Thanksgiving 2004 -- Winners and Losers [Archive]

MISSINDI

11-25-2004, 04:30 PM

catbatty - sorry to hear about your plans falling through, but sometimes an unexpected quiet evening at home is a nice and welcome surprise. Here's a few of the recipes -- will get the other two for you as soon as I get enough energy to go back downstairs. :)

Alysha�s Bleu Cheese Pecans
2 tablespoons butter
� cup crumbled bleu cheese
3 cups pecans
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the bleu cheese together. Stir in pecans, and cook until they are coated. Spread out over on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350� for approximately 10 minutes.

Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
3/4 pound shredded smoked Gouda
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Place potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and add the butter, cream, and cheese. Mash the potatoes, stirring to incorporate the seasonings. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Serve warm.

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Stuffing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds spinach, washed (3 cups cooked and roughly chopped)
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Emeril's Italian Essence, or other Italian seasoning blend
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 (8 1/2-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, any tough outer leaves removed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
12 to 14 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old French bread (1 loaf)
1 pound Brie, rind removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 T olive oil. Bring medium pot of water to boil. Add spinach and cook until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water. Once cool, squeeze as much water from spinach as possible, then roughly chop, and reserve.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 2 tsps of Italian Essence, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add artichokes and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

Combine eggs, cream, chicken stock, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon Italian Essence, remaining 2 tsps salt, and remaining 1 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the bread, spinach, artichoke mixture, brie, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and parsley and stir to combine. If bread does not absorb all of liquid immediately then let rest until this happens, about 20 minutes.

Pour the bread pudding mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve warm.

badunnin

11-25-2004, 04:36 PM

I made AB's turkey again this year, and it was even better than last time - just amazing. Lots of traditional stuff. Gail's Mulled Cranberries went over like a lead balloon, but I don't think they are a real cranberry sauce crowd. I, on the other hand, LOVE them, and even put a spoonful in a glass of seltzer water for a nice, refreshing little drink. :) Did the broccoli gratin from epicurious.com, and it was just OK. It was good, but nothing special, and I probably won't make it again. Not rich enough for a holiday table, IMO.

wallycat

11-25-2004, 05:26 PM

We had:
Jerk Pork Chops (INCREDIBLE!)...recipe has been posted here a lot.
We used the 1" thick chops and made them on the grill. Juicy, spicey and all-in-all, wonderful.

Onion pie..recipe posted here...Loved it. I think next year I will make it crustless.

Sourcream-cranberry relish...WONDERFUL (I posted the recipe on a cranberry thread). I have never liked the overly sweet cranberry sauce this time of year, so for me, this was IDEAL.

Popovers....I need lots of practice on these. I grind my own wheat and am sure that because there is so much more bran & germ, that is one reason they didnt' rise. I'll have to tweak the cooking time and temperature and see if I can make something a bit more edible next time.

Grilled zucchini...no special recipe but it is one of our favorites.

DH made cherry pie for dessert and I had Muscat as an after dinner drink and some Hagaan-dazs vanilla ice-cream with a TBS. of Tia Maria coffee liqueor poured over it. YUMMMMMMMMMM.

I am stuffed and looking forward to the leftovers :)

I hope everyone with a cold feels better soon.

AnnaSue

11-25-2004, 05:49 PM

I hosted dinner yesterday, and everything was so good!! No losers.

Here is what I made:

Sunset Sangria (Rachael Ray) - I made a huge pot of this, and it was so good! I think it was much stronger than it tasted though, because several of us felt pretty comatose today.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus (BB - saw) - These were excellent! And 30 of them were gone in just a few minutes. Good thing someone else brought another appetizer!

Spiced Pumpkin Soup (BA 11/02) - Most people really liked this, but I wasn't real crazy about it. I liked it, but I think there are better recipes out there.

Green Salad Vinagrette (SL) - Yum! This salad was so good, for something with such a boring name! It had bacon, roasted spiced pecans and red onion over salad greens with a vinaigrette of oil, raspberry vinegar and herbs. Definite repeater!

Good Eats Turkey (AB) - This was very good, but not quite as dramatically different from other turkey as I thought it would be. I may have overcooked it a bit, although I did use a digital thermometer like the one that AB recommended on his show. Not bad for the first turkey I ever cooked though!

Pear Gravy (BA 11/04) - This was great! It had pear juice, dark rum, marjoram and a few other things in it, and was very tasty!

Garlic-Gruyere Mashed Potatoes (SL) - These potatoes were very good, but nothing real different from other recipes.

Broccoli Gratin (SL) - I actually used broccoli and cauliflower, and this was surprisingly good. I mainly chose this recipe since it didn't require the oven, but the sauce that went over the vegetables was quite flavorful.

Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing (epicurious) - This recipe was a huge hit! I was bit concerned about it drying out since I needed to bake it before the turkey and then keep it warm, but I just spooned it into the crockpot, and it kept fine.

Sour Cream Yeast Rolls (SL) - These rolls were so good, and so easy!! I will definitely make these again.

Fresh Orange-Cranberry Sauce with Walnuts (BA 12/01) - This was probably my favorite recipe. Not too sweet, and not to tart. Excellent!

Coconut Sweet Potato Cheesecake (BB 11/04) - I really liked this, but I'd like it even better if it didn't have grated lemon and orange peel in it. I don't know why, but I just don't like that stuff. If I make it again, I'll just skip those ingredients. The rest of it was great!

No cooking today! Just leftovers.:)

MISSINDI

11-25-2004, 05:56 PM

AnnaSue - can you post the Green Salad Vinaigrette recipe or point me in the right direction? Thanks much!

MISSINDI

11-25-2004, 06:08 PM

catbatty - here's the last few recipes. Let me know how you like them, if you try them. :D

Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
5 T butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange potatoes in 13x9x2 glass baking dish. Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake potatoes 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens slightly, basting occassionally, about 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500. Top potatoes with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows begin to melt and top begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Serves 8

Cranberry Broccoli Salad
1-1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
4 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage with carrot)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, crumbled

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup sugar
1 T vinegar

In a small bowl, combine the fresh cranberries and sugar; cover and chill in fridge until serving time (berries will juice out). In a large bowl, combine broccoli, shredded cabbage, walnuts, raisins and onion. To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and mix. Chill covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, gently fold in bacon and cranberry mixture.

Soushi

11-25-2004, 06:18 PM

Okay, don't throw stones as this isn't very high end cooking but it was the hit of the day at my house. Don't be put off by the name, call it cream cheese squares if that makes you feel better, but it is very goodSEX IN A PAN

2 cans cresent dinner rolls
2 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg (separated)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon

Flatten 1 pkg. cresent rolls in an ungreased 13x9 pan. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, softened cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and egg yolk. Mix until creamy. Spread over flattened cresent rolls. Unroll other cresent roll and lay over that mixture,trying to cover the first layer the best you can.
Mix egg white and 1/3 cup sugar and pour over second layer of rolls. Spread with spatula to cover and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

MISSINDI

11-25-2004, 06:23 PM

Soushi, that DOES sound yummy! I printed it out for next week. The title isn't any worse than Better than Sex Cake - another REALLY yummy dessert!

Soushi

11-25-2004, 06:31 PM

I promise, you will like it.

SueK

11-25-2004, 06:31 PM

We had a nice meal. Not too much "wowed" me, but I've come to the conclusion that I am too hard on myself, because everyone took seconds of everything and said they liked all the food.

The dishes that I did love were:
Pumpkin Spice-Cream: We all loved this. Yum! Pumpkin pie in ice cream form!
Apple-Cider Pie- CL: Again, gobbled up
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes- Ina Garten: This is an often-made dish for us, and still a standout

Liked:
Good Eats Turkey: Okay, just didn't wow me. It was nice and moist, though. I guess I expected more flavor after all the brining.
Make Ahead Gravy: Loved the ease of making this ahead of time. I guess I was looking for more depth of flavor.
Triple Cranberry Sauce- BA: A bit too tart for me.

I am looking forward to making some of the leftover turkey dishes that were in November's CL!

MISSINDI

11-25-2004, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by SueK

Triple Cranberry Sauce- BA: A bit too tart for me.

Glad to hear you had the same comment as we did ... nice to know I didn't mess up the recipe somewhere. Definitely too tart... and none of the ingredients are really tart on their own. Strange...

SueK

11-25-2004, 06:40 PM

Missindi- I know what you mean. This got great reviews on Epicurious, and looked very good to me. I've made CL's cranberry chutney in the past, and will probably go back to that one. At least I gave this a shot, but just not a keeper for us. My mom, however, loved it and took all the leftovers home with her! :)

AnnaSue

11-25-2004, 07:00 PM

Originally posted by MISSINDI
AnnaSue - can you post the Green Salad Vinaigrette recipe or point me in the right direction? Thanks much!

Sure! Here it is..

Green Salad Vinaigrette (SL 30 years of best recipes)

6 cups mixed salad greens
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
Roasted Pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well. Combine olive oil and remaining 4 ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour dressing over salad, tossing to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Roasted Pecans
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup pecan halves

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in sugar and next 3 ingredients. Add pecans to skillet, stirring to coat. Spread pecans on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 1 cup.

SallyCC

11-25-2004, 07:43 PM

I don't have reviews...just a miracle story that dinner got to the table. AFter last year of planning for 23 but having 11 show up for dinner, I was very clear with committment about people coming. This year 15 people were definites.
I put the turkey in at 7am and when I checked at 1:30 it seemed not cooked as much as I expected. I put my oven thermometer in and checked..and the temp was registering 250. Thankfully I live in a duplex and my friends were just taking their turkey out of their oven so I got to put my turkey in thier convection oven. It was ready by 4!!
Now that the turkey was handled I needed to warm casseroles and I figured my oven would do that fine.I turned up the temp to 450 and put in casserole to warm. I made the Sweet potato casserole with marshmellows for the kids..and need I say more...the marshmellows burnt so the house was filled with this terrible smell.

Got that disaster over and plugged in a decaf and a caffinated coffee pots and blew a fuse..
So I am very thankful for a wonderful, understanding family and that this day is over!!! And tomorrow may be a shopping day for a new oven!

cinnamon_queen

11-25-2004, 07:58 PM

Almost everything was a winner for me this year. The only problems that I had were with my oven and that was just with the pumpkin pie not cooking all the way through. It was still eaten (and scooped rather than sliced! :p )

Good Eats Roast Turkey - very flavorful, moist and juicy. I barely felt like I was eating turkey!

Candied Sweet Potatoes (CI) - amazing as always. Not too sweet, not too savory. Even my little cousin who hates sweet potatoes helped himself to seconds.

Frozen corn - it is what it is, but when you can't get it fresh around here it tasted good.

Jewel's Green Beans - wonderful as always. I had to hide the bottle of wine though (and I refused to use chicken broth instead). The family won't consume of any alcohol by itself and have never cooked with it for flavor. They ate these quicker than anything and commented how wonderful the flavor was.

Cook's Illustrated Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing - very good and my grandmother loved it (she had seconds and took some home!). I made this vegetarian and left out the sausage, but increased the bread and vegetables. The cornbread was a little too sweet for my tastes, and when I make this again I will reduce the amount of sugar.

Mashed Potatoes - I tried to follow the CI recipe, but a few things got in the way of this happening so I just created something on my own. I do like having the potatoes boil with their skin on before peeling and will do this from now on. Still very good and fluffy.

Simple Cranberry Sauce (CI) - my grandmother had brought the canned stuff (it fit in the oval tupperware thing perfectly...ribbed and all!), but she didn't touch her stuff. She thought that my cranberry stuff was delicious and I thought she was going to put that and the gravy on everything!

Make Ahead Gravy - this was so simple to make and turned out perfect. I loved the flavor of this, and it was the perfect texture.

Pumpkin Pie (CI) - this was compared to my mother's favorite bakery's pumpkin pie. Excellent flavor. I had to use a store bought crust because I ran out of flour before making the dough (I swear I bought 2 bags...hmmmm), and my oven seemed to stop heating evenly. Overall, this had excellent flavor but we had to scoop the pie out rather than slice it.

Crescent Rolls (CI) - these were so good and everyone had at least 2. Tender, buttery, and flaky...everything that anyone seems to want in bread. I didn't have any (I don't like bread), but those were the comments that were made to me about it.

Won't make again:

Apple Pie Squares (Taste of Home) - These just weren't very good. They were a home/comfort food type of dessert but either there wasn't enough apple filling or just the amount of pastry to filling combo didn't go well. They were okay, but I know I won't make them again.

cinnamon_queen

11-25-2004, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by SueK

Make Ahead Gravy: Loved the ease of making this ahead of time. I guess I was looking for more depth of flavor.

I was worried about this, so I used smoked turkey legs. I thought that the flavor was very good and had a lot of depth without taking away from whatever it was used with (the mashed potatoes, turkey, etc)

gabbyh

11-25-2004, 08:20 PM

We had all winners today, but the most loved were:

Herbed Turkey w/ Roasted Garlic Gravy (Best turkey EVER!and garlic gravy was yummy)From CL

Spiced Cranberry Sauce (I need to make this at times other than T-Day, forgot how much I love this recipe)From Ex-SIL

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole (Yikes was this good!)From CL

Pumpkin Custards From CLBB and Moosewood (2 left and they're in my fridge!)

Apple 'n Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze (easy and yummy, but next time I'll use a tube pan as suggested instead of a bundt) From CLBB

It was such fun sharing the cooking duties w/ my son...and my Mom passed down the almost 40-year old turkey roaster to her Grandson!

Guess who's cooking again next year ;-}

Soushi: Thanks for posting! This will be on the breakfast menu for the w/e...I have 2 tubes of low-fat crescents to use, and I think I'll combine 1 block of cream cheese w/ some low fat ricotta.

Hope you all had a great day!

~Gail

deniseannsc

11-25-2004, 08:24 PM

Ok, here's my dinner, which sounds kind of boring compared to the rest of you. But it's our traditional menu with a couple of newbies.

Roasted Turkey - delicious and moist
Giblet Gravy - without the giblets (80's Southern Living)
Southern Cornbread Stuffing - Paula Deen - first time making this one
Mashed potatoes
Pecan Sweet Potatoes - SIL
Green Bean Casserole - the one and only from the cream of mushroom soup can
Deviled Eggs
Cranberry Sauce with Apple Cider - CL 11/02 - first time making this one. It was really good. Even "cranberry" haters took second servings. The canned stuff went untouched.
Pineapple Cheese Casserole - friend
Watergate Salad - cousin - have no idea where this recipe got it's name but it's always a big hit
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Sweet Tea

Until next year's turkey reviews.....

Little Bit

11-25-2004, 09:06 PM

We had a nice lunch, but forgot the ambrosia completely.

Beef tenderloin (roasted with just a bit of white pepper and butter)

Cornbread Dressing (my sister's recipe)
Sweet Potatoes (my sister�s Recipe)
Green beans with ham (my sister�s recipe)
Stuffed Mushrooms (Niece�s recipe)
Corn Pudding (too many eggs, too much butter ... . Delicious!)
Carrot Souffle (Cooking Light, minus half the sugar)
Homemade cranberry jelly (Gourmet magazine's recipe)
Parker House Rolls (dad's recipe)

Cheesecake (Philadelphia brand recipe, from the label, my sister made it.)

tbb113

11-25-2004, 10:31 PM

Just finished cleaning up and taking my oldest to a friend's house to sleep over.

