onion, &
celery until tender. 3. Add the mushrooms
at end as they don’t need as much time and blend in until soft. Remove the
mixture from the stove.
**depending
on the amt of dressing and size of pan, you will need to do this step a few
times. Just dump the mixture into a larger bowl and start over again. Be sure
there is some margarine in the pan so these ingredients don’t burn or turn
brown! You can season with salt & pepper
- not much – at this time.
4. Melt
1TBS margarine in the same pan and add the cornbread & bread cubes and some of the chicken broth to moisten it.
This is traditionally a drier dressing than others, so the broth is NOT to make
is stick together, just hold it “some”.
5. Add the onion, garlic
etc mixture until it’s all blended together. Repeat this step depending on the
amt of dressing making and size of skillet.
6. Turn into a
9x13 glass Pyrex (coated w/ PAM spray or margarine). Cover with aluminum foil.
BAKE at 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes – till headed through.
Lemony Green Beans
Nick found this recipe and we liked it! He loves green beans but also likes to cook them kinda greasy, whereas I prefer them crunchy with some vitamins still left inside. So we compromise (as they tell you to do in a marriage) and this recipe is a good one for both of us.
Ingredients
1 pound green beans
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest of 2 large lemons (yellow part only)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
1/3 cup lightly packed grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. For crunchy green beans, blanch them in boiling salted water for 1 minute. For softer beans, aim for 5 minutes.
2. Drain beans, plunge them into ice water, and drain again thoroughly. Transfer them to a bowl.
3. In a small skillet over low heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil just until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not let it brown).
4. Pour the green beans into the pan with the mixture and add the lemon zest, parsley, cheese, and salt and pepper, tossing everything together. Serve warm..
Anne Burrell's Cranberry Clementine Sauce
I really liked this and it smelled delicious while cooking. But it has a VERY tart tang from the cranberries. A little too strong of a flavor for Nick, but I thought it was really good, especially with the cinnamon. I did not use the star anise because I couldn't find it at Wegmans...just thought I'd admit that.
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
- 6 clementines, peeled and sectioned
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Directions
In a small saucepan combine fresh cranberries, clementines, orange and cranberry juices, sugar, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and simmer for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Eat warm or at room temp.
Ina Garten's Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
We accidentally "pulsed" the cuisinart a few too many times on these and got a puree-soup like texture. BUT the flavor was all there and tasted delicious. I will try these again and keep the pulsing to a minimum.
Ingredients
3 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water and add enough salt so the water tastes quite salty. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.
As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Place a food mill fitted with a small disc/blade over a glass bowl. Process the potatoes through the food mill, turning the handle back and forth to force the potatoes through the disc. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, slowly whisk in enough of the hot milk/butter mixture to make the potatoes very creamy. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the sour cream and pepper and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.
Gravy
Very simple gravy. Turkey drippings plus flour, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Brought to a boil and whisked until it was the correct consistency.
There you have it...my first Thanksgiving meal. Glad to say I have that "first" behind me and I learned a couple things...like you really need 2 ovens! And a helper...or husband like mine :) This makes me want to unpack my Kitchenaid and start baking and cooking for the next holiday...Christmas! Christmas in Virginia...lovely. Almost done unpacking...yay!
