I saw this at gourmetmomonthego.com and thought it was so cute I had to start with it!! Plus I love sugar snap peas. ((I don't have to list the recipe do I??)) There was one suggestion to cut cheese slices into ornament shapes to decorate the tree with. Fun.
Here are some basic, no-frill, but tried and true recipes for Thanksgiving.
ROLLS This recipe is from Liz Zimmerman. A cute young mom and wonderful cook in my last branch. I like that it doesn't add extra fat (just from the milk) since all of the rest of my Thanksgiving recipes are full of butter. Makes 32 big, fluffy rolls. 2 T yeast 1/2 cup warm water 1/3 cup sugar 2 tsp salt ( I prefer 1 T salt) 2 eggs 1 can evaporated milk 1 cup very hot water 4 cups flour 3 1/2 cups flour
Mix yeast in 1/2 cup water and let stand while mixing sugar, salt, eggs and can of milk. Add hot water and yeast mixture. Mix, then add 4 cups flour, beat well. Add 3 1/2 cups more flour (may need more). Let rise until double (1 - 1 1/2 hours?). Punch down. Divide into 4 parts. Roll each part into a circle, cut into 8 pie shaped wedges with a pizza cutter or knife. Roll from wide end, place on greased sheet. Let rise until double. (The first sheet is usually ready by the time the rest are assembled.) Cook at 400 degrees for 12 min. Brush with butter while hot if desired.
I also use this recipe as a cinnamon roll base. Just roll into rectangles instead of circles, spread with butter and liberal amount of cinnamon/sugar, also raisins and chopped nuts if you like, roll like a jelly roll and slice with dental floss.
BREAD STUFFING This recipe comes from the Lion House recipe book and makes a lot. You can cut it down for smaller meals. 1 cup butter or margarine 3/4 to 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups finely chopped celery 3 to 4 quarts stale bread cubes (Just leave your bread bag open so it dries some.) Salt to taste (the recipe says 1 T but I always go with half that or less) 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Heat butter in large skillet: add onion and celery and cook until transparent but not brown (about 10 min.) Add bread cubes (1/4 to 1/2 half inch cubes) and seasonings. Heat until butter is absorbed, stirring constantly. This makes a somewhat dry stuffing. If you like it moist (I do) add 1/3 to 1 cup chicken or turkey stock or water. This stuffing is supposed to be put into your turkey and baked. I prefer to spread it in a baking pan and bake it for 15 min. or so, just until crunchy on top.
APPLE PIE From Lion's House again.
Pastry for 9-inch 2 crust pie (see below). 4 to 5 cups tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I like JohnnyGold) 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (depending on how juicy your apples already are) 3/4 to 1 cup sugar 1 to 2 T flour 12 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 T lemon juice 2 T butter or margarine (if you don't use a butter based crust)
Steam or simmer apples gently in water until they wilt and begin to become transparent (to partially cook). Combine the sugar and other dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread half over the pastry-lined pie pan. Lift apples from cooking liquid into crust. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter. Roll, fit and seal top crust. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake on lower shelf of oven at 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. (I use a pie shield for the outer edge of the crust or you can put strips of aluminum foil on outer edge to keep it from over browning.)
RHOTON FAMILY'S FAVORITE PIE CRUST This is a recipe I've toyed with and it changes periodically. Here's the current version. I usually can get 3 "discs" from it which makes one 2 crust pie and one 1 crust pie. If you haven't rolled out a crust before maybe just use it for one 2 crust pie so that you have lots to work with. Sprinkle the leftover pieces with cinnamon sugar and bake for extra treats.
3 cups flour Scant teaspoon salt 3/4 cup shortening 3/4 cup cold butter (not margarine) 3/4 very cold water
Place flour in bowl and stir in salt with a fork. Cut in shortening and butter with a pastry cutter until largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. Sprinkle water around the bowl and blend softly with a fork until moist. Don't over mix. It should still appear somewhat crumbly. Pour 1/2 or 1/3 of mixture on a piece of plastic wrap. Pull up the edges and press lightly into a disc shape. Repeat to make 1 or 2 other discs. Chill while you make the filling.
To roll out crust, wipe your counter with a wet rag then place a large sheet of plastic wrap on it. It will stick. Place the disc on the plastic wrap with another piece of plastic wrap on top. Toll with the dough between the two pieces of wrap. Roll until the dough is atleast an inch larger than the pie pan. Remove one sheet of plastic wrap and carefully put dough in the pan removing the other as you go. Fill as recipe indicates. If you are making a 2 crust pie, add the top crust, pinch the edges and cut a few small vents on top. Note: You can use all shortening instead of butter. This works well if you want to make a more defined/decorative edge, it just doesn't taste as buttery.
