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Category: Thanksgiving

  • Cornbread Stuffing

    Cornbread Stuffing

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     Cornbread Stuffing
    Stuffing is one of the dishes we have experimented with the most. This cornbread stuffing recipe is our favorite. It is based on the Smoke Daddy Restaurant recipe. You can’t go wrong with sausage, bacon, onions, and sage.
    cornbread stuffing-6374-2
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Corn Bread
    Stuffing
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Corn Bread
    Stuffing
    cornbread stuffing-6374-2
    Instructions
    Make the Corn Bread
    1. Preheating an oven to 400 F with a 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven as it heats.
    2. Mix up the dry ingredients including corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
    3. In a separate bowl whisk the milk, butter, and egg.
    4. Stir wet and dry together until just combined and still a bit lumpy. Let set for 10 minutes as oven and skillet heat up.
    5. Carefully remove blazing hot skillet and pour batter into skillet. Return to oven for 20-25 minutes until the cornbread is nicely browned.
    6. Move cornbread to a cutting board. I set the board on the skillet and turn both over. Then cut cornbread into 1 inch pieces.
    7. Dry the cornbread by spreading the pieces on baking sheet in a 200 F oven for 20 minutes.
    Cook Some Bacon
    1. Cook and drain bacon. The simplest way we have found is to arrange bacon on a baking sheet and cook in a 350 F oven for 15 minutes.
      cornbread stuffing-6182
    2. Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
    Assemble the Stuffing
    1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
    2. Cook sausage with 2 T butter until sausage is browned, about 15 minutes. Remove sausage using a slotted spoon.
    3. Add onion, sage and celery and cook an additional 15 minutes. Celery should still have some crunch.
      cornbread stuffing-6213
    4. In a large bowl, combine bacon, sausage, onions, and celery. Add torn pieces of corn bread, about 1 inch each. Toss with eggs. Pour into a 13×9 baking dish. Pour chicken stock over the mixture. The dish can be refrigerated at this point if you are making it for a big dinner like Thanksgiving.
    5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
      cornbread stuffing-6374-2
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  • Sweet Potato Casserole

    Sweet Potato Casserole

    We have tried a lot of sweet potato casserole recipes. This one is our favorite for Thanksgiving. The spices are just right, and we like the carrots and sweet potatoes together. It is based on a Food Network recipe that I scale to fill a 13×9 inch pan and has a pecan topping.

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     Sweet Potato Casserole
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 60 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Topping
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 60 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Topping
    Instructions
    1. Place sweet potatoes in a stock pot. fill with water, and boil for 20 minutes.
    2. Add carrots to stock pot and boil for 8 minutes longer.
    3. Drain and then transfer to a stand mixer bowl. Add brown sugar, butter, orange zest and egg. Mix until just combined.
      sweet potato casserole-3565
    4. Pour into a 13×9 baking dish and sprinkle with pecans and optional marshmallows.
      sweet potato casserole recipe
    5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350F.
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  • Green Bean Casserole

    Green Bean Casserole

    This green bean casserole recipe has been a hit at our Thanksgiving. It is a variation on a Alton Brown recipe.

    Do be careful with the onions. They can burn if you don’t watch them carefully. I burned a batch by using a hotter temperature from the original recipe. I also looked away for a bit. The onions turned from brown to black, and I had to start over. On my second, and successful attempt, I cut the oven temp to 350 F, used conventional vs convection heat, and checked them every 5 minutes.

     

