[carlo3b]

More to come.. :) HOW ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE?

[pdunkin]

bump for later reading

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

It's become a tradition in my family to make and eat different kinds of breads in the morning before Thanksgiving dinner. We have the standard date, nut and banana bread, but I've recently added homemade zucchini bread which everyone loves. We put a spread made out of cream cheese and maraschino cherries on the breads.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 cups unpeeled shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts

(I don't usually put raisins in it, but if you want to you can add 1/2 cup raisins)

Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes in two loaf pans with only the bottoms greased.

CREAM CHEESE AND CHERRIES

Unfortunately, I can't give exact measurements for this one. It's something my mother and I do by instinct now. But you just chop up maraschino cherries and mix them with softened cream cheese. And you add enough of the cherry juice to make the cream cheese spreadable. It's very good on different breads.

[truthkeeper]

Thanks, always my favorite thread of the year. Saving this one to devour later. Hopefully at least one "turkey cooked in a paper bag" recipe will turn up on it. I lost that entire thread a few years ago when my computer crashed.

BUMP

[boris]

A Prison Cookbook, and It's Not From Martha

"Proving that the steel bars of the Washington State Penitentiary are no barrier to fine dining, inmates at the prison have just produced "The Convict Cookbook".

[Snip]

[Recipes include] "Dope Fiend Sandwich" and "Prizzon Po Carcass Casserole".

=================================

(Excerpted)

I cannot include more of this brief article because it is from L.A. Times today...

[StarFan]

Frankly, I'm having a hard time reading your first recipe through tears as you've resurrected such wonderful memories of my Italian upbringing.

Never thought to use a clothes line to hang pasta as broom handles and poles, balanced on chairs, did the trick. When I purchased a pasta rack, I was ridiculed for foolishly spending money on something that would probably gather dust in short order. This thick headed Italian learned that my Gramps was the only one with the patience to hang individual fettucine noodles, while lasagna noodles were best dried on poles. Since his death, it's primarily used as a shelf in the pantry ... gathering dust.

Trying to do as much as I can before the big day and wonder if I made an error stuffing and freezing uncooked mushrooms yesterday. Should they have been baked first?

[truthkeeper]

I loved your holiday memories. Boy, can I relate...I remember stirring that polenta until I thought my arm would fall off!

[cblue55]

Corny? No way! You've just planned my Thanksgiving Dinner for me ! Your recipe for turkey is the clearest, step-by-step directions I've ever seen. Now I won't have to feel uncertain about how I'm doing! Happy Thanksgiving!

[hattend]

Dreaded thread? I look forward this thread all year long...LOL.

BTTT

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Someone on FR recently told me they use torn-up White Castle Hamburgers for their turkey stuffing.

Sounds good to me. 8~)

[saurus]

Change in Plans: Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving.

I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline.

Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method.

We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win.

When I do, we will eat. I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.

[djf]

Yum!

I don't make pumpkin pie.

I make acorn squash pie. Basically the same recipe, use a graham cracker crust, pumkin pie seasoning, cook the acorn squash, scoop them out, blend in some egg white & cinnamon, into the crust then into the oven!

Cook till it starts turning golden.

Good served w/ fresh whipped cream or ice cream!

YUM Again!

[Flamenco Lady]

Bump

[Dems_R_Losers]

My crowd-pleasing Southern style dressing recipe - demanded even by my yuppie gourmand sister-in-law and husband when we went to their house for Thanksgiving last year. It's a variation of the recipe in Martha Stewart's "Entertaining" book - I use almost all of her Thanksgiving recipes and they are fantastic. My family talks about this dressing all year long. This recipe makes a lot - I bake it in a large oblong cake pan. You might want to halve the recipe if you have a smaller family or don't want lots of leftover dressing. If you use it to stuff the turkey, do not add the broth, but add some to the remaining dressing and bake in a pan.

1 recipe cornbread, made the day before and cut into cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans (if you have the time to toast them first, it is extra good, but if not, it is still good1)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 lb. mild pork sausage, cooked and well drained
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons dried herbs (I use a mix of thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and little white pepper)
1-2 cups chicken broth, heated (I use Swanson's low-sodium broth that comes in the box - Gourmet magazine just rated it the best.)

Saute the garlic, onion, and celery until onions are wilted. Add the apples and cook until apples are slightly softened. Combine with other ingredients except broth. (Stop here if you are stuffing the turkey.) Add just enough broth to moisten the mixture. Put into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Yummmmmm!!!!

[southernnorthcarolina]

Mashed potatoes à la southernnorthcarolina

An authentic family recipe, repeated at Thanksgiving (always) and Christmas (usually) for the last two decades or so. southernnorthcarolina, the undersigned, is no cook. His duties for holiday feasts are limited to the selection of wine (usually a red Zin or a Pinot Noir, American of course; southernnorthcarolina does not recognize white or pink wines as authentic, but I digress), and the preparation of the mashed potatoes which accompany the turkey.

