Tag Archives | Thanksgiving

Baked Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing

By on October 1, 2011 in Survival Guide for Busy Moms

Thanksgiving Recipes

Baked Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing is my favorite stuffing recipe.  Personally, I’m not a stuff-the-turkey person.  I would rather bake my stuffing separately like in this simple recipe and stuff my turkey with fresh items like onion slices, celery stalks and butter to give it more flavor.  Plus, an un-stuffed turkey takes less time to cook.

Baked Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing

Ingredients:

  1. celery- 1 leafy bundle, trimmed and chopped fine- leaves and all
  2. onion- 1 large, peeled and chopped fine
  3. cranberries, fresh- 1 cup
  4. chestnuts- fresh, chopped or canned, chopped
  5. dried parsley- 2 tablespoons
  6. dried thyme- 1 tablespoon
  7. dried sage- 1 tablespoon
  8. either stuffing mix like Pepperidge Farm Cornbread- 2 14 oz. or 1 pound bread like French, Italian or white sandwich, cut into small cubes
  9. 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  10. chicken stock- 1 10 oz. can

Celery and onion can be chopped ahead of time and stored in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Directions:

  1. Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat
  2. Add the celery and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally
  3. Add the broth and heat to a boil
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat
  5. Add the stuffing or bread cubes, cranberries, chestnuts, parsley, thyme and sage
  6. Spoon the stuffing mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole baking dish
  7. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the stuffing is hot

 

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Glazed Cranberry Apple Rolls

By on October 1, 2011 in Survival Guide for Busy Moms

Thanksgiving Recipes

Glazed Cranberry Rolls may sound complex, but this is a simple and delicious recipe to add a little glamor to your Thanksgiving Menu.  This recipe is also part of Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving.

Glazed Cranberry Apple Rolls Recipe

Ingredients:

  1. Frozen bake and serve rolls like Rhodes Warm-n-Serve- thawed
  2. Cranberries, fresh- 1/2 cup- chopped
  3. Granny Smith Apple- 1- cored and chopped with skin
  4. Butter- 1/4 cup (half a stick)
  5. Brown sugar- 1/2 cup

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350
  2. Place thawed rolls onto baking sheet
  3. Heat butter in saute pan over medium-high heat until melted
  4. Add sugar, chopped cranberries and chopped apple and stir until sugar is dissolved
  5. Spoon sugar mixture over each roll
  6. Bake according to package directions or until brown

 

 

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Thanksgiving Dinner For A Large Group- What I Learned

By on December 7, 2010 in Making Dinner

As I pack away the turkey salt-n-pepper shakers and look at the Christmas decoration boxes, I always ask myself if all this work was worth it.  Here’s what I learned this year from cooking Thanksgiving dinner (again) for a large group:

1.)  Yes, quite a bit of planning and work went in to making this, and every, Thanksgiving dinner special.

2.) Organization and the preparation made the actual day of Thanksgiving feel effortless.  

3.) By preparing ahead, all I had left to do was steam the green beans and watch my grandmother make her pan-turkey gravy (because nobody does it like Grams) while the turkey and casseroles baked in the oven.

4.) I had time to spend with my family and guests; and that’s what it’s all about, right?  What’s the point of having the people who are special to you in your home for dinner if you’re going to spend all of your time stressed in the kitchen wondering what to do next?

5.) So what was I going to do with all my extra time on Thanksgiving Day?  Have a re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving with the kids, of course!

6.) Still, more time on my hands to enjoy myself. 

7.) To sum it up, I learned that Grams’ gravy is the best, there will always be a little family drama, my kids will never forget playing pilgrims and indians, Connor gives the best kisses, planning and organization made it possible and yes, absolutely, the effort was well worth it! 

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My Perfect Cranberry Sauce and Herbed Not-So-Sweet Potato Casserole

By on November 24, 2010 in Making Dinner

If you’ve never made cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries; be prepared to shock yourself at how amazingly easy it is.  Here is my fool-proof recipe that’s perfect to make ahead of time; it’s also perfectly simple, perfectly delicious and perfectly beautiful… that’s why I call it “Perfect Cranberry Sauce”.let cranberries soften and pop

Perfect Cranberry Sauce

This recipe for cranberry sauce has never let me down; that’s why I call it “perfect”.

Ingredients:

  1. 3 cups cranberries (1 12oz. bag)

  2. 1 cup orange juice

  3. 1 cup sugar

  4. Cinnamon sticks- 2

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in saucepan; cook over medium heat stirring constantly

  2. Be amazed at how beautiful the cranberries look when they soften and begin to pop

  3. Once cranberries are completely softened and have popped (about 10-12 minutes), remove from heat, cool
  4. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving

Herbed Not-So-Sweet Potato Casserole

If you like your sweet potatoes to taste less like dessert and more like a side dish for your turkey; you’ll love this easy recipe.  Dried herbs bring an earthy flavor undertone to this usually-sweet side dish.dried herbs give an earthy flavor to this usually-sweet side dish

Ingredients:

  1. Sweet potatoes- 2 1lb cans
  2. Butter- ½ cup (¼lb or 8 tbspns) plus a few tbspns more to pour on top
  3. Marshmallows- 1 bag
  4. Brown sugar- ¼ cup
  5. Dried sage and thyme- 1 tspn each

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in microwave
  2. Combine sweet potatoes, melted butter, ½ of marshmallows, sugar and herbs
  3. Beat until smooth
  4. Transfer to casserole dish and pour remaining marshmallows and drizzle melted butter on top
  5. Bake on 375 for 30-45 minutes

Warm Cranberry Rolls

Ingredients:

  1. Frozen white roll dough- 2 bags
  2. Fresh cranberries- 1 cup, chopped
  3. Butter- 4 tbspns

Directions:

  1. Let dough thaw and rise according to directions
  2. Arrange dough on baking sheet
  3. Sprinkle chopped cranberries on top and brush with melted butter
  4. Bake according to directions

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

  1. Baby spinach
  2. Dried cranberries (Craisins)
  3. Pine nuts
  4. Rasberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

  1. Place spinach in salad bowl
  2. Top with cranberries and pine nuts
  3. Drizzle with dressing; toss

Let’s Talk Turkey

I’ve never been a stuffing-in-the-turkey person; so instead, I take fresh herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary with leafy stalks of celery and onion halves to stuff in my turkey before baking.  I found this link for the best tips on cooking your Thanksgiving Turkey: Sara Moulton’s Turkey Tips.

For my stuffing, I saute chopped onion, celery and cranberries in butter.  Then I combine that with my stuffing mix and chicken broth to bake separately.

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