Everything was very good

Herb Roasted Turkey and Garlic Gravy - CL Nov 2003. Excellent, very moist, very good. My older son actually took seconds (he usually doesn't like turkey).

Golden Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes - Something Extra (grocery circular) Nov 03 - good, regular mashed potatoes

Spiced Squash and Pear Mash - Cooking Pleasures Oct/Nov 03. Excellent

Caramel Apple Parfaits - Food & Wine November 03. Excellent (I would have liked pumpkin pie, but I was outvoted by my two sons :rolleyes: )

LonghornGal

11-25-2004, 10:39 PM

Losers:

Green Bean Casserole I would much prefer straight steamed green beans but as a concession to the visiting gp's expectations I used a casserole recipe. A waste of perfectly good beans. ew!

Coulda Been Betters:
I will never again make Pearl Onions for 10 people. They were tasty (Port Wine Glazed Pearl onions) but prepping the darn things took way too long. Much better for 2-4 people!

Roasted Acorn Squash halves with Stuffing Shoulda roasted the squash a bit longer. But gorgeous on the plate!

Big Winners:
Mulled Cranberry Sauce Made a double batch this year to make sure I had leftovers!

Layered Cranberry Salad Thanks to whoever posted this gem - it was tasty and I used all s-f jello with no issues. This one comes back for next year.

Fruit Stuffed Turkey with "All American Turkey Rub" we stuff the bird with onions, limes, lemons, and apples (all quartered) and then rubbed the outside of the bird with this rub. No basting, use a turkey tent, and it was great! Perfectly done, the best mom has ever done!

Grasshopper Pie Made by my friend, very tasty and the mint was a nice contrast at the end of the meal.

I know we had more, but nothing worth discussing!

--Kristin

Canice

11-25-2004, 11:14 PM

It was just two of us, so besides the 12 pound goose I kept it small. Owing to distractions, I did not plan the menu well, so if I don't finish this post it's because I've keeled over at the keyboard - fat city!!

First of all, the goose itself was a winner; nice flavor, good texure.
I really, really liked the creamed pearl onions, a Food 911 recipe (prepped the onions on Tuesday, thank goodness) and, on the recommendation of friends in the UK, I made "roasties" using GOOSE FAT instead of the usual olive oil. I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it, but I'm glad I did it - they were SO crispy outside and tender inside, with exceptional flavor. I also made the green bean casserole posted by Sandy (Food & Wine recipe) which had a nice little tang to it. Would make it again but as with all green bean casserole recipes, cut way back on the amount of time I cook the beans.

Oh, on a whim I picked up a frozen pie crust at Whole Foods (hadn't planned to make pie) when I saw it there and remembered it was the brand that came out first in a taster's test. It was a lot better than the crusts in their bakery pies, I tell you!

cherylopal

11-26-2004, 05:30 AM

Originally posted by deniseannsc

Green Bean Casserole - the one and only from the cream of mushroom soup can

i admit to loving this as well.:cool: i came out of the closet with this a few years ago.

i cooked onething only this year!:eek: it was justmy dh and me so we picked paella and it was awesome andawholeloteasier than ithought it would be. i used the columbia restaurant cookbook recipe with some adaptations but went all out and even cooked mussels forthefirst time.

for dessert imade the world sexiest sunday from in the sweet kitchen butdh had a bit too much paella so we'll try it tonight.

MISSINDI

11-26-2004, 06:10 AM

Deniseannsc - can you post the Watergate Salad recipe, or let me know where to find it? I've heard of it before, but never had it...

And cherylopal ... the sexiest sundae recipe?

pilgrim719

11-26-2004, 06:43 AM

My meal turned out very well, and I'd make everything except for the brussels sprouts again. They were good, but not a "wow" recipe for me. Here's what I had:

Roasted Sweet Onion Dip, CL 7/02
Roast Turkey Breast w/ Rosemary & Garlic, CLBB ClaraB
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls, Light & Tasty Oct/Nov 2002
Caramelized Butternut Squash, CLBB Linda in MO
Shredded Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon, Everyday Food #17
Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Pie,www.BettyCrocker.com

Kari

newtricks

11-26-2004, 07:15 AM

Everything was really good.

Biggest Winners
Mulled Cranberries - wow, is this good and everyone loved it. Even my sister who earlier made the comment "I don't know how you could improve cranberries by mulling them":p

Cider brined Whole Foods Free Range Turkey - dh cooks the turkey on the Weber. Delicious

Mashed Potato Casserole - Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers (who is, btw, the originator of the mulled cranberry recipe)

Mashed turnips w/ crispy shallots - Union Square Cafe cookbook

Cornbread and andouille stuffing - dh's recipe

Chocolate, caramel, walnut tart - CI. A friend brought this. A total OMG! dessert

Mushroom walnut profiteroles - bought these frozen from Whole Foods. the Good Wives brand. This is a great discovery! Very yummy.

There were many more things on the table but these were the deliciousest as my ds says.

dsignpeach

11-26-2004, 07:17 AM

Here's my list:

Deep Fried Turkey Breast - excellent! in spite of the fact I didn't dry rub it the day before. I mixed Old bay, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and patted it on before my hubby fried it.

Southern dressing - again, excellent. My grandmother's recipe. I made one pan traditional and another with andouille sausage and toasted pecans. That was good, but I prefer traditional. My husband and son loved the other.

Green bean casserole - the usual, but a tradition.

Cranberry orange relish - off the back of the cranberry bag. why would anyone eat canned?

Mashed potatoes w/ garlic - good comfort food, request of my son.

Spinach and Romaine salad with mandarin oranges, candied walnuts and feta cheese - MMMMMMMMM.

Pecan Pie w/ bourbon whipped cream - DEEvine.

newtricks

11-26-2004, 07:19 AM

Originally posted by Canice
on the recommendation of friends in the UK, I made "roasties" using GOOSE FAT instead of the usual olive oil. I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it, but I'm glad I did it - they were SO crispy outside and tender inside, with exceptional flavor.

Oh yeah, I've done this with duck fat. I couldn't even believe I was doing it but it was so good!

I've also read that it's nice to make a vinaigrette with duck fat (I'm assuming goose would also be good) to go over bitter greens like frisee.

Blissful_in_TX

11-26-2004, 07:55 AM

Overall it was good, but nothing in particular blew me away. It was just me and DH for dinner, so not too spectacular of a menu:

Good Eats Roast Turkey (except used apple cider instead of broth in brine) � Very moist and tender. DH was in love. I was expecting a bit more flavor but not bad for my first turkey. I brined it in a Reynolds Turkey Roasting Bag in a cooler overnight.

Slow Cooker Stuffing (allrecipes.com) DH loved it but WAY too mushy for me. I like the concept since it doesn�t tie up the stove or oven.
Does anyone know if it would work if I used the bagged Pepperidge Farm cubed stuffing instead of the bread???

Make Ahead Gravy � Worked for us. I used turkey legs.

Triple Cranberry Sauce (Bon App�tit Nov 93) � I�m torn. Really good, but I too thought it was really tart! I wonder if there�s any way to take the edge off?

Red Cabbage, Cranberry, and Apple Slaw (CL Dec 2003) � DH wasn�t crazy about, but I liked it. However I would prefer a fall/wintery green salad next time.

Grandma�s Green Bean Casserole (allrecipes.com) � Good�.I wish I had the old-school Green Bean Casserole to compare.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake (combo of Bon Appetit Nov 97 and Oct 2002) � Very good, but I missed having regular pumpkin pie.

swquilts

11-26-2004, 08:02 AM

There was only 5 of us yesterday so we have lots of leftovers. Everything was such a hit though!

Hot Crab Dip-MS Living 12/04 Very tasty, but needs to be kicked up just a bit, but a nice appetizer.

Smoked Barbequed Turkey-Weber's Weekly Recipe Very good, tender and moist! DH used 2 aluminum pans, one for the bird and one as a roasting rack....clever boy.

Maple Roasted Turkey-BA 11/04 by Tyler Florence OH YUMMMMM!
I had to use rubbed sage, fresh was nowhere to found around here. (Yes, we made 2 turkey, everyone loves the extras)

Brussels Sprouts in Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette-Recipezaar online Nice light sauce, not too overpowering. I had a load of BS's so maybe I should have tripled. Will make these again!

Caramel Apple Pudding Cake-some holiday mag from 2001 This was just awesome!!! I will post the recipe on a seperate thread. Not overly sweet, but quite tasty.

A doctored up Mrs Cubbison dressing (sausage, mushroom, olives) rolls, deviled eggs and pumpkin pie by Mom. A great foodie day!

tholbrook

11-26-2004, 08:12 AM

It was just DH and I yesterday (the family Thanksgiving dinner will be on Saturday), and since I always do something non-traditional for the two of us, I used some of the menu from November CL's "Inspired Vegetarian Section".

BREAKFAST AND SNACKS:
Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones (Gourmet May 1997)Oh my, these were so good. They were so soft and flaky and the flavor was wonderful. The recipe made 16 so we took half of them to MIL/FIL's house. Now I wish we had kept them!
Herbed Cracker Bread (CL August 2004)This was really easy to make and the flavor was very good. I wish I had rolled it a little thinner so it was crispier. But between the two of us, we finished the whole recipe off :eek: by the end of the day
Sweet Potato Hummus (CLBB, ellen6242)This was a last minute addition to the menu (I was going to make CL's Cumin Curried Hummus but didn't feel like it) and I'm so glad I made it. It was delicious! I made the candied peppers for garnish, using 6 hot peppers. I didn't try that part - but DH said they were really good.

DINNER:
Phyllo Purses with Roasted Squash, Peppers, and Artichokes (CL November 2004)These were pretty good. They weren't really hard to make, it just took awhile because of the different cooking steps. I forgot to add the feta cheese when I filled the purses so I mixed it in the dipping sauce instead. The combination of vegetables worked well together. I would make it into a strudel next time - the top of the purse got too brown (but not burnt) to really taste good, which seemed a little wasteful to me. It looked nice, though.
Glazed Carrots and Cipollini Onions with Coriander and Orange (CL November 2004)I had to use pearl onions, after trips to 4 different stores did not yield any cipollini onions. Thankfully, I prepped the onions early in the day because it took forever. But this dish is probably going on my "not going to make it again" section of my review - not because it didn't taste good but because (1) I couldn't get the liquid to evaporate by the time the carrots/onions were cooked and had to drain it out. I couldn't get the "glazed" part of the dish. (2) the taste did not justify the effort, IMO.
Roasted Tomato - Harissa Soup with Olive Toasts (CL November 2004)This was good. Again, it took awhile because of the different cooking steps. I did peel the tomatoes after roasting as suggested by some BB'ers who reviewed this in another thread. The flavor was very good (although a bit spicy for me) - a lot of depth to the flavor. I think it must just be me - I just don't like the texture of pureed soups. Next time, I'll try pureeing just half.
Fall Salad with Buttermilk Dressing (CL November 2004)I made this once already this month, and it was good. But this time, the radicchio was so bitter, that I didn't care for it as much. Considering the number of great salads out there, this one probably won't get made again
Pear-Berry Crisp with Lavender Topping (CL November 2004)This was SO good! I love lavender in recipes and it was no exception here. It was very subtle but it added a whole new dimension to the flavor. The pears and berries really went well together and the honey gave the topping a really nice, almost chewy texture. I'm seriously considering having the leftovers for breakfast this morning :D.

All-in-all, it was a good day. I had several recipes which were certainly not my favorites, some that were pretty good but not outstanding, and three recipes that were simply wonderful. Now I'm going to enjoy a day off from cooking since tomorrow I'll be slaving away in the kitchen all over again - this time, with more traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

pbchipses

11-26-2004, 08:16 AM

I made :

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes - Barefoot Contessa - I'm not a huge potato person, but I enjoyed these. DH had about 3/4 a plate full with his many trips to the buffet, so these were a hit!

Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette - CL Dec. 02 - This is a long time favorite salad recipe with all the different toppings and nice colors.

Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Rosemary, Walnuts, and Honey - BA Nov. 03 - A delicious appetizer! I would definitely make this again for its ease and time of preparation.

Double Ginger Pumpkin Tart - Fine Cooking Holiday Baking Winter 2005 - Creamy filling with bites of crystallized ginger with a buttery-tasting graham cracker crust.

My MIL and grandmother-in-law made:

Turkey - MIL's secret to a moist turkey... rubbing over a stick of butter under the skin! :o
Stuffing
Gravy
Black beans
Sweet potatoes
Cranberry relish
Pecan pie

kjh01

11-26-2004, 08:19 AM

This was my 9th year to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, and it came out the best so far. Only one dud.

Good Eats Roast Turkey - came out fabulous, as always. I roasted the bird on a bed of celery, carrots & herbs which made for very tasty drippings.

Make-Ahead Gravy - I love this recipe! We added some of the drippings to it when it was reheating.

Green Bean Casserole - yeah, DH's request, but I finally got the scoop from his mom (who does some extra cooking in the microwave) and it turned out very well, MUCH better then the recipe on the back of the can.

Cipollini Agrodolce - Sweet and Sour Cipollini Onions, a Mario Batali recipe. Excellent, a nice contrast with the turkey and fixins. Definitely a keeper, and not just for T-Day - great for antipasti too.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce - this is my sister's recipe, and it was WOW. So easy, too! I used low-sugar marmalade in it and you couldn't tell the difference.

Mom's Sausage Stuffing (with and without fruit) - handed down from my mom & grandma, and it wouldn't be T-Day without it. The second year I have made it in advance, with excellent results. Our guests loved the apples and dried cherries in it, and DH loved his without fruit.

Mashed Truffled Yukon Golds - I cooked and riced these in advance, then reheated in the microwave before putting in the food processor. They held up much better than russets, so now I'm going to use Yukon Golds every year. The truffle oil added a nice flavor to them. I did, however, forget to s&p them, so DH tried them and said, "they need....something!" A quick shake of the salt shaker and that was fixed.

Succotash with Tomaotes and Chives - the only read dud. Not a lot of flavor, and more like a summer dish. This will be left off next year.

Apple and Calvados Tart - finally got some apple brandy to use, but I've made it before with amaretto and I like that better. Our guests, however, raved about it.

Pumpkin Pie - our guests brought it and it was one of the best I've tasted. I've already emailed her to get the recipe. Simple, but a lot of great flavor.

And that's it! Now we have lots left over, and lots of noshing to do today :D

Lrimerman

11-26-2004, 08:44 AM

We had a great meal too, although not the best I have ever done. I think between lack of sleep from baby and the fact that I cooked for 2 days and then my dad claimed they didn't know what time dinner was and my mom was still sleeping, they showed up an hour late and so my timing was all off, and I had to go feed baby just as we sat down to eat, made it not so great for me.

