Weekly Cooking Thread: THANKSGIVING EDITION cont'd.

[Jamestown1630]

The first dish I recall making when I began helping with the family Thanksgiving dinner, was my Aunt's recipe for Sweet Potato Souffle. If you don't like marshmallows (V K Lee, I'm talking to you!) they can be left out; but I think it would be tragic to leave out the raisins :-)

I usually cheat on this: I don't whip the whites separately and fold them in - too much work for Thanksgiving, and it's wonderful even if you just throw it all together and mix it up. I also make the sweet potatoes the night before and refrigerate them, so that part is done ahead.

Sweet Potato Souffle (or not Souffle)

Prepare 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes: Boil potatoes in their skins until done; remove skins and mash.

Preheat oven to 350.

Scald: 1 C. milk

Add: one-half C. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 T. butter, 1 tsp. nutmeg, and the potatoes. Beat until fluffy.

Separate 2 eggs. Beat yolks and add to the potato mixture. Add: one-half C. raisins, and stir in well.

Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff, and fold into the first mixture. Pour into greased baking dish (I use a large Pyrex deep-dish pie plate).

Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. When done, top with a circle of marshmallows around the edge of the plate, and brown briefly under broiler.

*********************************************************

I've never had much luck with 'crockpot' cooking, but I keep trying. Last week we made this recipe that I've seen several versions of on the Internet:

Teriyaki Chicken

1 lg bag of Carrots sliced

1 Red Onion cut in chunks

2 large cans of Pineapple chunks (undrained)

4 Garlic cloves

4 Chicken breasts

One and one-fourth cup Teriyaki Sauce

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low 8 hours.

It turned out alright - I could tell that with the right kind of tweaking it would be great - but it had the same somewhat washed-out blandness of every slow-cooker dish I've tried. I would have wanted it to have more intense flavor, and I'm starting to think that there are 'secrets' to this that I just don't know.

Is anyone aware of a really good book on slow-cooker cooking? It's such a handy thing, especially at busy times like this, and when you can combine it with do-ahead prep and freezing. I'd like to learn more about it and be able to rely on it to produce really good meals.

[JRandomFreeper]

Ping for later. Haven't decided what I'm going to do here. Cooking for one can be a challenge.

/johnny

[pops88]

I tried a new recipe to take to our church’s food bank Thanksgiving-

Great Pumpkin Dessert
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/great-pumpkin-dessert

It’s very easy, freezes well, and I liked it a lot more than pumpkin pie. I’ve never been much of a fan of pumpkin pie.

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
3/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

In a large bowl, beat first five ingredients until smooth.
Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cake mix and drizzle with butter. Top with walnuts.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Yield: 12-16 servings.

I also made some apple-mincemeat strudel. Sooo much better than mincemeat pie or tarts. I read a half dozen or so recipes and adapted from them. Another quick and easy dessert.

[cherry]

I'll be doing my 12 hr shift at the hospital on Thanksgiving so I won't have to worry about cooking...lol..

but I am cooking one for Saturday and having people over....I'll be putting it in a brine tomorrow.

[garandgal]

I use a crock pot very often. I don’t use crock pot recipes...use regular recipes and figure out how to cook them in the crock pot. Most are easily adaptable. Also, I use probably twice the seasoning that I would normally use and freshen it up again towards the end of the cooking process.

Great luck that way!

For example:

I made meatballs and browned them slightly. Threw them in the crock pot with a jar of Prego, a can of tomato sauce, a can of fire roasted tomatoes, some diced green pepper and onion. Along with a good dose of garlic, dried oregano, Italian herbs, white pepper, chili power (yes, really), and salt.

After 8 hours on low, some of the meatballs had broken down, leaving a great meaty sauce to go along with those still intact. Whipped up a 10 minute Ricotta gnocchi (ridiculously easy and good Food Network recipe). It was awesome topped with shaved Parm.