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     Green Bean Casserole
    This green bean casserole recipe has been a hit at our Thanksgiving. It is a variation on a Alton Brown recipe.
    green bean casserole
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Topping
    Beans
    Sauce
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Topping
    Beans
    Sauce
    green bean casserole
    Instructions
    Onion Topping
    1. Preheat oven to 350F
    2. slice onions then toss them with bread crumbs, flour, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
      onions for green bean casserole
    3. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing them every 5 minutes. The onions will be golden brown.
    Beans
    1. Boil water in a stock pot.
    2. Trim and then blanche (briefly boil) the green beans for 4 minutes. Drain.
      green bean casserole
    Sauce
    1. Heat mushrooms in a skillet on medium low with 2 tablespoons butter and sauté until color deepens, about 10 minutes.
      mushrooms for green bean casserole
    2. Add garlic and nutmeg and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add 2 tablespoons of the stock to pull the flavors from the pan.
    3. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine, Let it bubble for 2-3 minutes.
    4. Add remaining stock, milk and cream. Stir and bubble for 5 minutes until it thickens.
    Pulling it all together
    1. Toss beans with mushroom cream sauce then arrange in a 13×9 pan.
    2. Sprinkle onions over top.
    3. The dish can be covered and refrigerated at this point if you are making it ahead.
      green bean casserole
    4. Preheat oven to 350 F, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
      green bean casserole
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  • Classic Cranberry Sauce Recipe

    Classic Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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     Cranberry Sauce
    This classic cranberry sauce recipe is a perfect compliment for roasted turkey or baked ham.
    classic cranberry sauce recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    classic cranberry sauce recipe
    Instructions
    1. Rinse cranberries and pull out any that are not firm
    2. Combine the cranberries with the sugar, water and zest in a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat.
    3. As berries pop they will break down. It is ok if they have a few lumps.
    4. Pour into a serving bowl.
      classic cranberry sauce recipe
    5. Cool and then cover with plastic wrap.
    6. Refrigerate over night or for up to a week.
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  • Thanksgiving Turkey

    Thanksgiving Turkey

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     Thanksgiving Turkey
    This is a thanksgiving turkey recipe that I have used for 10+ years. It is based on Alton Brown’s roasted turkey recipe. I adjusted the spices a bit so they were easier to measure, and I added a method for making a large amount of gravy.
    Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Resting After the Oven
    Prep Time 8 hours
    Cook Time 3 hours
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    The Bird
    Brine
    Aeromatics
    Other
    Prep Time 8 hours
    Cook Time 3 hours
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    The Bird
    Brine
    Aeromatics
    Other
    Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Resting After the Oven
    Instructions
    Brine
    1. Combine salt, sugar, stock, pepper, allspice, and ginger a stockpot and bring to a boil. Let the mixture cool. Then refrigerate until ready to use.
      Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Brine
    2. On the night before Thanksgiving dinner, place the turkey in a clean 5 gallon bucket. Make sure to remove the gizzards that are often placed in the cavity so that the brine can easily soak through the turkey.
    3. Add the brine, ice, and enough water to cover the turkey. Cover with foil and set in a cool place, out of reach of animals, for the night.
      Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe During Brine
    Roasting
    1. Early the next morning, preheat oven to 500 F, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, set in a roasting pan, and cover skin with canola oil.
    2. Add the aeromatic ingredients including apple, onion, sage, rosemary, and cinamon with water to a glass bowl, cover, microwave for 5 minutes on high, and then spoon into the cavity of the turkey.
      Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Aeromatics
    3. Tie legs with kitchen twine, fold the wings behind where the neck used to be.
    4. Insert counter top thermometer deep into the turkey breast.
      Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Ready for the Oven
    5. Roast turkey for 30 minutes at 500 F
      Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe-1925
    6. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 F and cover the turkey breast with a double layer of aluminum foil.
    7. If you want to make gravy, add it to the roasting pan as the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 155 F, or about 15 minutes before you will remove the turkey from the oven.
    8. Cook until breast meat is 161 about 2 1/2 – 3 hours for a 20-22 pound turkey.
    9. Remove turkey from oven, cover with foil and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes while you prepare gravy and heat the side dishes.
      pulling liquid from the turkey pan for gravy
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  • Mashed Potatoes

    Mashed Potatoes

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     Mashed Potatoes
    We make this mashed potato recipe all year, but only peel the potatoes at Thanksgiving. The mix of potatoes plus sour cream makes them more interesting than other recipes we have tried. It is based on Alton Brown’s masher recipe. We prefer it without garlic that he suggests.
    mashed potatoes
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Potatoes
    Dairy
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Potatoes
    Dairy
    mashed potatoes
    Instructions
    1. Add potatoes to a stock pot and fill with enough cold water to cover.
    2. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Check a piece to see if it is fully cooked.
    3. Drain the potatoes, and then return them to the cooking pot.
    4. Add the butter, sour cream, milk, and salt.
    5. Mash or if you have peeled the potatoes, you can use a ricer to smooth out the potatoes.
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  • Apple Sauce

