Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

I’ve had a few people ask me for some thanksgiving day worthy recipe recommendations and thought it may be helpful to post links to the recipes that are in my repertoire all in one spot. With all the recipes floating around online, it’s nice to be able to pinpoint ones that have been tested (and tasted) and given the stamp of approval;)

Turkey Brine
I’m a big believer that brining a turkey makes all the difference. It pretty much ensures a juicy bird.
This recipe from Alton Brown is a good basic brine.

The Bird
You all know how much I love Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) and I find that a lot of my go-to thanksgiving recipes are courtesy of her. The most important recipe of the day is this one. You can substitute the herbs to your preference, but I can honestly say that this makes the perfect turkey (especially if you brine it first!)

Gravy
A good gravy is another very important accompaniment to your perfectly brined and roasted turkey. Even though this recipe is super decedent..the cognac and cream (and butter) are worthy of a turkey day splurge (plus, you only use a little, right??)

Dressing
Of course I think this recipe for dressing/stuffing is pretty great.

Cranberry Sauce
The only cranberry sauce you will see on my thanksgiving table.

Rolls
This Martha Stewart recipe for dinner rolls has quickly become a Thanksgiving staple.

Vegetables
This year we will be adding a couple new veggie side dishes to our spread. Both were featured at our thanksgiving themed dinner club in October. These brussel sprouts were so good I licked my and my dining neighbor’s plate clean of these. And green beans are a classic thanksgiving side dish, but these with shiitake mushrooms, change up the dish enough to feel like you are adding something new.

Also part of of spread are always mashed potatoes and a sweet potato dish that involves apple and raisins and that my mother-in-law has been making forever. This potato recipe is very basic, which with all the other fancy dishes gracing the table is perfect. It is another rich side, so if you are looking to save some calories you can replace the heavy cream with half & half or whole milk or a combination of the two. I personally can’t bring myself to put cream in my potatoes when there are lots of desserts to be had later!

Desserts
I have made all these recipes before and can vouch for their deliciousness. We always have at least three dessert options and this year I’ll be making a chocolate tart, pumpkin pie and apple crisp

Some other tried and true sweets are:

Pumpkin Roll

Apple Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

And actually think I will end up making this version of a crisp instead since I will have leftover cranberries from my sauce…

Hopefully this has given you some answers to the “what to make” question. If there are other recipes you are looking for or have any questions, post in the comments section, and I will be sure to respond.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Alethia

Molded Cranberry Sauce

I wanted to make sure to share this recipe before the Thanksgiving rush was upon us. I have been making this recipe for as long as I can remember (which possibly isn’t that long since I have the worst memory). What I do know for sure if that most everyone who tries it, really likes it. Especially my 6 year old who I think enjoys this sauce the most out of everything on the thanksgiving day menu.

Cranberry sauce doesn’t have to come out of a can and is actually pretty darn easy to make. A one pot dish that doesn’t require any chopping, the only real heavy lifting on this is zesting and squeezing oranges. Otherwise, everything just gets dumped into a pot, boiled, simmered and then molded.

Molded?? I get fancy with my cranberry sauce and put it into a ceramic dish from Williams-Sonoma that I bought specifically for this purpose. They don’t sell the ones that I own anymore, but I do really like their new option, which is a silicone version. I actually think the silicone is better as I usually have a hard time getting my sauce out in one piece. But you don’t have to have a special mold to make this a stand-out on your thanksgiving table. You can easily just put this in a regular serving bowl and set it as a dome or simply serve it right out of the bowl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Molded Cranberry Sauce
recipe from Williams-Sonoma (adapted just barely)
serves 8-10

1 Lb fresh cranberries
1 Cup granulated sugar (I usually use a little less than a full cup)
Zest of 2 large oranges ( this tool makes easy work of this step)
2/3 Cup fresh orange juice (there should be more than enough in the two zested oranges…just make sure to zest before you cut and squeeze…MUCH easier;) )
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2/3 Cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (looks like this ) plus 2 TBS water

Coat the inside of your mold or bowl with nonstick spray

In a large pot, add cranberries, zest, juice, salt and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes with lid off. The cranberries will burst and the sauce will thicken.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, put the two tablespoons water and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the gelatin sets (like solid jello…if that makes sense)

Once the cranberry sauce is cooked, add 1/2 cup of it to the gelatin bowl. Mix around until the gelatin is dissolved. Now add the jello/cranberry mixture back into the pot and stir to combine. Pour cranberry sauce into your mold/bowl and let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. You can make this up to 2 days in advance.