[Jamestown1630]

I hope you like it. I used to sneak into the fridge and eat the leftovers cold, when I was a kid.

-JT

[MomwithHope]

If we lived closer together we would surely invite you over!

[JRandomFreeper]

And if I were closer I might accept. I would certainly thank you. ;)

I crash too quickly to spend much time out

So, thank you and maybe next year I'll be able to post some good recipes.

/johnny

[Liz]

PILGRIM HAT CENTERPIECE

<><>Paint clay flower pot flat black. Invert on felt circle (the brim).

<><> Run a wide black grosgrain ribbon through belt buckle (cut a buckle out of cardboard).

<><> Attach fall flowers, leaves, mini veggies, maybe a ceramic turkey, to brim.

[painter]

Bump for later

[Liz]

Leftovers---one of the best parts of Thanksgiving.

How 'bout a triple decker Thanksgiving turkey club sandwich?
Buttered toast, layers and layers of turkey, cranberry sauce
tomato slices, lettuce leaves, smothered in mayo, 2-3 crisp bacon slices.

[Mercat]

We’re going to an event which will have somewhere north of 20 people, pot luck. I learned that one of the people there is vegan. I had already been thinking about this but found a recipe for roasted butternut squash, pears, and cranberries. We have an old farm pear tree which randomly produces large numbers of pears. This year’s crop is crisp and sweet. (some years they are soft and sweet and some years - 2014 - they are all rotten). So here’s the recipe except that since I’m thinking vegan I’m substituting olive oil for butter:
Roasted Butternut Squash, Pears, and Cranberries
~8-10 side servings

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 pinches of kosher salt
4 cups butternut squash chunks (roughly 1″ cubes)
3 cups pear (bartlett) chunks (roughly 1″ cubes)
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Instructions –

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, toss together butternut squash, pears, and dried cranberries. Pour butter over it and sprinkle with sugar/spice mix. Toss until well distributed.

4. Spread into a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and toss or stir. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the squash and pears are for tender. Check seasoning (I added a few more pinches of salt) and serve hot.

can be made ahead

[Mercat]

Wow. I’m taking mashed potatoes. Please send me your recipe for crock pot mashed potatoes.

[Mercat]

Wild goose is okay if you aren’t expecting fowl. It tasted more like beef to me. Mr. Mercat calls our ubiquitous wild geese “cows with wings.” I have a great memory of this wild goose. I’m a retired lawyer and years ago was talking with a man who said he always went out Christmas eve and shot geese. I asked him for one. Our secretary who was Jewish had volunteered to work Christmas eve, called me with a shaky voice, saying, “there’s a dead goose out in the hall.” I had totally forgotten my request. It was there sure enough, complete with head and guts. LOL She thought is was some sort of warning like in the Godfather.

[Jamestown1630]

That’s funny.

I really don’t remember the wild goose; but the first wild duck I had was great.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

I think I really prefer turkey AS leftovers, anyway.

-JT

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Sorry - I made the potatoes the regular way on the stove, then placed in the crock pot to keep warm. It just helped in the overall timing of my meal by not trying to do everything at once so foods were still warm. Sorry if my post was misleading - crock pot mashed potatoes would be great if it worked! lol

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

This is an easy recipe for those who might want the Thanksgiving flavor without making a turkey and dressing:

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

2 cups cooked, chopped up chicken from baked chicken or rotisserie chicken

One box of Stove Top cornbread stuffing mix

One can cream of chicken soup

2 cans/jars chicken gravy

One half soup can of milk ( more can be added if mixture is too dry before baking)

Heat soups and milk in large pan on stove until well blended, add dry stove top stuffing mix and chicken. The mixture should be moist but not too soupy. If too dry, add another half can of milk. Put into 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam and bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

You might be interested in my post at #37 - this casserole is really good and smells incredible as it heats up! I make it often during the year but it would work well for small family at Thanksgiving.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

That centerpiece is cute!

[Jamestown1630]

That’s also great for leftovers.