We did a local free-range organic turkey that was processed on Tuesday (can't get any fresher than that) and we did the Good Eats Roast Turkey. It was very moist, but not as great flavor as I expected. We got up at 3 am to brine the turkey and did it in a Reynold's Turkey cooking bag and a cooler, we left it out on the porch as it was mighty cold here. Worked perfectly and not overly difficult.

Bruleed Sweet Potatoes (CL) -these are always good, but I made two sweet potato dishes and it was too much, so most of these got frozen. I also subbed soy margarine and rice milk so DS could have them.

Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole Topped with Caramelized Bananas this was from Foodtv the Calorie Commando. I tried this recipe as it was very low in sugar and my grandma was supposed to come, although she didn't end up coming so we packed her up dinner and took it to her. These were a big hit and look really nice with the bananas on top, I think this may become my new sweet potato recipe and skip the others.

Stuffing-- Old family tradition to doctor up Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Cubed from a bag. It was good, but since I didn't stuff the turkey, it was a little too dry, next time I will add more broth before cooking. I also didn't add enough extra bread, so it was a little too salty for me.

Carrot Souffle- this is a recipe I got from DH's aunt and I really didn't need to make it with 2 different sweet potato dishes, but it is so good. I sub soy margarine so DS can have it and you can't tell it from the dairy version, big hit!!

Fall Berry Conserve- this is my standby cranberry recipe. It was a big hit again this year. My dad always brings the cranberry orange relish from the back of the bag, but we like both the cooked and the relish, so I always make this. I think in the near future I am going to try Gail's Mulled Cranberries and see what I think.

Rolls-I make the Moomie's Bun recipe subbing some whole wheat flour and make it into rolls, always a big hit!!

Green Bean Casserole this was also from the Calorie Commando on Foodtv, and it was horrid!! Only the second thing I have ever made that DH wouldn't eat. We threw out the leftovers (mostly the whole pan). It was a casserole without any dairy so I thought I would try it. Basically frenched green beans, thickened mushroom broth, mushrooms and pearl onions. Bland and not good flavor, maybe use the basics with some other flavoring and sauce it could be made into something edible. It was supposed to have crispy leeks on top, but I skipped those, they may have added to the dish, but could not have made it edible.

For appetizers I made-- Pumpkin Dip (a recipe I got from our supper club) and served it with apples, pears and gingersnap cookies, it was good as always.

Citrus Marinated Olives (Nino Salvaggio (a local gourmet market) recipe)-- These were pretty easy and everyone but my sister seemed to like them.

My parents brought Mashed Potatoes, gravy and fruit salad -- all were delicious.

My sister brought Dessert-- Caramel apple pie from Costco which was a real disappointment, and a frozen cheesecake from Costco which was quite good. She also brought an appetizer that was some kind of roasted garlic gorgonzola spread for bread, I didn't like it but she love it so it was fine.

Overall a good meal, but the same old, same old that we always had, my new stuff didn't go too well except for the new version of sweet potatoes.

Lisa

SueK

11-26-2004, 09:00 AM

Originally posted by Blissful_in_TX

Slow Cooker Stuffing (allrecipes.com) DH loved it but WAY too mushy for me. I like the concept since it doesn�t tie up the stove or oven.
Does anyone know if it would work if I used the bagged Pepperidge Farm cubed stuffing instead of the bread???
[/B]

I used the bagged cubed stuffing and it works great. I also only put in about 2-2/12 cups of broth, versus the 4 cups that the recipes calls for.

Pony

11-26-2004, 09:09 AM

It was just DH and I for Thanksgiving this year. It was a wonderful meal!! My legs hurt from standing all day!

We had:
Spinach Balls CLBB Alysha
Finally tried these! DH and I loved them and we used a tasty sweet honey mustard for dipping.
Chevre Stuffed Mushrooms Stop and Smell the Rosemary
This is supposed to have bleu cheese in it as well, but I only used the goat. I think I should have added the bleu cheese, but they were still very good w/o. It was a quick and easy appetizer and it looked elegant.
Goat Cheese Salad Gourmet 10/93
The presentation was great! I used mixed greens and added sliced mushrooms and sliced red pepper. The dressing is made w/ dijon mustard, garlic, shallots, lemon, oil and parsley. It had quite a bite to it and I used less oil then the recipe called for. A little dressing went a long way. The baked goat cheese rounds were awesome and reminds me of something you get at a restaurant.
Walnut Rosemary Loaves (made into rolls) CL
Always fantastic!
Pork Tenderloin w/ Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce BA 11/98
WONDERFUL and SIMPLE!!!!!!!! You just sear the pork and then bake it for about 15 min w/ some salt and pepper. The sauce was also easy and very festive.
Macaroni and Cheese The New Best Recipe
Very good, it calls for cheddar and monterey jack cheese. It went together well and made a ton (yay!!! I love mac and cheese leftovers).
Buttered Green Beans and Carrots BA 12/97
Simple and pretty. I cut way back on the butter and olive oil, thank goodness. It could have been very greasy if I didn't cut it in half. Very good.
French Vanilla Ice CreamHow to Cook Everything
Always fantastic!!!!!!
Pecan Pie The New Best Recipe
WOW!!! I have never made a pecan pie before. They have you chop the pecans and toast them which really brought out their flavor. Perfect with the ice cream! The crust was also from this cookbook and it was so very rich and flaky.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!

cab321

11-26-2004, 10:11 AM

Winners:
Brined Turkey - I used AB's quantities for salt, sugar and liquids, but subbed cider for the vegetable stock and added 6 cloves and a star anise. I was really worried that the anise would be too strong and I'd given my mom all of the spices so that she could do the brining - so it was out of my hands. It turned out great. I really liked it - better than AB's original Good Eats Turkey.

Port Glazed Onions and Shallots - I thought these were outstanding - but they were a lot of work. I had tawny port that I was going to use, but at the last minuted I decided to pick up a bottle of ruby port (as called for in the recipe). It made such a difference. I'm glad I bought it.

Cranberry Eggnog Tart - Very tasty. It was a no-roll crust, which I actually found more difficult to work with than a regular crust. The tartness of the cranberry with the sweetness of the cheesecake-like filling was outstanding. It was a bit or work, but I'd like to make it again.

Didn't-care-fors:
Butternut Squash with Tangerine and Sage Glaze - just too sweet and soft for me.

Celeriac and Dandelion Dauphinoise - Too greasy, but I think that with a white sauce made with lowfat milk (instead of heavy cream) and less cheese this could be very good. (I subbed dandelions for the spinach because that is what I had on hand).

Good, as always:
My mom's stuffing, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, pumpkin pie.

gertdog

11-26-2004, 10:18 AM

We had a nice meal for just the two of us. Everything was good.

Portobello Wellingtons (adapted from a Beef Wellingtons with Gorgonzola recipe posted by Rebecca T.) I caramelized 3 large onions and roasted 4 portobello caps. I layered onions, a mushroom cap, and a sprinkle of gorgonzola, then wrapped in puff pastry. I thought they were very good and not difficult at all. Plus they can be made a day ahead and held in the fridge before baking. DH, who is less of a blue cheese fan than me, would skip the cheese next time- he liked the combo of mushroom and onion.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes Ina Garten. Always a winner!

Roasted Green Beans with Balsamic Brown Butter Green bean variation on the CL asparagus recipe- yum.

Rich and Tender American Dinner Rolls Cook's Illustrated. Light, feathery, and a great buttery flavor. Mmmm.

Vegetarian gravy Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Christmas. My standard gravy.

Perfect Pecan Pie Pam Anderson. I'd never made a pecan pie before. The filling was absolutely wonderful- silky and not too sweet. Toasting the pecans really brought out their flavor. The crust was a bit tough, which could have been cook's error, but I think I would used a different crust recipe next time.

Looking forward to leftovers!

gertdog

11-26-2004, 10:20 AM

AnnaSue, would you be willing to share the recipe for Sour Cream Yeast Rolls? They sound really good! :)

Lrimerman

11-26-2004, 10:29 AM

Pony,

Would you be willing to share the Mac and Cheese and the Pecan Pie recipe.

Gertdog,

Would you be willing to share your Pecan Pie recipe too.

Thanks

Lisa

AnnaSue

11-26-2004, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by gertdog
AnnaSue, would you be willing to share the recipe for Sour Cream Yeast Rolls? They sound really good! :)

Here is the roll recipe. I made these a few hours early, then left them in the pan and reheated them in the oven which was still warm from the turkey right before serving.

Sour Cream Yeast Rolls (SL)

2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
Melted butter or margarine (optional)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 1-pound-loaf bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Process in dough cycle.

Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times. Divide dough in half. Shape each portion of dough into 9 balls, and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until rolls are doubled in bulk.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Brush hot rolls with melted butter, if desired. Yield: 1 1/2 dozen.

Chocolate Rose

11-26-2004, 11:01 AM

I love reading this thread!! I'm getting some more ideas for my Christmas menu from you guys!

Our power was out for most of Wednesday so I wasn't able to do as much prepping as I normally do but it all worked out.

We did our standard turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and green salad recipes and they were all as good as we expected.
Here's the rest of the menu:

Appetizers (All of the new appetizers I tried this year were excellent)
Roasted Peppers with Marinated Feta and Greek Olives
Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad in Wonton Cups
Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto (my melon was even excellent)
Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve Over Cream Cheese with Crackers

Main Event
I made 3 different cranberry sauces:
Almond Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry-Chiptole Fruit Conserve
Mulled Cranberries

The almond was the hands-down favorite with the chipotle coming in second. I was totally surprised that the mulled cranberries weren't well liked. I thought for sure that it would be the hit of the day. I followed the recipe exactly so don't know why my family didn't like it as well as everyone elses family did. I did serve them warm so maybe that was a mistake?

I made the Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole again this year and everyone loved it. I even had people asking if there were any leftovers to take with them.

We had the standard pumpkin and fudge pecan pies which were both loved. I also made the Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake for my dh's birthday cake (we celebrate it with extended family on Thanksgiving) and was disappointed in it. It wasn't as incredible as I had hoped it would be. It was a good cake, just didn't have the "wow" factor.

I think that's it. We do a repeat of last night's dinner tonight with more family so maybe this group will like the mulled cranberries better.:D

Jessica

11-26-2004, 12:01 PM

I was pretty pleased with my first Thanksgiving dinner.

We started with a green salad with pears and feta and an old CL recipe for mustard vinaigrette. I liked having a salad at Thanksgiving--I felt like I ate less of the heavy food and did not feel too full after the meal.

I also made:

Alton Brown's brined turkey--I bought a WF free range turkey and I am not sure if it was the brine or the bird but this was excellent. The meat was moist and tasty but not strongly flavored. I expected a stronger flavor, like SueK says, but I liked it and it will do well for leftovers. I might try apple cider next time.

Mashed potatoes

Cornbread stuffing from Moosewood. I prefer a sausage stuffing but one of our guests was vegetarian and I wanted to be accommodating. Then I forgot to tell him it was vegi so he did not eat it. Oh well. It was OK but a little dry.

Green beans roasted with lemon and olive oil. I sprinkled with a bit of Grains of Paradise and they were terrific.

Cherry crisp--an old CL blueberry crisp recipe with cherries instead. Very tasty and I cooked it while we ate dinner so we had it warm with vanilla ice cream. We also had a pumpkin pie that our guests brought.

I was not really up for lots of new recipes and fancy cooking but I thought the dinner turned out well and our guests enjoyed it. I am glad I did not make more dishes because our refrigerator is full!

Gecko

11-26-2004, 12:12 PM

Wow, it was quite a day. My DH had an attack of the doubts so at the last minute he decided that I would have to roast one of the turkeys and he would grill the other one - just in case. It turned out the he was right because the one on the grill would not have been ready on time. Of course that threw my schedule out because I had to rush to get my other things cooked as the oven would not be available for them. First guests were due at 1.00 but arrived early at 12.35. Next guests arrived around 2.00. Everyone left around 11.30. I decided to go mostly with tried and trues:

Roast Turkey with Sage, Orange and Clove rub

We did the same rub on both turkeys. I really thought I would like this combination of flavors but I found it to be just OK. I guess I just like the traditional flavor of a plain, roasted turkey.

Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese
An oldie but a goodie.

Potatoes Dauphinoise
Another tried and true.

Sweet Potato casserole with Eggnog
I really liked the flavor of this as it wasn't overly sweet. It had a streuseled top.

Green Beans with Macadamia Nuts and Cream
Another T & T. I must remember to make this more often.

Cranberry Sauce with Port & Grand Marnier
My favorite part of the meal.

Fruited Cornbread Stuffing
An old recipe that I have adapted as I like lots of fruit in my stuffing.

Corn on the cob
I wanted to do something different but I ws over-ruled my my DD's.

We had a lot of different desserts:

Mom's Pumpkin Pie
Very creamy and delicious

Kahlua Pecan Pie
Yum!

Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread Pudding
I thought this might have been a bit tastier - maybe the flavors might be better the day after.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Not traditional but requested by my DD's.

Cinnamon Ice-Cream
A nice addition.

We also had lots of wine, sparkling apple cider, liquer muscat, and Bailey's - and slept very well last night:D

kima

11-26-2004, 12:38 PM

I can not believe how many dishes you all make!:eek:

How do you do it? Do you start days ahead of time? or stay up all night/
Seriously I get tired (but very impressed0 just reading all the menus! Makes me want to up my game for Xmas dinner!:)

Jollyjo

11-26-2004, 12:42 PM

My mouth is watering! How about posting some recipes please?

Pony - Goat Cheese Salad, and the Pork Tenderloin?

pbchipses - Warm Goat Cheese Toasts?

TIA!

deniseannsc

11-26-2004, 01:33 PM

Originally posted by kima
I can not believe how many dishes you all make!:eek:

How do you do it? Do you start days ahead of time? or stay up all night/
Seriously I get tired (but very impressed0 just reading all the menus! Makes me want to up my game for Xmas dinner!:)

In the past I cooked pies and prepared salads the day before. Actually anything that could be done ahead I would. Then on Thanksgiving I get up around 6a.m. and start cooking to be ready to eat by 2:00/2:30.

Last year my DD asked to help and I let her but it was more work on my part because she required help in preparations. It would have been faster to do it on my own. But I couldn't/wouldn't turn down her help! Some things are more important - like spending time with her. Anyway, DH and I are separated and he came for dinner. He actually got up around 8a.m. and helped with dinner. In 29 years he has never done that. Why did it take all these years and apart for him to help and then discover he enjoyed doing it? Anyway....back to the post. I make sure there is plenty of food for leftovers. Who wants to cook later that day or the day after? Not me! Besides, the leftovers are wonderful!

deniseannsc

11-26-2004, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by MISSINDI
Deniseannsc - can you post the Watergate Salad recipe, or let me know where to find it? I've heard of it before, but never had it...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Watergate Salad

Recipe By : denise
Categories : Holidays Side dish

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
12 ounces Cool Whip�
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 small box pistachio instant pudding
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Mix pineapple and pudding mix.

Add cool whip then marshmallows.

Mix well. Chill overnight.

Very simple and loved by the entire family.

MISSINDI

11-26-2004, 01:48 PM

Thanks, Denise, for the recipe!