In my experience people either love sweet potatoes or hate them. Maybe because they have only had them from a can, I have a hard time believing that someone could not like something covered in butter, brown sugar and marshmallows!! So if you feel like you want to give sweet potatoes another try, use this recipe it is my tried and true favorite, and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them!
5 good size sweet potatoes (or yams depends on which side of the country you are on 1 cube butter (yes real butter, come on this is Thanksgiving) 3/4 cup brown sugar Cinnamon nutmeg 1/2 bag mini marshmallows
Bake (not boil) sweet potatoes for about an hour until they are tender. Let them cool and they should just slide out of the skins. Now whether you like creamy or cut into chunks you either cube them or mash them, I do a bit of both, some chunks and some mashed, I like the texture of both. Place sweet potatoes in a 9x13 dish. Melt butter and pour evenly over sweet potatotes. Then take some cinnamon, and sprinkle on according to your tastes, and the same with nutmeg (if you don't like nutmeg omit). Now sprinkle the brown sugar over evenly and place in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, then take the marshmallow and spread over top, place in broiler til melted (this step takes just a few minutes, don't leave the oven, there is nothing worse than crispy marshmallows. Serve and enjoy!
2 Jell-O No-Bake Pumpkin Style Pie Desserts (in a box type mix) 10 Tbsp. Butter 4 Tbsp. Sugar 5 cups Cold Milk 8 oz. Cream Cheese 1 cup. Powdered Sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip
Mix the crust mixes from both boxes of the No-Bake Pumpkin Style Pie Desserts with the butter and sugar. Press the prepared crust into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
Next, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar together and fold in the Cool Whip. Put this mixture on top of the pressed crust.
Mix the Pumpkin mix from both desserts with the milk following the instructions on the back of the box. Pour this on top of the cream cheese layer. Cover it and refrigerate at least an hour (the longer you chill it, the better it sets).
If you want to make this into a round pie, or make a smaller square baker size, cut the cream cheese layer ingredients in half and use just one box of the Jell-O dessert mix.
This is NOT the recipe on the back of the Jell-O box. It is a bit more rich in the flavor of the cream cheese layer. I came up with it by combining the pumpkin idea with part of another layered dessert recipe I have and loved the results. I hope you love it too!
So honestly, traditional Thanksgiving dishes are not my favorite. I'll just come right out and say, I don't like mashed potatoes. But the following are three dishes that I have to have on Thanksgiving. They're probably not very Thanksgivingy to most people, but they are to me:)
This is one of the few potato dishes I like. This is a dish probably most of you have, but if you don't have it-try it. This recipe is always requested when I bring it somewhere and it's so easy to make.
Ingredients
1/2 C butter or margarine
1 lb pkg frozen cubed hash browned potatoes
1/2 C minced onion
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 C sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C crumbs (bread or corn flake)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt margarine or butter. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except crumbs. Spread mixture evenly in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Sprinkle crumbs on top, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. Remove foil last 15 minutes.
I have this recipe at a lot of mormon functions, so I'm assuming you have it. But in case you don't, this is definitely a favorite of mine.
Ingredients:
1 lb pkg. shredded cabbage
1 C silvered almonds
1 C sunflower seeds
4 green onions (including tops) chopped
1 3 oz pkg chicken flavor ramen noodle soup mix
dressing:
1/2 C safflower oil (i've always used canola)
3 tbs white vinegar
1/4 C sugar
flavor packet from soup mix
salt
Directions:
In large bowl, toss cabbage, almonds, sunflower seeds, and onions together. Thirty minutes before serving, break up noodles, add to salad mix. In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Toss with salad. Refrigerate. Mix well again just before serving.
out of all the jello recipes i've tried (and i've tried a lot) this one is still my favorite. i guess it's hard to compare to the first one you've ever tried.
Ingredients:
1 3 oz pkg lime jello
1 16 oz can pears, drained and reserve juice
1 8 oz pkg softened cream cheese
1 small container cool whip
Directions:
Dissolve jello in 1 C hot pear juice (add water if necessary). Put cream cheese and drained pears in blender and blend well. Add partially cooled jello and blend. Add cool whip and fold in well. Pour into a jello mold or dish. Chill.