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and let sit on counter for an hour. This will make it easier to unmold. Place plate on top and invert. If all goes well, your lovely sauce will come out in one piece, ready to be part of your table centerpiece. If it gets stuck and breaks up….then throw it in a bowl and no one will know the difference because it will still taste fantastic!

Pumpkin Cornbread Dressing/Stuffing

I love any event that is all about the food. Thanksgiving is like the Super Bowl of cooking (not sure if that is a good analogy) in my book. The one holiday/day that you really need to bring your A game. The best of the best. I usually am pretty regimented with my choice of dishes for this holiday as I want to make sure whatever I make is received with acclaim. This isn’t the day to try out a brand new recipe. But when do you get a chance to experiment with thanksgiving side dishes?? Well, this year I get to cook for THREE turkey days. My mother’s side of the family gathered in SEPTEMBER(!!), my dinner club held a Thanksgiving themed evening this past weekend, and then we’ll have the main event next month at my in-laws. In my opinion, I had two opportunities to try out some fresh recipes to add to the (November) table.

So for dinner club this past weekend I was in charge of the stuffing. My go to uses bagged dried croutons, apples, chestnuts and cranberries. It always gets rave reviews and is based off the stuffing my mother has been making for as long as I can remember. So that was my plan…until I came across this delicious looking recipe for pumpkin cornbread on Pinterest . Cornbread stuffing? Perfect. I decided that I would keep the bulk of my recipe the same but substitute the apples with sweet Italian sausage to cut the sweetness of the cornbread (and pork just makes everything better in my opinion). I’m pretty pleased with the end result and am thinking this may become my new “go-to”!

*you can make the cornbread a day or two in advance. You may need to add additional stock to keep it from drying out too much while it bakes if it’s not made same day

(This photo was taken before it was cooked..the after picture should have been taken during dinner club, but pumpkin martinis circumstances prohibited that from happening)

Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing
serves 8-10

1 recipe for pumpkin cornbread– next time I make this I may reduce the sugar by half to make it slightly less sweet

3 sweet Italian sausage links (or hot if you prefer, or a mixture of both)- casings removed
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup dried cranberries
8oz jar whole cooked and shelled chestnuts (you can buy these at Whole Foods or Williams-Sonoma)- if you can’t locate chestnuts or want to pay the crazy price for a jar…I think pecans would be great in this too)- chopped
2-3 cups chicken stock (if you want to get fancy make your own stock)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook the cornbread according to the recipe linked. Once it’s cool (or the next day), use your hands to crumble it into a large mixing bowl.

In a large skillet cook the sausage over medium-high heat, using the back of your spoon to break it into pieces. Once it is browned (about 8-10 minutes) use a slotted spoon to add it to the cornbread bowl, leaving the pork grease (YUM!!) in the pan.
Lower heat to medium. If there isn’t a good amount of fat in the pan, add in the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add celery and onion and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the mixture to the pork and cornbread. At this point, add the cranberries and chestnuts. Use a large spoon to gently combine all the ingredients. Add in 1-2 cups of the stock, reserving the rest to keep it moist during cooking, gently incorporating it with a spoon or spatula. Transfer mixture to a 9″x13″ baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (or so, you want it heated through and browned on top ), adding stock if you need to. If your thanksgiving oven(s) need to be set at a different temperature due to other side dishes/ turkey then you could probably cook this at a temperature of up to 425. Just adjust cooking time and maybe cover with aluminum foil to keep the top from getting too browned.

If you made this a day in advance, you’ll need to increase cooking time. Leave foil on until it’s no longer cold, then remove and continue to cook until top is browned and it’s heated through.