I never have the problem of not knowing what to serve with the turkey, mainly because I seldom cook a turkey! I have never really liked it, and it just isn't worth the money and time it takes to have only a few slices eaten with the rest going into the freezer and ultimately thrown out a year later. However, except for last year when I made enchiladas for Thanksgiving (and my girls thought the dinner was a total LOSER, even though thy like enchiladas), whatever I make as the replacement to the turkey needs some side dishes. OK, the enchiladas did too, but it wasn't difficult to make the spanish rice and reheat a can of refrieds.
This year, unless we head somewhere else, I am making a pork roast. It will be served with all the "normal" Thanksgiving dinner side dishes, except for the cranberry sauce. I don't know - maybe cranberries go well with pork, but I'm not going to serve it. So here are some recipes that will likely get used tomorrow, as well as a few that I have used in the past. Enjoy!
Aunt Melva's Savory Apple Stuffing
Cook 1/2 cup chopped celery and leaves, 1 cup chopped onion, and 2 Tb. parsley in 1/4 cup butter for 5 minutes. Add: 4 cups diced, peeled tart apples, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. each crumbled sage, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups toasted bread crumbs. Makes about 4 cups.
Sesame Green Beans
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. toasted sesame seeds*
Wash green beans. Snip ends and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch length (or you can leave them whole). Cook in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is hot. Pour over green beans. Serve.
*To toast sesame seeds, spread out in a small pan and place in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, OR place seeds in a small skillet or saucepan and stir over medium heat until lightly browned.
Sunshine Carrots - a recipe from cousin Catherine
5 medium carrots
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tb. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tb. butter
Slice carrots crosswise on the bias, about 1" thick. Cook, covered, in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain. combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and ginger in a small saucepan. Add orange juice and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Simmer one minute, then stir in butter. Pour over hot carrots, tossing to coat evenly. Serve.
Sweet Potato Bake
3 lbs. yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup brown sugar
2½ Tb. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup crushed pineapple (or pineapple chunks or tidbits), drained
1/2 cup orange or pineapple juice
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup marshmellows
Peel and quarter yams. Steam until tender. Drain and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle cranberries on the top. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, then sir in pineapple, orange peel, and juice. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter. Pour sauce over yams/cranberries. Sprinkle marshmellows on top. Bake in a 375° oven for 25 minutes.
Easy Jello Salad
1 16-oz container cottage cheese
1 sm. package Jello (any flavor works - I most often use orange or lime)
1 can mandarine oranges, drained (or other fruit, if desired)
1 carton Cool Whip, thawed
Mix the cottage cheese with the jello, stirring for at least 1 minute to incorporate the jello. The stir in the fruit and cool whip. Put in the fridge for 4 hours before serving.
Fruit Salad
1 or 2 large cans fruit coctail, drained
2 bananas, sliced
2 apples, chopped (your choice to peel or not)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped with 1/4 cup powdered sugar to stiff peaks
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)
Mix all ingredients and serve.
Mashed Potatoes
I am continually amazed at how many people do not know how to make mashed potatoes or prefer to make instant potatoes because they think the "scratch" method is too difficult. Well it isn't!
Peel potatoes (we LOVE our potatoes, so we always peel at least 5 pounds or more; but a good rule of thumb is to prepare 1½ potatoes per person). Rinse peeled potatoes in cool water, then quarter them. Place into a pot large enough to hold them. Add salt (five pounds of potatoes usually gets 1 tsp. of salt in my house). Add enough water to cover the potatoes, then put them on the stove over high heat. When the water begins to boil, turn down the heat to medium and put a lid on it. Potatoes should be cooked in about 15 minutes. You'll know they're done when you put a fork into them and it comes out easily. Drain, and reserve water (use it to make the gravy, or for the next time you make bread).
To mash you can do it the old fashioned way with a hand potato masher, adding a cube of butter and enough milk to make the potatoes fluffy, or you can use an electrict mixer, starting on low to crush the potatoes, and turning it to high to whip until light and fluffly. Don't forget the butter and milk! And season to taste with salt and pepper.
Gravy
After your bird is cooked, or if you cook another kind of meat (like a roast), let the drippings sit long enough so the fat will rise to the top. Skim the fat and discard. Pour the remaining drippings into a skillet or saucepan. Add the potato water (&/or broth from boiling the neck & giblets) and bring to a boil. You may need to add some bullion or a browning sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet (about 1 tsp.), if the gravy looks too diluted. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch (or flour) with 1 cup cold water (or milk), stirring until there are no lumps, then add all at once to the boiling drippings, stirring (I use a whisk). Reduce heat and stir until mixture is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. If you boiled the neck & giblets of the turkey, and didn't use the meat in the stuffing, you can chop the meat finely and add it to the gravy.