Usually I make a few dishes the night before, but I had already done a TON of cooking for other things all week, so the only thing that was cooked before Thanksgiving was the turkey. DH cooks it overnight so I have the oven free. I debated about cooking the night before and going to bed late, or going to bed early and getting a good night's sleep. Sleep won! I started cooking at 9 am and except for a 15 minute CLBB break, I cooked until 2, when everyone arrived. So, five hours this year. Went A LOT smoother than previous years, although I can't put my finger on why ... no complaints here!

Pony

11-26-2004, 01:51 PM

Originally posted by Jollyjo
My mouth is watering! How about posting some recipes please?

Pony - Goat Cheese Salad, and the Pork Tenderloin?

pbchipses - Warm Goat Cheese Toasts?

TIA!

I got both of them off of Epicurious.com. I will post the link as well, so you can read the reviews. The pork was really great!

Pork Tenderloin w/ Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/100314)
To round out this menu, serve roasted squash, corn muffins and boiled green beans with orange zest. End with vanilla ice cream topped with warm chestnuts in syrup.

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 8- to 10-ounce pork tenderloin
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450�F. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Sear pork on all sides, about 2 minutes. Place skillet with pork in oven. Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 155�F, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and rosemary; saut� until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add broth, cranberry sauce and vinegar and whisk until cranberry sauce melts, about 2 minutes.

Transfer pork to work surface. Scrape any juices from large skillet into cranberry mixture. Boil until sauce has reduced enough to coat spoon thickly, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Slice pork and serve with sauce.

Serves 2, can be doubled.

Bon App�tit November 1998
30-Minute Main Courses

Goat Cheese Salad (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/10765)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For the vinaigrette
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 small shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard, or to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup walnut oil (available at specialty foods shops) or olive oil

a 1/2- pound log of soft mild goat cheese such as Montrachet, cut crosswise into 6 pieces
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon water
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 small heads of Boston lettuce, washed well, spun dry, and shredded fine
1 small head of radicchio, washed well, spun dry, and shredded fine

Make the vinaigrette:
In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the shallot, the garlic, the mustard, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the vinaigrette until it is emulsified.
Preheat the oven to 400�F. Dip the goat cheese pieces into the egg wash, dredge them in the bread crumbs, and transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake the goat cheese pieces in the middle of the oven for 6 minutes. While the goat cheese is baking, in a large bowl toss the lettuce and the radicchio with the vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the salad among 6 plates, arrange 1 goat cheese piece on each plate, and serve the salads immediately.

Serves 6.

Gourmet October 1993

my changes...I used mixed greens and added sliced mushrooms and slice red peppers, which made it look very nice. I used maybe 1 1/2 TBS oil for the dressing and a little water, and I just used olive oil. Like I said above, the dressing had a bite to it w/ the dijon and garlic, DH LOVED it and I thought it was really good. The goat cheese rounds were great. They broke in half before I dipped them, so I just pretended they were hamburger patties!

Michelle

Kristilyn1

11-26-2004, 02:43 PM

Originally posted by Pony

Pork Tenderloin w/ Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce BA 11/98
WONDERFUL and SIMPLE!!!!!!!! You just sear the pork and then bake it for about 15 min w/ some salt and pepper. The sauce was also easy and very festive.
Macaroni and Cheese The New Best Recipe
Very good, it calls for cheddar and monterey jack cheese. It went together well and made a ton (yay!!! I love mac and cheese leftovers).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!

I'd love these two recipes, they sound delicious.

Kristi

Kristilyn1

11-26-2004, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by gertdog
We had a nice meal for just the two of us. Everything was good.

Portobello Wellingtons (adapted from a Beef Wellingtons with Gorgonzola recipe posted by Rebecca T.) I caramelized 3 large onions and roasted 4 portobello caps. I layered onions, a mushroom cap, and a sprinkle of gorgonzola, then wrapped in puff pastry. I thought they were very good and not difficult at all. Plus they can be made a day ahead and held in the fridge before baking. DH, who is less of a blue cheese fan than me, would skip the cheese next time- he liked the combo of mushroom and onion.

!

This sounds delicious! Recipe Please!

Kristi

Pony

11-26-2004, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Lrimerman
Pony,

Would you be willing to share the Mac and Cheese and the Pecan Pie recipe.

Gertdog,

Would you be willing to share your Pecan Pie recipe too.

Thanks

Lisa

Lisa, here you go!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Pecan Pie

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell
Pecan Filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans -- toasted and chopped into small pieces

For the Pie Shell: Follow the directions for partially baking the crust
until light golden brown.

For the filling:
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set in a skillet of water maintained at just below a simmer. Remove the bowl from the skillet; stir in the brown sugar and salt w/ a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed. Beat in the eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to the hot water; stir until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130 degrees. Remove from heat; stir in the pecans.

As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease the oven temp to 275. Pour the pecan mix into the hot pie shell.

Bake on the middle rack until the pie looks set and yet soft, like
gelatin, when gently pressed w/ the back of a spoon, 50-60 min. Transfer the pie to a rack; cool completely at least 4 hours.

Source:
"The New Best Recipe"
Ratings : Excellent 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 647 Calories; 39g Fat (52.9%
calories from fat); 6g Protein; 72g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 109mg
Cholesterol; 338mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat;
7 1/2 Fat; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour -- plus more for dusting the work surface
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening -- chilled
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter -- cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 tablespoons ice water

Process the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add shortening and process until the mix has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mix; cut the butter into the flour until the mix is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, w/ butter bits no larger than small peas, about 10 1 second pulses. Turn the mix into a med. bowl.

Sprinkle 4 TBS of ice water over the mix. W/ a rubber spatula, use a
folding motion to mix. Press down the dough w/ the broad side of the
spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 1TBS more ice water if the dough will not come together. Flatten the dough into a 4" disk. Wrap the plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1
hour, let stand at room temp until malleable.) Roll the dough on a
lightly floured work surface or btwn 2 sheets of parchment paper or
plastic wrap to a 12" circle. Transfer the dough to a 9" pie plate
rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan. Working around the circumference of the pie plate, ease the dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the edges of the dough w/ one hand while gently pressing it into the pan bottom w/ the other hand. Trim the dough edges to extend about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold the overhang under itself; flute the dough or press the tiners of a fork against the dough to flatten it against the rim of the pie plate. Refrigerate the dough-lined pie plate until firm, about 40 min., then freeze until very cold, about 20 min.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle postition and heat the oven to 375. Remove the dough-lined pie plate from the freezer, press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil to shield the fluted edge; distribute 2 cups ceramic or metal pie plates over the foil. (can use pennies). Bake, leaving the foil and weights in ploace until the dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 min. Carefully remove the foil and weights by gathering the corners of the foil and pulling up and out. For a partially baked crust, continue baking until light golden brown, 5-6min. for a fully baked crust, continue baking until deep golden brown, about 12 min more. Transfer to a wire rack.

Source:
"The New Best Recipe"
Ratings : Excellent 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 171 Calories; 11g Fat (56.6%
calories from fat); 2g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 16mg
Cholesterol; 135mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 Fat; 0 Other
Carbohydrates.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main Dishes Sides

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Bread Crumb Topping
6 slices good-quality white sandwich bread, torn
into rough pieces
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter -- (didn't use)
Pasta and Cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (used ~4 TBS)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper -- optional
5 cups milk -- see note (used skim)
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese -- shredded, 2 cups
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- shredded, 2 cups

For the Bread Crumbs:
Pulse the bread and butter in a food processor until the crumbs are no
larger than 1/8 inch, 10-15 1 second pulses. Set aside.

For the Pasta and Cheese:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the broiler. Bring 4 qts water to roiling boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 TBS salt and stir to separate the noodles. Cook until the pasta is tender. Drain in a colander and set aside.

In the now-empty Dutch oven, heat the butter over med-high heat until
foaming. Add the flour, mustard, and cayenne (if using) and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes fragant and deepens in color, about 1 min. Whisking constantly, gradually add the milk; bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly (the mixture must reach a full boil to fully thicken), then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cheeses and 1 tsp salt until the cheeses are fully melted. Add the pasta and cook over med-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 min.

Transfer the mixture to a broiler-safe 13X9"baking dish and sprinkle
evenly w/ the bread crumbs. Broil until the crumbs are deep golden brown, 3-5 min, rotating the pan if necessary for even browning. Cool about 5 min, then serve.

Source:
"The New Best Recipe"
Ratings : Excellent 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 466 Calories; 24g Fat (46.9%
calories from fat); 19g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 71mg
Cholesterol; 339mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean
Meat; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 4 Fat.

NOTES : Serves 6-8 as a main course or 10-12 as a side dish.

It's crucial to cook the pasta until tender-that is, just
past the "al dente" stage. In fact, it's better to
overcook rather than undercook the past. Whole, low-fat,
and skim milk all work well in this recipe. The recipe
may be halved and baked in an 8" square, broiler safe
baking dish.

Pony

11-26-2004, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by Kristilyn1

I'd love these two recipes, they sound delicious.

Kristi

Hi Kristi,

I just posted the Pork one above your message and just posted the mac and cheese below your message for Lisa :D

Enjoy!!

Michelle

MISSINDI

11-26-2004, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by Kristilyn1

This sounds delicious! Recipe Please!

Kristi

Here you go:

Mini Beef Wellingtons with Gorgonzola

Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine

8 (1 1/2-inch-thick, 6 ounce) center-cut filets mignons
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 large mushrooms (about 1/2 pound total)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 puff pastry sheets (from a 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry), thawed
1/2 cup Gorgonzola (about 5 ounces)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat filets mignons dry and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides in saute pan with heated oil. Chill filets, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Thinly slice mushrooms and in a heavy skillet cook in butter with shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, over moderate heat, stirring, until mushrooms are lightly browned. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl to cool completely. In a small bowl lightly beat eggs to make an egg wash.

On a lightly floured surface roll out puff pastry sheets into 2 (14-inch) squares. Trim edges to form 2 (13-inch) squares and cut each square into 4 (6 1/2-inch) squares.

Put 1 tablespoon Gorgonzola in center of 1 square and top with 1/8 of the mushroom mixture. Top mushroom mixture with a filet mignon, pressing it down gently, and wrap 2 opposite corners of puff pastry over filet, overlapping them. Seal seam with egg wash. Wrap remaining 2 corners of pastry over filet and seal in same manner. Seal any gaps with egg wash and press pastry around filet to enclose completely. Arrange beef Wellington, seam side down, in a non-stick-baking pan. Make 7 more beef Wellingtons in same manner. Chill remaining egg wash for brushing on pastry just before baking. Chill beef Wellingtons, loosely covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush top and sides of each beef Wellington with some remaining egg wash and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden and the meat temperature is 117 degrees F.

Sauce:
2 cup veal or beef demi-glace
4 tablespoons Sercial Madeira

Make sauce while beef Wellingtons are baking. In a saucepan, boil demi-glace and Madeira 1 minute and keep sauce warm.

Serve beef Wellingtons with sauce.

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Blissful_in_TX

11-26-2004, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by Chocolate Rose

Main Event
I made 3 different cranberry sauces:
Almond Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry-Chiptole Fruit Conserve
Mulled Cranberries

The almond was the hands-down favorite with the chipotle coming in second. I was totally surprised that the mulled cranberries weren't well liked. I thought for sure that it would be the hit of the day. I followed the recipe exactly so don't know why my family didn't like it as well as everyone elses family did. I did serve them warm so maybe that was a mistake?
[/B]

Please, please can I have the Almond Cranberry Sauce recipe?? :D

Kristilyn1

11-26-2004, 03:13 PM

We were 16 of us for dinner and this is what I made:

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping from Recipe Source. My grandmother LOVED this, so it was worth making, but I think sweet potatos mashed with a little pumpkin pie spice rock, so adding all this fat and calories made me cringe. It was good though.

Green salad with feta, apples and pomegranate this is my own adaptation. I use a lemon vinaigrette from CL and just make a wild green salad with green apples, braeburn apples, red onion, feta cheese and pomegranate seeds. Big hit, and this is no salad crowd.

Sausage and mushroom stuffing Nov. 2003 CL. This is a standard for me. Another big hit, very little leftover.

Plain old bagged stuffing wasn't sure if we had some non-sausage people so I made this too, was way too dry---hardly got touched.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve from Barefoot Contessa. People seemed to like it, was a tad too tart for me but very easy to make.

Canned cranberry sauce cut in those disgusting slices. Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it for some!

Carrots steamed, nothing special. Kids liked it, my brother loves carrots what can I say?

Roasted butternut squash, leeks and Parsnips Just tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted. One of my standbys.

Mashed Potatos Personally, I prefer the old CL recipe that has you roast the potatos with leeks and then mash them, but I'm not allowed to mess with mashed potatos. I live with a bunch of potato purists.

Maple Pumpkin Pie Epicurious. So far my favorite pumpkin pie--I am somewhat of a pumpkin pie purist, so the recipe can't be too far away from traditional.

Pecan Pie from recipezaar.com, this was a random recipe--maybe referred to on here? I have no idea. This was AWESOME! I would have liked to toast the pecans first, but as I spaced it the first pie and put in double the butter and had burnt butter all over my oven and had to start over--I was too aggravated to toast. I'm very particular on my pecan pie and rarely have one I consider to be much good--this one is my new staple.

My dad's girlfriend made a calorie killer called: Pina Colada Cake, which if you like coconut, good lord it was good. I just polished off a piece right now, before dinner. A very nice change from pie. Though it's consistency teeters a bit towards pie with the pineapple filling-stuff she puts in it. I don't have the recipe for it, but plan on getting it.

Chocolate Cream pie I had my sister make this, the kids can't get enough, though it was your standard pudding in a pie crust deal. My childhood favorite as well.

A good meal, not much leftover in terms of turkey--I'll barely get enough for enchiladas which is unusual. We may have to have turkey again in a few weeks so we can lay in a good supply of leftovers.

Kristi

Kayaksoup

11-26-2004, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by Blissful_in_TX

Please, please can I have the Almond Cranberry Sauce recipe?? :D
I am pretty sure this is the recipe:

Linda's Cranberry Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sauces, Marinades, & Gravies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
12 ounces fresh whole cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil sugar and juice. Add cranberries and simmer 10 minutes. Add the zest, extracts, and cinnamon during the last minute. Pour into a container and let cool to room temperature; refrigerate. Makes 2 cups.

Kay Henderson

11-26-2004, 03:58 PM

I LOVE the new takes on traditional American dishes which surface every November and this great thread is a gold mine! I cooked dinner for 6 at my mother's house. Due to some food sensitivities my DH is experiencing, I am cooking very simply these days. Therefore, I decided that this would be a good year to learn to make a simple brined turkey.

Winner

Roasted Brined Turkey from December 2004 Cooks Illustrated. Both my 17 pounder yesterday and a 12 pound "trial run" I did a couple of weeks ago were very good.

My Loser was a utensil -- my enamel roasting pan which I took down with me. When I was making pan gravy, it did not have a smooth bottom and was too thin for the task. In the past, I've often used the broiler pan to roast the turkey. I'll either use it next year or bounce for an All-Clad roasting pan or something similar.

Here was my menu -- simple and traditional, but folks seemed to be happy.