    Apple Sauce

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     Apple Sauce
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Combine all ingredients in a microwaveable glass container.
    2. Cover but leave a crack for steam to escape. Microwave 10 minutes.
    3. Blend as smooth as you like your applesauce with an immersion blender. Test it out and add a bit more maple syrup if you want to sweeten it up.
    4. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. We like to heat the applesauce for 30 minutes before serving, but it is great cold too.
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  • Thanksgiving Gravy

    Thanksgiving Gravy

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     Thanksgiving Gravy Recipe
    This is the Thanksgiving gravy recipe that I make to go with our turkey and mashed potatoes. My trick is to pour chicken stock into the turkey roasting pan about 15 minutes before I take the turkey out of the oven. That way we get all the turkey flavors.
    turkey gravy
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    turkey gravy
    Instructions
    1. Pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the turkey roasting pan about a fifteen minutes before you expect to take it out of the oven.
    2. As you move the turkey out of the oven to rest (ours rests for 30 minutes), pull the liquid from the roasting pan and into a fat separator. We use a turkey baster to pull the liquid out.
      pulling liquid from the turkey pan for gravy
    3. Melt the butter with the flour in a 1.5 quart pan over medium low heat. Whisk the mixture together as the butter is melted.
      thanksgiving gravy
    4. Whisk in the garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and cook until the house smells amazing. About 5 minutes.
      thanksgiving gravy
    5. Continue to whisk until the mixture bubbles. It has to bubble to thicken the gravy.
    6. Slowly whisk the chicken stock (and not too much of the fat) with the flour and spices.
      thanksgiving gravy
    7. Simmer the gravy until it is as thick as you like, usually about 15 minutes.
    8. Add pepper and more thyme or rosemary to suit your taste.
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  • Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

    Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

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     Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water boils, add salt.
    2. Shred the cheese
    3. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add flour, whisk to combine, and allow mixture to bubble
    4. Add milk and whisk to combine. Continue to heat on low heat until the sauce thickens.
    5. Add pasta and cook to al dente.
    6. Reserve half a cup of the water in case you need to thin out the cheese sauce. Then strain the pasta.
    7. Remove sauce from heat. Add the cheese and whisk to combine. Then add noodles.
    8. Add a handful of fresh spinach leaves and stir.
    9. Optional – Pour into a 9×13 pan, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate. Warm in a 350F over for 20 minutes.
    10. Plate to serve. Green veggies make a nice compliment.
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  • Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup

    Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup

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     Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup
    Petoskey brewing serves a pumpkin soup with apple and bacon. It is awesome, especially with a good beer. We recreated it at home, and this is a pumpkin soup recipe for our version. Great comfort food for a cold day.
    pumpkin apple bacon soup
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    pumpkin apple bacon soup
    Instructions
    1. Cook bacon until firm, but not super crisp.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-6
    2. Peel, core, and cut apple into 1/4 inch dice.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-2
    3. Saute apple in butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-4
    4. Chop bacon into 1/2 inch dice
    5. Stir in bacon, pumpkin, chicken broth, cream, spice, maple syrup. Warm over medium low for 5 minutes.
    6. To make it pretty, I cut up an extra apple, and a bit of extra bacon to garnish each bowl. I also like to serve the soup with pretzel rolls. It wasn’t garnished at the restaurant, but as I said, Petoskey Brewing has really good beer. They also had pretzel rolls. I love pretzel rolls. At home we like to serve the soup with these Pretzilla mini buns. They are really good. Sometimes we eat this pumpkin soup as dinner. It also works as a side dish with grilled cheese, hamburgers, or pork chops. It makes great comfort food for a cold day.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup | yeadadshome.com
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