Category Archives: THANKSGIVING DINNER RECIPES

CORNBREAD DRESSING

Now, as far as I’m concerned, there are few dishes better than dressing. And because I love dressing so much I always make too much. I simply can’t stop myself. But for the sake of keeping to my mission of providing you with economical and smaller scale recipes to serve during the holidays, I was actually able to curb my natural tendency to be a dressing over-achiever, and kept the proportions to the perfect size to accompany my Crispy Skinned Roast Chicken or any other main dish for a smaller gathering.

Now of course, if you wanted to use this recipe to feed more people you could always just double or triple the ingredients. (See, already I’m thinking of a larger quantity. There truly is no help for me!) But I sincerely hope this recipe helps you when you are planning a small dinner party or to keep your holiday meal budget in line.

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (pork or chicken)
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 c. diced celery
3/4 c. chopped onion
½ tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. poultry seasoning (or to taste)
¼ tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
3 c. cubed rustic bread (I like part sour dough)
1 (8.5-oz.) box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix, baked per package instructions, cubed
1 egg, beaten
2 c. chicken broth (not low sodium)

Fry sausage (crumbling it as it browns) in a large frying pan or Dutch oven. When browned add the butter, celery, and onion; cook until the onion is transparent. Stir in the sage, poultry seasoning, garlic, and parsley. Remove from heat and gently stir in the bread cubes and cubed cornbread. (Don’t worry if the cornbread breaks down.) Whisk together the egg and chicken broth. Pour over the bread mixture and gently stir until combined. Now, if you are like me, you will want to taste the dressing at this point. Don’t worry that the dressing seems too sweet. After it is baked it will be perfect.

Spoon the dressing into a buttered casserole pan, cover with lid or aluminum foil, and either refrigerate until ready to bake or place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove lid and bake an additional 5 minutes or until starting to brown on top. Serve hot.

PIE CRUST

I learned to make this pie crust when I was 21 years old. My neighbor in student housing was the local home economics teacher. (Her husband was a graduate student, that’s why they too could live in student housing.) Anyway, I was so in the very early stages of learning to cook. I had a Betty Crocker cookbook and a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and I absolutely poured over them every evening.

So one day I was complaining to my friend that I really wanted to learn how to bake pies, but that they looked like they would be way over my head too hard. She said pshaw or words to that effect and dragged me into her kitchen. She gave me a one-on-one lesson on how to make the perfect pie crust and I have never looked back.

Now the last thing I want to do is try and convince you to try this recipe if you already have a great pie crust recipe. Good pie crust is tricky business. I swear 2 people making the same recipe can come up with dramatically different results. My pie crust recipe might turn out like cardboard for you and drive you to start drinking. And vice versa, I might try your recipe, find that it does not work for me at all, and end up giving up drinking! I just can’t take that chance.

But, if by some slim chance you don’t have a good pie crust recipe, I would like to offer up this proven winner. The ingredients are much the same as any other pie crust. It’s the way they are assembled that makes this recipe so different. My dear mentor, and for the life of me I can’t remember her name, explained that what makes pie crust tough is adding the water straight in with the shortening. She said that adding a little of the flour to the water first, prevented that problem. And I have to tell you, that in the 48 years I have been making pies, (48 years!?!?) I haven’t had to throw out even one pie. I’ve felt like throwing a few in my day, but never because the pie tasted awful!

¼ c. very cold water
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside. Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie, if using a regular sized pie plate, or one large bottom crust with a little left over for pastry cookies or small tart like the one shown below.

Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.

FRENCH APPLE PIE

This recipe came to me from my mother-in-law Betty. It was her mother’s recipe and now it is the only apple pie recipe served at our extended family holiday get-togethers. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Auntie Evelyn, my daughter Paula or me making the pies, grandma Freund’s apple pie has got to be one of the offerings. And there is a very good reason for that. French apple pie is fabulous. And it’s easy. Working with just one crust is always easier than trying to fit a top crust over the filling, crimping the edges so they look beautiful, and actually getting the whole thing in and out of the oven without incident.

So next time you want to bake an apple pie, give this recipe a try. The crunchy topping reminiscent of crumbled shortbread makes just a lovely contrast to the tender apple slices. I know you and your family and friends will become devoted fans at first bite. I know that’s all it took for me!

½ to 2/3 c. sugar (depends on the tartness of your apples)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. + 1 c. flour
6-8 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
pie crust for 9-inch one crust pie
½ c. butter, room temperature
½ c. packed brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour. Add apple slices and combine thoroughly. Pour into a pastry lined pie pan. It should look like there are way too many apples. That’s exactly what you want. See picture below.