I have the "pf changs" mongolian beef recipe (love!!), but when I found this mongolian beef recipe for a crockpot, I had to give it a shot. the ease of a crockpot makes everything better. As the recipe concedes, you can't get the beef crispy in the crockpot, but I love the flavor and enjoyed the preparation. So don't expect exact pf changs, but you can still expect yumminess.
Ingredients:
1 lb beef flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain
1 medium white onion or yellow onion, sliced thinly (about 1 C)
1/2 C light soy sauce
1/2 C dry sherry
1/2 C chicken broth
1 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl hoisin sauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tbl ground ginger
1/2 -1 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 C cornstarch
1 C cut scallion in 1.5 inch pieces
1/3 C fruity white wine
Directions:
Slice the flank steak thinly across the grain. The strips should be 2-3 inches long each; set aside. Combine the onion-pepper flakes and put the mixture into the crock pot. Put the cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag; add the sliced beef and toss well to coat. Add the coated beef into the crock pot, gently pushing it into the liquid to cover; pour the white wine over-do not stir. Cook on low for 4-5 hours; an hour before you're going to serve, turn the crock pot to high, add the cut scallions, stir and cook for an additional hour. Stir and serve over rice or noodles.
(You can add less sugar depending on how sweet you like this!!)
Todd came up with this recipe himself and it's SO good...
Ingredients:
15 oz. tomato sauce 16 oz can pinto beans, drained 16 oz can kidney beans, drained 1 lb ground beef, season with chili seasoning packet and cook 1 +/- lb beef round top steak, chopped (seasoned w/ liquid smoke, etc. and grilled) 1.25 oz McCormick's chili seasoning packet 1 small sweet onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1-2 green bell peppers, chopped 1 jalapeno, chopped 1 red chili, chopped 1-2 10 oz cans Rotel tomato and green chilies brown sugar to taste ( about 1/4- 1/2 cup)
This chili is SPICY, so adjust to your liking. Combine cooked meats and veggies in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Adding brown sugar last.
OK, after trying MANY recipes, my favorite is the easiest, healthiest, and also least original. It is actually stolen from Anne Allen, so you can thank her. (It also makes fabulous muffins with half the recipe, baking for only 15-20 min.)
CAKE
2 spice cake mixes
4 eggs
1 large can pumpkin (30 oz)
Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients and separate batter equally into two greased and floured bundt pans. (You can cook one at a time if you only have one bundt pan--I do this). Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean. Allow to cool
FROSTING
2 8 oz packages cream cheese or low fat cream cheese (softened)
2 tsp. vanilla
9-10 cups powdered sugar
Orange, green and black food coloring
Pastry bags and decorating tips for frosting
Mix cream cheese and vanilla first, then slowly add in powdered sugar until frosting doesn't fall out of shape (you need it thick enough to frost with). Color 1/4 cup frosting green, 1/4 cup frosting black, and the color the remainder orange.
Cut off tops of both cakes so that flat surfaces can fit together nicely to make the pumpkin. Put them together, frost orange, and then have fun "carving" your jack-o-lantern. (black face features, green leaves and runners).
1 1/2 #'s ground beef (with chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste) 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese 1 cup mayo 1 cup mozzarella cheese Box Manicotti noodles Spaghetti Sauce
Brown ground beef, onion, salt and pepper. Drain. Mix together beef, cottage cheese, mayo, and mozzarella cheese. Cook noodles according to box. Drain and place on foil to cool. Fill each noodle with meat mixture. (jumbo shells also work great and are easier to stuff) Place in an 9x13 pan. Cover with favorite Spaghetti Sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes more. This can be frozen.
I just saw this recipe on a friend's blog and it looked fantastically simple. So I copied and pasted it here to share! You can check out more of her fabulous ideas (and beautiful photos) at my-this-n-that.blogspot.com
You will need:
3-4 chicken tenders per sandwich
Italian Salad Dressing
canola oil
Ciabatta Bread (I used the small loaves.)
Caesar Salad Dressing (the thicker the better)
3 slices cooked bacon per sandwich
sun-dried tomatoes
lettuce
Parmesan cheese
*Marinate chicken earlier in the day in Italian salad dressing.*
add oil to skillet and cook chicken over medium-high heat until done
remove from heat and set aside
cook bacon
heat oven to 375 degrees. slice ciabatta loaf in half horizontally and toast for 5 minutes
spread Caesar dressing on each half of bread
layer chicken, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and top with Parmesan cheese
Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside. (You can use a regular pie pan too) I had a little extra filling that didn't quite all fit in the pan though.
Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin, eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.
I coat the top with homemade whipped cream after I've chilled it.
1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix in mixer until it thickens a little.