Barton Memorial Hospital Cheeseball w/ Crackers
Munchies
Mimosa Salad
Roasted Brined Turkey w/ Pan Gravy
Cornbread Dressing (my mother's recipe)
Mashed potatoes (my mother's recipe)
Green Beans
Rolls (made from Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix)
Relishes
Cranberry Sauce (from the simplest recipe on the back of the package)
Pies -- a pumpkin from Marie Calendars and an apple from "The Apple Shed" in Tehachapi, CA.

I am in awe of how many of you cook the whole meal. Most holidays in my family are potluck beyond the main course, and it was just chance that it worked best for me to do everything but the pies this year.

Thanks to everyone for sharing! I am getting ideas galore.

Kay

Gail

11-26-2004, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by Chocolate Rose
...I was totally surprised that the mulled cranberries weren't well liked. I thought for sure that it would be the hit of the day. I followed the recipe exactly so don't know why my family didn't like it as well as everyone elses family did. I did serve them warm so maybe that was a mistake?...

I'm glad to hear you had other choices, since the recipe didn't work for your group. There was a reason I put a sort-of warning on the recipe when I posted it. For the most part, my experience with this recipe has been that people either love it, or it leaves them cold. I do find that people who normally love cranberry sauce aren't usually as jazzed about it, whereas I-- who have never been a particular fan of cranberries-- adore the stuff!

Try it cold; try it warm... if you serve it again, it's a roll of the dice if people will love it or not.
-------

And about Thanksgiving, since I'm usually a guest, not the host, I can't offer much feedback, only to give another thumbs up for the swiss chard gratin SandyM previously posted, which was my contribution to dinner.

I got a LOT of compliments on that one. Thanks again, Sandy!

stacy7272

11-26-2004, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by cinnamon_queen
Candied Sweet Potatoes (CI) - amazing as always. Not too sweet, not too savory. Even my little cousin who hates sweet potatoes helped himself to seconds.

I would love to get this recipe!! I went onto CI's website and couldn't find it there. If it isn't too much trouble I would really appreciate it if you posted it. Thanks!

gertdog

11-26-2004, 06:18 PM

AnnaSue, thank you for posting the roll recipe1

Kristi, the recipe that Missindi posted above (thanks!) is the one I worked from. I roasted whole portobello mushroom caps (brushed them with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and thyme) at 450 degrees until tender. I thinly sliced 3 onions and caramelized them in a pan on the stovetop. Then I followed the original recipe's assembly instruction, replacing the steaks with mushrooms and onions. Bake as directed. :)

Lisa, the pecan pie recipe posted by Veronica on this thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=752662&highlight=pecan+pie+pam+anderson#post752662) is the one I used.

MISSINDI

11-26-2004, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by Kay Henderson
Mimosa Salad
Kay [/B]

Care to share the recipe?

pbchipses

11-27-2004, 07:25 AM

Originally posted by Jollyjo
My mouth is watering! How about posting some recipes please?

Pony - Goat Cheese Salad, and the Pork Tenderloin?

pbchipses - Warm Goat Cheese Toasts?

TIA!

WARM GOAT CHEESE TOASTS WITH ROSEMARY, WALNUTS, AND HONEY (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/108799)

1 8-ounce French-bread baguette
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350�F. Cut eighteen 1/4-inch diagonal slices from baguette. Spread goat cheese on each slice. Arrange in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until edges are slightly golden and cheese softens, about 10 minutes. Set aside on sheet. Heat honey in small saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle toasts with walnuts, then rosemary. Drizzle with honey and serve.

Makes 18.

Bon App�tit

November 2003

jabelt

11-27-2004, 07:38 AM

We had Thanksgiving at SIL's so I only made a few sides, appetizers, & desserts. They all turned out great!

Appetizers:

Sweet Potato Hummus - I'm not a sweet potato fan, but those that are said this was great! Won't make every year, but good for a change of pace. CLBB.

Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese on Baguette - Simple and delicious. Goat cheese is from Trader Joe's. Just coat with bread crumbs and heat in oven for 5 minutes. Top on sliced baguette.

Side Dishes:

Creamed Spinach Casserole - tried & true. My DH's favorite!

Mashed Potatoes with Sage & White Cheddar - recommended by someone on CLBB, Bon Appetit recipe. Excellent and make ahead - what could be better.

Dessert:

Pumpkin & Cream Cheese Roll - another tried & true. It's just not Thanksgiving without it.

Death Balls - CLBB - Great for the Choc-PB lovers in the family. Will definitely make again.

Special thanks to all the CLBB submitters for making our holiday delicious. You guys are great!

bbenedict

11-27-2004, 09:00 AM

Yum, yum, and more yums! Can't wait to try recipes all of you have posted. Like others, I'm getting great ideas for my upcoming holiday meals.

Chocolate Rose, would you be willing to share your Fudge pecan Pie recipe if I batted my eyes and said pretty please?

Also, does anyone have the Sweet Potato Hummus recipe to share? I was away from the BB for a few weeks and must have missed it.

TIA
Bonnie

JanetJ

11-27-2004, 09:04 AM

Our first Thanksgiving was a big success! Bad traffic kept some guests from arriving as early as planned, so there wasn't as much mingling time before dinner was ready. Because of that the appetizers didn't get eaten as much, but they sure were good!

Hot Brie Kisses - clbb
Excellent!! We overfilled a few of the muffin tins and learned not to do that again, but these were great. We added some extra pepper jelly right after they came out of the oven to give them a little extra kick.

Crab Dip - friend's recipe
This was really good. The leftovers are in my fridge and I'm going to be heating it up today to have out while we decorate the tree and DH and his friend hang Christmas lights.

Ruthie's Spinach Salad w/ Cranberry Vinaigrette - clbb for salad and old cl recipe for dressing
Really great salad! Even the two guys who claimed to be anti-salad went for this and loved it. Toasting the almonds is key and using the cranberry vinaigrette made it extra festive. My only change was to leave out the bacon.

Turkey - adaption of several recipes. We pierced a lemon and orange and put it in the cavity. DH and my mom concocted their own seasoning. Whatever it was, it turned out great!

Honeybaked Ham - can't beat it!

Pam's Cornbread Stuffing - friend's recipe
My first attempt at stuffing and it was good! Everyone seemed to like it.

Mashed Potatoes - no real recipe, just on the fly
Not as fluffy as I would have liked, but good.

Gravy -
One of our guests used to be a chef and he volunteered to do the gravy. I don't know what he did, but it was great. As he was puttering around my kitchen he stumbled across my Penzey's collection and was thoroughly impressed. After dinner he went back and looked (and smelled) them all and took down the website. Another convert!

Gratin Dauphinois - cl 2003
Always a winner!

Cranberry Sauce w/ Apple Cider - cl 2003
Excellent and so easy!

Asparagus w/ Black Pepper, Bacon and Goat Cheese Sauce - cl 2004
I've made this before and really liked it, but it didn't wow me as much this time. The more foodie people seemed to like it, others ate the frozen corn.:)

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole - cl 2003
Excellent and much loved for all sweet potato fans.

Dinner rolls - bread machine cookbook
This was our only dud. They didn't rise much and were way too dense.

Pumpkin Pie - the recipe off the Libby's can
Request from my dad and I have to admit, it's pretty darn good for pumpkin pie purists.

Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars - clbb
My favorite! Soooo good and addictive. I may go eat one for breakfast.

Pecan pie - store bought, but good.

tholbrook

11-27-2004, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by bbenedict
Also, does anyone have the Sweet Potato Hummus recipe to share? I was away from the BB for a few weeks and must have missed it.Here�s the Sweet Potato Hummus recipe (the one I used, anyway). It was posted by ellen6242 on this thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64920). There is another very different Sweet Potato Hummus recipe (it uses chickpeas in addition to the sweet potato) in the same thread as well.

Sweet Potato Hummus
from Restaurant Zola (Nashville, Tenn.)

1 pound sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons brown sugar
Zest of one orange
Pita slices, toasted, or bagel chips
1 teaspoon crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon toasted pistachios

Bake or microwave sweet potatoes until fully cooked. Allow the potatoes to cool, then remove the skins and discard them, retaining the flesh. Toast the cumin seeds on low heat, then crush by hand. (Seeds can be crushed by using a mortar and pestle or by smashing between a saucepan and cutting board.) Add seeds and sweet potato to the food processor, together with the lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, olive oil, brown sugar, orange zest and tahini. Blend until smooth and creamy. (You may want to add more salt or sugar, depending on the sweetness of the potatoes.)
Serve hummus with toasted pita or bagel chips. Scoop hummus onto decorative plate, then place candied chiles (see recipe below) in the center of the hummus. Sprinkle with feta and toasted pistachios.

Candied Peppers
1/4 of a Poblano pepper
1 red chili pepper
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
Salt to taste
Clean ribs and seeds from the peppers. Use a sharp knife to cut peppers into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place peppers in the sugar water and simmer on medium heat until liquid becomes syrupy. (If you don't want to handle red chilies, substitute a red bell pepper and a teaspoon of chili flakes.)

bbenedict

11-27-2004, 09:31 AM

THANKS! Looks yummy! I'll have to give it a try.

Bonnie

KValley

11-27-2004, 09:38 AM

My brother and SIL hosted 13 and everyone brought a dish, but as DH and I were loading up our car, MIL remarked "Did you make the ENTIRE dinner?" It was the 18-lb turkey that did it. My brother insisted we needed 2 turkeys. As it was, we didn't eat even half of the bird he and SIL roasted. :rolleyes: :p So, Brendan and I carted home an intact, beautifully bronzed 18-lb Alton Brown Brined baby. No complaints- we've got meat enough for two weeks' worth of dinner!

THE WINNERS
Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes Cooking LIght December 04 Completely unexpected success. It was a last-minute decision- I received my December issue Wednesday night. I omitted the meringue topping- thought it was aesthetic overkill. This may become a T-Dinner Classic- absolutely scrumptious.

Crispy Cornmeal-Gruyere Muffins Food and Wine November 04 I've reviewed and posted this recipe last week on the BB. Fabulous. I now have the certain path to my FIL's heartDefinitely not everyday fare- pretty high fat content: butter, whole milk, cheese- but perfect for a feast!

Cook's Illustrated Brown Gravy This is a rich, thick make-ahead gravy that's great when you are brining a turkey. The brined-turkey drippings are generally too salty for gravy, so this recipe uses the turkey neck and discaded parts to make a turkey broth. It comes out so thick and smooth and creamy and there is none of the last-minute stress of getting it on the table. Just reheat before sitting down to dinner.

Frozen Mocha Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze Bon Appetit April 03 Mine didn't come out all smooth and pretty like the BA photo, but this was one of the most incredible-tasting desserts ever. The mocha-espresso mousse filling has Kahlua and chunks of dark chocolate and tastes like whole-milk ice cream; the glaze also has Kahlua, whipped cream, dark chocolate. The mousse is spread between two very thin layers of flourless-chocolate cake. I made it four days earlier- it's served straight from the freezer. Incredibly rich- I wouldn't make it again for Thanksgiving- but it would be great as a solo dessert for a dinner party- really sinful.

Good, but I'll keep searching for THE recipe
Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve Bon Appetit, but copied from the BB Perhaps too much going on here- thought the chipotle made the fruit taste a little burnt.

Porcini Mushroom Dressing New York TImes November 17
I had very high hopes for this- morel and porcini mushrooms, dried cherries, Cognac, caramelized onions, sourdough bread. It WAS good- just didn't live up to my expectations. Too many onions weighed it down- perhaps I had too much liquid. It just never got crispy on the top as I like it.

We had about half of the crew over last night for leftovers, OUR turkey, and the Chipotle Chicken Chowder from CL December 04, using turkey. Excellent soup, BTW.

Another SIL made a broccoli, shredded carrot, sunflower seed, dried cranberry salad with honey-mustard dressing that I must get the recipe for. Dad's SO made her signature boiled red cabbage with cloves dish- sounds nasty, but it's excellent. Even better a with cold turkey, stuffing spicy cranberry-mustard (homemade by another SIL), between slices of thick brown bread- which we had for dinner last night. Gourmet Rueben :)

Happy Leftovers Everyone!

Chocolate Rose

11-27-2004, 10:17 AM

Originally posted by Kayaksoup

I am pretty sure this is the recipe:

Linda's Cranberry Sauce

Yes, that's the one! Thanks for posting it. My bil's girlfriend gave it to me a couple of years ago but without a recipe name. So, I just call it "Linda's" cranberry sauce.:D

Chocolate Rose

11-27-2004, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by Gail

I'm glad to hear you had other choices, since the recipe didn't work for your group. There was a reason I put a sort-of warning on the recipe when I posted it. For the most part, my experience with this recipe has been that people either love it, or it leaves them cold. I do find that people who normally love cranberry sauce aren't usually as jazzed about it, whereas I-- who have never been a particular fan of cranberries-- adore the stuff!

It's OK, I just really thought with my wine-loving family who love to experiment with new tastes would have also loved this one. Thanksgiving night we had it warm, Friday night we had it cold. Oh, well...

Chocolate Rose

11-27-2004, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by bbenedict

Chocolate Rose, would you be willing to share your Fudge pecan Pie recipe if I batted my eyes and said pretty please?

Here you go. It's actually my sister's recipe. We have it every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Fudge Pecan Pie

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
dash cinnamon
1 1/3 cups pecans
10 inch baked pie shell

Melt chocolate with butter. Set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat til blended. Beat in melted chocolate. Spread pecans in pie shell and pour in chocolate mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes or til just set in the center. Serve slightly warm with whipped cream.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

nowimcooking

11-27-2004, 11:20 AM

I made two dishes which guests really raved about, even two days after they're still raving!

1. Sweet Potato Gratin w/Chipotles (posted on BB, Bobby Flay recipe). I added a bit of bread crumbs and some Jarlsberg and Jack cheese to the top. DELISH (as RR says)!

2. Green Beans w/Caramelized Shallot Butter (CL Nov. 2003). This was really tasty, vinegary and buttery but not overly so. I was surprised at how many compliments I got on them.

The others (everything was good):

AB's Turkey -- brined and prepped as instructed, but cooked on Weber BBQ. YUM!!! Will definitely make this my regular turkey prep (and probably chicken, too.

Mixed Green Salad w/Dried Fruit and Nuts (F&W Nov. 2004) -- Good, but we were all too full from the other stuff to really enjoy it. I made the mistake of putting it on a separate table so no one ate it either before or with the rest of their meal.

Three-Mushroom Dressing (BA Nov. 96) -- Mom's request, good, but I prefer my own cornbread stuffing.

Cornbread Stuffing (own creation) -- YUMMY YUM YUM!
Plain Ole' Mashed potatoes
Gravy -- mom's recipe
Pumpkin & Pecan Pies (mom's recipe)
Apple Cranberry Crisp (aunt brought this and was superb)!