Cream butter and sugar together; add the remaining 1 cup flour. Crumble over apples. Cover edges of pie crust with 1 ½-inch strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil last 5 minutes of baking.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 60 minutes or until top is nicely browned and the apples are tender. Serve slightly warm with a side of vanilla ice cream or for an extra special treat, topped with Bourbon Caramel Whipped Cream. (Recipe under This & That)

BONUS RECIPE – PIE CRUST (my secret recipe)

¼ c. very cold water
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl. Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside. Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.) Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie if using a regular sized pie plate, or one large bottom or top crust with a little left over for pastry cookies* or a small tart like the one shown below.

*To make pie crust cookies, roll out the left over dough, cut into whatever size or shape you like, place on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake along with your pie, but not for as long. Check after 20 minutes. The “cookies” should be nicely browned on the bottom when they are done. Note: pastry cookies need not be shared with anyone else. They are meant to be eaten only by the baker!

BOURBON CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM

There are few things as wonderful as pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top. But when you add a whipped cream that has been enhanced with a bourbon flavored caramel sauce, well howdy, heaven is just a fork full away.

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. + 2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. good bourbon
freshly ground nutmeg, opt.

Whisk butter and brown sugar together over medium heat in a small heavy saucepan until brown sugar has dissolved completely. (This happens after the mixture comes to a boil and is allowed to burble for a couple of minutes or until it turns kind of shiny. Continue whisking the whole time the mixture is on the heat.) Remove from heat and gently whisk in the quarter cup heavy cream and bourbon. Allow caramel to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Beat the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks. Add the cold caramel sauce and whip just until well blended. (The caramel sauce and whipped cream can be combined up to a few hours before serving.)

Lovely served on bread pudding and pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie with just a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg on top to provide color and a tough of spice, so to speak. Of course, straight out of the bowl is pretty marvelous too! Oh, and Mr. C. loves this on his morning latte.

WILD MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING

I found this recipe in the Seattle Times several years ago and have been making it ever since. It is a perfect dish to serve with a holiday meal. It’s basically like eating a very rich and savory stuffing or dressing, but in my opinion is easier to prepare. The wild mushrooms are just delicious, but if you can’t find any, use crimini over button mushrooms. This recipe also has the advantage that it can be prepared the day before and simply refrigerated until about an hour before you plan to bake it in your oven. Better and better, wouldn’t you say?

So give it a try. Instead of stuffing your bird this Thanksgiving or Christmas, place this bread pudding on your holiday table. It will be a huge success.

1 c. milk
1 c. whipping cream
2 large eggs, room temp.
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
½ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 c. packed cubed sour dough bread (1 or 2 day old chewy sourdough bread is best for this recipe)
2 T. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8-oz. coarsely chopped wild mushrooms

Combine milk, cream, eggs, salt, pepper, rosemary, and parsley in a medium sized bowl. Gently fold in bread cubes and set aside. Melt butter in a medium sized sauté pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Allow to cool and scoop into the bowl with softened bread cubes. Stir gently and pour mixture into a lightly buttered casserole dish. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

SPINACH CASSEROLE

This is just a wonderful recipe from Ina Garten. The mixture of flavorful white sauce, spinach, and cheeses is just amazingly rich and delicious. This lovely side dish is just perfect for a holiday meal or whenever you need a little richness to offset other menu items that have been very simply prepared. Regardless of how or when you serve this delicious veggie casserole, you and yours are going to be glad you did. Try it this Christmas for a lovely change of pace from green bean casserole.

And I suppose, if you simply can’t imagine life without those canned crunchy fried onions that are such a part of the green bean casserole tradition, by all means sprinkle some on top along with the Parmesan and Gruyere. I don’t think it will matter much to the overall taste of the casserole. And if it makes you and yours happy, I say go for it! In fact, I may try adding them this year myself. After all, what’s a few hundred more calories among friends?

4 T. butter
4 c. chopped yellow onion
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
5 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1/2 c. grated Gruyère cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Whisk in the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well; add salt and pepper. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Adjust seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyère. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot out of the oven.