Have Someone Else (usually a gullible child) peel, and boil in salted water, to which a quartered onion and maybe a bay leaf has been added, several pounds of potatoes until fork-tender.

As the potatoes near the end of their cooking, have Someone Else melt too much unsalted butter, to which too much cream and/or sour cream should be added, and heated to just below boiling. More of this mixture should be prepared than you can imagine you'll need. It's a good idea to invite your cardiologist to the meal, just so he or she will be close at hand, if you get my drift.

Have Someone Else remove and discard the onion and bay leaf from the potatoes, and drain the potatoes well.

Have Someone Else locate and plug in the electric beaters, within working distance of the cooktop.

Enter the kitchen to great fanfare, and commence to slowly add the butter/cream/sour cream mixture to the potatoes, while beating them over a very low flame. Continue to beat, scrape the sides of the pot, and add the artery-clogging liquid until the appropriate texture is reached. Add quite a lot of fresh-ground pepper, and (optionally) finely chopped fresh chives and/or parsley.

Ideally, the operation should be timed so as to conclude as Someone Else is slicing the bird, because mashed potatoes don't keep well.

[angelanddevil2]

Oh, man!. I will be moving during Thanksgiving, and there will be no refrigerator; there will be though hundreds of boxes and packages. I have already decided to buy dinner done and bring it home.

[JLO]

Thanks for your thread again this year!

[JockoManning]

thanks carlo.

thanksgiving recipe thread bookmark

Mrs. JManning

[varina davis]

My dad usually cooked most of our Southern style Thanksgiving dinners and was always fond of rutabagas. Here is a recipe that root veggie lovers will like:

RUTABAGA-TURNIP-POTATO GRATIN

2 teaspoons butter

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 large turnips, peeled and sliced

2 large yellow rutabaga, peeled and sliced

2 cups heavy cream

4 sage leaves

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or Gruyere cheese -- grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a gratin dish, and arrange layers of potatoes, then turnips and then rutabagas, seasoning between each layer with salt and pepper, and continuing until you reach the top of the gratin dish. Heat the cream with the sage leaves, and pour over vegetables. Cover with grated cheese and bake for 40-50 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Test with a fork or skewer for doneness.

[katdawg]

Thanks! Might try making the sweet potato casserole!
:)

[WolfRunnerWoman]

Tamales


Step 1, the shells

½ pound dried corn husks (select ones with little or no discoloration or corn silk)
water 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (helps soften them)

Place in a large tub, cover with hot water and add the oil. Soak overnight.

Step 2, the filling

2-½ pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder or equal quantities of a “shreddy” beef cut (chuck or shoulder roast) or poultry
2-½ quarts water
4 dried Ancho chiles
2 dried Guajillo chiles
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 teaspoons lard or shortening
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt

Combine meat and water, simmer 35 to 45 minutes. Drain, reserving broth. Break meat into coarse shreds. Remove stems from chiles and remove seeds if you want a milder sauce. Cover dried chiles with boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain chiles and place in blender jar. Add spices and 1 cup reserved broth. Blend until smooth. Add additional broth if desired. Blend to desired consistency. In large pot, cook onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons lard until tender. Add meat and salt, mixing until blended. Stir in chili mixture; simmer 15 minutes.


Step 3, the masa

2/3 cup lard or shortening
4 cups Quaker Masa Harina de Maiz
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups of the reserved broth
1/3 cup lard or shortening, melted

In a large bowl, beat 2/3-cup lard until fluffy. Combine masa, salt and paprika.. Alternately add the dry ingredients and broth to the beaten lard, mixing well after each addition. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup melted lard, mixing to consistency of thick cake batter.


Step 4, assembly

Drain husks as you use them
Spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa in center of each husk. Spoon about 1 tablespoon meat filling lengthwise down the center of the masa. Fold husk over filling, allowing plain part of husk to wrap around the tamale. Fold bottom end over enclosed filling. Refrigerate until ready to steam.


Step 5, steaming

In steamer or 4-qt Dutch over, place rack 2 inches above gently boiling water. Arrange tamales upright in steamer basket. Do not pack tightly. Cover and steam 2 hours. Remove with tongs.
Yield 3 dozen

WolfRunnerWoman’s method: Save your large coffee cans. Remove label and poke holes in the bottom with an ice pick. Wash well. I have a large water bath canning pot with a rack. Fill with water to just below the rack and bring to low boil. Fill 2 of the cans with tamales, open end up. Put the 2 cans into the large canner pot, cover and steam 2 hours. This works well as it keeps the tasty little packages upright. Also you can continue to slap the tamales together and fill cans while the first batch steams.


Note: I usually triple the meat mixture recipe, but use 1 pork roast and 2 beef chuck roasts. I prepare the meat filling the day before and refrigerate. Just before I go to bed, I put the husks on to soak. The next day, depending on my mood and how many I need to feed, I’ll usually just make up one batch of dough and assemble tamales. Unused meat can be frozen in Tupperware for later use. It also makes a great burrito or enchilada filling.