All in all a successful feast, and I did so much ahead of time that it wasn't stressful at all. The most stressful part was managing my mother! :D

Editing to add that I also made the Virginia Light Rolls (posted on this BB several times), but must have done something to the dough -- I think it may have been that I started the bread maker immediately after adding all the ingredients, and I usually let everything come to room temp first. They had great flavor but didn't rise as they normally do -- I ended up throwing about 12 of them away which broke my heart!

jabelt

11-27-2004, 11:28 AM

This is the recipe I made. It was posted in the same thread mentioned above by JennyAnne. The consistency was thicker than I prefer, so I added some EVOO to thin it a bit. Just a personal preference.

Sweet Potato Hummus
3 cups cubed sweet potato (1" cube)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
handful of cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine potatoes, onion, garlic in a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Coat the veggies and bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 15.

3. In a food processor, combine the roasted veggies and remaining ingredients. Process till smooth.

cinnamon_queen

11-27-2004, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by stacy7272

I would love to get this recipe!! I went onto CI's website and couldn't find it there. If it isn't too much trouble I would really appreciate it if you posted it. Thanks!

This is a "I've stopped looking for more" recipe for me.

Candied Sweet Potatoes (serves 8-10)

8 T. butter, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used about 4-5 T)
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 1/4 lbs), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 C. packed light brown sugar (use dark brown sugar for a more molasses flavor)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat until the foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and 1/2 C. water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 45-55 minutes, stirring often.

When sweet potatoes are tender, remove the lid and bring the sauce to a rapid simmer over medium high heat. Simmer until the sauce has reduced to a glaze, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and serve immediately.

stefania4

11-27-2004, 03:38 PM

We didn't take too many culinary risks this year; we had guests for Thanksgiving and we didn't want to risk anything falling flat! Besides, we like certain traditional things:

Turkey with Carmelized Onion Gravy, Bon Appetit, I think 1999 - I've made this recipe every year since it came out. This year, in our (awful) electric oven in our new home, it was almost carbonized onion gravy. I had to pick through, toss out the blackened ones, and start over. Regardless, the turkey and gravy came through just fine!

Green Bean Casserole - yup, the one from the french-fried onion can. We used cream of chicken soup and fresh green beans. I don't care for it, but everyone who ate it liked it.

Mashed Potatoes[j/b] - the way Mama taught me

[b]Fresh bakery bread

Apple Dumplings - DH's grandfather was a chef and taught him how to make apple dumplings when he was a kid. He uses the pastry recipe from my New BHG Cookbook; they're amazing! And what a treat for my MIL and grand-MIL to have their father's/husband's recipe live on in my DH.

Last night we did a Cuban pork tenderloin and served all the leftover side dishes. Tonight we'll have turkey & dumplings... or pizza. :D

newcook

11-27-2004, 04:07 PM

Cinnamon_queen, would you share the recipe for CI crescent rolls?

Canice would you share the recipe for creamed pearl onions?

Daniele

JenniferJJ

11-27-2004, 04:50 PM

I love hearing everyone's stories and reading the reviews. I especially liked your story, deniseannsc.

I made three dishes at my mom's. In one sense, they were all losers. But their were winning points about them, too.

Thanksgiving Day

I made a green bean cassarole with cremini mushrooms that was published in Food and Wine a few years back (2001, I think). I have wanted to make it for a few years, but had not. The sauce turned out runny. I was rushed to get it finished (too many people in the kitchen and an underestimated time of how long I thought it would take to prepare), and did not follow the directions as far as cooking time. I believe that caused the sauce to be runny.

Pecan pie - from November of 99 (I think). I had never made it before. The top looks light brown and not dark brown like like the rest of the filling. It was like the brown sugar just stayed in one place and baked. My mom and dad tasted it and said it tasted good.

Even though I was not completely happy with how they turned out, I cooked them both with other people giving them directions. I made the pie with my nephew and worked on reading and fractions with him. I made the cassarole with my SIL's niece. And I made two things for the first time.

Hot Brie Kisses: I was happy with the taste, but baked them about two minutes too long. First time I made these, too.

cherylopal

11-27-2004, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by dsignpeach
bourbon whipped cream - DEEvine.

did you make this? can i have the recipe pleasepretty please...

i'm already deciding which bourbons to try first.....and wouldn'tthis be great on the sundae....

dsignpeach

11-27-2004, 05:40 PM

Hey,

In the south, there's only ONE bourbon - Jack Daniels.

Take your regular whipping cream and add an ounce of Jack at the beginning. We used about 1/2 of the half pint of whipping cream. No sugar or anything else.

Sorry I can't be more specific but we usually wing it on recipes. I must say that it was deevine and you CAN'T go wrong with it.

Experiment and enjoy.

cheers!

cherylopal

11-27-2004, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by dsignpeach
Hey,

In the south, there's only ONE bourbon - Jack Daniels.

Take your regular whipping cream and add an ounce of Jack at the beginning. We used about 1/2 of the half pint of whipping cream. No sugar or anything else.

Sorry I can't be more specific but we usually wing it on recipes. I must say that it was deevine and you CAN'T go wrong with it.

Experiment and enjoy.

cheers!

thank you thank you thank you!!!!

buthavingdone the bourbon trail in ky, i will have to say that i will probably use makers mark, jim beam black, or knobcreek way before jack ;)

stacy7272

11-27-2004, 05:56 PM

Thank you, Erika , (AKA cinnamon_queen) for posting CI's Candied Sweet Potato recipe!! It looks good and I can't wait to try it.

cinnamon_queen

11-27-2004, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by newcook
Cinnamon_queen, would you share the recipe for CI crescent rolls?

Daniele

Here you go! There is also a thread where I couldn't find the recipe instructions on how to roll them out, and leightx posted them for me (if you want to see pictures of how to roll them out). I think the title is something like ISO: CI Crescent Rolls.

When you bake the crescent rolls, make sure the light in the oven is switched off. If the light is on after you shut the oven door, the burst of steam may cause the bulb to crack. You can make the dough up to 4 days ahead of time or even partially bake the rolls and freeze them for longer storage. To do this, begin baking the rolls as instructed, but let them bake at 350 degrees for only 4 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms brown slightly. Remove them from the oven and let cool. Place the partially baked rolls in a single layer inside a zipper-lock bag and freeze. When you�re ready to serve them, defrost at room temperature and place them in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12 to 16 minutes. You can freeze the rolls for up to 1 month.

Makes 16 rolls
Dough

3/4 cup skim milk
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 16 pieces
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 1/2 cups unbleached high-protein all-purpose flour (17.5 ounces) (such as King Arthur) or 4 cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour (such as Pillsbury or Gold Medal) plus extra for work surface
1 teaspoon instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Egg Wash

1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Refrigerating the shaped rolls overnight results in a delicately thin, flaky crust and a tender, flavor-packed interior.

See Illustrations Below: Shaping the Rolls

1. Microwave milk, butter, and sugar in 4-cup microwave-safe measuring cup until butter is mostly melted and mixture is warm (about 110 degrees on instant-read thermometer), about 1 1/2 minutes (alternatively, heat milk, butter, and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until warm; remove from heat). Whisk to dissolve and blend in sugar. Beat eggs lightly in medium bowl; add about one-third of warm milk mixture, whisking to combine. When bottom of bowl feels warm, add remaining milk mixture, whisking to combine.

2. Combine flour and yeast in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 15 seconds. With mixer running, add milk and egg mixture in steady stream; mix on low speed until loose, shiny dough forms (you may also see satiny webs as dough moves in bowl), about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat 1 minute; add salt slowly and continue beating until stronger webs form, about 3 minutes longer. (Note: Dough will remain loose rather than forming a neat, cohesive mass.) Transfer dough to large bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and place in warm, draft-free spot until dough doubles in bulk and surface feels tacky, about 3 hours.

3. Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Sprinkle dough with flour (no more than 2 tablespoons) to prevent sticking, and punch down. Turn dough onto floured work surface and form into rough rectangle shape. Transfer rectangle to lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

4. Turn dough rectangle onto lightly floured work surface and roll and shape. Arrange crescents in four rows on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; wrap baking sheet with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

5. Remove baking sheet with chilled rolls from refrigerator, unwrap, and cover with overturned large disposable roasting pan. (Alternatively, place sheet pan inside large garbage bag.) Let rise until crescents feel slightly tacky and soft and have lost their chill, 45 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, turn oven light off, place rimmed baking sheet on lowest rack, adjust second rack to lower-middle position, and heat oven to 425 degrees.

6. With pastry brush, lightly dab risen crescent rolls with egg wash. Transfer baking sheet with rolls to lower-middle rack and, working quickly, pour 1 cup hot tap water into hot baking sheet on lowest rack. Close door immediately and bake 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until tops and bottoms of rolls are deep golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer rolls to wire rack, cool for 5 minutes, and serve warm.

STEP BY STEP: Shaping the Rolls
1.Roll dough to a 20 by 13-inch rectangle; use a pizza wheel to trim edges. Cut dough in half lengthwise, then cut 16 triangles, as illustrated.
2. Elongate each triangle of dough before rolling crescent, stretching it an additional 2 to 3 inches in length.
3. Starting at wide end, gently roll up dough, ending with pointed tip on bottom.

dsignpeach

11-27-2004, 06:02 PM

okay, okay, i concede to kentucky bourbon!!!

newcook

11-28-2004, 04:17 AM

Thanks Cinnamon_queen, those rolls sound amazing.

Daniele

Chris415

11-28-2004, 07:59 AM

I love reading this thread every year. Everyone sounded like they had a wonderful holiday--and some good food to boot! :p

Although it was just the two of us, I still planned a complete formal meal. Here are my reviews:

Repeaters
Black Bean Spread and Lime and Cilantro-(Nov. CL) A really tasty spread that I'm looking forward to putting on some burrito shells for a quick lunch or dinner!
Maple Glazed Winter Squash-(CL, not sure date)--This was good and easy to make early in the morning, although it eeded to cook a bit longer than I did. :rolleyes:
Spinach-Pear Salad with Mustard Viniagrette-Nov. CL.-A nice easy and tasty salad.

Good, but probably won't repeat
Honey & Thyme Brined Turkey-(CL, some time this year)--My second foray in brining, and this wasn't as successful. I feel like writing a letter to CL, because the roasting time for the breast was an hour at 400. Well, three hours later, :o, it was done! I also didn't taste like the flavor came through, so felt the effort wasn't worth it.
Carmelized Onion Dip-CL, not sure of date-I'm always on the lookout for a healthy onion dip, but this wasn't it. The onions took on a sweet taste, too sweet for our palates.
Pecan Pie with Spiked Cream-Nov. CL-OK, I admit I didn't make the crust, but I found this to be an average pecan pie. I'm sure the walnut crust added something to the flavor, but I didn't want the extra calories.

Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes
New England Stuffing-This is a recipe from CL from the early 1990s. I've been making it ever since. It's as close to my mom's recipe as I've ever found. No redeaming value, white bread, onions, celery, spices, chicken broth, egg, but boy, is it good!
Stuffed Mushrooms-Prevention low-fat cookbook. I got this cookbook years ago, and there are some recipes that I make frequently. This is one of them, fairly quick, delicious, and low in fat! :)
Steamed Green Beans with a shallot and balsamic vinegar reduction--I believe this originally came from a CL recipe from last year, but I just do my own sauce.

Now, what am I going to make for Christmas Eve? :D
Chris

dsignpeach

11-28-2004, 08:58 AM

Chris,

could you share the stuffed mushroom recipe?

thanx!

gabbyh

11-28-2004, 09:20 AM

Chris,

Which Prevention Cookbook are your recipes from? I have a few oldies but goodies also:D

~Gail

cherylopal

11-28-2004, 10:11 AM

Originally posted by Chris415

Now, what am I going to make for Christmas Eve? :D
Chris

well i was reading bon appetit and found a stuffed beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and wrapped goatcheese thatsounds just perfect for christmas dinner!:D :rolleyes: :D

Blissful_in_TX

11-28-2004, 10:32 AM

We still had some leftovers yesterday, so I did a little taste-test yesterday since we could do a side-by-side comparison.

First, we compared Grandmas Green Bean Casserole from allrecipes.com to the Original Green Bean Casserole on the French�s can. The Grandmas one was the clear winner. I don�t remember the traditional French�s one being that bad, blah.

Next I compared the Triple Cranberry Sauce from epicurious.com to the Linda�s / Almond Cranberry Sauce posted by Chocolate Rose. I preferred the Almond one, while DH preferred the Triple Cran one, but we agreed both were good. As far as tartness�.after going back and forth many, many times�.we concluded that that is mostly dependent whether you happen to be biting into a really tart cranberry at that particular time. So I wonder if there�s a way to weed out the really tart ones before cooking? Or am I not stirring and mixing them up enough?

Anyway, those are my review updates!

ElaineW2

11-28-2004, 12:04 PM

I'm a long-time lurker but have never posted. Lots of choices here. Hope I'm doing it right . . .

Several have mentioned make-ahead gravy. I've searced and found a Woman's Day Version, but some have mentioned Cooks Illustrated Make-Ahead. How does this differ from WD? Can someone post the recipe?

I really enjoy browsing this site and have picked up oh so many tips and recipes. You are all the greatest!!

Elaine

bbenedict

11-28-2004, 01:15 PM

Chocolate Rose, thanks for the fudge pecan pie recipe. I'm going to make it for my Chrismas dinner (if I can wait that long!).

Bonnie

catbatty

11-28-2004, 01:34 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ElaineW2
[B]I'm a long-time lurker but have never posted. Lots of choices here. Hope I'm doing it right . . .

Elaine,

Welcome fellow Portlander! You did it right! :D I love this place, too. Brightens my spirit to hang out here on these cold, wintery days. Glad to meet you. Thanks for requesting the gravy, I hope we get some.

Brenda (in Garden Home-near Multnomah Village)

phantomcg

11-28-2004, 02:44 PM

I agree with the others who have said that the Good Eats Roast Turkey wasn't as flavorful as I expected it to be. It wasn't bad, but I've definately had better.

Some winners from our table were:

Crispy Cornmeal-Gruyere Muffins I did use skim milk in these instead of the whole milk called for. These are amazing! I love the crunchy, crispy texture and the hint of cumin in them.

Cranberry Pecan Pie I'm not a big pecan pie fan, but both my Mom and MIL are, so I've been searching for something that all of us can enjoy - this is it! I cheated and used a frozen pie crust (because FIL had some recent medical problems, we didn't know who was hosting Thanksgiving until Tuesday night!).

Peach Pecan Sweet Potatoes I love sweet potatoes and these were so yummy! Not too sweet and definately different from the usual sweet potato dish served at Thanksgiving.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere and Creme Fraiche I made these in response to DH's request for Scalloped potatoes. I was 1/2 cup short on the creme fraiche so I added some half & half and I also added some cheddar cheese for color. DH has already requested that I make this recipe again.

Cheryl

deniseannsc

11-28-2004, 04:55 PM

Originally posted by phantomcg

Peach Pecan Sweet Potatoes I love sweet potatoes and these were so yummy! Not too sweet and definately different from the usual sweet potato dish served at Thanksgiving.
Cheryl

Could you post the recipe for this please? Peach & sweet potatoes together sound yummy!

denise

zackaboo

11-28-2004, 06:27 PM

Originally posted by tholbrook
It was just DH and I yesterday (the family Thanksgiving dinner will be on Saturday), and since I always do something non-traditional for the two of us, I used some of the menu from November CL's "Inspired Vegetarian Section".