WALDORF SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND ORANGE ZEST

This is one of the easiest salads to prepare. I came up with this recipe one day when I needed a crunchy salad to serve with a holiday meal. I am not a regular Waldorf salad fan, but I wanted a salad along the same lines. So thinking apples and tying in the whole holiday flavor thing together I remembered how much I loved cranberries and oranges together. Throw in some celery and walnuts, and Bob’s your uncle! But then, what to do for a dressing? For this salad, anything with a mayonnaise base just didn’t seem like it would work. I wanted a dressing that was creamy and sweet, but not too sweet. I had a small amount of marshmallow cream left in the fridge so I thought that might be an interesting ingredient for a dressing. Then I thought about vanilla pudding. So I made a small box of vanilla pudding and combined some of the cold pudding with the marshmallow crème. I was happily surprised when the combination produced an absolutely delicious and very creamy salad dressing not only great for this recipe, but for other types of fruit salads. And Mr. C, always the good sport, was very happy to eat the rest of the pudding over the course of the next couple of days. What a guy!

So any time you need an easy fruit salad that everyone from your youngest to your oldest family member or guest will enjoy, give this recipe a try. And doubling or tripling this salad could not be easier.

3.5-oz. prepared vanilla pudding cup or 1/2 c. vanilla pudding
3 T. marshmallow crème
1 tsp. finely grated orange peel or chopped orange zest
¼ c. dried cranberries
3 chopped unpeeled granny Smith apples
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Whisk the vanilla pudding, marshmallow crème, and orange rind/zest together in a medium sized bowl. Add the dried cranberries, apples, celery, and walnuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

COSMOPOLITAN

Most of you know I’m a martini drinker. But on occasion I leave the comfort of ice cold gin and go over to the wild side and have either one (and I do mean one) of Mr. C’s Margaritas in the summer or for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, one or two (never more than two) of his delicious cosmopolitans. (I couldn’t finish dinner preparations if I had more than two of these babies!)

Cosmopolitans are delightful served any time of year, but are especially wonderful served at holiday time. They look festive, reflect the cranberry flavor we have all learned to associate with “the holidays”, and the tang of the lime juice beautifully counter balances the sweetness of the orange flavored liqueur. Cosmopolitans are wonderfully tart and refreshing and perfect served with appetizers.

Mr. C usually combines the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, Rose’s lime juice, and fresh lime juice ahead of time. (Depending on how many guests we expect, he makes enough for one each.) Then when a drink request comes his way, he does the whole shaker with ice thing and serves up a freshly made drink. Yea Thanksgiving! I can hardly wait to make sure I still like these marvelous drinks. (Maybe I should ask Mr. C to make me one before the big day; you know, make sure he hasn’t lost the Cosmopolitan touch.) Oh, honey…….

3 oz. vodka
1 ½ oz. Cointreau or or other orange flavored liqueur
4 oz. cranberry juice cocktail
splash of Rose’s lime juice
juice of ½ large lime
ice
2 slices of lime, garnish

Pour vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, Rose’s lime juice, fresh lime juice, and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a slice of lime.

CREAMY CARAMELIZED PEARL ONIONS AND PETITE PEAS

This is another perfect veggie dish to serve during the holidays. The peas and creamy rich onions combined are not only beautiful to behold but taste absolutely delicious together.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
1-2 c. frozen petite peas

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over fairly high heat. And the onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Reduce heat; pour in cream and slowly simmer until cream is thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Just before serving, place frozen peas in a small colander and rinse under cold water to remove any ice crystals. Drain and gently stir in with the onions. Heat the mixture only until the peas are hot*. Add additional cream if necessary. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

*You don’t really want or need to cook the peas. They are much tastier when served just heated through. In fact, when I make Pea Salad (another wonderful Thanksgiving side dish by-the-way) I don’t heat the peas at all. They are basically right out of the freezer when I add them to the other ingredients.

CREAMY CARAMELIZED PEARL ONIONS

This is a perfect holiday veggie. Our good friend Jim first made this amazing and simple dish for one of our holiday meals, and it was the first food to disappear. Something you should know about Jim before I go any further is that he never makes a small amount of anything he prepares. (God love him.) So even my gravy (and I make fairly decent gravy if I say so myself) didn’t disappear as fast as these onions.

So if you want to serve a veggie that is so delicious that your family and friends will be declaring you the queen or king of the kitchen, add this recipe to your menu. But be advised, it is very rich. You might want to serve it along with another vegetable dish that is fairly simple, like my easy and make ahead recipe for Green Beans.

Any way you serve these onions, you are going to be very happy that you did. Thanks again Jim for the recipe. See you and Margo on turkey day. Don’t forget to add this dish to the menu. Hint hint!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg

CHEZ CARR CUISINE

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