BREAKFAST AND SNACKS:
Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones (Gourmet May 1997)[SIZE=1]Oh my, these were so good. They were so soft and flaky and the flavor was wonderful. The recipe made 16 so we took half of them to MIL/FIL's house. Now I wish we had kept them!

I think you must like scones as much as I do :) ! It seems like I see your scone reviews frequently. Could you please share this recipe when you have a chance? It sounds like something I would like. TIA!

Aubergine

11-28-2004, 06:58 PM

(i keep forgetting to post this): LOSER: stuffing/dressing made in the slow cooker. you don't ever want to try this. absolutely zero texture. when's the last time you ever saw no one take seconds on dressing? and i thought it sounded like such a terrific idea.:rolleyes:

ctr264

11-28-2004, 07:20 PM

Not tholbrook but here is a link to the recipe. I'm not sure if this is going to work so if it doesn't, I found the recipe at epicurious.com. The combo of lemon and cranberry sounds too good to resist. These are on the menu for tommorrow.

[URL=http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/14312[/URL]

phantomcg

11-28-2004, 07:27 PM

Originally posted by deniseannsc
Could you post the recipe for this please? Peach & sweet potatoes together sound yummy!

Denise,

Here's a link the the recipe. I found it while browsing on allrecipes.com.

Peach Pecan Sweet Potatoes (http://thanksgiving.allrecipes.com/az/PchPcnSwtPtts.asp)

I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did! I should mention that I only used 4 sweet potatoes and not 6.

Cheryl

Goin' Coastal

11-28-2004, 08:10 PM

Biggest winner - Fancy Green Beans (Paula Deen, but from this BB)
execpt I used a green bean, yellow bean, baby carrot combo and used almonds rather than cashews.

"Iffy" - Make ahead gravy. I had high hopes for this as we deep fry the turkey - found it bland

Biggest loser - Carmelized onion and thyme muffins. Sounded so good, but were not that great. Wouldn't make again.

tholbrook

11-28-2004, 09:10 PM

Originally posted by ctr264
Not tholbrook but here is a link to the recipe. I'm not sure if this is going to work so if it doesn't, I found the recipe at epicurious.com. The combo of lemon and cranberry sounds too good to resist. These are on the menu for tommorrow.

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/14312)
Since you're making these tomorrow, I thought I'd mention the only thing I changed: I patted out the dough into 2 circles, but instead of cutting them out into small circles, I just scored the dough into wedges with a sharp knife. Same technique as a lot of other scone recipes. Much quicker too.

zackaboo - yes, I love, love, love scones, as you can tell from some of my month-end reviews. This was the first one I made with fresh fruit (as opposed to dried) and they were some of the best I've had. A bit decadent - a cup of heavy cream (Hmmm, I guess I just made cream scones, which I have always avoided for this very reason)! But worth every calorie in my opinion!

zackaboo

11-29-2004, 07:51 AM

Originally posted by tholbrook

[COLOR=green]

zackaboo - yes, I love, love, love scones, as you can tell from some of my month-end reviews. This was the first one I made with fresh fruit (as opposed to dried) and they were some of the best I've had. A bit decadent - a cup of heavy cream (Hmmm, I guess I just made cream scones, which I have always avoided for this very reason)! But worth every calorie in my opinion!

Thanks so much to both of you for the link. I look forward to trying this recipe. Tholbrook, we may have to exchange more scone recipes sometime! I have a good reduced fat recipe which uses any fresh fruit that you like (better with summer fruits) but many of my recipes are also high in fat content. I eat them sparingly!

cinnamon_queen

11-29-2004, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by ElaineW2
I'm a long-time lurker but have never posted. Lots of choices here. Hope I'm doing it right . . .

Several have mentioned make-ahead gravy. I've searced and found a Woman's Day Version, but some have mentioned Cooks Illustrated Make-Ahead. How does this differ from WD? Can someone post the recipe?

Elaine

This is the one that I made. I used 3 smoked turkey legs and I really liked the flavor and thought it had a great gravy texture...not too thick or too runny.

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
4 turkey wings (about 3 lbs.) or 3 turkey legs
2 medium onions -- peeled and quartered
1 cup water or wine
8 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Have a large roasting pan ready. Arrange wings in single layer in pan. Scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Put wings and onions into 5-6 quart pot. Add water to pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to the pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove wings to a cutting board. When cool pull off skin and meat. Discard skin and save meat for another use.

Strain broth into 3 quart saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard veggies and skim fat off broth. Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups of broth until smooth. Bring broth in saucepan to a boil, slowly whisk in flour mixture, boil 3-4 minutes to thicken and remove floury taste. Stir in butter and pepper. Refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to three months.
Yield: "8 cups"

Sheila in MD

11-29-2004, 08:21 AM

Originally posted by tholbrook
Here�s the Sweet Potato Hummus recipe ([/B]

Do you think this would suffer if I left out the orange zest? Not big orange flavor fans here but the rest of it is very interesting...

Thanks!
Sheila in MD

Sheila in MD

11-29-2004, 08:38 AM

Originally posted by deniseannsc
Peach & sweet potatoes together sound yummy!

Not peaches and not the recipe you requested but thought if you liked the sound of the peaches and sweet potatoes you might be interested in my favorite TG sweet potatoe casserole...it is a sweet potato and apricot puree with a struesal topping. I have posted it before but don't know if anyone tried it...it always gets rave reviews at our house! We have been making this one since 1994 and have yet to find one we like as well. It is really nice and the apricots add a subtle yet distinctive flavor. They cut the sweetness a bit but it is still a very sweet dish. The nice part is the recipe is itself pretty light (fat wise)to start-only 1T butter and the pecans which can be cut back on.

Sweet Potato & Apricot Puree w/ Pecan Streusal
Source: Gourmet/ November, 1994

5 Large Sweet Potatoes (about 3 1/2 lbs.)
6 oz. dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 T. granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
1 T. flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T butter, softened
2/3 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 450 F. ***** potatoes and bake in middle of oven 1 1/2 hours or until very soft. Scoop flesh into a bowl.

In a saucepan cover apricots by 1 inch with cold water and simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Reserve 2 T. cooking liquid and drain apricots. In a food processor puree the apricots with the granualted sugar and reserve liquid until smooth. Add puree to ptatoes with salt to taste and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread mixture into a buttered 2 quart shallow baking dish. Puree may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl blend with your fingers flour, brown sugar, butter, pecans and salt to taste until combined well and crumble over puree. Bake puree in the middle of the oven until heated through and streusal is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Hints: Whenever I bake sweet potatoes, I bake them on a foil covered baking sheet so that the juices don�t get all over the bottom of the oven. I seem to remember reading this tip in Cook�s Illustrated in an article on how to cook the perfect sweet potato. I make the puree ahead of time and also make the struesal ahead-I just keep the struesal in a tupperware like container in the refrigerator until needed. This makes the dish easy to do on the holiday itself-sprinkle the stuff on and stick it in the oven! I use a large quiche pan for this-it is really pretty spread out in a shallow pan and that way everyone gets some topping-the best part! I use very little if any sugar with the apricot puree-I find the dish is plenty sweet without it.

Sheila in MD

tholbrook

11-29-2004, 09:22 AM

Originally posted by Sheila in MD

Do you think this would suffer if I left out the orange zest? Not big orange flavor fans here but the rest of it is very interesting...

Thanks!
Sheila in MD
Shiela, I'm sure the orange zest contributed some flavor to the dish, but since I couldn't really taste it at all, I think you'd be fine leaving it out.

tholbrook

11-29-2004, 09:31 AM

Originally posted by zackaboo

Thanks so much to both of you for the link. I look forward to trying this recipe. Tholbrook, we may have to exchange more scone recipes sometime! I have a good reduced fat recipe which uses any fresh fruit that you like (better with summer fruits) but many of my recipes are also high in fat content. I eat them sparingly! I'd love to get new scone recipes! Send them my way any time. Maybe I'll start a new thread with some of my favorite scone recipes (it will have to be later since I don't have the recipes with me). I've got a great recipe for Pumpkin-White Chocolate Scones that you might like (if you don't already have the recipe).

kbs

11-29-2004, 09:47 AM

Originally posted by phantomcg

Potato Gratin with Gruyere and Creme Fraiche I made these in response to DH's request for Scalloped potatoes. I was 1/2 cup short on the creme fraiche so I added some half & half and I also added some cheddar cheese for color. DH has already requested that I make this recipe again.

Cheryl [/B]

Hi Cheryl,
Would you be able to post the potato gratin recipe when you get a chance? It sounds wonderful- plus I have a container of creme fraiche I bought (for $4.50!!!?!?!) for something else and didn't use.

Thanks!
Kim

PAMMELA

11-29-2004, 10:09 AM

Everything I made turned out great and they were all new recipes (so brave of me!) :)

Spicy Bloody Marys Epicurious. AWESOME!

Feta Cheese Foldovers (AR). FANTASTIC! Couldn't be easier and you could put a million different things in these! The feta was great though, nice and tangy. Easy to make ahead.

Spinach Balls (Lindrusso BB) Excellent. What else can I say?

Blue Cheese Pecans (Alysha). YUM. What's not to like?

OVERALL WINNER:
Port Wine Pearl Onions and Shallots (CLBB) These were fantastic! They take twice as long to make as the recipe says, but mostly it's just cooking time. Would make again with a nice steak or tri tip. Made the night before and reheated.

Penzy's Green Bean Casserole (CLBB) YUM!! Much better than the regular recipe. I used Garlic Butter Ritz for the topping and Jack cheese and made the night before, putting the toppings on before I cooked it.

Slow Cooker Stuffing (AR) This was excellent. I toasted up two loaves of white bread and pretty much followed directions exactly except left out the mushrooms. Also, as the reviews on AR website say, only start with 2 cups of broth, I probably only used 2-1/2 or so. It was perfect. Not sure what exactly Aubergine didn't like about it. This recipe is your basic stuffing, so you have to like that! I think it really depends all on your amount of broth, have to be careful with that.

Sage and White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes Epicurious. Good, but not great. It was nice to make it ahead though, but wouldn't make again.

Cornmeal and Gruyere Muffins (CLBB). I thought these were great, but I think my family is more of a regular white roll family. I'll eat these with my lunch, so nothing wasted.

Apple Dumpling Cake (AR). Good for something different besides pumpkin and chocolate. Made ahead and served with whipped cream.

Pumpkin pie and chocolate pie. Everything was really good and we ate tons and had a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone for posting recipes and reviews!

Chocolate Rose

11-29-2004, 10:25 AM

Originally posted by Aubergine
(i keep forgetting to post this): LOSER: stuffing/dressing made in the slow cooker. you don't ever want to try this. absolutely zero texture. when's the last time you ever saw no one take seconds on dressing? and i thought it sounded like such a terrific idea.:rolleyes:

Aubergine,
How did you make yours? I started making mine in the crockpot last year and it's come out perfect every time. In fact, stuffing was the first thing we ran out of with leftovers (to dd's great distress!!).

jtoepfert100

11-29-2004, 11:08 AM

All of your menus sound wonderful.

Pilgrim719 - would you mind posting your Pumpkin Dinner Roll recipe?

chris415 - I have Prevention's Healthy Cook cookbook and I have found a lot of winners in it. If the stuffed mushrooms you made were the same as in that book, they are good! I've made other low-fat stuffed mushrooms, mostly disappointments, but these have been the best!

This was a year of firsts for us -- first Thanksgiving away from home and first thanksgiving meal that I cooked. I suppose it went pretty well.

Lindrusso's Spinach Balls - these were excellent. As good as everyone says.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (1001 Low Fat Desserts) - these were okay. DH didn't like them at all. Won't make again.

Warm Green Bean Salad w/ Toasted Walnuts (EW) - this was nice but it made a lot and I guess we're just not salad people. I think it could have used a bit more flavor.

Roast Duck w/ Dried Cherry Sauce (EW Fall 2004) - I think duck is pretty fool proof so the bird came out well. The sauce on the other hand, not so much. I know this was my inability to make a sauce but it turned out a funny color and tasted weird. DH liked it but not enough for me to keep it for leftovers. We liked having duck for Thanksgiving but I'll look for a different recipe.

Mashed Potatoes w/ Braised Turnips (Epicurious) - these were really good but kind of a lot of work for mashed potatoes. DH had requested mashed turnips, which I had never made before, and I think he was looking for something less-potatoey and more-turnipy. Will try something different next year.

Wild Rice Stuffing w/ Oysters (recipeusa.org) I LOVED this! I made it specifically for DH who likes oysters (I don't). He said the stuffing was okay but he prefers a more traditional giblet type stuffing. I, on the other hand, found the combination of rice, herbs and oysters to taste incredible. I guess I'll just have to make this for myself next year with some other type of stuffing for him.

Payday Cheesecake (Gracie CLBB) I made this the night before and was worried because when it was done cooking it was full of cracks. Never having made a cheesecake in a springform pan, I figured I had messed it up. But once I put the whipped cream on top, it looked better and tasted pretty darn good. I don't know how to prevent all those cracks but DH declared this the winner of the meal. I don't know that I'll make it a Thanksgiving tradition but it's a keeper!

angelamaria

11-29-2004, 11:16 AM

i must say bourbon is made in kentucky only! (grew up in louisville)
jack daniels is "tennessee whiskey".

reviews
crab dip and tapenade CL 11/04 crab dip was too creamy and not crabby enough. tapenade was great.

Orange Bourbon Marinated Turkey with Pecan Gravy F&W Holidays this was great esp the gravy used a fresh WF turkey

Cornbread Pecan Stuffing F&W Holidays this was a big disappointment. it took overall 4 days to make - 1 day for homemade turkey stock, 1 day to make cornbread, 1 day to prepare stuffing and 1 day to reheat. it was dry and not flavorful despite the turkey stock and the 2 sticks of butter and fat from 8 slices of bacon. no one had seconds and the rest of it is still in the fridge.

Lima Bean Gratin F&W Holidays the unexpected hit. it has leeks and mushrooms in it as well as the lima beans and was devoured that day and the next.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce F&W Holidays this was good but too tart- it only used apple cider to sweeten. when i reheated it i added a half cup sugar and that did the trick . made way too much i might freeze the rest in ice cubes.

Port Glazed Shallots and Onions these tasted great but were not worth the effort (peeling all those tiny tiny pearl onions) next time i would use the shallots and frozen peeled white pearl onions.

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes added cream cheese and sour cream it was good

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie this was a no bake pie from a church cookbook the bottom layer is a mix of cream cheese vanilla pudding and cool whip - pretty good.

Pecan Pie from the back of the Karo syrup bottle a tried and true.
that's it! now on to christmas eve and day!

ElaineW2

11-29-2004, 03:05 PM

This is the one that I made. I used 3 smoked turkey legs and I really liked the flavor and thought it had a great gravy texture...not too thick or too runny.

Cinnamon Queen . . . Thanks for the recipe. I'm anxious to try it. Would beat trying to whip up gravy at the last minute. I've noticed that besides a watched pot not boiling, watched last minute gravy never thickens.

and to Brenda (catbatty) Thanks for the welcome. Yes, we're vera near neighbors. I live in Cedar Hills/Beaverton area. Samll world.

Elaine

Alleycat

11-29-2004, 03:45 PM

Can I play too? :)

I don't post often, but the menu planning thread helped me figure out my own. This was our first year hosting, so I was a bit nervous.

Sage-Rubbed Turkey (Williams-Sonoma). Very moist and smelled fantastic as it roasted. The pan gravy was okay - I'm not a big gravy fan.

Bread and Sausage Stuffing (Williams-Sonoma). Yummy. To make it healthier, I used lean turkey sweet italian sausage and fat-free half and half.

Green Bean Casserole (the old one). For once in my life, I didn't like this at all. But I used it on Friday night to make shepherd's pie with leftover mashed potatoes!

Spinach Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Cream Cheese. We love, love, love these potatoes.

Squash-Rice Casserole (CL). I made this in lieu of stuffing for my vegetarian brother. Wasn't sure how much stuffing came in the Tofurkey but wanted him to have options.

Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve (CLBB). Loved this!! I've been eating the leftovers with cream cheese and crackers. My dad asked for the recipe on the spot. I happily handed the red-stained paper to him.

My mom made her original recipe for smashed cauliflower, which is really good. She also brought a spiced pumpkin pie and some pumpkin bread. MIL brought tiramisu from a local Italian bakery.

To my surprise, the 16.6 pound stuffed turkey cooked in 4 hours. It was done before the guests arrived!

zackaboo

11-29-2004, 05:43 PM

Originally posted by Alleycat
Can I play too? :)

I don't post often, but the menu planning thread helped me figure out my own. This was our first year hosting, so I was a bit nervous.

Spinach Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Cream Cheese. We love, love, love these potatoes.

Alleycat,

Glad you decided to post. The more the merrier! Congrats on your first year hosting. It sounds as though it was successful. Also, the Spinach Mashed Potatoes sound really good. I love spinach. Do you mind sharing this recipe? Thanks!:)

zackaboo

11-29-2004, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by tholbrook
I'd love to get new scone recipes! Send them my way any time. Maybe I'll start a new thread with some of my favorite scone recipes (it will have to be later since I don't have the recipes with me). I've got a great recipe for Pumpkin-White Chocolate Scones that you might like (if you don't already have the recipe).

No, I haven't seen that one but it sounds good! A scone thread sounds like a great idea to me...

cherylopal

11-29-2004, 05:53 PM

Originally posted by Alleycat

Spinach Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Cream Cheese. We love, love, love these potatoes.

Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve (CLBB). Loved this!! I've been eating the leftovers with cream cheese and crackers. My dad asked for the recipe on the spot. I happily handed the red-stained paper to him.

thanks for posting!
me too please forthe spinach mashed potato recipe and the cranberry chipotle fruit conserve

thankyou

tbb113

11-29-2004, 06:54 PM

Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Fruits
Salsas, Chutnies & Relishes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped dried peaches
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 garlic cloves -- chopped
1 teaspoon salt
16 ounces fresh cranberries (about 4 cups)
2 1/4 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chiles*

Combine maple syrup, 1/2 cup water, and vinegar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add all dried fruit, garlic, and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fresh cranberries and chipotle chiles; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until cranberries pop and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

*Chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce that is sometimes called adobo are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and most supermarkets.

Makes about 3 cups.

Description:
"Serve with: Roast turkey, ham, or chicken. Combine with: Crackers that have been spread with cream cheese or goat cheese. Use as: A sandwich spread."
Source:
"Bon App�tit October 2003"
Yield:
"3 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

phantomcg

11-29-2004, 07:13 PM

Originally posted by kbs
Would you be able to post the potato gratin recipe when you get a chance?

Sure, Kim. AdGirl posted it on a thread about creme fraiche back in July.

POTATO GRATIN WITH GRUYERE AND CREME FRAICHE

Just four ingredients add up to a rich and delicious side dish. Once the potatoes are sliced, the gratin comes together quickly and then bakes unattended for about an hour and 15 minutes.

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
1 1/2 cups cr�me fra�che,* stirred to loosen
1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Gruy�re cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400�F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange half of potato slices in bottom of prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread half of cr�me fra�che over potatoes and sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with remaining potatoes, overlapping slightly; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread with remaining cr�me fra�che; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake gratin uncovered 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350�F. Continue to bake gratin until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

* Available at some supermarkets. If unavailable, heat 1 1/2 cups whipping cream to lukewarm (85�F). Remove from heat and mix in 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free area until slightly thickened, 24 to 48 hours, depending on temperature of room. Chill until ready to use.

Makes 8 servings.

Bon App�tit
November 2002

Epicurious Food � 2003 Cond�Net Inc. All rights reserved.

Enjoy!!

cherylopal

11-30-2004, 05:40 AM

Originally posted by tbb113
Cranberry-Chipotle Fruit Conserve

thank you!!!:)

Gracie

11-30-2004, 07:09 AM

Winners:

Night Before Mashed Potatoes (posted here some time ago)
Stuffing - my own concoction of stuffing plus sausage, onion and celery
Roasted Vegetables - mix of carrots, red onion, zucchini, yellow squash and red and green peppers roasted with a tinch of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Very simple and very colorful!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake - BA but posted here
Cranberry-Spiced Meatballs - Better Homes and Gardens (I think) Holiday Appetizer special publication
Creamy Crab Dip - same magazine
Blue Ribbon Apple Pie - CL BB

Losers/Disappointments:

Cheese Triangles BHG Holiday Appetizers
Farm of Beverly Hills brownies - but ONLY because I overcooked them

Loren

Chris415

11-30-2004, 07:28 AM

Originally posted by gabbyh
Chris,

Which Prevention Cookbook are your recipes from? I have a few oldies but goodies also:D

~Gail

So sorry, Gail and Dsignpeach! For some reason, I'm not getting my emails when the page is updated, so I just noticed your questions!

Gail, the book is Prevention's "The Healthy Cook." I love it, lots of tried and true recipes in there for us.

Pchy, I'll post that recipe tomorrow when I get it. I have it pretty much memorized, but want to double check on a couple of things! ;)
Chris

Chris415

11-30-2004, 07:31 AM

Originally posted by jtoepfert100
chris415 - I have Prevention's Healthy Cook cookbook and I have found a lot of winners in it. If the stuffed mushrooms you made were the same as in that book, they are good! I've made other low-fat stuffed mushrooms, mostly disappointments, but these have been the best

Yup, you're right, they are the best! I've never tried any other recipes, because these are so good! :)

Gracie

11-30-2004, 07:57 AM

Originally posted by jtoepfert100
Payday Cheesecake (Gracie CLBB) I made this the night before and was worried because when it was done cooking it was full of cracks. Never having made a cheesecake in a springform pan, I figured I had messed it up. But once I put the whipped cream on top, it looked better and tasted pretty darn good. I don't know how to prevent all those cracks but DH declared this the winner of the meal. I don't know that I'll make it a Thanksgiving tradition but it's a keeper!

I was thrilled to see you made this and even more that you and DH liked it so much! Yes it cracks terribly (maybe a water bath would help that) but that's what the whipped cream was originally for - to hide the cracks! :D It also adds something to the cheesecake and keeps the after-dinner-coffee theme going.

Loren

jtoepfert100

11-30-2004, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by Gracie

I was thrilled to see you made this and even more that you and DH liked it so much! Yes it cracks terribly (maybe a water bath would help that) but that's what the whipped cream was originally for - to hide the cracks! :D It also adds something to the cheesecake and keeps the after-dinner-coffee theme going.

Loren

Loren, thanks for responding. I wondered when I pulled it out of the oven if that was what the whipped cream was for.:) Thanks for letting me know it wasn't just me with the cracks. I almost sent you a PM when I made it to see if I had ruined it. Thanks for the recipe - DH reiterated last night that this was the winner of our Thanksgiving!

Aubergine

11-30-2004, 12:24 PM

Originally posted by Chocolate Rose

Aubergine,
How did you make yours? I started making mine in the crockpot last year and it's come out perfect every time. In fact, stuffing was the first thing we ran out of with leftovers (to dd's great distress!!).

Chocolate Rose and Pammela -- thanks! obviously i goofed somewhere; maybe too much broth. based on your comments, i think i'll go check the recipe and comments at AR that Pammela used and give it another go this afternoon.

Linda in MO

11-30-2004, 01:18 PM

Well, I'm late in the game here, but I finally got around to typing all this in...

Munchies:
baby carrots, celery, broccoli with Spinach Dill Dip (made from a Tastefully Simple mix)
snack mix (from Sam's--m&m's, raisins, almonds, cashews, peanuts)
mint meltaways (Hickory Farms)

My dad's contribution:
Smoked Turkey (good)
Smoked Potatoes (too peppery)
Cheesey Cabbage (good)

Niece's contribution:
steakhouse rolls from Sam's (good)

MIL's contribution:
a sketchy looking pea salad (I didn't try it :o )

Me:
Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing (my adaptation from the Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook)
I've made this for the last 4 yrs. I think. I make Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread and cube and dry it; make my own turkey stock; use lean breakfast sausage, mushrooms, celery, onion, parsley, etc. I made a double batch and all of it got eaten within 2 or 3 days. I thought my bread was going to get ruined though, because my yeast was expired and the loaves didn't rise as much as usual. It worked out OK though and I was glad I didn't have to re-make the bread!

Fancy Green Beans (Paula Deen)
Really good! Surprisingly, my 8 yr. old really loved these and usually he likes his veggies pretty plain. I used frozen whole green beans and I just thawed them and skipped the pre-cooking part. Since I didn't add lemon juice to the cooking water, I added it directly to the green beans in the skillet.

Apple Waldorf Salad (my recipe)
I've made this the last 4 yrs., I think. Always a hit. My 8 yr. old really loves this, too. I used cherry flavored craisins this year but couldn't really taste much difference from the reg. ones.

4-5 diced unpeeled red and green apples (Gala and Crispin are a good combo), 2 cups halved red grapes, a large can of pineapple tidbits (pour the juice over the apples and toss then drain to keep them from turning brown), about 1/2 to 3/4 cup finely diced celery (I like to use the tender inner ribs), about 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries and/or dried cherries to taste. Dress with lightly sweetened real whipped cream (about 1/2 pint whipping cream with 1 T. sugar and a splash of pure vanilla whipped).

Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows (BA/cl bb)
Good but very sweet as you can imagine. I might reduce the brown sugar and butter a bit next time. I got distracted and blackened the marshmallows under the broiler!! I had to scrape them off and add more marshmallows. Luckily they weren't ruined. I prefer sweet potato casseroles where the potatoes are mashed and have a pecan streusel topping, but I made these for DH.
http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?threadid=66693&highlight=sweet+potatoes+marshmallows

Cranberry sauce (from the can)
That's what most of them like.

Pumpkin Pie with Toffee-Walnut Topping (epicurious.com)
Another "regular" that I've made for the last 4 yrs. Wonderful! I use 1/2 cup of toffee bits and 1/3 cup of walnuts instead of the other way around.

Pumpkin-Apple Butter Pie with Streusel Topping (claire797 told me about it and she got it from the Southern Living BB)
Really good! I used brown sugar in the topping instead of white sugar. I really liked the addition of the streusel topping. I think I liked it best within the first 24 hours. I think you could taste the apple butter more on day 2 or 3 though. A nice change of pace but it might not appeal to the pumpkin pie purists.

Cranberry Pecan Pie (Taste of Home)
This was the second time I made this. Delicious! The fresh cranberries cut the sweetness.

Linda in MO

11-30-2004, 03:01 PM

Oh, I forgot to mention, I didn't add the almonds to the sweet potatoes. And I tried a new pie crust recipe from Cook's Illustrated The Best Recipe and I didn't really care for it at all! It was doughy on the bottom and the fluted edge really shrunk up and didn't keep it's shape. It could have been cook's error but I doubt I'll try it again.

ChrisF

11-30-2004, 03:52 PM

This thread is so terrific! I've just now had a chance to read and thought I would chime in with our terrific, unusual, kind of crazy Thanksgiving. The guests: group of 25 family & friends...one of the guests..DIL of the host family was pregnant and due Thanksgiving Day! Three+ families came together with the food contributions:

Too many appetizers - cheese trays, vegetable platters, etc
2 smoked turkeys from a locally reknown smokehouse/butcher
Family favorite chestnut dressing
Mashed potato casserole with carmelized onion topping - Sunset Mag
Green bean salad with pecans and cherry tomatoes
A turnip dish with roasted basalmic beets
Whole wheat and white crescent rolls
Three different cranberry relishes/sauces
Gravy from Williams-Sonoma (not bad!)
Pumpkin, berry, and apple pies

and, best of all, after arriving at the 2 pm dinner, eating a tiny bit, then resting, then moving on to the hospital....... the DIL & DS of the hosts welcomed their new daughter, the first grandchild, at 10:10 pm!
What a great day!
Happy Holidays.......Chris

Meganator

11-30-2004, 04:24 PM

This was the first Thanksgiving at our house, although I have helped my sister make the dinner at her house for several years. We had 7 people. Only one minor crisis; when I got up at 6 am to put my 9.20 lb turkey in the brine, I opened the turkey packaging and saw what barely looked like a chicken to me. It just looked like there was hardly any meat on it. I thought it MIGHT feed 7, but definitely no leftovers. So I pulled the 11.4 lb turkey from the freezer and did a quick thaw and was able to brine it for about 2 hours before they both had to go into the oven (I would have just postponed dinner, but one of the guests had to work in the evening). The result was the skinny turkey overcooked a little, even with a thermometer - I think the meat of the breast just wasn't thick enough for it not to dry out some. It was still pretty good. The bigger turkey was great, even after only 2 hours of brine. Very moist.

The menu was:

Chestnut Soup - my sister sampled this at Williams-Sonoma and liked it, so it was a new addition to our menu. Subtle taste, but everyone liked it.

Turkey - Alton Brown-brined, our usual

Dressing- Crockpot Dressing - Great! I omitted some of the items from the recipe to make it like our family recipe, which is not actually written down anywhere. That usually results in my sister or my mom making it perfectly, and me messing it up. So this is now my standard recipe, and I loved it.

Mulled Cranberry Sauce (Gail's) - I am the only one who really cares much for cranberry anything, but I loved this. I almost reduced the amount of candied ginger, as 1/3 cup seemed like a lot; but I didn't and it was great. After tasting, I considered adding a tad more sugar, but I didn't do that either. I am going to make this all the time now that I see my store has frozen cranberries year round.

Sweet Potatoes - just baked, with butter and brown sugar. My family has never done the marshmallow thing.

Scalloped Oysters - the unwritten family recipe

Pumpkin Pie - our "family" recipe, which I think might be the one from the Libby's can.

**** Chocolate Pecan Pie !!!: I don't like pecan pie, so I thought the addition of chocolate would help. Wow! This was the greatest. I used a recipe from one of the threads on this board. I didn't note who posted it, but it is originally from "Noteworthy Two, the Ravinia Cookbook". It is basically a standard pecan pie with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. What a difference that made!